Timisoara

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My host in Timisoara did not give me a number or an address and so when I got there just after lunch, I had no idea where I was or if I had a place to stay that night. The lady behind the info counter at the train station was nice enough to let me into her cubicle and search for the train timetable for my next destination but couldn't tell me anything else since she didn't speak English. I later found out that it was atypical behaviour and probably because I was a tourist. *shrug* eh, at least there's a perk to this tourist thing.

I wandered around for a bit but couldn't figure it out so I stopped a guy who was speaking on the phone in English (after he hung up, of course) and asked him if he knew what bus to take to the center of town or where an internet place was. He didn't know the answer to either question but he did take me back to his dorm room to let me use his internet. Yeah, it sounds sketch but apparently, he was on Erasmus from Turkey and someone had helped him when he first got to Romania so he was just returning the favour. I think that's pretty cool 😊 Anyway, the internet at the dorm was down but he helped me find an internet cafe and told me to find him if I needed any more help. Really nice guy. Still no reply and nowhere to stay so I went to the center of town to check it out. By now, I was kinda starting to worry. Changed some money and got ripped off....and in the mood I was in (tired, hungry, irritated and worried) I made a big fuss and got the right amount but I left the girl almost in tears. I feel bad but ....not really. I have my asshole moments and the world will have to deal with it. Also tried to find the tourist info center and had help from the cops (and later on when I told my host about how one of them whipped out his cell phone to get directions to the place, she said they were probably putting on a show).

Anyway, hung around and finally got a text message really late. Again I felt slightly bad - I was thinking that my host had better have a good explanation like breaking a leg or something ..... and guess what? Apparently that's what she did...sort of. She hurt her leg dancing in the wee hours of the morning. So, she set me up to stay with her twin sister and it was great since she was studying archaeology too 😊 But it was a really long and frustrating day. And would only get longer. My host partly owns a bar so her sister took me thee and it was smoke and alcohol for the next few hours. It wasn't particularly pleasant since Romanians smoke like chimneys and I was tired but I met quite a few people and it was nice to talk to them. Unfortunately or me, the story doesn't end there. I had a few beers (like 3) and I was fine but just as we were getting ready to leave, something someone was smoking made me feel ill and yup, truns out my body thought it was a fine upchuck moment. Barely made it to the toilet in time. Quite embarrassing really....but selective memory serves me well so I will pretend it never happened. And that was it for that night.

Next day, I went around Timisoara but there wasn't much to see that I hadn't already seen while waiting for some form of communication from my host the day before. Saw a gypsy funeral procession to the main church which was interesting in its own way but definitely sad since the guy was pretty young. The procession held up traffic and while most people were honking from behind due to the delay, there were people honking when they saw the procession too. I guess it's a way of expressing condolences? Maybe.

So I left that night for Brasov but not before I tried to bake cookies for them in a crazy oven that didn't have a temperature setting at all and urm... I had to use pizza boxes as trays but they came out alright. Yes, it started in Hungary but I'm spreading the American Chocolate Chip Cookie love. And not just because it's pretty much the only thing I can make decently.... Anyway, the overnight train to Brasov was crazy expensive and the conductor tried to overcharge me for the sleeping compartment (which was all girls, locked from the inside and was totally safe) but I managed to get in about 5 or 6 hours of sleep before arriving in Brasov at 7am in the morning.

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