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Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Old Mar 13th 2013, 11:54 am
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Default Adore the romantic image of Romania!

I was brought up in the time of Hammer Horror and loved the image of the mountains and forests in Romania!

So much so that I would love to know the truth about the areas, weather and culture as I am now in a position to afford to live anywhere I choose and im giving this area my serious consideration!

Also, what standard of living will £3500 a month give me over there, please?
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Old Mar 13th 2013, 1:21 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Hi there and welcome to the forum

We don't have a dedicated section for Romania but I think you've already discovered the Europe forum and you may find a few threads in there for Romania. Have you visited the country before?
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Old Mar 13th 2013, 1:23 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Not yet, looking to go there and Bulgaria this year, maybe tour around and see what it is actually like!

I can picture the coach and horses going up into the mountains with THAT castle looming down! AHhhhhhhh

Doubt it anything like that but I do hope to find out soon. Thanks for the reply.
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Old Mar 13th 2013, 1:37 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Enjoy!
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Old Mar 14th 2013, 8:27 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Originally Posted by Tarwild
I was brought up in the time of Hammer Horror and loved the image of the mountains and forests in Romania!

So much so that I would love to know the truth about the areas, weather and culture as I am now in a position to afford to live anywhere I choose and im giving this area my serious consideration!

Also, what standard of living will £3500 a month give me over there, please?
Well, Bucharest is in the south and the landscape is a bit flat and bleak, although the city does have its charms and some interesting architecture; quite an eclectic mix of styles.

Then you have the Carpathians, which are truly beautiful (although a few areas are now perhaps a little overdeveloped. There are castle, most of which have some tenuous connection to Vlad Tepes (the impaler), but enough for them to tout it as 'Dracula's Castle' (I can think of at least three).

Beyond the mountains you have Transylvania, a land of woods and hills, forgotten villages and traditions, castles and smallholdings, wolves and bears. It's really quite interesting.

There is also the Danube Delta, rich in birdlife, and the areas of Maramures and Moldavia, which I'm yet to visit.

The weather is much better than the UK although the winters can be colder (but shorter) and the summer extremely hot. Apart from the mountains (which are obviously colder) the winter lasts from Dec to the end of Feb, and temps can get down to -15, and in rare circumstances, -30. Mar/Apr can be nice (we've just have a nice sunny week with temps of 18) but can also be rainy, May-June are lovely, generally sunny and in the 20s. July-Aug-Sep starts to get a bit hot, with temps in the 30s. In Oct-Nov are similar to Mar-Apr - you get nice days, but also some rain. The good thing is that bad weather is generally over quickly; rather than the weeks of depressing UK drizzle, you get a big storm and a torrential downpour, and then the sun is out again.

£3500 in the countryside would probably last you a year in zones where the locals typically earn a few hundred quid a month. Even in Bucharest, renting a nice flat in a nice area, running a car, and eating out a lot, it would be ample. If you can guarantee yourself that income, you would live extremely comfortably and if you don't have an expensive lifestyle, you could save a lot of money.

Anyway, that's it in brief - feel free to ask if you have any more specific questions.
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Old Mar 14th 2013, 8:43 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Hi, grateful thanks to you for all the info.

We have an income of £3,500 monthly not yearly!

I fancy the forgotten villages, sounds just the thing im after! I am after a small holding with house and room for animals to roam. I would like to see the carpathian mountains and drac's castle too!

Cheers again

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Old Mar 15th 2013, 3:11 am
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Originally Posted by Tarwild
We have an income of £3,500 monthly not yearly!
I know, the point I was making is that for some people here, that's a YEARLY income, so it gives you some idea of how well you could live off that if it's your monthly income!

There are lots of excellent smallholdings available. Basically, most of the people in the countryside (outside the towns) are smallholders. In a lot of the villages, the kids have moved to the cities (or abroad) for work or study leaving the parents or grandparents back home. When they pass away, the kids generally prefer to sell the house. As a result, you find a lot of houses for sale. From a smallholder's point of view, they're perfect as they often have all the facilities for vegetable growing and animal husbandry: pens, barns, a large courtyard, sheds, etc. On the negative side, they often don't have indoor plumber, good electrics, or modern heating systems.

Prices for one of the unmodernised smallholdings can be from about £8'000 for something smaller in a really out-of-the-way village, up to about £30-40'000 for a larger property in more readily-accessible and/or popular/touristic area.

If you come over for a visit, check out the Saxon villages around Sighisoara. Sighisoara is a popular tourist destination and in recent years has perhaps become a little over-developed but they've done a reasonable job of prevent too much ugly renovation. If you rent a car from Sighisoara, you can tour a lot of the surrounding villages (there's no public transport so you'd have to have your own wheels). You'll see some fantastic sights - workers in the field working with scythes, old ladies bringing the cows home, old-fashioned haystacks and wood piles, ramshackle old village houses, fortified churches, castles on the hills, horses and carts on the roads...

Check out this FB page: http://www.facebook.com/TransylvaniaTrip

They have lots of lovely pictures of the area.
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Old Mar 15th 2013, 9:41 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

When I was researching eastern Europe, 7/8 years ago.. it was the quality of the builds that I remember had a lot to do with the price. I am sorry if you already know that! I have never been but do hope to visit. I chose Slovenia in the end and do love it here but I am fed up with the cold winters.

One thing in cold winters countries is the cost of keeping warm, I never gave it too much thought at first. Also I made the dreaded mistake of asking the locals... they were born and lived there all their lives, said things like.. "It doesn't get that cold here." Now If I was to buy again heating is one thing that would be first on my list, how well is the house insulated and what kind of heating system have I or can I have!?!

Good luck with whatever you choose
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 3:27 am
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

The winters was one of the factors that I remember taking into consideration too. One of the other countries on my list of possible destinations was Poland, but the longer winters put me off.

Another factor was the language. It only took me a year until I could get the gist of what people were saying in Romania, and reading it is pretty easy. The other countries I considered (Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria) all have languages which would probably take a lot longer to become conversant in.

How are the heating costs in Slovenia? In the apartment in Bucharest, heating is pretty cheap, about ₤20 per month from Dec-Feb. I don't even turn on the radiators in most of the rooms, just in the bedroom at night. In the countryside I only have wood stoves and 10m3 of wood (which will probably last me two winters, plus wood for cooking, heating water and BBQs for a summer) costs about ₤100.

I visited Slovenia on holiday as a kid in the early '80s. We stayed on the banks of Lake Bled - lovely place.
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 11:31 am
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Hi, I am going over to Romania in May, staying in Principala for a week. Going over to do a weekend horse riding in the mountains too. I am so excited, more than for any other vaccation ever!

I intend looking round a couple of the villages and seeing what the property for sale is like, got about £25,000 to spend on buying and renovating so should get a bit of an idea while we are there. I will, of course want heating, either wood burning stove with radiators or a central heating system run from a suppy that is available. Wood burning chiminea type is prefernce at the minute, keep the house as authentic as possible, but warm! Also, a country style kitchen would be installed, quite rustic and the one luxury I insist on is a big bath! lol

Any tips on the area would be great, please.
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 12:19 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Are you sure about 'Principala'? In Romanian that just means something like 'main' as in 'Strada Principala': Main Street - normally the street running through the centre of a village. I know of a horse riding centre somewhere near Danes, a little west of Sighisoara and I think there is one somewhere more to the east in Harghita or Covasna counties.

My house has wood burning stoves. There are basically two types - those made of terracotta tiles and the metal ones. The terracotta ones are much better so if the house has those, and they're in good nick, it's a bonus. They're quite expensive to have installed though. They basically act like storage heaters, so even after you close them down and go to bed, they pump out heat all night. I have one in the winter bedroom and when I go to bed the room is about 24C in winter, and when I wake up, it's still around 21C. The metal ones heat up much quicker than the terracotta ones, but also cool down quicker, so once the embers have died out, it cools down pretty quickly. The other rooms have metal ones, but over time (when I have the spare cash) I would like to replace them with terracotta ones (which also look much nicer).

Last edited by Azarel; Mar 16th 2013 at 12:48 pm.
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 1:43 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Corunca’s Pensiunea Sanda is the place we are going to. The horse riding is over near Danes.

Whats the weather like in the area at the minute? I am really keen to stay warm but also keep the house as authentic as possible.

I went to Rhodes in Greece 25 years ago and preferred it then to now! I enjoy touring the old towns and Id much rather get away from the tourist type holiday.

In the area Im going to I see there are lots of saxon villages and I am looking forward to getting lost there for a while!
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 3:34 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Hi,

At the moment it's a little chilly although we've had days where the temp has got up to about 17/18C. The nights are still quite cool - not such a problem here in Bucharest but out at the country house we still need a fire in the evenings in the bedroom.

By May it'll be even better, actually a very good time to come over for hiking or riding in Transylvania. There are a lot of unspoiled pastures and hills full of wild flowers, and in May they are all in bloom and it can be spectacular if your guide knows where to take you. You should bring a jacket with you as the evenings might still be cool and/or perhaps a raincoat as sudden storms aren't uncommon in April/May.

Danes is only a few miles away from Sighisoara, so you can use this webcam to keep an eye on the weather in real time: http://www.sighisoaraonline.com/webcam.php?care=1

As for tips for places to visit, Sighisoara is obviously a 'must see' in the area, even if it is a little over-exposed to tourism these days. You can visit the house where Vlad III (the inspiration for Stoker's Dracula and infamous impaler) was born. I also recommend touring a few of the Saxon villages.

There's no public transport to speak of so you'd have to rent a car. I recommend you take a look at Biertan, Saschiz, Crit, Mesendorf, Viscri, and any others that you come across around there (just drive around an enjoy whatever you find). Most of these Saxon villages have a fortified church complexes and if you ask someone to lead you to the curator, you might get in to see a few.

Saschiz is worth a stop. It has a castle on the hill above the village which is a comfortable 2-hour walk (there and back), a nice inn in the centre for a spot of lunch, and if you want I can put you in touch with a couple there who produce their own local produce (jams, zacusca, relishes, and the like) and who can also organise some activities like seeing the beekeepers do their stuff, or bread making in a traditional wood-fired oven, and other such things.

If you like active holidays (and as you're horse riding, I suppose you do) there is also a newly-instated mountain bike trail between Crit and Mesendorf. It's about an 8km circular route and you should be able to rent bikes from Crit.

After touring a lot of the small towns and villages, you might get some idea if it looks like the kind of place you'd like to own a home in. Some villages are nicer than others, and if you'd like to live somewhere where you can really see a traditional rural lifestyle, then it could be the right choice. If you want lots of expat facilities, antique shops, cafes and kitchy rustique, then it's probably not your thing, but it sounds like you're after something more authentic.

You'd have to learn some Romanian though as getting on with your neighbours is essential as they are the ones who'll keep an eye on your place while you're away, tell you when to plant your veg, and help you find materials and workers when you renovate. If you're lucky, you'll find a gem of a neighbour like mine, who always pops round with some good advice and a bottle of his home-made wine (most country houses in the area will have grapevines growing in the courtyard - I got about 250 litres of wine from mine last year!)

Whatever happens, I'm sure you'll have a most excellent adventure!
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 3:42 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Wow, how helpful are you? lol

I will just buy a house next to you and then I will have all the help needed! Seriously, I am so very grateful. Where is your country house, I promise not to stalk you!

I would love to meet the beekeepers, not sure I fancy mountain biking, prefer my saddle on a horse! What is driving like round the area? Is it safe or do they drive slightly erraticly like in the Greek mountain areas?
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Old Mar 16th 2013, 8:02 pm
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Default Re: Adore the romantic image of Romania!

Hi, just wondering if moped's are available to hire? We are horse riding near Danes from Fri 10th to Sun 12th so would need moped from maybe 13th to 18th or 19th.
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