It all starts with a road.
A road, a trunk full of equipment for a new journey, and some music turned loud in the background while driving to new lands.
But in the end, everything starts and ends with a road that might become a place to remember or just a random piece of asphalt with not too many expectations from.
Since I dedicated an entire month to new discoveries from my country very rich in history and knowledge, it was the right moment to take a break from that and return to our biggest love - the mountains and all the adrenaline and spectacular views it has to offer.
Our journey started, as always, pretty early in the morning because the route was going to be quite long and since our workout was kind of down during the pandemic we knew that we might need more time than the others to complete the track.
Though, we couldn't call ourselves strangers from the place we were about to go up to, because we had another attempt discovering it a few years ago but the risks of avalanches were big and we had to postpone it for the next time.
However, we didn't wait for too long and got equipped and ready to hit the road because the weather was not in our favour for the whole day and we didn't want to miss again the chance to discover Fereastra Zmeilor.
While Transfăgărășan is never empty of tourists or a bunch of queues of cars driving the famous mountain road that made Romania become even more popular in the world, way too little actually stop and follow one of the tracks that leads to less populated spots in the mountains, but with a more clear and spectacular view.
Unfortunately, we used to be one of them until we realized that going to the mountains is not necessarily driving one of such roads or just renting a room from where you can stare at the mountains any time of the day, but actually follow those markers you always see on the trees and rocks and get deeper into the heart of nature because there is where you'll find the real beauty.
And after many years when our journeys always lead to this road where we almost learned the outline of the Balea Lake and hanged on the chains and hooks on Valea lui Stan, we decided it's time to take everything to the next level and reach one of the peaks that everyone sees from their cars but always get excuses to actually get there and get a new perspective over the whole thing.
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And this is how everything started: a not so friendly path filled with lots of rocks probably detached from the peaks of the mountains, small steps and not too much speaking so we don't run out of energy too fast, and some breaks once in a while for taking some pictures and shots with the surroundings.
There are no risks to meet any bear or dangerous animal everyone is scared of, but the only thing you need to pay attention to, is the yellow triangle marker that shows you the way to reach the destination because there are no other indicators.
You will find a few panels with the names of the places you can reach but only nearly to the end of the journey when you are maybe just 15 mins away from Fereastra Zmeilor because this one represents just a first stop from an entire circuit over the Fagaras Mountains.
We actually got to see for the first time a few marmots which were playing Hide and Seek between the rocks, unfortunately too fast for us to take some pictures of them, but which came to the right moment to bring a smile on our faces and a few more determination to not give up on the track that was slowly becoming more and more challenging.
The more we were climbing up, the further we seemed to be from reaching the peak and yet so closer to run out of energy, but somehow, every single rock we were passing over and every single flower or animal we were seeing was contributing to push our limits harder and don't make a 180° rotation and return to where everything started.
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It's true that everything sounds very interesting when you mention the two words: Fereastra Zmeilor (Kite's Window) thinking that you are about to become part of a fairy tale and maybe discover an outstanding window part of a different realm where a herd of kites are resting, or maybe it's just your brain that starts playing with you the more you exhaust your energy, but in reality, all we are going to see, is a huge crack into the stone walls shaped like a window through which you can notice the real beauty and landscape only if the weather is in your favour.
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Anyway, until you get to reach that beauty, it's a must to keep on your smile and never forget to enjoy every single step you make on that direction, because in the end the best view comes after the hardest climb and there is no wonder that the way up to Fereastra Zmeilor is definitely worth it.
At the beginning of the track, there was a marker showing off that it's going to take around 3 hours to reach the destination, but for us it turned into 4 hours considering all the breaks we took for either resting or making pictures and recording videos for my travel channel, and another 2 hours when we returned due to the steep slope which was forcing our knees and back pretty badly.
We did have trekking poles which I honestly don't know if we were able to make it till the end without them, but somehow every single pain we felt contributed to a beautiful journey to remember.
However, if you start the trip too late or with some crazy clouds on the sky which are changing your mind and start thinking that you should give up and postpone the journey for a different time, keep in mind that not too far away from Fereastra Zmeilor you'll find a well-maintained and insulated refuge which was built in 2010 and can shelter 20 people at the same time, having a little river nearby who's water is potable and safe to be used anytime you need it.
Since the track is considered a medium to hard route which can take up to even 7 hours depending on your physical condition, there are not few people who wish to see this place so badly but who are not able to go and return to the same day while the refuge is well placed on a 2050 m altitude to make everything easier and safer.
It was actually the first time when we got to visit such a construction even though we previously met them during our journeys to the mountains, but somehow, we never opened the door.
Though, considering that we visited Fereastra Zmeilor during the pandemic, we've been pleasantly surprised to notice that everything takes place in maximum safety conditions also finding disinfectant placed on the walls of the refuge for those who will join.
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Of course, you won't find a 5 stars hotel with comfy sofas or beds, but just a clean room with a small table and 2 chairs that share a great view through the window and a few pieces of wood where you are responsible to bring your sleeping bag. Though, for the people who love mountains and sleeping in a tent, I'm pretty sure everything comes right in time to stay a little bit more isolated from the powerful wind which never stops at such an altitude.
Talking about altitude, Fereastra Zmeilor is located on 2,175 meters, so just 125 metres away from the refuge, from where you can admire Arpășel Peak, Portița Arpașului, Strunga Mică and even the scary track called La trei pași de moarte which would translate as Three steps away from death.
As crazy as it sounds, we had in plan to follow this path because we heard lots of nice things about it and all the spectacular landscapes it has to offer, but as soon as we reached our destination, the weather changed almost radically, the sun disappearing in a second while the blue clouds were covered by the grey landscape and lots of fog which was chasing us.
Of course, the rocky window didn't wait for us with the gods of Olympus or any bunch of kites, but actually with a great view offered over the highest peaks of the Fagaras Mountains, remembering no less than 20 peaks with an altitude over 2,000 meters.
We are talking about a crack into the rock where if the sun and the sky endures, the traveller's efforts are rewarded with a spectacular view to the east side of the Fagaras Mountains' natural creation.
There is no doubt that as soon as we reached the destination, our trackers were showing some crazy numbers counting around 11 km walked and over 2,500 kcal burned - a thing that was also proved by our legs which were shaking even when we were sitting down but somehow we were still smiling to the view that was rewarding our efforts.
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Even though we took this journey at the end of July, we still noticed small portions of snow that was showing how rough the weather is on the peaks of the mountains and that some warm clothes and outdoors equipment should never be missing during this kind of expeditions.
There is no doubt that you can't mess with nature especially when you are going to reach such altitudes because I've seen quite a few natural disasters and leftovers of avalanches that is a huge warning signal to respect nature because as nice as it seems, as dangerous it is.
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Though, let's not forget about the discovery of the day who's name is not randomly picked because, the geometry of the huge stone walls that are surrounding you is unique, making the crack be even more spectacular and similar to a window of an entire castle where you can start feeling as a kite.
To reach Fereastra Zmeilor you need to either start from Transfagaran, or from the Capra Chalet but from what I've read, the difficulty level is a little bit more increased if you opt-in for the 2nd option.
However, just as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, me and my family began the journey from Transfagaran where as soon as you cross over Piscul Negru and Capra Chalet you will find a more accentuate west-facing curve where you can leave the car in a small parking lot next to a camper van with food, and there is the beginning of a journey to remember.
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT TRIP! 🗾
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If you didn't put the family photo, I'd say you're the daughter of the mountains! Do you have a twin sister?
Haha, I like how it sounds! I always felt like I'm married with the mountains somehow. Yes I have a twin 💚
Then I thought that maybe you did a trick with the photos, you two are identical! I think it's an experience to have a twin sister.
Oh yeah, definitely! I can't image a life without her actually. Everything is more intense and beautiful when you have a twin.
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I wonder how much effort was to build that refuge up there... We have such a pretty country
There are some even higher than that one ☺️
Wonderful alpine views!
Thank you!
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