Through my eyes

living my life without regrets

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Repair Shop Story, BMW Romania

Repair Shop Story

Thursday, and all we can do is hang around.

ADAC called us back and told us that the BMW dealer will charge us 50 Euro, to just look at the bike.

That Is How I Felt 
Nice guys!

The Whole Experience Was Just Weird









We discussed the repair, Carol and I. Do we repair the bike or declare it a write off, a loss. The bike is old, 13 years old and not worth the amount we would put into the bike. My estimation is that it will cost between $ 2500 and $ 3000 U.S.  The bike has about 40,000 KM on the odometer, so that part is not bad. It’s a 650, so not the most expensive bike and did I say it’s old? The technology on the bike is dated technology. I asked Carol if she would want another bike like this and she said, no, she would rather have a newer bike like the new 700 GS. But now I am thinking of the logistics in writing off a bike, while being stranded in Bucharest, or anyplace, really. We would have to tow the bike back to Stefan; the dealer does not want the bike. I would have to ride back to Germany alone, because we would not proceed with our trip on just one bike. The ‘stuff’, luggage, riding gear, spare parts, accessories on bike, etc., would have to be taken off the bike and shipped to Stefan, too. ADAC would ship the bike back, yes, but is that really the best bet?  We talk back and forth and decided, no matter what, we need to fix the bike and then see what we will do later. Yes it will be an expensive repair, it might not even be worth the repair, but we really have no other choice but to fix it if we want to continue our trip.
Not A BMW Bike, It's A Wanna-Be, Like The Dealership In RO ?
So we tell ADAC, OK, let BMW charge us 50 Euros to ‘look’ at the bike and tell us what needs to be done to get it running again.

After a few hours we call the BMW shop representative Romeo and ask him if he looked at Carol’s bike yet, but again, NO!  He might be able to look at it Friday, tomorrow.

ADAC is on our side, they call back and ask if we need spare parts shipped, they can help in getting them quickly. We cannot answer them, we don’t know what parts we need so we just tell them thank you, but we don’t know what parts we need yet. BMW did not tell us anything, they have not even looked at the bike yet. Maybe tomorrow, Friday!

It is good that Carol has a cell phone with a Romanian #; we would not know how to do all of this back and forth without a phone. When I come back to the U.S. or Canada I need to update my phone as well, so I can have a chip installed just like Carol with KnowRoaming. In today’s society, no matter where you are, a cell phone is a must have.

So, here we are, Thursday, and have all day to do something.

We decided to take the local bus into downtown Bucharest, walk the ‘Historic’ section of town; see what that is like. We used Bucharest’s public transportation system. In most bigger cities in Europe it is just a matter of knowing what stop to get off, using the bus, tram or train is not that difficult. We asked people and they told us where to get on and off. Not difficult at all, but one must be aware of small things, like how it works to validate the tickets, where to buy the tickets, where to stand to get the bus, etc. But we learn quickly, millions of people do it every day, so it cannot be too difficult.

We got off at the right stop, we asked people inside the bus, and we asked the driver.
The Presidential Palace
The Presidential Palace, One Of The Largest Buildings Anywhere











We walk and walk and walk, really searching for the nice parts of downtown but find mostly eateries and lots of graffiti. I am not impressed. Some buildings are so old and badly maintained they look shabby. We heard of the famous Presidential Palace and walked toward that building, but it was too far away for us, we just saw it from a corner across the street. We took some photos but did not try to get into the Palace. It is one of the largest public buildings in the world and to find the entrance, and take the tour, and walk even more would have been too much for us. Carol is not the best walker; she rides a mean motorcycle, though.

 Paintings Inside The Monastery
We did visit the Stavropoulos, an old Monastery that time forgot and it stands smack in the middle of old Bucharest; painted walls inside and out, painted ceilings, gilded altar etc.



Caru cu Bere
 











We heard of a famous restaurant by the name of ‘’Caru cu Bere” and had to find that one. The restaurant was very active and lots of people inside (too loud for us) and outside (a bit noisy) and we ordered just a soup. We sat outside on a large veranda in front of the place. The soup turned cold, because they forgot to bring us spoons, and it took them almost 10 minutes just to bring a spoon. While the soup was good, the service was horrible.  This restaurant was set up in a former church; the stairway to the pulpit can still be used if you want to preach. Stained glass windows gave the interior a certain hue of colored, diffused light.
The waiting for the spoon convinced us that we had had enough of downtown Bucharest and we took the bus back.

Apartment Building, But What Is This Temple On Top Doing There?

My feet ached already on the bus back to our Hostel Taxi, we walked so much. 

We Saw Lots Of Traffic Cops 


Downtown Bucharest



There Might Be Some Good Artists In Bucharest

Just Too Much Junk 

Sloppy Workmanship 

We Call Those Trees Rubble Trees, They Grow Best In Old Bricks

Almost The Nicest Section In Bucharest























































Sorry To Report, Most Of The Buildings Look Like This