Loving the view, but not without the barbeque

As already mentioned, people invoke the restorative effects of vacations as their main reason for travel. Although nature is presented as the source of these benefits, we find surprisingly little engagement with it. Trekking and exploring nature are not among touristsÕ top pastimes. Indeed, as locals point out and as I noticed myself while discovering the area, if one walks the paths around the village and towards the mountains, tourists are a rare sight. Accordingly, their online reviews seldom feature stories about hiking in nature. There are 1015 tourist reviews on AFA dedicated to Bran and Moieciu, out of which 979 are concerned with guesthouses and only 36 are classified under the category ÔtripsÕ. Out of the last group, 6 reviews do not actually deal with excursions in the nature, but with sites that provide some sort of organised pastime: a museum, a touristic complex with a swimming pool, a skiing slope, or the Ôhouse of terrorÕ amusement exhibition. The overwhelming interest of tourists is for accommodation and less than 4% of them show a wider engagement with the area. Moreover, many of these trips are made by car and most of the tourists who come to Bran and Moieciu do not expect to engage in any active exploration of nature. The quote below is telling as it captures a womanÕs reaction when someone from her group of friends suggested a trip on the mountain:

I donÕt know how it would be for them, but for me, at least, it was an unacceptable optionÉ what, to abandon this pleasant idleness and the conversation with the ladies in order to climb the mountain? (dazzy95)

The rare occasions when tourists do venture on a trip on foot are presented as great challenges or accomplishments, even if such trips are only short walks in the surroundings of the village. Given the geography of the area, some amount of climbing cannot be avoided.

You must also climb the last hill (about 100 m), even if itÕs the steepest one (this is why many quit), but when, at last, you arrive up, you are rewarded for all of your efforts. Up there we understood why a local told us Ôclimb all the way up, donÕt get lazy at the base of the hillÕ. First time I climbed alone, because my wife was tired, but when I saw how beautiful it is up there, I went down, and, with a lot of effort, I convinced her to come up. This is how I climbed that hill twice. Everything takes about one hour, with breaks included, it is not difficult, but it depends on a personÕs training. But I tell you: it is fully worth it (raku_daku).

[When my friends suggested an excursion] I got excited, because the ascent by car seemed like a good idea, one that we already tested yesterday. Just as I agreed to go, I found out that we will not be taking the car [É] I decided to go, nonetheless, with the decisive argument being the possibility of [doing] a bit of shopping [i.e. on the way, passing the bazaar next to the Castle]. We headed towards Vila Bran, which is located on top of a hill, behind our pensiune. In a straight line, it is less than 1 km away. [É] All I can remember from the tormenting climb, was my crazy heart beat, which I felt up in my throat, and an acute lack of oxygen in my lungs. When we arrived up, I was of a discreet purple colour and thousands of bells were ringing in my ears. That I could walk there, was truly a miracle... and that I didnÕt collapse there, was a second miracleÉ Now I understand, this is what extreme sport means (ioanap).

ItÕs been a long time since I last climbed like that, but because that hill was quite steep, we took small breaks Ð we were on holiday after all, and there was nobody chasing us (dyana).

The natural environment is most often contemplated from a distance. In their reviews, people refer to it as Ôthe sceneryÕ, Ôthe viewÕ, Ôthe panoramaÕ, Ôthe natural settingÕ or Ôthe surroundingsÕ and describe it as ÔsuperbÕ, ÔwonderfulÕ, Ôdream-likeÕ, ÔpicturesqueÕ, Ôextremely beautifulÕ, or ÔfantasticÕ. References and superlatives remain very generic. More specific elements such as the river, the forest, a rock, or a hill, are mentioned whenever the pensiune happens to be located near them, but the engagement with them remains minimal. The quality of the air is also noted and contrasted to the townÕs polluted atmosphere. The balcony is one of the touristsÕ favorite locations for admiring the view. This space is neither inside, nor completely outside. It offers guests some of the privacy that they have in their rooms, while still allowing some contact to the outdoors. The mountains remain a static landscape, a frozen painting to be contemplated from the distance, not a living environment to be explored and experienced. Taking another Ð and often final Ð step closer to the surrounding environment, we find that tourists place a lot of emphasis on a pensiuneÕs garden. The desirable garden is big, very tidy and clean, furnished, and equipped with various props for both adults and childrenÕs pastimes. It always has at least one gazebo, a cradle, a barbeque, a small playground for kids and a car parking, with enough Ôgreen areaÕ left to be aesthetically pleasing.

The garden is very well kept with a turf that would make envious even the largest stadium that we have (mike).

This space should allow children to roam free and play while their parents have more time for themselves.

The guesthouseÕs amenities kept my child busy so I was able to rest (vera_82).

Cars are almost as important as any family member and people always appreciate a good parking, complaining whenever the space they find is not deemed adequate.

The yard also had a very large parking where our cars were indeed spoiled (flo_calator).

contemplation. Their absence or inaccessibility is a legitimate topic for a negative review.

We specifically asked the owners over the phone about the gazebo. They assured us that there is one and that we will have total access, but to our surprise, the access was equal to zero. The gazebo was used as storage for wood and other multiple materials from the household (popaif).

The barbeque is the new staple activity for a holiday in the mountains.

You know how it is, without a BBQ, you donÕt feel like you are in the mountains (bbq123).

When the corks of beer or champagne bottles are popping one after another and the sausages and mititei93 _{are sizzling on the grillÉ Then you donÕt even feel}

how time passes, you donÕt realized that it is 2 am and you must go to bed, because you need a few hours of sleep, so that next day, you can start over (cory_c).

Locals offer similar depictions of touristsÕ pastimes. They describe them as staying outside in the garden, resting, relaxing, barbequing and eating. According to hosts I interviewed, sometimes their guests go for walks, or they visit nearby attractions, but they rarely venture on longer trekking trips.

Romanian tourists come for relaxation, for barbeques, partiesÉ for relaxing, in general. Recreation and barbeque. They donÕt even want to climb the mountain. They wants to sit nicely there at the back, by the barbeque, to have a drink, eat well, restÉ (Alexandru Tomescu, guesthouse owner, Moieciu).

They donÕt come out of love for the area or for the clean air; they sit with their back towards the Bucegi [Mountains] counting the insects on the walls of the guesthouse (Ovidiu Marin, guesthouse owner, Moieciu).

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I heard ironic comments from villagers who call these tourists Bucharest ÔbarbequersÕ (grătaragii de București) and express their disappointment.

I thought like this: what do they need? A sunbed to stay in the sun, to take a walk, to come back and read a bookÉ No. No. Wrong. This is not what people need. People need this: to scream, to shout as much as their vocal cords allow, to play music with the volume on maximum, to barbeque from the morning until the evening (Ana Pădure, guesthouse owner, Moieciu).

You come to the mountains, ok, you have some barbeques, but not like this, everyday, with the manea94 _{playing at maximum volume, the barbeque, and}

thatÕs it. When you could be taking advantage of this area, going, seeing, charging yourself with positive energy (Laura Dumbravă, guesthouse owner, Moieciu).