A place to be

Romania is a great country, you will be amazed by the natural beauty and by the people hospitality and inner peace. IF you visit Romania exit the cities and go discover the villages, the nature and the gorgeous landscapes. Please, respect them and do your best to conserve them.

Photo: Pure Romania

Article: Pure Romania

Pure Romania Adventure trips

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Retezat Trail Race 2014  ….   a story about mountains and trail running, a story about smiles

 Beginnings…..

I remember even now – I was seven years old, my father and I had left only for a while from Pestera Cottage (Bucegi Mounatins, Romania) and we were heading together towards Babele. A crazy wish to run away, to run towards the mountain’s peak was burning inside me. I did not know how to escape. I was forbidden to run on the mountain. I had no idea back then what trail running means. A miracle happened. My father had to go back to the tent and had the confidence to leave me alone. We were supposed to meet at Babele. Then I started to run on the mountain, then the virus was rooted in my soul and since then I have been feeling the voice that calls me to run on the mountain. That was the first session of trial running in my life.

 

After many years I have came to participate in the first trail running competition – Retezat Trail Race. The exacerbated competitive spirit made me feel suffocated at the start, but this year I found many other reasons to take this step and I was able to ignore the idea that I will loose myself somewhere in the crowd, far from first places.

  Trail running – what an intense madness!

Trail running is like the life that you live for a few hours, everything condenses, you go rapidly from positive feelings to despair, you feel your limits, you achieve a big happiness, it hurts, you suffer, you enjoy, you smile, you look for solutions, you keep going, you help, you are helped and you know that no matter what happens you have to reach the destination. In Retezat Trail Race I ran 28 km. I took this long ride whit confidence. I was excited about the idea that I will get close to 2.500 meters. I liked a lot the fact that the last part was a long descent. I relied on the difficulty of the land and I hoped in a coming back. It was the perfect opportunity to discover Retezat Mountains and to have a happy start in a trail running race.

Five hours in haven, trail running in Retezat

I first arrived in Retezat now participating in Retezat Trail Race. Retezat Mountains are different. When I say this I think at Bucegi, Iezer, Fagars, Piatra Craiului, Ciucas and I feel that I have all the reasons to say it. I somehow felt them “warmer”, more alive. I was impressed since the beginning (I would say after about 50 minutes of running) by the clearings that followed the road through the forest. The scenery was of a rare beauty. The descent to Buta Cottage and the climb through the forest towards the alpine hollow also offered wonderful landscapes. The pictures on the contest’s Facebook page clearly show this. I have decided to go to this trail running race, Retezat trail running race, just because I was relying on the fact that I would get a few hours of paradise. I had flair. I received as I dared to hope.

Time hides when you are trail running

I was shocked by how I perceived the passage of time during this trail running race. “The long time”, the hours, have passed very quickly. I was always amazed how fast were going by the hours . “The short time”, the moment, was awfully long and hard. There was always a pressure from others competitors, both from those approaching from behind and those moving away in front of me. First we went in Indian file through the sticky forest. The mud slowed us all. It was a dirty trail running experience, at least at the beginning of the route. In the median area of the platoon the competitors went with big steps. There the pressure was high, you felt like you were squeezed by a pincer. If you chose to leave the platoon even for a moment you knew it was for good. You could easily loose the contact with the others for a while. I do not know when time has passed. I kept in mind a sequence of images and feelings, some of them timeless, kept away from temporal degradation.

 Being there….

It is beautiful when you imagine, when you see pictures, when you go there with your friends. But to get in a marathon on Retezat’s magical paths is a maximum joy. The atmosphere at the start of a competition, the climb “side by side” to the hermitage, sliding along in the Plesca Peak area, the hardcore descends (exactly like those of ski, full of adrenaline), the whirling about at the supply points, the meeting with rain and then with sleet near Custura Peak, the scattered row of people tortured by the hard climb or the infernal descent, the paved road, the orchards located before the starting point, all these remained vivid in my mind. To be there, to feel the competition’s vibration, to be alive and to go on are some joys you do not forget. Another moment stayed in my mind. During the climbing to Custura, a hard and torturing climb through fog and sleet, a great happiness hit me. I was smiling long and frankly, “as a stupid”, without knowing why, without caring about it. And this sudden transition from despair to good mood was so shocking that it seemed that I was vibrating more, being aware of the moment’s strangeness.

Keep going….

Yes, it is a drinking slogan but beyond this it is also a good belief in trail running competitions and even in life. In Retezat Trail Race I had reasons to go on and the happiness after about 24 km was soothing. I say this because the last few kilometres were gentler; you were running automatically, there was no effort. Even now I remember an image: at some point the route was turning from the country road through orchards with tall grass (there is a gallery on the contest’s Facebook page) and it seemed that you entered in the fairy tale world of Romanian folklore.

 

   Well, it was so nice….

I am sure that everyone said that and the few ones who have not said it yet will sure do it after their memories will be sifted and only the good ones will remain. You should go in Retezat because you will smile brightly and you will find yourself, the one who loves the beautiful and is sensitive! No, this was not only a trail running race it was a memorable experience of my life.

            Let’s hear only good things and always look for the beautiful around us either if we are practicing trail running or jus walk slowly on the life’s road. 

 

 

Adventure trips Romania

 

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The adventure tour has begun in Bucharest in the morning. We loaded the equipment in 2 cars and pick the road to Busteni, Romania. After a trip of less than 2 hours we arrived in this town. Busteni is the place where our adventure tour come to life. In a big hurry we took the equipment and caught the first cable car of the day.

 

The wind was strong, but we had good luck and the cable car took us up at 2000 meters, near the Babele Cottage in the Bucegi Mountains. There, some of us prepared the touring skis, other fixed the skis and the snowboard on the backpacks and adjust their boots. We walk about 30 minutes to Radio Relay Costila in order to reach the place where we started our descent.

 

An adventure tour is full of charm because you meet wonderful, passionate people, you can change ideas about your passions and you can learn new things. Many times these adventure tours create some powerful links between people. Often they continue to organize tours together.

There are many nice valleys in the Bucegi Mountains that could be perfect places for skiing in safe and good conditions in spring. On the edge, near the Costila Relay we start our descent on the Pripon Valley. We know well this valley, we were there many times before. Because of the low temperature the snow was rough and icy. The conditions were quite difficult on the first 500 meters but we went down in good conditions. We pay great attention to security and to the guiding services.

 

We chase moments, but in full security. An adventure tour is first of all about safety and second about moments, feelings and beautiful landscape.

Our adventure tour became even more beautiful. At lower altitude the snow became softer and we ski even easier. The landscape was great. We had the feeling of being in Alps but the warmth and the positive energy of the place remind us that we are in the Bucegi Mountains, in Romania. After half an hour of skiing we reached the forest zone. There we put our skis on the backpacks and continued our journey through the woods in order to reach again Busteni town.

 

We made a lot of breaks, we laugh, we took pictures, we analyze the snow, the rocks and the vegetation. We even had enough good luck to see on the valley chamois and a capercaille.

We finished our adventure tour in Sinaia in a traditional restaurant with traditional tasty food and a good wine. We arrived in Bucharest in the evening.

An adventure tour has the power to nurture your soul because it places you in the middle of nowhere, gives you beautiful moments, the freedom to practice your favorite sports, shows you wonderful places and offers the good mixes in order to make you feel the inspiration.

Life is about moments, this is what everyone conclude after an adventure tour.

Read more about the Adventure Tours in Pure Romania Dedicated Section.

 

 

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. . . a journey, a story, a metaphor. . . Travel Journal (pictures taken with mobile phone)

A journey, a story

Each place has its own story, charm, emotions and experiences. The ones we have found exploring the Bucegi Mountains during autumn are amazing.

The forecast for that Friday was a little unfriendly: -6 degrees Celsius, wind, clouds and a significant chance it could snow . We had to find a really good reason to leave home. In addition to that, we had planned to do a long route of 10 hours – Bran-Omu and return. A friend of mine used to say: “Never regret going!” These words are on your lips all the way back home.

But we needed more than that in order to have the courage to start our journey. In the end, 4 people hit the road; I don’t know what motivated each of them. Personally, I was pleased with the thought that I would enjoy the tranquility that nature has to offer, even if there was a big possibility to experience clouds, fog, cold weather and snow. It was already 8 o’clock in the morning, and we were there in the Bucegi Mountains, climbing the ski area of Bran. It was cold and muddy; we had a wet day ahead, as forecasted. But we also had a goal, reaching the Omu Peak.

You must believe

Motivation is what pushes you forward. I see it connected to a certain reward, or to the faith that in the end you will achieve something. This “something” is always different, every time, according to each person’s inside voice. I could not clearly define what I was expecting, but I’ll describe later what I have achieved. I truly believed that I would reach the highest peak of the Bucegi Mountains, Omu.

You must have a way

The markings that we were guided by were shaped like a red tape. The fog was so dense, that we were unable to see further than 10 meters. When entering the ski area, we lost track of the markings. The road became more interesting, promising a new, difficult sensation. The Bucegi Mountains have shown us their dark side right from the beginning.

Everything is alive

The landscape was pleasant, the forest was mysterious and inspiring, so we really wanted to see an animal living in its natural habitat. Our desire to discover, to go forward, to see more – it soon became livelier. The dream that put ourselves in motion, different for each one of us, has gained more consistency.

It takes the decision

The road was winding through the woods. The slope became steeper and the effort larger.

Are We There Yet?

Just as the road got wider, the fog and the mud became increasingly denser…

Things change

After about an hour of walking we met freshly fallen snow. The landscape became whiter and the climb darker.

Sometimes it’s easy to get over

It was cold; the snow on the tree branches was intact. The hard climb and the cherry wine had banished the cold.

There comes a time when something must remain behind

We leave behind the forest and the fog. Something big was about to happen.

At one point the sun comes out

We saw the Sun for the first time that day. The clouds were revealing a stunning view. The mountains were white and looked steamy. It was incredible. We had a huge privilege to receive these gifts. The Bucegi Mountains revealed all their beauty and greatness to us.

You have to believe it

When we reached the alpine cliffs, we couldn’t imagine not seeing what’s behind the fog that surrounded us. Therefore took our chances and waited for something to happen. Soon we got the privilege to enjoy a fairy-tale landscape.

The roads became more beautiful

A wide smile kept us up when we saw what was next to us.

Searching for harmony

It’s hard to define what we felt back then, when the clouds withdrew, revealing a land of fairytale in front of us. The harmony that we saw around us was mesmerizing: the blue sky, the white Bucegi Mountains, the green meadows from Bran, the gray forest dressed in fog and Piatra Craiului Mountains showing their sharp crests over the white clouds. We were feeling empty inside from all the mundane thoughts and feelings, yet flooded with the surrounding harmony. Gradually we were engrossed in the place, we became part of it and that put a big smile on our faces… It was like a drug that filled us with smiles and harmony. Everything was fitting perfectly. The silence was urging us to be aware that we were in the right place. The sun slightly warmed the snow among the remaining clouds.

Close to the clouds

The road brought us closer to the clouds that were moving towards the Transylvanian Depression.

Imagine what’s beyond

We were laughing, screaming, smiling and moving forward wanting to see more.

Live the emotion

We are uploading every step, every twinkle of snow next to us; we are living intensely and that gave us the power to go further nice and safe.

You must get there in order to see far

Once we climbed up to 2000 meters, and we could see a good portion of the Rucar-Bran Pass and Piatra Craiului Mountains. The sky was crystal clear, and all the effort made perfect sense.

Keep going

Our journey was ongoing when we saw the Omu Peak and the road that lead to it. The landscape was changing and we became smaller and smaller. The Bucegi Mountains were vast, and the overall experience was impressive.

Smaller

We felt increasingly smaller, but the purpose, the initiative and our inner vibration kept us big enough.

What you see is what you feel

We were always intrigued by the Bucegi Mountains. We often saw people or objects when there was nothing but limestone formations. It’s weird to see rocks that resemble birds, or even human faces.

Looking to give your stories a color

The white next to us is getting shades of turquoise, green, red or yellow. The sun shapes the entire landscape in cloud shades. The shadows appear to be moving alongside us, making us attentive to certain places while hiding the others.

It’s more beautiful together

In Bran we have found a companion dog – Lupu. We were 5 of us taking this journey, and it seemed that the harmony would be greater with Lupu joining us. In addition, this dog showed us what it means to be a good marathoner; there is no trail running competition that he couldn’t win.

The contrasts inspire

I was deeply fascinated by the contrast between the white surrounding us and the greenness of the Rucar-Bran Pass.

The roads to the top passing through shady areas

Our path was hiding between the high peaks in an area where we only saw the reflected light. Following a technical portion. We had a few emotions.

Major accomplishments are made in a team

The road was slippery, while icy chains of cold were turning our fingers numb; the abyss that we saw in our left side softened our knees, and while the snow was melting when falling on our clothes, it turned into cold droplets of water.

Look forward

The abyss remained behind. We were getting closer to the Bucegi Plateau.

Up there you see how small you really are

There comes a time when you get to the valley but you still have to climb

When time came for us to descend, we chose a different route – Valea Gaura – and we had chosen well, because we were given other wonders of nature to see.

Watch and learn

My attention was drawn by the symmetry shapes hidden under an apparent imperfection. Everything was carefully carved. Maybe human life follows the exact same pattern, and I think that you get to this conclusion when it all starts to make sense in your life.

The more slippery, the better

The ground was slippery, while the snow, soften in sun-warmed areas, became unsafe for climbing. Areas of ice hiding under the snow were becoming authentic springboards. We become more cautious and less hasty. Even if the upcoming night was urging us to run, it looked like we had even more time to measure our steps and admire.

A road, a story, many colors

We approached the greenness that we saw above. The story takes a different color.

There are beautiful things that should remain behind

We leave the snowy peaks and the forest patches behind; limestone shaped by our times and our story through the whiteness of the snow fall, they remain behind, but the beauty of the journey is ours to carry on.

Places are changing as they change people and their perceptions

We return to the forest – the same forest, the same vibration. There wasn’t fog anymore, while the sun slithered among the trees. We were experiencing a feeling of accomplishment. In our minds, we were carrying the images that we had discovered during the first part of the day.

Down but at height

You can’t always be there, you can’t always live at maximum intensity, you cannot always share powerful experiences. . . but you always have to believe that they exist, to look for them and to be ready to commit yourself in finding them; but above all, when you get them, you must take care in order to keep parts of them into your mind and soul. Suffering makes sense when it has an end to it, and at the end you get rewarded with something big, as beautiful as the honesty you flirted with during the journey.

A motto comes to mind, one that links the ideas of passion and freedom with the story described here … “fuel your instinct”.

The journey continues, it goes where we want it to go, and that is the coolest thing

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A half-day tour in the highest mountains in Romania

(pictures taken with mobile phone)

It was Saturday, 11 o’clock in the morning, when we were in Curtea de Arges (read more about the city here – ); the weather was gorgeous, clear blue sky, so clear that you could see the horizon. All morning the Fagaras Mountains were screaming for us to pay them a visit. It’s beautiful to be in Curtea de Arges, when the sky is clear; you can see a large portion of the Fagaras mountain chain, and you feel that the mountains are very close.

They are at a distance of almost 30 km (18 miles). Keeping in mind that this is a relatively short distance, we rapidly gathered a group, took a car and started our unexpected journey. To reach the high part of the mountains we had to go by car for almost 80 km (50 miles). The road climbs up to 2000 meters (6500 feet) in altitude.  It was the best decision of the week. The mountains were beautiful, surrounded by an amazing tranquility.

We had started out tour at 2 o’clock, after which we had to walk for almost 5 hours from the Capra Cottage to the Lake Caltun and then to the Balea Lac Cottage.

It was a little cold but we enjoyed it a lot. We felt the peace, the harmony, the nice taste of autumn, its beautiful warm colors and the wind that told us where we were – Fagaras Mountains, the highest mountains in Romania.

The trip was short but very energizing.

Find out more about this beautiful place in the dedicated section.

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