Well it’s still a bit hard for me to believe but here I am in Bucharest as planned.
Amazingly the instructions and connections to get here worked perfectly. I just find it hard to believe really, I was just waiting for disaster to strike.
But first back to last night: I got back from Nessebar and decided I really should get out and about in Burgas and forage for food in the real world (as opposed to the unreal world of the ridiculously posh hotel). I searched and searched for decent food but after perusing multiple menus it all looked horrible. The other reason I decided to get out and about was that I was finding the commitment to my NBF, Lana, a bit overpowering. But eventually I gave up and decided I needed some at least reasonably healthy food and back I traipsed to the hotel. In I walked and sure enough I then spent the evening listening to Lana’s life story, which by the way is totally extraordinary as a Jewish woman in the Ukraine during WWII. I did have a really nice meal, just a yummy entree of octopus risotto and then a dessert…guess what? Creme Brûlée!!! Then I made my excuses as I had to settle the bill and get myself sorted out for a very early start.
Sleepless night as is always the way when I have to be somewhere and I toss and turn about whether I’m going to make it at all!!
I set off for the bus station at 6.45 via my stumpy legs as it wasn’t far enough for a taxi…only about 400M but I’m pulling over 30Kgs behind me!!
No issues at all…bus turned up on cue and got to Ruse at 12md. Went straight to find out about bus to Bucharest…urgently cos I had been told it left at 12.30. Yes, got the last seat on the little mini bus which was crammed to a point of anxiety. Off we went. Border control extraordinarily slack, didn’t even have to get out of the bus. Looked at everyones ID or passport. Got to mine and took it off…OK.
But WAIT…..bus is taking off and accelerating away and my passport is back at control. STOP THE BUS!!!! Fortunately there was a British guy on the bus too and he helped me to get the driver to stop. Driver hops out and runs back to ‘Passport Control’….then we wait and we wait and the other passengers are getting impatient and still the driver is waiting for my passport. Well not to be too melodramatic he eventually came back with my passport but it was quite tense for a while. There was nothing wrong I’m sure just that I was the only non-EU person on the bus and had to be ‘checked’.
Arrived in Bucharest and the bus drops us off. I, of course, have no idea where I am and have no money. Roads all look closed off, who knows what the hell is going on!! I find a place to get money, then no worries I’ll just hop into a taxi!! Bloody hell I will…taxis bluntly refuse to take me when I say what hotel I want to go to… ‘trouble with police’!! So I start walking but having no idea where I was going really made it difficult and the taxi drivers who wouldn’t take me told me it was right in the centre and ‘a long way’.
Eventually having walked a fair way I found a taxi, who actually didn’t realise that the the road to my hotel was blocked off, and therefore took me. Of course he soon realised but he was a darling and I was in the taxi after all!! He found a way to drop me within 100M…I could have kissed the lovely young man.
God, I’m going on tonight!!!
I have to just say that I’d had nothing to eat or drink since the night before!!
Got to my hotel and the world changed dramatically!!!
It is a small, lovely hotel right in the old centre. They were delightful and I dropped my bags and went out for food and drink. Lovely, lovely street full of outdoor cafes, lovely English speaking staff everywhere. So I refuelled went off on a very sedate ‘passegiate’ to explore the area. Now, remember that I’ve had nothing but negative feedback about Romania that has said stuff like the people are awful and won’t even acknowledge you, you’re likely to robbed instantly etc etc.
So…I’ve only been here less than half a day but it is AMAZING and totally delightful. It was Sunday afternoon and it just buzzed everywhere, cafes line all the streets, people wandering about, and I couldn’t believe that everywhere I looked were beautiful buildings.
Have no idea what they were but they were stunning. Lovely arcades full of people, even smoking Shisa’s like I haven’t seen since Egypt. I was literally taken completely by surprise and although it’s early days I just fell in love with this city and by default the country!!
My hotel is gorgeous, the staff are just lovely and it just feels good to be here. Better not rave too much in line with my theory that just when things are going well you get payback!!!
And I’ve raved enough!.
No idea how I’m going to manage my excursion around Romania and have to do a bit of serious homework to that end now but have booked back here for the nights of 13th and 14th in preparation for flying to Italy on 15th and have established that they will keep the mammoth case for me, so feel as if at least that’s sorted!!
Sorry this is such a rave…I guess you are free to give up on it as you see fit. I think part of it is a surge of relief
Lots of love to all who endure my blog!!