Blogs from Romania, Europe - page 89

Woke up around 7am and we were somewhere in Romania. The old lady in my compartment was on her way to Bucharest to visit her mother. She was German and spoke a little English, plus lots of Romanian and Italian. We managed to communicate though and she told me a few stories about Romania, and taught me a few Romanian words (boo-nah-dee-ma-naat-za = “good morning”, boo-nah-zee-wah = “good afternoon”, boo-nah-zeh-rah = “good evening”). All of a sudden the door to the compartment ripped open and instead of seeing a cop or soldier or someone wanting to mug us, there was a strange looking girl about 8 years old standing there in a t-shirt and jeans cut off at her knees. She started saying something that I couldn’t understand and pulled up the legs of her jeans. ... read more

If you are looking for an unspoilt, different place to visit then you should think about Romania. From Jan 15th 2007, Wizz Air are offering cheap flights from Luton to Bucharest, and at present are offering return flights from about £55, including taxes. Most people who have already discovered Romania, seem to either go to the Black Sea resorts or Winter holidays in Brasov. This means they are missing the real Romania......there is far more to see and enjoy, especially in the Counties of Arges and Transylvania. Just a couple of hours from Bucharest and you can discover ancient Castles ( including the one at Bran...the inspiration of the legend of Dracula...yes its really there!)......stunning mountain roads of over 2,200 metres, history and legends. We wouldn't advise car hire, as to be honest the Romanian drivers ... read more

Alecia: The weather’s starting to change here. We see frost some mornings, and are starting to think about purchasing winter coats. The stalls at the outdoor market are bursting with tasty seasonal treats - apples, pears, grapes, walnuts, dry beans, fall spinach and lettuce, potatoes, dry herbs, home made paprika, popping corn, tomatoes, onions, eggplant, garlic and the like. Since our last posting we’ve had some adventures with traditional food processing. Two weekends ago, we spent the day with Zsolt - our host dad’s parents (the closest approximation of his name in English is Jolt - the ‘zs’ makes a ‘jza’ sound). It was a family affair, with great food and plenty of palinka. The purpose the visit was to roast 60 kg of eggplant, flake off the blackened skin, mash into a pulp and freeze ... read more

(written two days ago) As I write this, we are on a train to Krakow, Poland. We are leaving Romania after six chilled-out days here. We have had some welcome time to relax and enjoy the autumn colours after travelling so frequently, and far, across the former Soviet lands. I’ve caught up with old friends, Indie has made some new ones, and together we’ve revelled in the cool atmosphere of Bucharest, one of my favourite cities. But that’s the short version. Here’s what really happened… The path back to Europe - 45 hours with the Fat Controller Our ‘Express’ train journey from Moscow to Bucharest was smooth and trouble-free. In spite of stopping in Kiev train station for five hours, unable to leave the platform, we enjoyed the journey. It gave us the chance to ... read more

Still driving around Romania with Lisa and finding it hard to leave and continue with the rest of my trip. Having a fantastic time although this is one backward, expensive country. Sat in an internet cafe that is someone's flat with a few computers and soldering irons laying around. We are in the biggest town that we've come across for a few days this is real farming country and it's now harvest time. The vast fields full of families collecting the crops and driving back by horse and cart. Stayed in a small village last night in a room in someones house. There was one restaurant in town full of the menacing locals eating their bland but substantial food. I have a lot of good photographs but the chance of uploading them any time soon ... read more