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TOPLITA |
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The train line continues north for a further 30km from Lazarea to
TOPLITA (Maroshévíz), a third-rate spa and logging town whose only real
sights of interest are two wooden churches - the church of Sf Ilie, 1km
north on the main road, built in 1847 and moved here in 1910, and the
Doamnei Church 10km further on, dating from 1658. A road runs through
the Eastern Carpathians from Toplita into Moldavia, served by buses to
the spa of Borsec, Poiana Largului and Târgu Neamt. If you need to break
your journey, the Caliman hotel at Str. Republicii 67 (tel 065/142 943,
fax 142 946; $10-15), across the river from the station, is good value (although
the bathroom boilers seem rather explosive) and has a good cheap
restaurant , but the facilities at the Bradul campsite, up the hill to
the right of the station, are pretty dire.
From Toplita the road and rail routes head west along the Mures valley,
which is lined with various places to stay: the Soimilor cabana (under
$6) 2km west of the Stânceni Neagra train halt, 16km west of Toplita;
the Doi Brazi motel ($6-10) in Salard, a further 9km west and 3km west
of Lunca Bradului station; and a homestay in Androneasa (Str. Principala
160; under $6), a further 6km west of Salard. The wild, unpopulated
Caliman mountains rise steeply to the north of this narrow, rugged
defile, in which retreating German soldiers made a vain attempt to
ambush the Red Army in 1944; the Romanian army, having suddenly changed
its loyalty from the Axis to the Allies, had denied them the Carpathian
passes, so the battle was largely lost before it had begun. Today, the
Caliman range - the main volcanic zone of the Carpathians - is a
paradise for hikers, where you can walk for days without meeting a soul.
The best route in is probably from Rastolita, 30km west of Toplita.
There's plenty of construction traffic on the road up to Secu where a
dam is being built, and from here paths head northeast to the volcanic
peaks and the settlements in the huge crater beyond, leading ultimately
to Vatra Dornei .
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