Mixed in with the motorised stuff was the
occasional skinny horse and ramshackle cart. To be honest, this was something
of a shock. Romania has been a full member of the EU since 2007 and sections of
the population are as wealthy and modernised as this would suggest, but they
are living cheek-by-jowl with many who appear to be subsisting at a level that
is borderline third-world. The revolution may have happened over 20 years ago,
but at times the past really doesn't feel so long ago.
The
cabin is snug, but offers the premium feel befitting the premium price tag
The last collection of houses we reached
had a Dracula-themed guest house (a reminder that by the time we emerged over
the top of the Carpathian mountains we would be well and truly in Transylvania)
but as soon as we passed them, the road dramatically changed character and all
signs of habitation suddenly receded. Trees and rock faces crowded in on all
sides as we found ourselves in the bottom of a gorge, while short tunnels
littered the road. If you looked up you'd catch glimpses of bridges built
spectacularly and precariously into the rock high above, followed by the
sobering thought that we'd be driving over those very same crumbling concrete constructions
in a matter of minutes. All along the road, an axle-level wall was the only
paltry protection from a long plummet into the trickle of a river below, but
the road was at least wide enough to fit two cars. And having barely turned the
steering wheel for the previous hour or more, there was now scarcely a straight
piece of tarmac.
In
keeping with the F-type’s hat-tip to the past, some climate functions are tied
to toggle switches beneath the vent controls
At times there was an almost claustrophobic
feeling of being at the bottom of a green crevasse, but it was fantastic to
drive and provided the perfect place to contain and amplify the 5-litre V8's
already huge soundtrack. The popping and crackling on a trailing throttle is
like a small infantry battalion has just been given permission to fire at will.
Then, just when we were thinking that this stretch of road was worth the trip
in itself, we emerged from the longest tunnel yet onto the top of this dam.
After a few brief minutes with the view to
ourselves, the day's tourists begin to arrive. It seems we were ahead of the
crowds, riding the crest of a sightseeing wave of cars and coaches. Keen to
stay ahead, we move on quickly. From the dam the 7C snakes around the lake for
mile after mile. Occasionally it makes a detour from the main body of water to
skirt around a tributary, but like a Chelmsford shopaholic, it always returns to
the blue water.
An
elegant rocker switch operates the drive settings
Strangely, it's not very picturesque, but
it's certainly good to drive, although the road surface needs a wary eye
because there are plenty of patches of quite severe subsidence. Once we finally
reach the end of the lake, the road straightens and plunges onwards along a
valley heading inexorably towards the heart of the mountains. It's very
tempting to open up the F-type here and settle into a three-figure cruise, but
as I'm not sure when the next petrol station or policeman might appear, my
right foot's enthusiasm has to be tempered. Just for the moment.
In the space of two quick-fire hairpins,
the road is elevated above the tops of the trees on the valley floor and it
instantly feels a little airier. Three, four, five hairpins and things really
start to get interesting as the road begins appearing on the sides of the
almost luminous moss-green slopes high above us.
