Explore Romania’s Medieval Villages, Castles, and Vineyards by Bike

It was a hot afternoon in Bucharest. The sun rays bounced the Romanian glass glass that I held to clinic over the table. On a sound track of the house music in a loud voice, Martha Butterfield, an 84 -year -old young man with a controversial silver haired, said surprisingly, “Keep your F@*#best life!”

She was not giving a toast. She was reading with a piece of art hanging on the wall of the restaurant, Kasa the David. But in these words, with Bitterfield and Robinson, my weekly mantra was made for cycling adventure, which was founded by his brother Sydney Robinson, and her husband George Butterfield Martha. Joi D.Waver B&R has been a B&R driving force since the early days of a motorcycle journey from Vienna to Paris in the 1960s.

While Western Europe is one of the company’s most famous, 85 -year -old George, promoting tracks in the world’s less discovered corners. With Romania, Easter color -colored Saxon villages, Gothic fortresses, medieval forts, and forest valleys, it has the latest obsession. Five -star housing is a feature of any B&R travel. Over the past few years, the inauguration of properties like Bethelin Status and Matka has allowed George to travel at the high end.

I joined George, Martha, and 12 of his long -lasting customers who began in the dynamic capital, detected the country, and an end to a cycling, Mica, Translavania. George said, “Here’s a week’s discovery,” thanks for trusting me. “” I will follow you anywhere, George, “Andy Gleman screams at his eleventh trip to B&R group.

It is not all long mileage and steep climb – B&R prefers cultural immersion. For this purpose, we started with the lesson of history. After lunch, Raluka of Travel Agency beyond Dracula, Raluka, gave our group a glimpse of the country’s Communist years from 1948 to 1989. She took us to an apartment Ferrioica, which turned to a private museum, which felt like a time capsule since the 1980s, completed with complete storage with pantry. On the contrary, the notorious Communist rulers of Romania, Nicola and Elena Susco were a manifestation of extravagance, which included velvet and silk line walls, a glide bathroom, and a private cinema.

ş The PIAC said, “Seasco was especially shocking.” Burgundy is the owner of a house.

On the back of George’s cycling jersey, the phrase “old man is never considered less than a bicycle” was never considered less, and I spent most of the next day staring at him when I padled behind him. One of the major wine areas, Delo Marie’s rolling, allowed us to climb the hills covered by the vineyard.

Grapes gave way to the growing peaks of the southern Carpentian mountains, when a van moved three hours northeast to Bravov, a Middle Ages in Translavania. There are numerous historical monuments – especially one of the largest Gothic buildings in Romania, one of the Black Church. But also modern cafes and bustro. On one soul, we eaten tender duck breast dressed in delicious art sauce with pear and Yuzo.

In the next few days, when we go through scenes of bell -shaped grass and well -safe animals, it seemed that we travel back in time. ۔ The ponies grassed the grass on the side of the road, and punched the white stores farm houses.

Transalvania has a home for more than a dozen people, and the people we have passed speak both Germany and Hungary. We would come to the White Washed Unitary Churches in a village, then accelerated Gothic or Romansk Luther churches in the next.

On the fourth day, an hour -long journey led us to the village of Alma VIII, which was founded in the 13th century. The fortress church and its surrounding stone walls have been restored, and now it is the focus of traditional culture interpretation. Inside it, the craftsman’s hungry corn hungers and woolen chapels and hats feel.

A local restaurant, Bellama Rural, invited the table from the form to the center, and we dug in the heart plates of suite pulses like an oven -filled eggplant and Rikota. urdă Cheese Pelnic, A fruit brandy presented with every meal, flowed freely, and the group teased me – “young” – when I avoided. Dick Balfour, one of our group’s five lawyers, insisted, “But this is a B&R route.”

Even with cycling of 20 to 30 miles in a day, I was still feeling the pleasures of this journey, so I pledged an optional bike 11 miles in my hotel, Bethalon Status in the village of Curi, a Middle Ages. This evening, we were told, the highly talented chef of this property will offer us seven course of the latest Hungary recipes like fermented cucumber with the latest peas and smoking trout and dill, with a cold cucumber with a gazapchu. I intended to be hungry.

Bethlean Status Count was the hometown of MacLes Bethalon, who died in 2001. Since then, his widow, County Gladiats Bethlean, has been carefully restoring this property with the ambitions of making the most luxury place to live in Romania. I would say that she succeeded-with freshly cut flowers in my bedroom, which was heated by the traditional toil stove, did not waste any details from the hand-made ceramics in the dining room.

Szakilliland, where we spent our last two days, is an area of ​​Eastern Carpets where many ethnic Hungary live. Cultural distinctions felt it as we wander around a border: in our hotel, a fairy tale in Zubala, a fairy tale in Zabala is owned by a Nobel family in the property, the staff talked about Hungary, and we had dinner on pots like Golb. Kürtőskalács, A spitful, pastery filled with sugar was not presented to us anywhere else.

My legs were eventually feeling the miles, so after a afternoon ride I wandered around the forest (when I go, looking for bears) I returned to the ceiling at sunset so that our group could find a plum clinic in the plum. Polynic. After a week with George and Martha, I was convinced that the secret of living your best life is easy: good food and good wine, friends and a sight.

A version of this story first appeared in the July 2025 issue Travel + leisure Under the heading of “Happy Ride”“