Three months around Europe

Hayden's big band was playing full pelt in my head when I woke next morning. Luckily I had some fruit juice and water and took two panadol to help quell the noise.
I remembered I had made some commitments and it was not until I found the piece of paper in my shirt pocket with all the instructions where to meet at 11am that things became clear or, at least, less cloudy. It was now 9.30. I had to shave, shower , buy some kind of wedding present and find Magda's house.

Well it was a quick sluice- famous motorcyclists and drummers are like royalty and don't smell , down to the hypermarket to buy a wedding present then with the help of Eva I found Magda's house.

I was greeted like a long lost relative and told follow the convoy. So with about 10 cars and a motorbike in tow we headed for the hills. An hour later we ended up at the venue – a lovely house in its own grounds. I was given a room and I did my best to make myself look presentable. I ironed my blue linen shirt and chinos, put on my goretex boots and I looked , I thought anyway, a million Romanian zogs ( about $NZ20).
It was a nice wedding. Magda looked lovely, Licvou looked handsome in a brooding sort of way. Mum cried, dad looked proud.
Grandpa drooled and I smiled - or was it the other way around. We had a big barbecue and everyone had to do a turn . Some sang, some did a little poem, some played an instrument. I said , in keeping with my Walter Mitty existence , I was sorry I could not drum but I gave a bit of Te Reo wishing them all happiness and with a few dramatic gestures , eye rolling and tongue poking. It went down well, I think.
I wonder if in similar circumstances and a Romanian came to a NZ wedding their party piece would involve bit of 4 by 2?

I got away after breakfast . I was heading for a famous mountain road, the Transfigueria ,then onto Bulgaria. The Transfigueria wends its way up to around 3000m and is only open for about three months of the year due to snow. Magda's comments had influenced me not to bother with Vlad's HQ- so I didn't.

I was still not 100% and it seemed half of Romania had decided to visit the mountain and have a BBQ.
There were fires , cars and people in bikinis and budgie smugglers at 3000m. They were all having a great time. I seemed to have caught some Moldovan malaise and just didn't appreciate the wonder of the road, its tight hairpins and steep ascent and descent. The potholes and loose chippings played hell with the ABS braking system and it was a struggle as Hayden's band was still playing away in my head.

One of the towns I passed near was called Turda. Had I been feeling better I would have ridden there and wheelspun down the main street and left a skidmark. I wonder what people from there call themselves : Turdites, Turdas,Turders, Turdingtonians, Turdos.

I finished riding early that day, found a hotel and slunk off to my room with a couple of bottles of iced water .

That other famous drummer and bon vivant, Keith Moon would have been ashamed of me

Till next time

Safe Riding.