Baile Herculane to Targu Jiu, July 5, 105 km

Cold Mountain Movie Set

For my Independence Day meal, four of us took Sebastian out to dinner for a typical Romanian meal…two big beers, sausage, fries, and salad. What a deal at $6 each! We got to solve some of the world problems with Sebastian saying he likes George Bush and the national Romanian hero is Ronald Regan, who freed them from communism.

The ride today was tough with 4000 feet of climbing through the Carpathian Mountains. We learned that this is the area where the movie Cold Mountain, with Nicole Kidman, had been filmed several years ago. There were lots of switchbacks, stray dogs, farmers cutting hay, and stunning views.

In Targu Jiu, we stayed in another Soviet era hotel, which had not been remodelled in fifty years. We did have hot water, but no A/C on a very hot day, and mosquitoes at night.