Treading water

Last day in Romania. Last destination. The Black Sea shores of Constanta. A friend told me to go there, so I decided to take him up on the advice. 

With a metro card in my pocket, I walked the few blocks up to the Obor station. I love the subway. Convenient and fast. A few minutes wait and the train arrived. A few stations later, we were at the train station. 

There are of course strict rules for taking the metro. As the signs below explains. Don't smoke, don't drop your ticket, don't clean the front windows of the subway, or Thor will strike you down!

I bought a ticket for the first train to Constanta. This would be a express train. Covering the 225 km in just over 2 hours. 

 

When we arrived, I checked the train routes back to Bucharest. I decided on the train going two hours later. Would give me enough time to dip my toes in the Black Sea. And to check out some of the city. 

I found that the street going straight from the train station would lead me right down to the shore. So I walked that way. And low and behold. The sea! The beach was almost deserted, save for a few 70-something swimsuit models soaking in the sun. 

I took my shoes off and waded into the sea. The temperature was nice. Almost made me regret I didn't bring my bathing shorts. But the waves were so high I wouldn't be able to swim anyways. But maybe done some body dipping. But at least I can say I have dipped my toes in another sea/ocean. 

 

After drying my feet in the sun and getting my shoes back on, I walked back into the little town I guess during the summer, it is packed with tourists. But now it was mostly dead. I found a small park with some leftovers from the roman era. Not much left. But what was, they put up on something best described as pedestals. I like old stuff. So I walked around and took photos of some of them. 

The park also had a giant war-statue. Like so many countries in the world.

Not much else to tell. Maybe there was more, but I only had two hours, and my watch was half-to-go-time. So I started heading back to the station. Picked up some sandwiches and a bottle of water for the trip back to Bucharest. When I got to the station, I found I had read the tables wrong. So the train left half an hour later than I thought. Oh well. At least I got a picture of the weird-painted boat outside. Was this a piece of art, or just a monument of some kind? Dunno.

I have noticed something odd when buying tickets here. I don't know if it has something to do with the time, but the return ticket is always cheaper. When I went to Brasov, the ticket was 59 Lei. The return ticket (bought in Brasov) only cost 29. And today, the ticket TO Constanta cost 82. And the return bought in Constanta, cost 72... Oh well. One of lifes mysteries, I guess.

The train arrived, and I found my seat. This was probably the best train so far. Still second class. But it seemed like it was new(ish). Great seats, aircon and even the toilet was a pleasure to use. Loved it! And that made the trip back to Bucharest even better. Didn't matter that it took the whole 2:45 the ticket said it would. I had plenty of time to eat my sammies, and to enjoy the scenery.

This has to be the narrowest platform in the world...

I decided to walk back to my apartment. The weather was nice, and this was my last chance to see the city. My flight is at 12 tomorrow, so I will only have the morning to get to the airport. But I will try to get there without taxi this time. There is a metro, of course. But I also found they have airport trains leaving all the time. Well. Not ALL the time. But pretty often. So I will use that one. Public transport for the win!

Walking back proved to give me an added bonus. I decided to tale a different route. And this led me straight into a long street that had temporaroly been closed off for traffic. Packed with people, street artists, cafes and a lot of life. I loved the vibe and the atmosphere. No traffic noise. Just people. Hanging out, laughing, talking. Loved it. Great way to end the trip. Picked up some street food, enjoyed some street art, and brought home some sweet snacks for the evening.

The trip has been great. Granted, it is impossible to see a country in just 4 days. No matter how much you travel. But my train trips have at least given me a glimpse. I have visited some historical sites. Seen a beach city. Seen some great architecture and great places. I would recommend people to come and explore. Maybe even spend more time here than I have done. See some more. Find other stuff. Maybe eat more local food. Soak it in more.

Hope I haven't scared people from taking the trains here. Believe me, it is a great experience. And they aren't as bad as I might have led you to believe. But even the bad trains are a great way to travel. You get to see a lot, and it is a cheap way of getting around. So try it out if you're in the neighbourhood.

Ragnar

Traveller, checking out of Romania

City tour

After the long trip yesterday, I decided to stay in Bucharest today. Just taking in some sites and looking at things, large and small.

The first order of the day was the palace of parliament. And it was a palace. Indeed. It was built during the Ceausecko period. And it stands as a monument to his ego, I guess. The building weighs almost as muvh as the pyramid of Giza. It is 84 metres high. And just insanely huge. He called it the People's Palace. Because of course he did. It was here he stood on December 22nd 1989 and gave his last speech. While people below him chanting for him to go. He was pulled away by his staff and put on a helicopter. The chopper pilot realized that if the people wanted him to go, the army might actually shoot down the chopper. So he landed and threw them off. They tried to stop a car on the road nearby. But the driver recognized them and called the police. They were arrested and brought to Tirgoviste. And the rest is history.

In one of the streets, I found the following hotel. 

 

Since I love wordplay (much to some friends' despair...), I couldn't but think of my own version of the "Who's on first?"-routine.

Driver : "Where to?"

Me: "Hotel Sir"

Driver : "Ok, which hotel?"

Me: "Sir"

Driver : "Ooookey. Which hotel, SIR?"

Me: "Yes"

Driver : "What?"

Me: "Hotel Sir"

Driver : "I know you want to go to a hotel, but which one?"

Me: "Sir"

Driver : "WHICH ONE, SIIIIIR!"

Me: "There is only one Hotel Sir"

Driver : "Now, you are starting to p me off!"

Me: "But I just want you to drive me to Hotel Sir!"

Driver : "I would if you could just please tell me the name of the hotel!"

Me: "I keep telling you, SIR!"

Driver: "That's it! Get out of my taxi! Stupid tourist!"

😉

Reading between the lines? It seems like the pigeons have misunderstood. It is supposed to be "Please sit here". Not "please shit here..."

I found that Bucharest has its own Arch of Triumph. It comes with its own roundabout. And streets going in different directions. Right besides it, is a beautiful park with a small lake. Loved it!

I also tried some local grub today. The past few days I have been travelling so much I haven't gotten around to trying something other than a grab and go snack in a fast food shop. But today I wanted to try something typical for Romania. Sarmalute and polenta. Cabbage rolls with meat inside, and something the consistency of pudding made from cornflour. It was very tasty! Recommended!

When I was out walking, there came a really strong wind blasting. Things were flying through the air. At one place, the whole fence around a building site had crashed down. And here and there, stuff was laying around. Blown around by the strong winds. The winds stopped as quickly a they started.

Tree blown over by the wind and crashing down on power lines

Yesterday, when going to the train, I realized there was a underground crosswalk so I didn't need to cross the street to get to the station. And when I went down there, I realized something else. Bucharest has a metro! YES! I decided to try it out today on my way back from the Arch of Triumph. They had ticket-machines in the station. I bought a card with two trips. Enough for a trip today, and for the trip tomorrow to the train station. 

I love trying out public transport. Especially subways and trams. Bucharest also has trams, but I haven't tried them yet. Maybe when I return tomorrow. We'll see.

Some statues I took photos of around the city :

Mark Twain for some reason

This guy looked like he didn't like being put on a pedestal...

Hmm. Wonder what I'll have for dinner today?

I ended the day by trying out some local delights. Something sweet I found in the bakery section of a supermarket. It was super tasty! So full of sugar you could get diabetes by thinking about it. But a perfect way to end the day.

 

Ragnar

Enjoying life!

Heroes and villains

I don't seem to be able to move the clock forward one hour. At least in my head. So I got to the train station juuuust too late for the train to Brasov. Which meant I had to wait until 12.30 to get on the next one. I realized it was a bit late, so I was contemplating how to get to Bran and back to catch the last train back to Bucharest. I spent the hour and a half walking around the area of the railway station.

My destination today was the castle of one of the most famous citizens of Romania. Vlad Tepes. Also known as count Dracula. I learned that Dracula wasn't just a made up name. It was a title his family got after they fought the Ottamans. Dracul or Dracula means something like "dragon". In Romania, he is a national hero. And a friend of mine reminded me of why. But on the train back, I started thinking about that. But more on that subject later.

Finally, it was time for the train to leave. I found my seat, and I had a ticket to ride.

The trip up to Brasov went smoothly. The train arrived on time. And I found I had splurged (not knowing what tickets I bought). This was luxury second class. With a table. And clean windows! The trip went through beautiful mountain landscape. Unfortunately, there was a lot of trees, so although the view was sometimes spectacular, taking photos to share with you, was impossible. The beatiful mountain views I could easily see through the forest, but they wheren't very photogenic for the same reason. As the saying goes: Couldn't see the mountain for all of the trees. Or something to that effect... So instead of the beautiful mountain views, here is a view of the onboard toilet.

Do I just top it up, or...

 

In Brasov I was contemplating my options. I looked at the timetables for the return train. 17.45 was the last one. I looked at my watch. 15.02. I had just under 3 hours to get to Brad castle, check it out and return. I had read up on transport, and bus was (of course) the cheapest option, but it also meant getting to the bus station, finding a bus, and driving there and back. And they only left once per hour. So I checked with a taxi. "I use meter" he said. Could he give me a price for the round trip? "Aaaa....ebut tree handred". 300 Lei for the trip. Not too expensive for a taxi. I went back and forth in my head. Then I accepted. I got in and we zoomed off. On the way, I started noticing that his meter was going higher and faster than he promised. So when we arrived in Brad, it was already at 225. Which would make it out to be 7 Lei per km, not the 3 advertised on the door. I don't mind paying the price, but I don't like being had. So I took out the 225, gave it to him and told him I wasn't going back with him. He looked puzzled. "You said 300, and it is already at 225!" I said and pointed at the meter. I left the car and walked up towards the castle. It was, as expected, a tourist trap. And you had to walk through "Souvenir valley" to get up to the castle itself. 

It was smaller than I had anticipated. And far more crowded. At least for a random Thursday. So I just walked around the castle and took some images. The crowd moved slowly. And I was already thinking of how to get back to Brasov for the train. Maybe there was something inside the castle that was worth the wait, but I opted for just leaving. I had seen what I came here for. I was thinking maybe I should get a fridge magnet from Dracula castle, but nah. Maybe get something in Bucharest. 

On close inspection, the "nipples" on the wall are probably toilets...

 

I started looking for a bus stop. I found one, as per Google Maps. But it was for buses going the other way. I asked a young couple, and they pointed me further up in the street. I walked there and tried finding the stop. But nothing. I walked maybe a km along the road and all around the small town, and didn't find a single bus stop sign. Save for the first one. At the end, I started asking several people. And after getting n-3 answer from n people*, I realized a few of them where the same. A fast food shop. A bit confusing, but I walked down to the fast feed shop. Lo and behold. A waiting room. No sign, but at least this was a proper bus stop. And the bus was arriving shortly! Perfect!

Clearly, there is a bus-stop on the right, right?

 

I got on the bus and paid my 13 Lei. A bit less than the taxi... I checked the time. I would be arriving at the bus station 30 minutes before my train left. More than enough. So I just sat there enjoying the ride. But the closer we got to Brasov, the more crowded the road got. Something like a rush hour scene. And we almost ground to a halt. We arrived 20 minutes before my train would leave. I thought I might check to see if there were any buses for Bucharest at the station. Of course there wasn't. I checked the time. 18 minutes left. I found a taxi. The distance was short enough for me to walk. But not in that time. The taxi drove off. And got into traffic. Moving slooooooowly. We arrived at the train station at 17.39. And the taxi driver parked in like forever, plus something. I tried making him just stop and drop me off. I left him the money and ran off into the station. I checked my clock. 17.41. There was a long queue at one of the ticket booths. So I ran to another. For another company. They had no train until much later. So I ran back to the one with the queue. 17.42. The lady in front of me spent forever packing her things after purchasing a ticket. Finally! "Bucharest!" I said. She pointed down. "Yes!" I gave her the money, and she gave me the ticket and change. "Line 1!" she said as I ran up the stairs to track 1. A train was standing there and I jumped on. "Bucharest?" I asked the first guy I saw. He nodded. MADE IT!

I found a seat and dropped my bags on the rack overhead. Sat down and let my pulse sink. Then the train started moving. The first part was through the mountains. The train moved slowly down to the flatlands below. Then we sped up to max speed. And then I realized this train had some special extras. Built in massage. I think it must have been some resonance or something. Because the whole car rocket violently forward and backward. Everything loose in the car (which appeared to be most things) racketed and shook. It was a true "shake, rattle and roll" experience. But it only happened on the straights and at high speed. Below a certain speed, it was quiet. But as soon as the train hit a certain speed, the back and forth rocking started again. And this way I sat, rocking in my seat. Getting my moneys worth of back and butt massage. With a background of rattling metal everywhere. 

Video for your enjoyment (turn up the volume)

At half past eight, we arrived at Bucharest station. I got some snacks for the night and walked back to my hotel.

Some might ask, "why on earth do you spend so much time on a train for just a short visit to a castle in the mountains?". Well. Sometimes, the journey is part of the experience. Especially on a train. When I fly to a place, it is mostly just to get me from A to B. But on a train, I sit and watch the landscape passing. Small towns. People coming and going. It is as much part of the journey as the destination itself.

Soooo. Hero or villain? It feels weird to diss somebodys hero. But on the train back to Bucharest, despite the shake rattle and roll, I did some thinking about the hero role that Vlad the Impaler had in Romania.

There are those who are heroes in everybody's eyes. And there are those who are villains in everybody's eyes. And then there are people like Vlad. 

In Georgia, I went to the Stalin museum in Gori. My guide walked around with me and was going out of his way to tell me how wonderful Stalin was. How he killed all the "bad people", and created the great empire that was the Soviet Union. How wonderful he was in every way. In the end, almost like on a side note, he mentioned "the bad side". Where he admitted that he made "some mistakes, like all people". But he was the hero of Georgia, and the Soviet. (Read about it here) And when I went to Afghanistan, pictures of the mujahedeen leader Massood was everywhere. He was their hero. From what I read and heard, he was the most hated person in Kabul after the soviet army left in '89. He and his men killed thousands and completely destroyed Kabul. And the Taliban forces were looked upon as the liberators when they threw the mujahedeens out. A few years later, the mujas were the heroes. And the "Lion of Pansjir" has a large mausoleum in his honor in Pansjir valley. (Read about it here)

When I read about Vlad the Impaler (he got the name because he loved to impale people he hated), I'm not sure he's a hero. To the people he "saved" maybe. But he strikes me as an opportunist. Who struck deals with the Ottamans when he needed them for his power struggles, and fought them when it was conventient. So he started wars and defended against others. But he also impaled everyone who stood in his way. Like in Transilvania, where he impaled men, women and children because they stood against his invasion. There are many stories, some obviously or most likely made up. But also a lot of credible stories based on their accuracy, about his unhinged cruelty. Against anybody who stood in his way. So even for his time (which, granted, was a cruel time) he stood out to many in Europe as particularly cruel in his treatment of his enemies and opponents. And that led to many people and stories going over the top about how much he loved blood. Which again probably inspired the story of Dracula we know today. 

So hero? Mmmmmm. Not so much. Even if Europe benefitted from him turning on his former allies, the Ottomans.

Ragnar

Not Vlad-loving traveller

* A theory I developed while travelling and has stood the test of time : If you ask a number of people and some of them give the same answer, that answer is probably correct. Ex : If you ask three individuals (not standing together) for directions, if two of them give the same directions, they are telling the truth. This also applies in some form for other areas of truth-seeking btw.

Second class

 Two holidays in row with just a friday needed to get a full weekend? I'm off! I am having a loooog weekend in Romaina. My 68th country. 

The trip down here went smoothly. Save for the usual late flight to Frankfurt. But this time, I didn't get upgraded. So I had to be content with zoo class. I would be arriving late, so I was dreading trying to figure out stuff when my brain is trying to convince me to sleep. But I needn't worry. 

First, there was the passport control. As per usual, I picked the slowest line. But finally it was my turn. I gave him my passport. He looked at my obviously tired face. For a looong time. Then hammered on his computer. Looked at the picture in my passport. At me. Then back and forth a few times. 

Him : "Where you arrive from?"

Me: "Hm?"

Him : "Where.you.arrive.from.two-day?"

Me: "Frankfurt".

He looked me up and down, and finally gave me my passport back. I was finally allowed to enter his country.

Next: Taxi. They had some machines where you could choose your company. Touch the display, and a ticket would come out. Assigning you to a taxi and giving you approximate time. Not bad!

I think the driver have a past career as a getaway driver. He certainly drove like he had just robbed the bank. And he also reminded me that seatbelts weren't necessary in the back seat. I put them on anyways...

15 minutes later, we had arrived. After some initial confusion and fiddling, I managed to get into the apartment block. My apartment was on the 5th floor. And the elevator didn't work. As far as I could tell. 

 

After dropping off all my gear I went down to the 24/7 supermarket I saw on the way. It was only a short walk. I bought some food and water. At the register, a young girl was standing with face down in her phone. She finished typing before beeping my stuff. Whenever her phone updated, she stopped to read. And then continued. When she was finished, she picked up her phone again. I bleeped my card and she sat down. Without looking. I went back to my room. Had some drink of water and dropped in the bed and fell asleep.

On tyranny 

One of the places I wanted to go here in Romania, was to Tirgoviste. A small town norht-west of Bucharest. Unless you are familiar with Romainan history, the name might not mean anything to you. But it was where Romanias former dictator Ceaușescu and his wife were executed. The building they were imprisoned, "sentenced" and executed, is now a museum. Located right across from the train station.

I walked the few km to the train station in Bucharest.

 

I again found the slowest line and queued to get a train ticket. It was finally my turn.

Me : "Tirgoviste!"

The lady behind the counter looked at me as if I had just tried to explain quantum mechanics to her. After a long wait, she finally spoke.

Her : "Teh-GAW-wished?"

Me: "Mmmm...Yes?" (hoping it wasn't some obscure town where they had a statue of Lenin or something)

Her : "Two-more?"

Me : "No, today"

Her : "To clock?"

Me : "No, eleven!"

Her : "Aaa...change train!"

After some hammering of keyboard, editing some codes and clicking the mouse on something that looked like Windows 95 software, my tickets spat out of her machine. 18 Lei (about 5 Euro). Second class. My ticket said I needed to change trains in Titu. I was loving it already.

 

I got my seat, and we were off. Through countryside, small villages and their small train stations. All sporting their own station manager who stood at attention as our train passed. At Titu I swapped to a small local train to take me (us) the final distance to Tirgoviste.

Why is the station master standing in a cage?

 

As I walked out of the train station, the museum was at the other side of the street, as I had anticipated. 

 

I walked in the front door, and a small bell rang. A door opened, and a middle-aged lady came out. "Ticket?" I asked. She nodded. "Ok. 10 Lei". She looked almost embarrassed when she said it. I don't think this place is much visited. Especially not from tourists.

I paid her and she gave me a ticket. Then she switched on the lights in the room. "Here, the commandant was. Here, the court. And the execution place is down this hall, then out the door, then left and such and so on". She went back to her office. I walked into the "courtroom". It stood like it was on that christmas day in 1989. The chairs, the tables. Nothing had been changed or removed. There was the small table and the two chairs they had sat. It felt weird. I remember the images on TV. The couple sitting there. Ceaușescu proclaiming "I do not recognize this court!". And this is where I had to agree with him. Even back then. 

 

I remember I read a quote (unable to find the source), back in my teens. 

"He who wishes to dethrone a tyrant, must see to it that he in the process doesn't become one!"

The trial was a tv-show. Nothing else. The verdict was already set. The "trial" was a scripted thing staged to justify what came. The couple knew the end when thay sat in the "courtroom". They knew they would be executed. 

After the "trial" they were led through the corridor, out to the yard and put up against the wall. And unceremoniously machinegunned down. No head shot, no neck shot, no firing squad aiming for the heart. Just a hail of bullets. They collapsed on the ground and died.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad romanians ousted their dictator(s). Their crimes may have been many (I haven't checked), but the "trial" with the subsequent execution had all to do with revenge and blood-thirst and little to do with justice.

I walked through the rooms. I saw the tv-images flashing by in my mind. I walked down the corridor. Out to the yard. To the wall were they were executed. Bullet holes still in the wall. A painted outline of their bodies where they had collapsed on the ground. It just felt...wrong.

 

After some sobering thinking, I left and took the train back to Bucharest for some nicer things to end my day.

 

The skies and beyond

I knew there was an observatory in Bucharest (like in many cities around Europe). But it was only on my way back to Bucharest I realized I had passed it on my way to the train station. It would be open until 9PM, so I had plenty of time. I came to the site, and it was jam packed with schoolchildren. I thought this might be the usual thing, but then realized that Jupiter would be occulted by the Moon today. And the programme listed on the wall confirmed this. So I decided to come back later. The skies were clouded, so nobody would be able to see anything anyways. 

So while waiting for the crowd to clear, I walked down to one of the wonderful buildings in Bucharest. The Atenul Romain. A concert hall. It was truly beautiful. Both outside and particularly on the inside. With stunning staircases and ceilings. I have left some images here for your enjoyment.

 

Then I walked back to the observatory. The crowd was gone. I could see a beautiful refractor through the windows. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach that room today. The observatory had a couple of beautiful old refractors on display, and a small exhibition. Long, winding stairs led up to the dome at the top of the building. Here, they had placed a large modern Schmidth Cassegrain telescope complete with computer control. 

 

It was now late in the evening. I had had a full day, and was ready to go back and hit the bed.

Tomorrow is another day.

Ragnar