Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SÂMBĂTA
At the foot of the mountains (20km via highway from Victoria, or 10km by a somewhat
rough, but paved back road), the Sâmbăta complex is home to one of Romania's wealthi-
est monasteries and a key access point for Făgăraş hikes. Ceauşescu liked it enough to
build a villa here on the monastery grounds.
Popular with Romanians, the lavish 1696
Sâmbăta Monastery
( 0268-241 237; ad-
mission free; 8am-6pm)
is also known as Brâncoveanu Monastery after its original
founder, Wallachian prince Constantin Brâncoveanu (r 1688-1714). Forty monks live
here. Sâmbăta's ruins were restored between 1926 and 1936. Its fame today is derived
from its workshops of glass icons, run by the monastery's monks, residents since the early
1990s. There is a
glass icon museum
( 11am-4.45pm Mon, Wed, & Fri, 9am-4.45pm
Tue, Thu & Sat, 8.30am-4.45pm Sun May-Oct)
, with lovely examples of 18th-century
glass icons and other relics.
THE TRANSFĂGĂRĂŞAN ROAD
The Transfăgărăşan Road (the 7C), Romania's highest asphalted road and voted by TV's
Top Gear
as the world's
best road, provides an unforgettable experience behind the wheel. Boldly charging up and down one of Romania's
highest mountains, this two-lane road sometimes has the narrowest of shoulders separating it from the edge of a
cliff. Driving its length is an adventure in itself, with breathtaking scenery around every one of the dozens of
twists and turns.
Ceauşescu's most celebrated project was built in the 1970s over the course of 4½ short years - 6 million kg of
dynamite was used to blast out 3.8 million cu metres of rock, and 38 overworked soldiers died in accidents during
its hasty construction - before it opened on 20 September 1974. While the scheme fitted well within the dictator's
overall megalomania, he also had more practical reasons for building it. Though other routes east and west of here
cut an easier north-south route, he thought it wise to secure the Carpathian crossing at the traditional border
between Wallachia and Transylvania, just in case the Soviets invaded (as they had Czechoslovakia in 1968).
How to tackle it:
Running from Piteşti via Curtea de Argeş in the south to Hwy 1 in the north (118km in all), the
Transfăgărăşan Road is most commonly accessed from the northern end, where a 35km drive will take you up to
the haunting glacial Lake Bâlea (2034m).
Starting from Hwy 1 in the north, the drive gets interesting at Km12, when the road begins a series of jagged
turns through lush forest. As you keep climbing, the trees start to thin, their veil replaced by unfolding views of
sheer rock face. By Km20, your ears are popping. At Km22, you arrive at the
cascadă
(waterfalls). The
360-degree views here are stunning: walls of mountains surround the area, and the distant waterfalls' slash of
white appears like a lightning bolt in a grey sky. There are souvenir stands, a restaurant and the Cabana Bâlea
Cascada as well as a cable car that whisks you up to Lake Bâlea. Alternatively, follow the scenic blue-cross trail
(2½ hours). The remaining 13km up to Lake Bâlea is a maze of razor-sharp zigzags hanging over precipices fram-
ing breathtaking views.
