ROMANIA- Bucharest and Brasov (Brashov)
FIRST STOP ROMANIA
Bucharest and Brasov (Brashov)
Our travels this far have been traveling around one country with month-long stays in between. It's amazing how much you save on Airbnb's when staying a month. However we were both itching for something different, so when Jim suggested traveling around Eastern Europe and Turkey for three months, it sounded amazing….but unfortunately my preconceptions of the safety in these countries had me hesitant to agree. Shortly after we made plans and booked our travels Russia and Ukraine went to war.
Getting Around Romania-Planes, Train, Buses and Automobiles
Planes
We had an unused voucher with Level Airlines from the year COVID turned the world upside down which needed to be used by September. That allowed us to get a roundtrip ticket from Barcelona to New York. From there we flew to Sofia on Lufthansa using miles. We stayed two days in Sofia at a hotel by the airport to recover from the long day(s) of travel and jet lag. From there we flew to Bucharest on Ryanair for a total of $70.00. It was after 10:00 pm when we landed and started making our way through customs. I wasn’t feeling all that great; my head was pounding, I had a runny nose, my ears were plugged and it was hot as hell in the crammed custom lines. As I approached the officer, I handed him my passport and gave him a smile. A stern face looked at me and I saw his mouth move but couldn’t make out what he was saying.…mind you there is an impatient line behind me which made me start to sweat. I did a backward glance at Jim, not sure why, there was no way he could possibly know the question I was asked. So I leaned in and spoke through the tiny peep hole saying excuse me and then put my ear up to the glass in hopes to hear him better. I still couldn’t hear exactly what he asked, looking confused he raised his voice and shouted for the third time, why are you in Bucharest? I frantically replied I am a TOURISTIC. WTFWIT? Now he was the one who looked confused. Thankfully he stamped my passport and waved me through. All I could hear from behind me was Jim laughing and saying that word over and over again.
Automobiles
Exiting the airport we knew Romania had Ubers, but for some reason it wasn’t pinning our location, so Jim asked a taxi driver how much to get to our place, he said 200 Lei, $41 USD. Jim tried haggling saying it was too expensive and we would pay 100 Lei, this may work in Mexico but not here. Kindly the Taxi driver pointed us to the rideshare area. Once over there the Uber app picked up our location and within a few minutes we were on the way to our place for 70 Lei, $15 USD.
Ubers were our main way of getting around Bucharest and Brasov with the most expensive ride being $3.50 USD. The only American couple we met was at the train station in Sanaia, on a work trip they took an Uber from Brasov (30 miles) for under $25, but couldn't find a way back.
Buses
Both Bucharest and Brasov had local buses throughout the city, but with Uber being so cheap and our stays short we didn’t see a need to figure out the system. We did however take a 45 minute bus ride from Brasov to Bran round trip, which cost $8.00 for both of us. We bought the tickets directly from the driver as we boarded. It was simple and smooth.
Trains
We took the following trips by train and all our tickets were bought online. Website- CFRcalatori.ro they have an app. Prices are for two. Each trip was a fiasco and an experience, but had nothing to do with booking on line and everything to do with seats and schedules.
First experience: Bucharest to Brasov $26.50- 3.5 hours- First Class
The train station in Bucharest was the largest with 10 lines. When we entered I immediately regretted the fact that we were 45 minutes early as the station was hot and smelled like shit. I couldn’t take it so we sat in a coffee shop with AC and doors to keep out the stench. This was the trip Jim wrote about here. https://www.2cheekytravelers.com/2022/06/train-to-brosov.html
Second Experience: Brasov to Sinaia- $20 RT- 1 hour- First Class
I was a little nervous considering our first experience, but this was probably the smoothest. We only had the wrong car and booted out of what we thought were our seats once…so we did what everyone was doing and just plopped in any open seat and figured we would deal with it if asked to move.
Third Experience: A two part trip; Brasov to Bucharest- First Class...second part of the trip we switched trains in Bucharest to Ruse, Bulgaria No class- $55-7 hours
The first part….When we found our seats there was a teenager in Jim's seat and a purse in mine. Jim pulled out his ticket and shared it with the young kid who nodded his head, so we just plopped down in the two vacant seats. I immediately regretted the empty purse seat because the woman who claimed that seat had a peculiar smell that made my stomach turn and I thought to myself, there is no way I can handle this for three hours. When the ticket lady came by and explained we were in the second class car, I gladly jumped up, grabbed my luggage and went searching for our car. Upon entering first class the conductor told us we had the wrong carriage, at this point I was done and pointed out the first class on our ticket so he nodded and let us through. Once inside we found one seat number but the other was nowhere to be found. So Jim sat down and I went in search of the ticketmaster to help me find my seat…. he had no clue and told me to just sit next to Jim. Half way through a gentleman and his wife boarded and he shoved his ticket in my face and motioned for me to leave. Off in search of my ticketmaster friend. He looked at the man's ticket and they exchanged words and he put me in an empty seat behind Jim.
The second part……We had 50 mins to switch trains unfortunately we both had to use the bathroom. And if the station smelled like shit one could only imagine what the bathroom smelled like. I immediately started contemplating holding it for the next three hours. It cost $0.50 to use the bathroom and as I descended the stairs. I immediately cursed my bladder as I walked in and a woman was slopping the floor with water or cleaning up pee with a mop either way she was slinging wet stuff on everyone standing in line. As if it wasn't bad enough dodging pee or water I had to wait in line with flies swarming everywhere.
We boarded the train and immediately I noticed a difference in the international trains. It reminded me of what an old train going out west in the U.S. was like 150 years ago. Three seats on both sides facing each other within a small cabin, with luggage racks above your head. We had the whole cabin to ourselves. We had window seats and anticipated the endless field of sunflowers and rural Romania. That vision lasted only minutes. Soon we were joined by four Germans guys on holiday. The train whistle blew and we were off….phew we made it. The ticket lady came by and Jim handed her our ticket, she said no, not the receipt, the ticket, she needed the original. At that moment, I was thankful that I ignored my instinct at the station to throw away those leftover ticket paper thingy's. As we were slowing down to go through customs, the guy next to Jim, who was sweating so profusely,started to apply suntan lotion, not sure how one could think now would be a good time is beyond me. Jim looked Turkish next to these guys.
As we reached the border and came to a stop It wasn't until they saw our U.S.A. passports did the German guys start talking to us. I am not sure I would have easily handed over my passport to the officer who took it and left the train if we were the only ones in the cabin. We both got a train stamp on our passports which was a first, so totally worth it.
What I learned about Romania's train systems:
1. Once the whistle blows the train is leaving with or without you on it which made our first experience of being on the wrong train a little terrifying when I couldn’t get my bag out of the hold to get off as the whistle was blowing and Jim was halfway down the steps. That prompted the conversation of a plan if we ever did get separated, but from that point on I held onto Jim boarding and un-boarding every train.
2. Seat numbers mean nothing to passengers and half the time the ticket takers.
3. When crossing borders be prepared to let your passport go to the guy with the gun.
We spent three days moving and grooving, four full days would have been better. Like any big city there is so much to do and see, it just depends on your interest. I would definitely recommend a tour of the Palace of Parliament. It is the world's second largest administrative building with the Pentagon being the first. On the tour you only see about 5% of the building but make sure to bring your passport, our global entry card worked. The hour-long tour cost $16.
We spent four days there and that was perfect for what we wanted to see. The city had a small ski resort feel with beautifully colored shops and restaurants. I definitely recommend walking around The Council Square and a tour of The Black Church. Brasov was a great place to stay to visit Bran and Peles Castle, which were both highlights of this trip. https://www.2cheekytravelers.com/p/bran-and-peles-castle.html
Both places were filled with many beautiful parks. There were very few homeless people and I would have felt very safe traveling alone. Don’t expect to be greeted with hugs or smiles, but don’t let that fool you, people are not rude they just aren’t touchy feely and bubbly like I am used to. Even if it seems like they are yelling at you, I believe it is just the culture. Communicating is a bit difficult as google translate didn’t pick up much, but don’t let that stop you…most speak English and once they realize you are from the U.S. they are excited to talk with you about America. The local cuisine is delicious, but if you aren’t into pork knuckle or cabbage rolls there was always a McDonalds or Pizza Hut close by. Meals are extremely cheap. Any meal we had, with drinks and tip was never over $20.00.
Romania was nothing like I expected. It was full of green parks, farmlands where farmers still used horses and wooden carts to move their crops, forests full of hiking trails, mountains full of ski resorts and National parks….just watch out for bears. It is full of history dating to the Tharacians, Roman and Ottoman times and only in 1991 did Romanian's constitution proclaim them a democratic social republic.
Romania is definitely a place worth visiting, I am thankful that Jim helps me prove my misconceptions wrong. There is so much more to see here, I have a feeling we'll be back, with bear spray of course.
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