Day 9 - The Drive to Suceava

We spent a good part of the day in the car driving between Cluj-Napoca in the northwest or Romania to Suceava in the northeast. Ukraine borders Romania to the north. It was tempting to make a detour just to claim that we had visited another country, but our schedule was tight. We wanted to have time to visit some of the famous monasteries on the outskirts of Suceava. To do so, we needed would need to make the best time we could on the road. 

The route took us through some dramatic mountains and valleys. I remarked that the countryside here looked like a bland version of Switzerland. (No offense, Romania. Every mountain area looks bland when compared with Switzerland.)

We made good time and visited three monasteries before giving up and going for dinner. 

We checked into our hotel at Suceava. The property was posh but nearly empty. Looking down the eerily quiet hallways with fine furnishings and dark wood trim, I joked that our hotel reminded me of the off-season lodge in the movie ‘The Shining’. 

We walked a few block to an excellent restaurant where I enjoyed my now typical tuna salad and “wedge potatoes” with a cappuccino viennese, a cappuccino blended with cinnamon and topped with whipped cream. Ooh, that was a sinfully delicious treat!

At night the hotel hosted a wedding reception that went on well into the night. We awoke to the sound a group of men carousing and yelling outside shortly before dawn. Suddenly, I found myself missing the stillness that a few hours earlier had seemed so unnerving.