We arrived in Bucharest without incident. Curt is a really good navigator, and got us from the airport, on the correct bus, off at the correct stop, and walked a few blocks directly to our hostel. Not bad since neither of us knew a single word of Romanian. We resisted the temptation to nap and headed out to explore. We quickly found a central square that was lined with huts of vendors selling Christmas crafts and foods. One of the few things we wanted to make sure to do in Bucharest was to eat the grilled 'mystery meat' featured in the Anthony Bourdain Romania episode, and lo and behold, there it was. We enjoyed a couple of the selections which ended up being our meal that night. I think we paid less than $1. Since we were tired from travel, we barely made it to 7pm before calling it a night. Of course, I was wide awake agian before midnight. I turned on the light to read for a while and we were both up for several hours. The sleeplessness was not helped by the HARDEST bed I have ever slept on. It was a long painful night, but we managed.
After a less than satisfying breakfast - soft boiled eggs, hot dogs, and salted kiwi - we explored the city on foot. The overall impression was better than I had expected. There is a quaint older quarter with lots of interesting architecture, although the roads are ripped up and it doesn't seem like anyone is working on them. If they ever finish it, it will be nice. We also checked out Revolutionary square, where the people rebellled communist leadership in 1989 and the publically hung the dude a few days later. There many dull grey buildings that were obviously a product of communist times, which juxtapose against the old baroque styles, and then a smattering of shiny new buildings. A bit of everything. We were awed by they way the cars were parked every which way, and the number of stray dogs wandering the streets. On the other hand, the cars were nice and new, and no one was asking for handouts.
We caught an afternoon train to Brasov in Transylvania where I am writing now. This is a very enchanting place. We had a great little room overlooking the town square and the Christmas tree. We are skipping the tourist trap of Dracula's castle, since he didn't even live there, and we saw it on tv.
This afternoon we will head to Sighisoara, another Transylvanian town, where we'll explore the creepy cemetary under a full moon. I wonder if my next post will include a real life vampire story?
4 comments:
wow! awesome - so glad you were able to give an update. i was wondering how things were going after our conversation about landing in a country where the language is so different. jonas misses you!
We tried to publish a new post about our experiences in Transylvania, but the computer at our hotel only speaks Romanian. We can't find the "New Post" or the "Log In" icon. Both of us survived the vampires in the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler, aka Dracula. Later today, we're boarding the train for Budapest.
Love the adventures in the internet! I can't wait to hear about Budapest!!!
By the way...don't make plans for January 8-15th. I have you booked for a week in Cabo with me and some of the Saskatchewan girls for $63.63. Maybe Amy Affeld "With Reservations" as a new show???
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Susie
Hot dogs for breakfast? Sounds great to me. How dare you bag on the world's most perfect food? While Dracula's Castle is a definite toursit trap, I've heard you can get a decent bottle of wine there.
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