The One with the Snowy Mountains, the Ski Drama and the Plum Brandy
Snow-capped views, medieval castles, first-time skiing, cable car cocktails, and a dinner that felt like a Romanian royal banquet.
Summary
Day one in Romania and we are officially off to a flying start. Snow-capped mountains, medieval castles, quad bikes, first-time ski attempts,
cable car cocktails, twisty mountain roads, plum brandy that nearly removed my eyebrows, and a feast underground that felt like we’d wandered
into a Romanian royal banquet.
We’re based in Brașov, a beautiful medieval town tucked inside the Carpathian Mountains. Founded by Saxons in the 13th century,
it still has cobbled streets, colourful buildings, and that slightly dramatic Transylvanian feel. It’s also conveniently close to
Bran Castle — yes, that castle — often linked to the Dracula legend. Though, for the record, today felt far more
“Adventure Geek goes skiing” than “vampires at dawn”.
The Long-Winded Version
5:12am Early start
I wake up and instantly remember a dream about apples. No idea what that’s about (ChatGPT helped me analyse it).
The room is ridiculously hot, window open, still roasting. My sleep score was a tragic 49, probably because we went to bed late
and my body still thinks it’s 3:12am UK time.
I snooze for an hour. Rebecca wakes up.
6:20am Hotel room energy
Rebecca is doing her ab workout. There are noises. Let’s just say if you were walking past the door, you’d have questions.
Meanwhile, I’m in bed journalling, quietly laughing and taking the mickey. Balance.
9:00am On the road
Dragos appears like a human emoji — big smile, banana yellow jumper, boundless energy — and invites us onto the bus.
Within ten minutes we’re staring at snowy mountains, dramatic skies and, randomly, an aeroplane that is being converted into a restaurant.
Only in Romania.
10:00am Bran Castle
Bran Castle, Valentine’s style. Layers off within minutes — it’s surprisingly warm. The castle sits dramatically on the hill as if it knows it’s famous.
Quieter than both times I’ve been before, which made it feel almost intimate. No vampires spotted. Yet.
11:30am Lunch for 14
“Lunch for 14, please!” Soup in a bread roll (excellent decision). I go for spaghetti carbonara.
The restaurant is so much calmer than previous visits — which makes herding 14 people infinitely easier.
1:00pm Bus karaoke
Back on the bus and, for reasons I can’t fully explain, we all erupt into Queen… We Are The Champions.
Honestly, I’ve led enough trips to know this is the moment you realise the group dynamic is working.
2:00pm The Great Split
We arrive at the ski resort and divide into three glorious subgroups:
- Team Cable Car & Cocktails — up the mountain for panoramic views, sunshine, and a few hours in the bars at the top. Tough life.
- Team Mud & Quad Bikes — forest trails, mud, laughter, questionable cornering, huge grins.
- Team “Wait… I Have Skis on My Feet?!” (that’s me)
First challenge: putting ski boots on. Second: walking in ski boots. Third: staying upright. Learning to stop. Learning to fall safely.
Learning that snow is much harder than it looks.
And then… the button lift thing. That tiny moving pole of doom that hooks behind you and drags you uphill while you attempt dignity.
Getting on it? Stressful. Getting off it? A whole new level of chaos.
But here’s the thing: I did it, and I’m quite proud of myself. I actually skied. Not elegantly. Not gracefully. But I did it.
And that tiny flicker of “I can’t believe I’m doing this” turned into a full-on sense of achievement.
Late afternoon Twisty roads
The roads back? Twisty. Turny. Dramatic. If you suffer with travel sickness, Romania does not mess about.
Whilst I had a jumper draped over my head, I was hearing people saying, “blimey, they have a death wish”.
The driving in Romania is on another level. It’s a bit of a free for all!
7:03pm Plum brandy o’clock
Plum brandy. That was… different. Followed swiftly by mulled wine.
We sit outside wrapped in warm blankets around a fire — cold air, glowing cheeks, happy chatter.
7:30pm Dinner at Sergiana
We head underground to Sergiana, where the waiters wear traditional Romanian dress and the tables fill with sizzling plates of chicken, beef,
sausages and ribs. Potatoes. Vegetables. Noise. Laughter.
“Salut!” … “Cheers!” Clinking glasses. Story swapping. That lovely buzz of shared experience.
It felt celebratory. And we’re only on day one.
Final Thoughts
There’s something about day one of a trip that sets the tone. Today had adventure, laughter, mild chaos, new experiences,
and that beautiful feeling of stepping slightly outside your comfort zone.
I skied for the first time. We sang on a bus. We drank plum brandy around a fire in Transylvania.
Not bad for 24 hours.
Tomorrow we have an early start… and then it’s husky sledding day. I cannot wait.
As always, thank you for following along on the blog.