Well, all said Peter, I hope you find a way to not disappoint the Romanians in your life and are able to take the family on the trip. The Romanians are rightly proud of their corner of the world. We met one on the Chain Bridge who hung around with us for a long time, so excited he was when he learned we were going to RO that he wanted to help with planning. TO me, it's such an interesting cultural change entering from Hungary that it's almost jarring. Meeting the remaining "Saxons" caring for the old walled peasant fortresses, hunting around a village in Maramures for whoever had the key to the town's wooden church. Quiet people, but friendly, many a handyman taking us in to show us something that was supposed to be out of the public's reach. So anyway, you don't need me to convince you Romania's worth while, but I do hope you get to go and enjoy.

It's little experiences like those that make me a bit envious of anyone who's parlayed that love of finding things into a career! And someday I hope you do tell about that crossing from China to Kyrgyzstan (to Bishkek or Osh? I understood there to be two different passes?) I've become sort of fascinated with the Great Game lore lately and would love to get to Kashgar and then head west. Not that we're going soon but curiousity is what makes future trips. Nicaragua in a few weeks and I think probably, well maybe, into Nepal later this year (although Mrs is still advocating hard for Mongolia, we can't make it before the naadam)

Peter and Clifton:


seems like we've each been badly bitten by theb same bug....the one that causes the incurable disease we share..an unquenchable thirst for travel. ...the old travel saying..."we search for the extraordinary"...
may not be the worse way to inhabit our little spaces on this planet.

Continued, exciting travels, guys!

and follow my motto : Travel 'til I unravel!"

stu t.

I'd like quite firmly to disassociate myself altogether from the sentiments expressed immediately above, which seem pure self-indulgence, and with which I strongly disagree, not that I can actually make sense of all of them.

Perhaps they could be taken to a thread of their own, leaving this one for the discussion of renting cars in Romania, thanks.

Peter N-H

Peter:

Friendly one, aren't you. If I've offended you, I'm truly sorry...in case you didn't notice, I have some reports on auto travel into Romania toward the top of this thread.

Since when can't we post some friendly remarks on this forum? Clifton and I have done so several times, especially concerning our travels into Morocco and yes, Romania.

I'll be certain to never again respond to your posts. Perhaps that will make you a bit happier than you seem to be. Have a nice life, and stow the anger.

Stu T.

Clifton:


What seems to have happened to this delightful forum which we've enjoyed for these last few years???
Seems that we have to walk on eggs...and that is very disconcerting.

stu

Stu, one thing I know you must have experienced in your 87(??) years of life and travel is the inexplicable lack of graciousness with which some percentage of the world suffers.

I don't think this last sad exchange represents a lessening of the forum; simply a personal shortcoming of the OP. I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt and say "momentary" as well, but in my memory of readin Peter's confident long-ago advice on obscure China, I also remember it generally came with a force fed dose of puffery and a strange sort of almost dislike towards or an anger at the one place he'd decided to focus his attentions.

As I said earlier, I almost envy you individuals who took a passion or interest and turned it into a career. It's what the vast majority of humankind dreams. The rest of us are tourists... we often travel because of some unseen and fairly inexplicable desire to see something, do something, we envision back at home. Yes, we often choose to do some humanitarian work while we're out, but for the most part, we are traveling just as you are Stu - for the fun of it.

Yes, I do understand the desire to keep one's topic on track. Some people are very focused and they have value in their approach to life. However, life is messy. People sometimes give advice *and* camaraderie. It's one thing to have a skill for finding new places, it's quite another to understand the living environment and the people who are walking around in it. In other words, why you bother to find it and help others find it.

Don't sweat it Stu - I hope (and hope) that I've got your energy and committment to the passions of life when I arrive at your level of experience. Hope you have a great day.

And Peter, good luck with the car.

Thanks for your kind words, Clifton....even though you have me older than the 79 I really am...that's OK..still kicking around the world at 87 wouldn't be too bad. Keep on truckin', Cliff.

Yes, it's a lot more fun and total enjoyment being kind and happy, rather than bitter and angry...especially while traveling the world.

stu

Sorry about the mix up Stu. We do have another great poster here who who continues to travel and is the age I mentioned (last I saw him mention it), but I confused your two ages. And I hope so too, for us both.

For those considering flying from the UK to Romania, the conclusion of the Easyjet issue;

Finally Easyjet has written with notification that flights to Bucharest have been cancelled, and offering a re-routing or refund. The number given to dial from overseas merely leads to an announcement that they no longer use that number, and you pay to listen to a long message that finally tells you what the new number is. While re-routing can be done on-line, refunds--the only option here--Easyjet no longer has any Romanian routes, require a telephone call.

It's all a bit messy and poorly organised, not least since a second email warned that details of Easyjet flights from Gatwick had changed, and invited me to log-in to take note of them. Following the link given shows the flight as still existing.

Oh well, when booking for prices that amount (criminally in environmental terms) to little more than loose change it seems churlish to complain if things don't run entirely smoothly. Other airlines are currently charging 2.5 to 3.5 times the price--still not exactly expensive, but obviously disappointing in comparison (although prices of course really ought to be dramatically higher still).

I'd add here a few words about how I feel about myself and some impertinent observations about others who post here, but I've been unable to bring myself to believe that anyone would find those relevant to the discussion of travel in Europe, or indeed anything other than very tedious. So I'll leave those postings to others who clearly find themselves fascinating and who seem to take it for granted that we do, too.

Thanks to those who posted concrete helpful advice. I may now have to start a similar thread about Bulgaria.

Peter N-H