The villages the E3 passes through are of interest for their single storied, red roofed houses, joined one to another. Some were originally founded by Czech and Saxon settlers. Those houses which are well maintained or have been renovated are attractive with patterns cast into their rendering brought out by the paintwork, and in some cases decorated with coloured tiles. Large gates leading to a yard behind the house are embellished with intricate ironwork. Timișoara is not on the E3 but is a regional transport hub with an International Airport from where you can access the E3 by train, taxi and/or bus. The city is well worth spending a day visiting as is Oradea at the end of the E3 in Romania with its Art Noveau architecture. Before visiting Romania I had the impression that Cauceseau had demolished all the old buildings to make way for monstrous concrete blocks. In this I was wrong, in Timișoara and Oradea (and the villages I have walked through) the traditional buildings are still there, many having been repaired, restored and repainted in recent years bringing out their beauty.
Practicalities
English is spoken in Romania, especially by the younger generation, but it is by no means universal, so Google Translate is a very useful tool for essential communications. Note that it does rain in Romania, you should be prepared and not allow it to dampen you mood too much. Focusing on walking and specifically the E3 (the Via Transilvanica is a better known long distance trail in Romania), much of it is easy walking on roads, forest and farm tracks and paths. However there are also difficult, overgrown sections with fallen trees, brambles and paths which dissappear. Read the blog to see where they are. For this reason it is important to be flexible, both with timing (difficult "paths" take more time and energy) and a willingness to take alternative routes which should be preplanned before you begin.
Navigation
A GPS is essential. I used a Garnin with the track loaded from the Romanian section of the European Ramblers Association website, however the E3 also appears on various hiking Apps (Mapy.com, OutdoorActive, OsmAnd etc.). However if using an App on a smartphone, make sure your phone is waterproof and that you have downloaded the maps so an internet signal is not required. Remember that neither is the GPS location precise nor is the downloaded track absolutely accurate, the actual path maybe 10 metres or more from where the GPS indicates it is. Tracks also move as vehicles try and avoid deeply rutted sections, people avoid fallen trees etc.. Waymarks are not present throughout the E3, but where they do exist they are very helpful in keeping you on the right path. The relevant section of the ERA website tells you which waymarks you should be following. As the E3 joins together existing trails the type of waymark frequently changes from red stripes to blue crosses or some other combination of colour and shape.
Food and Water
Water is unavailable for long sections especially late in the year when springs and streams may be dry. Make sure you carry plenty. Small shops ("magazin mixt") can be found in many villages with a limited variety of goods and a bench and table outside with men drinking beer, however it is best to carry some food supplies as they may be closed. Larger towns have fast food outlets, cafés and restaurants. Pizza seems universal but for something more local try the papanași for dessert.
Accommodation
I used booking.com and Airbnb to find accommodation but coverage is not good. There are many places where you can stay that are not bookable online, most are shown on GoogleMaps. My only attempt to ring a place up was a failure due to my lack of Romanian. While you can just turn up on the doorstep, you are quite likely to find no-one there, just a telephone number stuck on the door. On the plus side, places are inexpensive compared with Western Europe, as are the food options. In general the places where I stayed were called a "Pensiunea" and provided a room with ensuite facilities. Some offered a large breakfast and maybe also diner. I wild camped for several nights, which is likely to be necessary due to the lack of lodging. No one protested at my doing so but I tried to hide from view. Note that it is not allowed in National Parks where basic camping areas with few facilities are provided.
Risks
Although bears and vipers have greater celebrity status, dogs and ticks are the main concern. Dogs will run at you barking, however none of them bit me (unlike the ticks) but I was worried on occasions. Rabies is still present in the country. Unlike dogs, I never felt threatened or at risk from people, however I am cautious about accepting invitations from strangers. It is worth reading other people's blogs of their experiences on the E3 through Romania such as this blogger or Christine Thurmer's blog.
General
The people I met were friendly or at least polite, we exchanged "Buna's" as we passed. Unfortunately further conversation was limited as I do not speak Romanian. Appart from the Vartop - Padiș area I met few other hikers. Was it because I was walking in the shoulder months, May and September? In July and August I suspect I would have found it too hot. I met no British people, perhaps as guidebooks and other media direct visitors towards Bucharest and the Transylvania of the dreaded Count Dracula.
The start of my blog in Romania is here.
The start of my walk on the E3 is here.
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