A relaxing night's sleep, as it was cooler we had the window open with the net curtain closed to keep out mosquitoes. Worked better than the air conditioning unit. There was a hose on all night in the hotel terrace garden, so slept to the pleasant sound of water being sprinkled. Awake at 5.30 by the light of the new day. After our hotel breakfast we set off, around 7.40am. First 1k was heading up the valley on the flat, then it was a 36k climb up through the mountains. Bit hard straight after breakfast! Baile Herculane is at the bottom of a mountain chain, and we were heading up the side of Muntii Mehedintulului on the 67D.
It was a good climb, in some places the road was extremely rough but the gradient was OK. Occasionally it had a sign 7% or 10% gradient. So it was up and up and up, at first alongside the river. As we got higher the views became more expansive. We went from forest, like Arthur's Pass, to large views through to the background mountains which still had some snow on them. The scenery was spectacular, absolutely magnificent. There were only a few settlements, some horse drawn carts, a few wild dogs - only one group which showed any interest. We rode with Manon and Graeme. The climb was up to 1100m. The temperature was cool and it was overcast with a bit of a breeze - excellent conditions for riding up a mountain. Once we reached the summit it was a 5k ride down to lunch. Just before lunch we passed through the town of Obitsia Closani.
On the outskirts was a flock of sheep being moved along the road. Around the corner Liz had an up close encounter with a large dog, but proved she could yell and bark better! Lunch was at 45ks, with lots of fresh fruit. There were lots of little settlements along the way down, with people going about their business. The fields on the mountainsides were all planted, and there were many workers scything and raking hay. Often they called out and waved to us. A number of horse drawn carts and cows were on the road.
There were plenty of hens on the sided of the roads, haystacks, some corn crops and lots of grassland. There was another fruit snack stop at 80ks, and from there it was gently undulating into Targu Jui. Traffic was light, roads reasonable. In the last 20ks the temperature rose, and it was 37 degrees when we reached the hotel. Another 2 star hotel, bathrooms are decrepit but clean. We have a view from our 6th floor over apartment blocks which are of a very functional design to say the least. Like many places there is a drop straight down outside the window! Dinner was pizza on the terrace, with ice cream for desert. They had been out to get new glasses as obviously did not have enough. It is an extra hotel night as not a rest day tomorrow. Instead we are looking forward to our longest and toughest day! It is a lovely evening, doves cooing, children playing on the streets, older folks sitting on the benches chatting, dogs roaming. We have been to the supermarket to get fresh water for tomorrow, and are heading to bed early (9pm). Today we travelled 102km on 5 hours & 4 mins. Average was 20.3.
It was a good climb, in some places the road was extremely rough but the gradient was OK. Occasionally it had a sign 7% or 10% gradient. So it was up and up and up, at first alongside the river. As we got higher the views became more expansive. We went from forest, like Arthur's Pass, to large views through to the background mountains which still had some snow on them. The scenery was spectacular, absolutely magnificent. There were only a few settlements, some horse drawn carts, a few wild dogs - only one group which showed any interest. We rode with Manon and Graeme. The climb was up to 1100m. The temperature was cool and it was overcast with a bit of a breeze - excellent conditions for riding up a mountain. Once we reached the summit it was a 5k ride down to lunch. Just before lunch we passed through the town of Obitsia Closani.
On the outskirts was a flock of sheep being moved along the road. Around the corner Liz had an up close encounter with a large dog, but proved she could yell and bark better! Lunch was at 45ks, with lots of fresh fruit. There were lots of little settlements along the way down, with people going about their business. The fields on the mountainsides were all planted, and there were many workers scything and raking hay. Often they called out and waved to us. A number of horse drawn carts and cows were on the road.
There were plenty of hens on the sided of the roads, haystacks, some corn crops and lots of grassland. There was another fruit snack stop at 80ks, and from there it was gently undulating into Targu Jui. Traffic was light, roads reasonable. In the last 20ks the temperature rose, and it was 37 degrees when we reached the hotel. Another 2 star hotel, bathrooms are decrepit but clean. We have a view from our 6th floor over apartment blocks which are of a very functional design to say the least. Like many places there is a drop straight down outside the window! Dinner was pizza on the terrace, with ice cream for desert. They had been out to get new glasses as obviously did not have enough. It is an extra hotel night as not a rest day tomorrow. Instead we are looking forward to our longest and toughest day! It is a lovely evening, doves cooing, children playing on the streets, older folks sitting on the benches chatting, dogs roaming. We have been to the supermarket to get fresh water for tomorrow, and are heading to bed early (9pm). Today we travelled 102km on 5 hours & 4 mins. Average was 20.3.
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