Tag: Bucharest

This is honestly a wonderful city. I’m constantly in awe. The people are friendly and helpful, there are beautiful buildings around every corner…and I still feel this way after a day of bleakness and rain. This is the second day where it has just rained miserably all day, the other being Day 1 in Sofia. What to do?…get about your business is all you can do. So off I set to work out my next moves, plan the next episode.

I went to the tourist bureau re how to travel in Transylvania and they just said you have to go to the train station Gara de Nord, in line with this city’s feeling that they are the next Paris!! I said isn’t that a long way away..oh not not at all just 4 stops on the Metro…here I go again, I have to conquer the next Metro system and even change lines…no problem!! Anyway go my ticket to Brasov (near Bran which is the ‘Dracula’s castle’ venue. I want to go to Sinaia on the way to see the Peles Castle. They assured me I can just hop off the train, get my ticket stamped and will be able to jump back on a train in the afternoon…again you just have to put your faith in the information you get and wing it. I’ve got 2 nights in Brasov which should be enough to see the town and take in a trip to Bran. Then I go to Sighisoara for an night…supposedly a wonderful typically Transylvanian town then on to Sibiu for 2 nights…for the same reason. Then back to Bucharest for the 13th and 14th, then fly to Roma in the evening of the 15th. That’s the plan at least, lets see how it goes!!

So…pouring rain but spent the day exploring the city again, dripping wet but not too miserable all said and done.

I went to the area where the riots of 1989 (I think!!) finally deposed Ceausescu…just lovely buildings, churches…never a boring moment, always something to marvel at, wet and all. The only whinge is that yesterday I couldn’t see the art gallery I wanted to see because it was Monday. So I went to the National Art Gallery today as compensation for not being able to go to the Contemporary Art Gallery and guess what…closed Monday AND Tuesdays!!! God it annoys me! So no art galleries for me in Bucharest because I come back…you guessed it…next Monday and Tuesday!!!

Only problem when its wet and miserable is that I keep seeking warmth and sustenance with coffees and food…this is very bad for me.
I came back to the hotel earlier than usual and have taken the opportunity and reorganise my case to go off again. Once again I won’t have my laptop which I’ve loved having particularly for my nightly email. They’ll be shorter for the next 5 days!!

That’s all for now my lovelies. Nearly time for another foraging expedition!!

This will be a shorter missive today you’ll be pleased to hear…I’ve just spent an hour working out how to get the Bulgaria selection up on Facebook…a few false starts but there is no limit to my talents!!

Last night after my update I set off to a traditional Romanian Restaurant, a really beautiful building/ beer hall, full of murals and atmosphere. Very touristy but also full of Romanians, the place buzzed. However I hadn’t booked and therefore I had to sit in the cellar area (which was lovely) but it was also the smoking area. Yes they still smoke in restaurants here. I came out smelling like a campfire. I even contemplated having to change my clothes, it was a close call but it’s only been 5 days so on balance I decided not to!!!

I sat next to a mother and 2 daughters who were chatting away in Romanian so we didn’t converse until right near leaving time and they wanted something that was on my table. They asked in English with clear Aussie accents. They had moved to Australia when the girls were 3yrs…lived in Brisbane and go back regularly to ensure the girls keep up their Romanian language skills. Amazing cos there really aren’t too many Aussie’s here. Lots in Turkey but Romania isn’t on the ‘must do’ list in Australia yet. It will be when I start blabbing about it!!!

So off I went this morning. fortunately I was pretty smart off the mark and got to the (in)famous Palace of Parliament in time for the first tour (you can only go in as part of a tour) at 10. Thank god I did. When the tour was finished 1hr 45 later the entrance was just jam packed and people were being sent away for a couple of hours before they could be included in a tour. You have to surrender your passport to get in and are forbidden to stray from the group at all.

It is a massive emblem of Ceausescu’s megalomania but despite yourself you can’t help but be overawed and, reluctantly, hugely impressed. Just designing it is a mind blowing thought. It is truly incredible and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I got out and I have to say it is quite tiring walking to it then through it but, glutton for punishment that I am, I was determined to go to the Contemporary Art Gallery on the absolute opposite side of this massive building. So off I chooffed on the stumpy and getting stumpier little legs. Ham and Az had affirmed that this was a fabulous gallery so I was determined. I finally got there and guess what?? IT’S FUCKING MONDAY….AAAAAGH!!!!!!! How am I supposed to remember what day it is??? I suspect that that was the death knell for this gallery but we’ll see.

Then I had to plod back thinking I’ll go here and there on the way back in the name of efficiency. But my camera ran out of battery…this is a minor disaster for the traveller but I have to admit it gave me a good excuse to ‘have’ to go and charge the batteries. I left it at the hotel charging and went to have lunch. It had (blast!!) to be a long lunch to allow for charging. It was a welcome break in the midst of sightseeing! I then only had time for a few more little excursions and then back here for my evening break to send my email before dinner which has become my routine. Time for a glass or two of wine, the purchase of which is figured into my routine.

I’ve sorted a schedule for my little tour into Transylvania which commences on Wednesday and starts with Brasov for 2 nights.

So..time to forage.

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!!