Roaming Romania, Take Two
 

This TR is for the first leg of a longer trip. I arrived in Bucharest Sept 24, and plan to fly home from London Dec 10, but I am posting this section separately as there are so few Romania threads here, and I don't want it to get lost. I visited northern Romania back in 2006, but didn't have time for Transylvania, and then friends visited this spring and reported finding interesting Art Nouveau buildings in the west. I am a big AN fan, so I decided that this trip, which is mainly a "going back" trip, should start with going back to Romania, even if to a different area.

I had really enjoyed Romania in 2006, but it was despite bad weather, and despite a terrible tour guide (see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html ) and I was glad that this trip I could use public transport.

<b>Executive Summary</b>

Recommended destination. Recommended budget destination. Recommended for mountain scenery, interesting architecture - wooden churches, painted monasteries, fortified churches, Saxon old town centers, Hapsburg era buildings, Art Nouveau - and old customs in Maramures, where horse power still means horses.

Highlights: Maramures and Bucovina, which I visited in 2006, and on this trip Brasov, Sinaia, Targu Mures and Timisoara (although much of it is currently torn up).

Transport: Mostly trains, mostly on time. One bus, one car and driver for the villages around Sighisoara and for the transfer to Targu Mures (sheer laziness, I could have taken the bus).

Accommodation: almost all three and four star with en-suite bathrooms and included breakfasts. One disaster in Sighisoara and one place that had turned its AC off in Timisoara, otherwise all good.

Budget: Aside from the flight to Bucharest, and a massage in Oradea (which was cheaper than the one I would have been having at home) and including plenty of food, wine, coffee and tea, my average cost for 20 days in Romania was US $121.25. I mention this because nytraveler keeps claiming that a basic budget for Europe is $200/day, sharing a room. I was traveling solo, usually sleeping in "double for single use", and while I could have spent more, I could as easily have spent less. Prices are higher in Bucharest, and also go up as you go west.

This post is all about getting there, so feel free to skip it.

<b>Sep 23-24: Getting there is NOT fun, don't eat American's food, Heathrow hell, a little indulgence. </b>

My recent trips to Europe have involved a stopover in either Washington or New York, but I had just visited Washington, and I am not over fond of New York, so I decided to take the direct AA flight from RDU to LHR, going straight on to Bucharest. The only good news about this routing was that it earned me miles, but I would have done better to burn a few and fly business. It is true that, despite what the seat assignment chart showed, the plane was not full, and I was able to get two seats to myself. In fact, after I moved for the second time (to avoid a recliner) I seemed to have acquired additional leg room as well. I blessed the guy who had had the aisle seat next to me, and who hadn't wanted to move away from the bags he had stowed in the overhead. Since my carry on fits under the seat in front of me for take off, and in the curve of the fuselage for flight, I had no issues with moving. Not that it helped much with sleep, I got a couple of hours of catnaps at most.

When I first started flying the Atlantic, on half empty 747s, getting no sleep was the result of partying in the back of the economy section, not because it was impossible to get comfortable, never mind horizontal. Back then, the food was edible, too. I have a blood sugar problem, which requires me to eat protein with reasonable frequency, and I have been significantly reducing my carb intake, for several reasons. The "meal" that American served consisted almost entirely of highly processed carbs, with a few pieces of indifferent chicken. Fortunately, I had remembered that my last flight on AA had featured inedible food, and boarded with a sandwich. That didn't help much with breakfast, but at least I could look forward to a full English at Heathrow.

But first I had to get into Terminal 5. I think that if I ever connect through Heathrow again I will claim infirmity (after all, I am 67) and get some assistance. First, I had to trek in from the outer reaches of Terminal 3. Then I had to stand in line for the transfer bus, and then stand ON the bus. Finally, I had to stand for over half an hour in order to go through security screening. (Fast path, or whatever it's called, wasn't necessarily fast, some of those people had to stand in line, too.) Since I had been airside ever since I was screened at RDU this seemed more than unnecessary.

I suspect that AA's food is not just inedible but actually harmful, as I had an attack of diarrhea at Heathrow. Since it was brief and not repeated I attribute it to the airline and not my sandwich. My BA flight to Bucharest took off nearly an hour late, but either made it up en route or had a very lax schedule as we did not arrive that late. I dropped off to sleep and woke to a view of an impressive, sharp-edged range of mountains, dusted with snow, as we neared Bucharest. Then they gave way to flat agricultural land, farmed, it appeared, in strips, something I thought went out with the feudal system.

I could have taken public transport in from the airport, but it had occurred to me, correctly, that I might not be in the best shape when I arrived. I had booked a hotel (the K+K Elisabeta) somewhat above my usual level, thanks to a 10% discount for booking with a Tripadvisor code, plus a further discount for staying three nights, and the hotel offered airport pickup for 20 euros. Expensive? Inexpensive? Entirely a matter of perspective. Certainly, when I emerged into the arrivals hall, towing my checked bag, the sight of a man with a sign with my name on it was indeed very welcome.

<< my average cost for 20 days in Romania was US $121.25. >>

I agree that there is no need to spend $200 per day. I've just returned from Germany (solo) and my average daily expenses were $166. I kept track of everything I spent although I might have missed a coffee or two. I could have done it cheaper but wanted to travel like a mature adult rather than a student.

Looking forward to lots of details including photos.

Firstly, looking forward to this.
Secondly, agree entirely about airline food and the benefits of partying way back when we could. These days I have one of those blow-up pillows and find it helps a lot with sleeping.
This time I arrived at the new T2 which is to be recommended. The only thing was that United arrives at the far reaches of LHR and the walk seemed about as long as crossing the pond.
And yes, I too have debated claiming infirmity and asking for a wheelchair in various airports. Wonder which one of us will do it first?
Never calculated how much I spend on my trips but I would reckon about the same as you. Certainly nothing like $200 a day.
Three and four star hotels in Romania must be among the cheapest in Europe.

Romania is creeping ever higher on my to-go list - so I am following along eagerly!

KW..I will be watching as you report. As someone who was introduced to Romania in the days of darkness, I delighted in my most recent post- revolution trip. Take every bit of backwardness you come across amnd multiply by a factor of ten and you'll see what I mean. Admittedly Maramuresh and Bukovina are still throwbacks to the pre-revolution decades. In those two regions you will not be able to converse in English often.

Try for a home stay in Maramuresh. Whatever you do, KW, this forum will be treated to a fresh view of today's Romania. I think I had sent you my pics of the 1983-2005 visits and even some 1970's tossed in, so I won't re-post. Thanks for sharing.
stu

Thursday, your trip sounds wonderful! Looking forward to reading more!

Tower - why so many visits ? Do you have some sort of special interest in Romania ? We were there in '65, and it was our least favorite country in the whole Eastern Bloc.

hopping on board for the ride, thursdaysd.

nice start for us, if not for you!

<b>Executive Summary - Continued</b>

Couple of items I meant to include....

Romania is not a good destination for the mobility challenged. I'm not saying it would be impossible, but it would take a lot of planning, and some sights would simply be off limits - you couldn't make it round Bran castle, for instance, if you couldn't handle steep and narrow stairs. I did see escalators being installed at Arad station, and there were a few in the Bucharest metro, but otherwise it could take 30 steps down another 30 up to change platforms. A hotel might have an elevator, but steps to get into the hotel, or from the front desk to the elevator, and almost certainly down to the breakfast room. Even the terrace at a restaurant might require a step up.

And then there are the pavements/sidewalks. Uneven for the most part, and with traps for the unwary. I am currently limping because of an unexpected dip (instead of my usual side-to-side ankle injury, this one is front to back).

Second, if you absolutely can't stand cigarette smoke, stay away. I encountered more smoke in my first week (maybe day!) in Romania than in the last decade at home, and I live in a tobacco state. There is no smoking on public transport, although I wouldn't count on no-one smoking in that gap between train carriages, at least on a regional. But there is definitely smoking in restaurants. You can't count on a no-smoking section, and if there is one you'd better have a reservation. Nor can you count on a non-smoking room in a hotel unless you specifically reserve one, and if it's a small B&B or pension there may not be any. Smoking on the street is endemic.

<b>adrienne:</b> Photos will appear on my blog, mytimetotravel.wordpress.com, as and when...

<b>stu:</b> Nice to hear from you. No Maramures this trip. That, including a home stay, was 2006. Strictly Transylvania, Crisana and Banat this time.

Thanks for the comments, everyone. It's always nice to know someone is out there reading.

THURSDAYSD, following along on your exciting journey. You venture much further solo than I would dare so I am enjoying your trip vicariously. :)

I'm following along with you, Thursdays. Looking forward to this adventure!

I'm following along, too. Looking forward for the blog and pictures.

What a start! I hope those first few moments will be among the worst of your journey. AND that your ankle (not again!) heals rapidly.

More, more, please!

Bedar: business. Interviewing selected locals for three of my books. I found Romania to hold a fascination for me, especially during the tough times. Surveillance and the ubiquitous road blocks stopped when Nic was hung!

tower
Who is Nic .....was he hung !

thursdaysd

Along for the ride s I was there 3 years ago but also did Translyvania.

OK, Percy, the Canadian wise guy, eh?? Nic was Nicolae Ceausescu...he was unceremoniously hung in 1989. His legacy...the ugliest building on the planet.

Perc...you and I have "corresponded" on ths forum several times so I know you have a colorful sense of humor. Hope you're doing well solo these days..it's dam hard to get used to...being a two-time widower, I think I should know the drill. Happy travels...Sorry for the hijacking, KW (no I'm not!)
stu

Sorry thursdaysd but I have to answer tower.

I was not trying to be a wise guy...honest.

I was serious when I asked who Nic was .

because he was not hung but died with his wife before a firing squad. That is why I thought you were talking about a different Nic.

The TV cameras cough it late and on TV I only saw the bodies lying on the ground.

I liked everything about my visit to Romania.

I had a private tour of his Parliament Palace, security was tight as I remember it was like going through the airport security.

I rather liked the "Palace" too much money was spent on marble while the people were virtually starving.

I think that under more pleasant circumstance ,(had he been a nice guy) then the Palace would not have negative connotations.

It is the second largest government building in the world.!!

Thank you very much for remembering that I am solo.
It has been a long year to the least.
Vi died last October 28th. ( 2013)
I go for Neurosurgery October 23rd.( in 4 days)

My belated condolences to you being a two time widower.

Take Care

Waiting for more thursdaysd !

Nice pictures on the blog.

Condolences all round.

I just visited a Museum to the Revolution in Timisoara. Very moving to see the photos of bodies on the streets I'd just been walking.

I chose not to bother going inside the "Palace" , I had seen photos and it didn't look worth the trek.

I am now limping round Budapest, but since I'm in an apartment I have to go grocery shopping before I can write anything else.

How come you are limping.?

Hi, I wonder what was the disaster in Sighishora, I guess you arent referring to floods or quakes, which happen in Carpathian Romania all the time?

Good luck and quick recovery to you Perc. On Nic's hanging, probably a mixup of my recalling mechanism> I seem to remember that the revolutionaries made a spectacle by hagning their bodies. Again, don't recall too well about it.

Hope limping isn't slowing you down, KW..still a lot to see and do on your exciting visit. More!
stu

Am limping very slowly. Went to the Szechenyi thermal baths this afternoon, may have helped some. I think it's a sprain, due to an unexpected dip in the pavement in Romania. Puffy area below ankle bone, unwillingness to flex forward or back - going down stairs is difficult.

Disaster in Sighisoara was a bad hotel. See: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...nsylvania.html

Rain in the forecast, so I may get some more writing done.

Good luck with the surgery, Percy.

So sorry to hear that you are hors de combat. Sounds like you need lots of soaking in the thermal baths.
I am in big trouble here as I discover I have expanded exponentially after too much gelato and too many cannoli in Sicily. Not to mention the ciabatta and pasta. Maybe if it rains you can stay in and eat!!

Ah yes, those Sicilian cannoli.... Yum!

In order to eat in I have to shop. Probably Market Hall tomorrow. Bought a transport pass today, so I can ride just one stop if I want to.

May try the Gellert baths later this week.

<b>Sep 24-25, 2014: Traffic, hubris and a greeter</b>

What I mostly remember about the ride in from the airport are traffic jams. Citizens of Bucharest are in love with their cars, and I can't altogether blame them. The metro system, which I used, was cheap and simple, but crowded and short on escalators. I also found it way overheated, but that turned out to be a common problem in Romania. I imagine the buses are miserable in summer. By the time I checked in, unpacked, and showered it was dark, and I was too tired to tackle a new city with my now dubious night vision. I ate an acceptable meal in the hotel's bar cum cafe and was asleep by 9:00 pm. I awoke briefly at 3:00, and then for good at 7:30 - no jet lag this trip!

I think my room at the Elisabeta was the smallest they had, and the "view" was of decrepit roofs and an office building, but it was clean, the bed was comfortable and the water hot. However, it faced south, and while the calendar said autumn the thermometer said summer, and I discovered that the AC wasn't working. The front desk said they would turn it on, but when I came back after lunch I found that turning it on involved a man with a step ladder and a tool box in my room. That cost them one TA star.

I spent my first morning zig-zagging through the old town, which was not in the best of shape, towards the epitome of hubris, Ceaușescu's hulking Palace of Parliament. Said to be second in size only to the the US's Pentagon, and only partially used, it loomed in undistinguished modernity at the end of a tree-lined boulevard. I rather liked the boulevard, which besides some welcome shade offered a sequence of mosaic-floored fountains, but was wryly amused to discover that it ended, at the foot of the folly, in a large parking lot. I had seen photos of the interior, and thought it not worth the trek to the entrance to see it in person.

Going back through the old town I discovered a pleasant arcade and Bucharest's oldest church. Much of the old center was razed to make way for the Palace of Parliament, and while Lonely Planet may describe what is left as the "liveliest, hippest, bawdiest and loudest quarter in the entire country" I thought it could use a lot of TLC. More interesting architecture was to be seen along Calea Victoriei.

Shortly before I left on this trip I been reminded of the "Greeter" or "Welcome" system, which I had used before in Japan and Argentina. The results had been a little mixed, but I had spent a wonderful evening with my Kyoto greeter (see: http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...on-over-kyoto/ ) and had been pleased to be able to arrange for a greeter my first afternoon in Bucharest.

We met at my hotel (which is why I was there around lunch time), and I spent a delightful afternoon with the young woman volunteer (AC). A modern languages graduate, she spoke perfect English, and I was seriously impressed to learn that her other language was Dutch. She had just left her job to start a new venture as a tour guide, and we talked about travel as well as about life in Romania.

I had voted absentee right before leaving on this trip, unhappy to discover that I had to chose between 19 unknowns for a seat on the NC Court of Appeals, and now I learned that Romania had an upcoming Presidential election with as many candidates. But at least that was only the first round. The slate included a strong woman candidate, who had been Justice Minister, but I was told, not only by AC, that a woman stood no chance. The run off was likely to be between the enterprising mayor of Sibiu, and the Socialist candidate, Socialist apparently being misused as a euphemism for ex-Communist.

We visited the old, a nicely frescoed monastery, the newer, along Calea Victoriei, and the very new, in the form of an aggressively modern glass bank building reflecting its much older neighbor. We finished a walk through the heart of Bucharest with coffee at one of AC's favorite cafe-restaurants, and I had intended to go back there for dinner, but in the end felt that I had walked far enough for one day. The Elisabeta sent me round the corner to a restaurant I believe was called Rosettii, although I can't find it online. I recommend it, as not only was the food good - including an excellent mushroom soup - they took the trouble to find me a table away from the cigarette smoke.

THURSDAYSD, continuing to follow your journey and learn interesting "on the ground" details about Bucharest, a city I have not visited.

Hope your ankle is better....

what a nice idea to find a "greeter" especially in somewhere like Romania where things might need some explaining.

Shame about your foot - but we hear good things of Hungarian doctors, with some people going there not just for dentistry but medicine too. Worth a try perhaps?

Tower - I too have that image of the bodies hanging and swinging around in the air. I wonder where we got that from?

Good luck with the op Percy - hope it goes well.

LDT &annhig - thanks. I don't think there's much point in a doctor for a sprain, s/he'lll only tell me to do what I'm doing. Plus rest.... However, it does seem a bit better today - don't know whether it's time, or whether the baths actually helped. But the other ankle, which has been compensating, has started complaining... Typical of my trips, my first TR on Fodors was titled "The Sore Foot Tour" and I spent much of the East Asia leg of my last RTW with a sprained ankle.

Fortunately, my Budapest apartment is very central, a couple of blocks behind the riverfront Marriott, and two or three blocks from transport in most directions.

Glad that it's getting better, thursdaysd - the baths surely can't do any harm.

How much longer do you have in Budapest?

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...1980SAnd1990S#

KW
scroll down to #24-28 for the colorful 19th century throwback, Gellert Baths..elegant old hotel...the odor (sulphur?) is a bit overwhelming at first...everything else is A-1... We stayed at the former Military Barracks made over into a lovely Hilton with great Danube views...just up Castle Hill from the Gellert down below. Buda side has some very good restos...one, the Karily, has an ongoing folk show while dining..just a few doors from the Hilton. A bit hokie, but fun. Vegas it ain't. Hope ankle is getting back to normal.
stu

KW...is this pothole the culprit that did you in, in Bucharest?

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...23003839734354

stu

@annhig - I'm taking the lunchtime RailJet to Vienna on Saturday. As I remember it's a really long trek from the metro to the tracks at Keleti station, so I may have to spring for a taxi. I did that a lot in Romania, very, very unusual for me, but they were super cheap there.

@stu - no, it was later. The pavement in Bucharest wasn't too bad. Problem with doing a lot of walking there was the fumes from the cars. I wondered whether they were still using leaded gas.

Following your report thursdaysd.

Hope your ankle is better each day.

Thank you annhig, I go Thursday (2 more sleeps :) )

stu: that looks like the pothole I stepped around !! ..just kidding .
Like the Gellert Hotel pictures.

When your ankle gets better, you might like a walk up to St Stephan's cathedral, not just for the cathedral but in a sports bar opposite, we had the most delicious fish soup I've ever had. A real depth of flavour. it's probably long gone, but we were impressed. the nearby opera is gorgeous if you can get a peek inside. [or better still, go to an opera there].

Also the Liszt museum was very interesting and I loved being able to see Beethoven's piano - so small compared to the ones Liszt played.

Still following along. It sounds like this trip has ben a very mixed bag so far.

@Kathie -well, I thought it was going pretty well until I started limping! Couple of hotel snafus, but that's the price of booking ahead, which I'm willing to pay. At least they weren't so bad I couldn't stand to spend one night (see Aleppo, 2009). And then there's rain, it's coming down hard outside, but that's the price of traveling off season - although Budapest is still full of tour groups.

BTW, was thinking of you yesterday. Tried to go back to a fabulous Asian museum which, alas, was closed to prepare for an exhibition. If you make it to Budapest you have to go to http://visitbudapest.travel/arts-ent...n-gold-museum/ - I couldn't find the museum's own site, if it has one, which is how come I didn't know it was closed. I went to the Hopp Ferenc across the street instead.

<b>Sep 26, 2014: A Very Christian Museum, More Roman than the Romans, Smoky Lunch, Indulgence</b>

At first I had thought to spend four nights in Bucharest, but almost every tourist sight in Romania closes on Monday, and the palaces I wanted to see in Sinaia closed on Tuesday as well. So I cut Bucharest to three nights, leaving on Saturday. Then my sightseeing was further cut by rain on my second full day. I had wanted to walk Soseaua Kiseleff, the northern extension of Calea Victoriei, out to Herastrau Park and the outdoor National Village Museum, but it wasn't that kind of day.

It was, instead, clearly the kind of day for the other, indoor, museums on my list, starting with the Museum of the Romanian Peasant (seems a somewhat politically incorrect name, but I didn't choose it). This museum was a bit of surprise, as it concentrated very heavily on religion, as if nothing else in people's lives was of interest. The curator saw crosses in everything, including embroidery where I couldn't see them myself. However, a huge room of not very good icons was balanced by a complete cottage, and a collection of costumes. The museum had been kicked out of the building under Communism and there was a display in the gloomy basement devoted to that gloomy period.

My afternoon museum was the National History Museum, fronted by a recent and quite bizarre statue of a naked Emperor Trajan holding a dog (Dacian wolf, apparently, but looked like a dog to me). Inside, I found another good costume display, including a set of diplomatic uniforms, a form of dressing up I don't think I had previously encountered. I had read that there was a display of crown jewels in the basement, but the few remnants were way outclassed by beautiful prehistoric gold artifacts.

The museum also contained a complete replica of Trajan's column, broken into pieces so you could get a good look. Now, the column celebrates the victory of the Romans over the Dacians, who were the original inhabitants of the area, but rather than identifying with the Dacians, the Romanians seem to have sided with the Romans. In almost every town I visited, a copy of the Romulus and Remus statue was displayed on a tall column in the main square. Any discussion of language would include a reference to Latin roots.

In between the museums I ate lunch at the popular Van Gogh cafe in the old town. Thanks to the rain, instead of the usual crowds outside, I shared space inside with just a scattering of people - cigarette smokers, one and all. I also bought my train ticket out, checking the route to the station as well. Buying a metro ticket was easy - a woman in a booth sold them right by the entry turnstiles, two rides for 4 lei ($1.15 US). Navigating was easy - plenty of signs and a simple layout. Changing lines and getting from the metro into the station was not so easy. Bit of a trek, involving stairs, and the metro was very hot and very crowded. So I booked the car and driver who had collected me at the airport for my Saturday departure. Indulgence is a slippery slope - one ride led to another, to another. Of course, once I got out of Bucharest the taxis were very, very cheap.

I had enjoyed my time in Bucharest more than I expected. In some ways it reminded me of Budapest ten years ago: a work in progress, with possibilities. Although, of course, Budapest is much bigger with more possibilities. But Bucharest didn't seem overrun with tourists, unlike Budapest these days, so I would consider visiting sooner rather than later. It didn't make my "must revisit" list, but is on my "would revisit" one.