Romania's Image an Old Cliche

Romania is unfortunately labelled wrongly and unfairly.  Her reputation is not repaired despite economic changes, progress, modernization, etc.  I guess the government should launch a massive campaign to improve her image.

We have read in blogs and forums about bad roads, gypsies, poverty, dirt and trash everywhere, feeling of not being safe as a tourist and similar feedback which discourages potential visitors from visiting the country.

Our route to Romania coming from Szeged, Hungary was through:
Timisoara
Caransebes
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Craiova
Bucharest
Bran
Brasov
Sighisoara
Targu-Mures
Cluj Napoca
Oradea

and then we crossed the border and entered Hungary again in Artand after exactly two weeks in Romania.

There was about two kms of really bad, heavily cratered road in entering Craiova, some uneven roads elsewhere and that's all about bad roads - the rest was either good or very good.

In all the cities we had been to, we see modern malls and supermarkets, people well dressed, lots of coffee shops and lots of people in it, we see progress and wealth.  In all of Europe, we were impressed most by Iulius Mall in Timisoara.  Coffee shops with plush chairs or leather sofas are everywhere in the mall.  The lobby coffee shops is even lovelier compared to 5 star hotels with its three stories high ceiling.  The food court was awesome, tables wide spaced, high ceilinged and really huge which gives a feeling of being free and relaxed.  There was free wife and sockets for computer.  Food was cheap and there was about 20 food concessionaires - plenty of food choices.  Most importantly, the washroom was modern, very clean, soap smells good with 19 sinks but only 10 toilet cubicles. 

Trash and littering is not a problem although I saw isolated cases of it.  Cities are not dirty - they're clean actually.

We were approached by one gypsy kid and one gypsy man in Sighisoara.  Anywhere else it did not happen.   We free-camped every night and we did not feel unsafe nor threatened.

The cities of Romania are beautiful, the country side are marvelous and majestic even.  I love the hills, mountain ranges, smaller hills on top of bigger hills, red roofed homes on valleys and plains, small and huge rivers and lakes - the landscape is unbelievably amazing. 

Our favorite city in Romania is Timisoara.  The city is clean and the park and square is impressive and obviously well cared for with plenty of trees and blooming flowers.  Our favorite country in Europe in terms of nature and landscape is Romania and France for being RV friendly and the exquisite and bluer than blue Meditteranean sea.

Romania
Capital - Bucharest
Currency - Romanian Lei
Size - 238,391 square kms
Population - 19.04M