Hungary & Romania

Traveller Ian Wright Ian Wright starts his adventure in Budapest, the capital of Hungary where he finds that tourism has boomed since the fall of communism in 1989. He samples the traditional Hungarian sausage, luxuriates at the thermal baths and steps into the past when he visits a communist theme park. From Budapest Ian hitches a lift to Eger, stopping off on the way at a refuge for zoo animals where he gets friendly with one of the bears. Once in Eger, Ian checks out the city's baroque architecture, and goes grape picking with a local family who encourage him to drink plenty of the fruits of his labour! Travelling by bus, Ian continues his journey to Hortobagy National Park situated on the Great Plain or Puszta, which covers one third of the country. The Puszta is home to whipcracking Hungarian cowboys, renowned for their horsemanship, and Ian gets to see a display of their impressive skills. Ian crosses the Hungarian border into Romania by train, and his first stop is Transylvania's medieval town, Sighisoara. This picturesque town was the birthplace of the ruler who became known as Dracula, and Ian investigates the history of his famous tale. He also samples Romania's most popular dish Tripe soup, before embarking on the next leg of his journey into the Carpathian mountain range. After making merry with the locals in a small mountain village, Ian climbs the Fagaras peaks, and discovers some breath taking views. Then taking to the road, Ian travels through a landscape of orchard covered hills to the small town of Bistrita, where Romania's Gypsy community gather for a festival. At the festival, Ian observes the fiercely held traditions of gypsy culture, and joins in with the drinking and the dancing. From Bistrita, Ian travels East to the Romanian capital Bucharest. Here he tours the many reminders of the Ceauscescu era, including a visit to the Grand Palace and the leader's final resting place. Ian finishes his journey discovering evidence that the country is no longer locked behind the Iron Curtain, and life is changing for the better. Conditions for some of the street kids in Romanian orphanages has improved greatly and in one particular refuge Ian plays basketball with children who have benefited from the support provided.