Southern Smooth Sailing

I don’t know that anyone reads this blog for Romanian travel purposes, but let me go on record and say the southern route we took home Hungary was far nicer and enjoyable than the northern route we took to get there even though it added on an hour of travel time. Keep in mind that when traveling with two children, we do not take such decisions lightly. 

What was so great about it you ask? For starters, the road was in fantastic condition: no gravel or dirt roads, no ruts, and no gaping pot holes threatening to swallow the car or jilt the new tires (or broken window) we shelled out for while in Budapest. Second, the view was inspiring with mile after mile of green farmland, hills, bluffs, mountains, and gorges. It felt like we discovered Romania's best kept secret on this trip.

Bird's Eye Wiki

The Iron Gates on top of the must-see list before we left Romania. They are essentially 134km of gorges and bluffs hug the Danube River, separating Romania from Serbia. It's weird to think about a different culture, nationality and country exist just across a river. I questioned Mark about the appropriateness of swimming over to say hello to the Serbians. All he could say was that it just doesn't happen.

I did not take this shot but wish I had.
Iron Gates c/o Google

At any rate, we made it to Drobeta-Turnu Severin to shack up for the night. Mark booked a suite at the Hotel Continental, confident it would compare to the other ones he stayed in. He also thought it would be a unique experience to stay in a Communist style hotel emphasizing the company updated their accommodations. Unfortunately they did not get around to this hotel. While we did have 32 drinking glasses of various style in a hutch and a TV with a retro channel knob, we didn't have much of anything else. But then again, I can't really complain about clean sheets and (mostly) hot water.

Ready to just get home, the next morning we piled back into the car headed to Bucharest. With exception to one small town called Slatina that struggled with tranzit maintenance, the roads continued to amaze us. We rolled into Bucharest without incident and enough time to let the kids decompress before dinner.

Suggested route:

Bucharest to Pitesti via A1, then toward Slatina on E574, and follow signs to E70 for the duration: Craiova, Drobeta Turnu Severin, Timisoara. If headed to Hungary, skip the Arad route altogether and take the E43 to Szeged from Timisoara. 

We wished we stayed in Szeged. It's Hungary's third largest city and sits across the border. It's famous for its university, their Open Air Plays  event held every summer and their immaculate water park. After that, the driving experience becomes your oyster as Hungary boasts over 1300 kilometers of smooth asphalt.