I do understand the reluctance of some people to come and visit Romania, it really would not have been a primary option for me either, if I heard and believed only the negative press coverage this country too often gets.
When I lived in the UK, my opinion of Romania and Romanians was definitely influenced by what I saw and heard, I can also say that when through the church I attended , the offer to come here ,was not received with an abundance of enthusiasm…Rome yes, Rhodes also yes, but Romania…why would I go there. Where was it any way…somewhere near Russia, wasn’t it and it had been a Communist stroghold for years and totally corrupt ..Go there well no thanks!..
Well I did go, reluctantly, and my first impressions, did little to change my pre conceived ideas. Bucharest or the parts I drove through were grey, in need of TLC and not somewhere that inspired me.
However, once outside the city, my mood picked up, as we moved deeper into the countryside and the Carpathean mountains appeared. I initially stayed in Pitesti with a large family, who offered immediate kindness, acceptance and generosity.
The short story is this…after returning to England, subsequently marrying Liliana, we worked hard,along with the huge amounts of stress that goes with management (sales) in the UK. Then decided to go back to Romania, and start a new life…an decided to build ( yes build!) a Bed and Breakfast.
We bought some land ( nearly 5,000 square metres) lived in a tent for 8 months as the house got built.
Well how is Romania for us now?
There is absolutley no comparison with the lifestyle we have, friends we have met here . This is so much better!
The truth of the situation is this, Romania is a beautiful and undeveloped country.
The Romanian people are for the most part, extremely friendly and generous.
We have a lovely home, a lifestyle that could never have been affordable in the UK.
It is still struggling with its Communist past, the beurocratic system can me slow and annoying, but we have generally had only assistance from the powers that be.
We have not encountered the so called mass corruption on every street corner, if it’s there, it has not caused us problems.
Incredible opportunities exist here for any one thinking setting up a business, particularly in tourism. and it can be done at a fraction of the cost in Western Europe.
In Bucharest alone there are now 30,000 expats, most of whom enjoy their lifestyle. Most of the people who come and stay with us are Western Europeans, and most of them are enjoying their new found, space fresh air, and higher standard of living!
The only issue we all do groan about is the standard of driving here…well its a challenge to say the least, but other than that …go back to Essex, no way..Im staying here…
Both Lili and I are keen motorcyclists, and rode our TDM850 over from the UK, for sure there are some incredible places to ride in Western Europe…there is, in Romania too ..yes we do have real roads, and they are getting better all the time.
I would suggest to any biker…come and ride the Transfaragass Pass, it is truly stunning, challenging and will leave a lifetimes impression. Many of those that have come, have ridden it, will tell you it is now a “must do”.ride.
ALSO, if you like wildlife and nature…Romania has one third of Europes, population of bears, wolves and lynx.. large areas of the country are now under protection and seen as extremely important by the UNESCO…and where else can you have a cup of tea or coffee at the real Count Dracula’s castle?
