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24. 09. 09. - 12:00

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24. 09. 09. - 12:00

Top Gear team filming on Transfagarasan road

Romanian Times

The Top Gear team is currently filming on the Transfagarasan road in central Romania where roads have been closed for two days at their request.

After driving their Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin cars through the tunnels of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu's huge construction, the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May headed for the Transfagarasan area, one of the most spectacular in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains.

According to local highway officials, the Transfagarasan road is closed between Balea Lac and Bales Fall today (Thurs) from 11am to 7pm and will be closed tomorrow from 6am to 1pm.

The team filmed yesterday near Vidraru Dam, built in 1965. The lake behind it covers 893 hectares surface and is 166 metres deep. The dam is known as one of the highest structures for bunjee jumping in Europe.

The team had a traditional Romanian supper last night at local resort Micutul Vrajitor ("The Little Wizard") in Capataneni in Arges county.

"We offered them traditional peasant soup and barbecue, at their wish. They were all very friendly; they didn’t act like stars but like normal people. They all liked our natural ingredients. Our place is in a rural area and everything we use is completely natural," said Dana Barsan, the owner of the resort that opened four year ago.

"We’re proud we had them as our guests", she added.

Barsan is very proud of the area visited by the famous British guests. "The area near Vidraru and Transfagarasan is the most beautiful in the country," she said.

Tranfagarasan is the highest road in Romania, climbing up to 2,034 metres. It runs north and south across the tallest part of the Carpathian Mountains between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, rising from 1,034 to 2,034 metres in only 30 kilometres.

The successful car show, broadcast in over 90 countries, has chosen Romania as the site of one of 14 episodes promoting different destinations in the world.

Top Gear, which has received Emmy and BAFTA awards, is famous for its trio of presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, and its mysterious test driver, The Stig.

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