Overview of the 'Glory From The Mountains' Route

Have you ever wondered what a mountain really is? Is it an elevation, a volume, a piece of relief? Or maybe a frightening steepness, a mix of spacing and continuity... But it is not about just a shape, right? The mountain is, at the same time, shelter for lost traveller, home for the shepherds, an immense botanical garden, a silent witness for the deeds of history, like a wise old man who knows many and talks none! People are usually attracted by highlands. 'If you want to lead a merry life, follow the road to the mountains! Over here, the places are the most beautiful and the love is the sweetest!', says Niculae Butmaloiu, a famous Romanian mountain pioneer. And we believe him, as soon as we let ourselves embraced by the splendours of the mountain ridges and get impressed by the history hidden within the rocks.

The unique rock shapes, seen close from The Ciucas Peak (1954m)

Such kind of places we are passing within our route, 'The Glory From The Mountains'. The tour navigates some of the most overwhelming and surprising landscapes of Romania, but, for the casual biker, this is not an easy ride. We travel through Tataru Mountains, on an old merchants road, right on the top of its heights. In Tabla Butii Pass (1340 m) there were many battles during time, from defending against the tatars, in 1241, (hence the name of the mountains, Tataru), to the heroic battles of 1916, during The First World War, when this battle-front was called the 'Romanian Termopile'. And then we descend to the valley of the mighty Buzau River and freshen up with the pure water from its source. To the left we admire the majestic peaks of Ciucas, a picturesque mountain noted for the strange shapes of its limestone and conglomerate rocks.

On the way to Vama Buzaului

We reach Vama Buzau, a bucolic hamlet, whose traditional farmhouses stretch back from the road to gently rolling hills and a pine forest. For the past few years, the village has hosted a sculpture competition, in which artists create larger than life works in wood and metal. For two days we will enjoy the beauty and hospitality of this area and combine cycling on the forest roads with hiking on the outstanding Ciucas and at the Vulturi Lake ('The Eagles Lake'). Nevertheless, we won't refuse the  meals prepared at our guest-house, which are likely to be the freshest we’ve ever had, as everything is produced in the village: bread, butter, milk, meat, vegetables and fruits. 

Viaduct, on the road to Teliu

We continue our trip to Prejmer, the largest fortified church in South-Eastern Europe, built by Teutonic knights in 1212. While still impressed by the bastions, drawbridges and the secret, subterranean passage inside the fortification, we go on to another great pass up in the mountains. This time is about Predelus Pass (1298 m), crossing the Grohotis heights. It won't be easy to reach it! As we head into the heart of the unrelentingly gorgeous woods, the route ascend through untouched nature and we are happy to breathe fresh, pure air and taste delicious raspberries. We imagine how the merchants were able to carry their goods, on this road, for centuries. Luckily, we only have to carry our small luggage. And ourselves. We finally get the deserved prize after such climbing efforts, when we descend all the way until reaching the picturesque village of Valea Doftanei and the following Paltinu Lake, with its magically green-blued coloured water.
Some cultural activities are fitting very well our itinerary, so we stop in Campina Town and visit the museum of the impressionist painter Nicolae Grigorescu, one of the founders of modern art in Romania. He was a great nature lover and praised for the simple beauty of rural life.

Paltinu Lake

And here we are, at the end of our trip! In a nice, warm evening we wonder how many days did the trip last? We are tempted to believe they were so many! We saw a lot of exciting places and we learned such a nice page of history told by the old, royal mountains! They offer themselves to tell us even more, next time we visit them, asking in return for only one thing: to pay them the worthily respect.