I walked on Europe's new pilgrim trail in Romania

I met some hosts at a guesthouse where we had lunch.

I turned 32 and I hiked in Romania to celebrate. It's not a normal birthday.

The Transilvanica Trail is like the Camino de Santiago in Spain, but in Romania.

The Via Transilvanica is 1,400 kilometers long and goes across Romania.

My trip was shorter, only five days. I walked about 10km each day. I was a little nervous.

I didn't need to be nervous.

My trip was very special and I want to go back.

It was misty on our first hiking day.

My alarm went off at 4:30 am at a hotel near the airport. I then flew to Romania. The flight was easy and I slept.

We arrived in Cluj-Napoca and our leader Raluca took us to our next stop.

We walked through many forests.

We had a soup with mushrooms and peppers for our first meal.

Before we started hiking, we ate a delicious meal. The Romanians are very good at feeding people. I loved the soup and the chicken.

I woke up at 8:30 am and had a typical Romanian breakfast.

Our hotel was not fancy, but it was comfortable. My room had a small balcony with a nice view.

This is our first hotel, Pension Elegance.

We visited the Sucevița Monastery, which is a UNESCO site. It's home to 80 nuns and is very beautiful.

After the monastery, we started hiking. The weather was misty, but not rainy. We walked through spruce forests and I felt good about the hike.

We visited the Sucevița Monastery.

I was ready for lunch after our hike. We stopped at a guesthouse that makes local dairy products. They were very welcoming.

We had a delicious meal with meats, cheeses, and a salad. The pancakes with sweet cheese and blueberries were very tasty.

I enjoyed spending time outside.

We watched traditional egg painting, which was very interesting.

We drove to the Sadova trailhead and hiked 11km. It was challenging because of the sunny weather.

Walking in the woods helped clear my mind. After two days of hiking, I felt calmer.

I was ready for another day of hiking.

I had the best meal in Romania at La Moara Bucovina restaurant. The location was beautiful and the food was excellent.

We stayed at Hotel Dorna in Vatra Dornei, a ski resort town. I explored the town before dinner.

The views were stunning.

I cuddled a puppy at one of the guesthouses.

On our third day, we drove to the Mestecăni trailhead and hiked. I bought some souvenirs for £10.

The hike felt easier on the third day. We saw a frog and some snakes.

I loved the physical part of the holiday.

We had lunch at a guest house with a nice view. The food was delicious and I met two puppies.

Our last day was a travel day. We drove back to Cluj-Napoca and had lunch in a sunny square.

The Via Transilvanica is not as famous as other trails, but it has a special quietness.

It was time to go back to the UK, but this trip will stay with me for a long time.

Intrepid Travel's 10-day hiking trip in Romania costs from £1,616. It includes accommodation, transport, and some meals. You can book at intrepidtravel.com.

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