I only listen to Italian opera on long train rides when I want to watch the scenery while thinking deeply or this one other time when I drank too much red wine and unsuccessfully tried to wax my upper lip. But on a warm Saturday afternoon in Brasov, Romania, I threw Spotify on shuffle and let Andrea Bocelli serenade me as I hiked up Tampa Mountain. From now on, I think I’ll only listen to Italian opera while climbing foreign mountains with gorgeous views.

Hiking Tampa Mountain

Brasov is tucked right up to the Carpathian Mountains so there are plenty of places to hike. The allure of Tampa Mountain is simply that there is a cool Hollywood-esque Brasov sign on top of it.

The start of the hike is only about a five-minute walk from the city center – just walk toward the enormous, glowing Brasov sign. At the foot of the mountain, you have the choice to walk up on the trail or take a cable car. The cable car costs 16 lei or about $4.50 USD round trip.

If the weather is nice, though, go for the hike. You will see so much more of the natural Carpathian beauty and the town below. The hike up Tampa Mountain takes about an hour and the path is winding, but every few minutes, the forest clears and you get a peek at the red-roofed town of Brasov.

At the top of the mountain, the Brasov sign stands tall like its big sister in Hollywood, a beacon for tourists and travel bloggers looking for good photo opportunities.

Most people turn back after snapping their picture with the sign, but this isn’t where the hike stops. Continue going up the rocky and slightly less official-looking path behind the Brasov sign to get to the highest and far superior lookout spot. From the tippy top, you can see down the mountain in every direction. I face the town, gleaming in the crystal clear day, and think, “Wow, this is breathtaking.”

Then I turn around and take in the other, more wild side of the mountain. Low fog seems to be settling over the trees and it’s somehow darker. “Wow, there is definitely something in these woods.” It is Transylvania after all.

The woman who took my picture at the Tampa Mountain Lookout

Solo travelers the world over understand the struggle of getting a good picture with them actually in it. I have no problem going out to eat alone or walking up to strangers in bars, but passing my camera to a nice couple and awkwardly posing while they snap away? I can’t do it.

The result is that most of my pictures are of the selfie variety. And I’m really bad at taking selfies. My face just doesn’t behave around front-facing cameras (and probably all the time, I’m just blissfully unaware.) I’m not bold enough to stand there and try to take a good selfie so I just sneakily whip out my phone, click a few times while I squint into the sun, then run away, ashamed.

So you can imagine my joy when I finally, after months of solo travel and countless unfortunate selfies, found the balls to brazenly ask a fellow millennial to take a picture of me… and it actually turned out good. I should tell you a little about this girl. She looked amazing, wearing a long skirt and crop top and, inexplicably, wedge heels, on top of the mountain.

Where did she come from? How did she get here? Is she a mirage?

She stood there, cooly looking out over the city, not smiling and clearly more important than everyone else on this mountain and maybe the world. She looked shocked when I threw her my digital camera, made an obnoxious “take a pic” gesture and ran to sit on the edge of the platform before she could protest. Hey gorgeous, help a sister out. But she and her bold lipstick rose to the challenge. And here is the result…

(Okay, I know I spoiled it by using the picture as the header for this post, but that’s how much I love it!) Can this chick photograph my wedding one day?

She never smiled. I looked over my shoulder from my pose and was surprised to see her walk toward me, then gracefully sit next to me on the overlook. With manicured fingers, she pulled out a tube of Toblerone from her probably Gucci bag and snapped it in the center. She handed me half.

I guess she didn’t hate me after all. So we sat there, taking in the view, shoulder to shoulder, eating chocolate while I sweat through my “high-performance stink-proof” travel tee-shirt and her designer skirt swirled daintily in the breeze. Whoever you were, thank you for the picture. And the chocolate.

Getting back down Tampa mountain

On my way back down the mountain, I got into a power walking rhythm with Andrea. I was flying, passing groups of hikers, enjoying the first real day of spring I’ve had in Europe so far. The trail is simple, just one serpentine path from the base of the mountain to the Brasov sign, but there is one point where the trail splits for a few meters then reunites with itself in such a way that you have the option to change directions if you aren’t paying attention.

When I came to this split, rocking out to my music and speed walking, I took the wrong side of the fork and ended up walking back up the mountain. For twenty minutes. Before I realized that I was going back up. How is that even possible? How does one begin climbing uphill instead of down and simply, not realize it?

With really good Italian opera.

The nice weather meant the trails were busy. I can only imagine what the nice family in matching neon green dry fit shirts, hiking poles, and water bladders (but seriously, it’s only like an hour hike, y’all) thought when they saw me plow past them, charging up the mountain, only to stop dead, look around, turn on my heels and start charging back down the mountain with the same conviction.

Oops.

At least I had good music.

Visiting Brasov? Check out these top hotel picks!

• Bella Muzica – This historic downtown hotel is in an amazing location for hiking Tampa Mountain and exploring downtown Brasov. With 9.1/10 star reviews on Booking.com, this cute hotel is a steal for under $80/night.
• Hotel Belfort – This beautiful, highly rated hotel right at the foot of Tampa Mountain offers free breakfast and an awesome view of downtown.
• Hostel Mara Brasov – For an option that’s easy on the budget but still in the heart of the city, check out Hostel Mara Brasov. Just steps from the main square, black church, and Tampa Mountain.

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