Hotel Baden, Calarasi, RO

  

 With our rental car we could not leave Romania. So while we were rural, we thought let’s see what it is really like in Romania without any tourist areas nearby, without destinations one can look up on the internet, without hotels or Restaurants. Rural!

Oh boy, we saw Romania!

The Road is Not Wide Enough for Them.

They Have the Right of Way 

Lots and Lots of Pigs 

The Makers of Good Down 

Another Sow 

She Owns the Road 

Dilapidated Farms and Housing

Buying Lunch on the Side of the Road

A Parliament of Starlings 

The drive South towards Mangalia was still a bit touristy, we even saw some motorcycles when we had lunch. The local road we took along the Black Sea has some beaches and tourists, some restaurants, etc.

But the drive from Mangalia going west was an experience. I felt like stepping back a few decades, maybe even a century. We saw many horse or donkey drawn wagons, but also saw pigs, geese, cows, goats sharing the road. The whole of the road (391) from Mangalia west to Calarasi was absolutely the poorest area we have seen in Romania. Yet the people were smiling, I guess they did not know any other life.

For me, it was devastating to see so much poverty, neglect or lack of knowledge along the route we chose today. I understand having pigs, but do they have to roam along the roadways? I do like geese and flocks and raising them for down or feathers or food makes sense, but do they have to be on the street? Sure you can train a cow to graze all day and then come back at night to be milked, but do they have to impede traffic while doing it? The housing we saw was substandard, the fields not neat and orderly. I had the idea it was the Middle Ages and someone forgot to tell the folks it was 2015. There was not a lot of car traffic. The area felt forlorn, exploited, forgotten.

Yet in some way it was the most interesting part of Romania for me. I still do not understand how people can live that way, look at their own crap all day and do nothing about it. The large farms still show the layout of communism. There are huge tracks of land without a house in sight. There are no small farms or houses amid the fields or pastures. The only habitations we found were in the spread out towns along the only road crossing this area. Normally I see a farm with a house. Normally I see small sheds, barns or any buildings strewn among the fields. Not here, not in most of Romania in fact. The acreages are being used purely to grow produce or grains. We passed some old State based communal buildings, now totally abandoned and forgotten. I don’t know and I cannot tell what farmer owns what parcel of land. The tracks of land are so huge that one person cannot own them, nor do I remember reading that there are very large corporations in Romania that own all this land. So who owns this land? Who decides today what is grown on what plot? Who plants, who reaps? It is easy to see who owns what land in most of the world, but not so in Romania. There are very, very large fields devoid of any trees, just fields forever. Most had been harvested but I could not tell you who did it! I did not see silos, I did not see tractors, and I did not see people on the fields. All I saw were dilapidated villages time forgot.

I saw animals along the way that someone owns and, I am sure, cares for, but who?  I could not tell you.

The few people we saw in front of their houses, all the houses being within a village, were dressed but would never make it into a fashion magazine. There were no restaurants; there were hardly any shops to buy groceries. It was a very, very poor area we drove through most of the day.

Hazy Shorelines Along the Danube 

Our Ferry

Before the day was out, we did have to find a Hotel, though. In Bookings.com we found the hotel Baden near Calarasi, but finding it was another issue. We literally had to approach the Bulgarian Border; I could see the Toll booth, when on the left, after crossing the ferry, was a rather large hotel. It was so close to the border with Bulgaria yet far away from civilization; a strange place for a nice hotel like the Baden. The room we received was nice, the A/C worked and it even had a Restaurant; even an additional Restaurant next door to it. After what we just saw, the area we came through, this was a paradox. The check in was a bit more complicated, the Hotel asked us for Passports, etc. but explained that this is ‘normal’ since we are so close to the border, they have extra requirements to see all the paper work from each traveler. OK with me, I have nothing to hide.

Baden Hotel

Happy to Have Found a Restaurant

At the Restaurant next door we were given our own ‘dining room’ with a view of the Danube River. The main part of the eatery was prepped for a wedding reception, so they did not want us to be in the way. Again, OK with me, the service we received was good, the food even better, and the prices reasonable. It was fun watching the preps for the reception later, but we did not see the whole festivities.

River View, too

We heard nothing of the dance music when we slept that night and in the morning the parking lot was empty and the restaurant was as if there was nothing unusual happened. Hotel Baden is a good place to stay when you get stuck in this area.

Costinesti, RO

Costinesti, RO

Fog is never a good thing when driving; imagine driving in a very foggy area, on narrow roads in a strange country with different driving rules. It was not easy getting out of Tulcea; the fog really put me on edge. We got up early because if we didn’t, the breakfast would have been gone again. I do learn quickly. This morning we had scrambled eggs for breakfast. Yummy!

The driving was not so nice; we could not see much alongside the road. We were headed south, trying to hug the coastline of the Black Sea. 

We used a map to plot the most rural route we could find and it was rural; very rural without any major hubs along the way. We headed towards the major harbor town of Constanta (ancient Tomis) without committing ourselves to stay there. Just a drive by would be good enough. And, as we found out, it was good enough. 

Constanta today is a very industrial, heavy equipment kind of busy seaport. I would say it’s the only real seaport Romania has and it’s all business. Everything coming in by sea or leaving on ocean ships, funnels through Constanta. The town is also a Romanian Navy hub. We just drove through, no use being in the way of hard working people. Let them do their thing.

I read the history of Constanta and it’s a great history. The town’s origin goes way back before BC and if you are into history, it may be worth a stop. Constanta (Tomis) was the exile town of the Roman poet Ovid for the last 8 years of his life. It is very difficult for me to understand historically the area around the Danube Delta. In prehistoric times small tribes who moved about and conquered other tribes, occupied certain areas in Eastern Romania. They slew other tribes and spread. The area we are driving through was the hinterland of the Roman Empire, the absolute edge of its power. The area was like a pot of stew, with many parts added from whatever came past the Danube or the Black Sea or out of the Russian Steppes. Goths, Synth, Thracians, Greeks, Mongols, Turks you name it, all are in this stew of former tribes and people, today called Constanta.

I read and saw advertisements and brochures from travel agents that showed the Black Sea as a haven for people who love ocean beaches. As always, those brochures only showed the absolutely best profile and I wanted to see what it was really like on those famous Black Sea beaches. But I must warn you, I am jaded. I don’t really like ocean beaches. Actually I don’t like any beaches unless it is very stormy and the waves come crashing in. I like the wildness of the ocean, the mayhem it can cause. I like watching from a very secure spot what nature can do. Well, we did not see the wildness on the sea sides we passed through.  Nor did we see the really nice parts either. It was kind of blah! Yes, we did take the roads closest to the Black Sea for quite a while until we came to the town, a small town, of Costinesti. In years past, this was a fishing village but today it is supposed to be a kind of beach center for the tourist industry of Romania.

I think I am spoiled!  No way would I spend my hard earned vacation in a place like this. Oh, it is not terrible but there really is nothing special here, either. Sure they have a beach, but not a grand looking strip of sand. The houses are built kind haphazardly and it screams “Tourist trap”. 

We came after the official season; it is September 19 so the weather can be cold and rainy. Almost every ‘business’ was shuttered, closed, or even seemed abandoned. We had a hard time finding a hotel for the night. Even finding an open restaurant was difficult. This town is so blatantly ‘tourist’ that I can only quote “it’s so popular that nobody goes there anymore”.  I sure would not go there even in high season. But I had to see it with my own eyes, not for me as I see it. Definitely not for me, but then, like I said, I am not a beach buff.

Oh, I forgot…….. You are allowed to walk around nude……..and lots of people do in the summer.

(I guess that adds to the attractions) but it was too cold to do it now. And that is defiantly not me, either. 

Tulcea - The Danube Delta - RO

Tulcea, (Danube Delta, RO)

An eon is a long time!

For eons the Danube River has flowed through most of Europe taking water from the interior and bringing it, mixed with silt, down the river and depositing it all into a huge delta. From being a small rivulet to being a broad, wide river, it empties itself out into the Black Sea after 1189 miles. The end of the River is very dramatic. The width of the spreading, huge delta is enormous.

Lots And Lots Of Birds

We drove into the delta through the mountainous region and entered a fairly flat region but not as flat as I thought it might be. I guess that is why the river spread out so much, there are hills and even steep knolls everywhere and the river found itself a way through this maze of spread out elevations.

A Huge Swamp

The Danube Delta is an ecologist’s dream space. Swampy, full of life and riddled with smaller channels that can get you lost amid the trees, grasses, knolls and whatnot. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years, yet there was no real sign of a permanent dwelling in most of the area. The Delta today is declared a UNESCO heritage site and building anything is almost always prohibited.

There are some towns, of course, and Tulcea is one of those larger towns that live off tourism almost exclusively.

A Rare White-Tailed European Eagle

Avian life is predominant and fishing is a big business in this spawning place of aquatic life. Boats are the only reliable transport. We arrived by car but arriving seemed like the end of the line. Luckily I had made a reservation and the hotel was air conditioned and fairly modern. Our location was good, in the middle of the city, within walking distance to the River’s edge.

Our plan was to stay 2 nights in Tulcea, take a boat tour the next day, and then see which way to go next. To make sure we got on a slow boat tour we walked to the pier, saw the operator we thought was OK, and booked for a morning pick up the next day. The day of our arrival it was very windy and it rained, too. We had to find a sheltered eatery, there was no way to sit outside and enjoy a meal. The wind blew strongly and drove the rains. We found an Italian place but they had no spaghetti, the first for me, an Italian Restaurant without spaghetti. Go figure!

Breakfast at the hotel was between 7 and 10 AM but when we got to the buffet, at 8.45 there was no food left to eat. All the scrambled eggs, the wieners and the brown bread were gone. No, the Hotel would not put out more food; we ate what was left over. Strange custom!

Our Slow (Fast) Boat Hire

Our tour, an English speaking tour we booked the day before, started at 10.00 AM. We were early but when 10.00 o’clock arrived there were not enough people for our booked tour. Now what?  The only option was to take a longer, more expensive (45 Euros/each) tour that would take almost all day. I am not a water buff, and sitting in a small boat?  I don’t know about that, but Carol nodded and we took the long route, which was on a small, but faster boat. There goes my planning again. I thought of a leisurely, slow, drifting visit and now we are racing, full throttle through the channels.

Lucky for me I had enough Euros on me. No, they would not want to be paid in Lei, their local currency, they wanted Euros. (I believe the operator never had any other people booked for the slow tour, we were ‘blackmailed’ to be on the fast tour, especially when it costs more).

So we raced, then slowed, then idled through a maze of canals, feeder rivers, small inlets, shortcuts all crisscrossing the delta. Whenever a rare bird (Great Cormorants, Northern Lapwings, etc.) came into view the guide slowed down, even stopped and showed us his extensive knowledge of the nature around us. Not only birds, but seldom seen animals were visible. The one extreme rare one was the Raccoon Dog. Not a raccoon, not a dog, but something

Raccoon Dog 

in between. We saw wild pigs.

There Were Many People Fishing 

Fishermen in boats drifting along the sides of the waterways, or living in a fishing camp or even living for a few months in tents within the delta, were pulling out fish for a living. Some of those ‘camps’ were shacks in pretty bad shape. The people looked like drifters or hobos or were hiding from authorities, I don’t know, but some looked even dangerous. The delta is an “end of world” place. It deposits all kind of flotsam, even the human kind.

At about 1.00 PM we stopped in a ‘village’ for lunch and we took a walk to stretch our legs for a bit. We had a one hour lunch break and we were to ‘see’ the village. Well, it would be a prison sentence to live there. I cannot imagine being stuck in this spot voluntarily. There was no road, just a dirt track. Most houses were in disarray and nautical trash, old rotten boats, ropes, baskets; plastic stuff was strewn all along the water’s edge. It was not ‘romantic’ it was downright trashy. So much for ecology and the UNESCO!  Why people live like that is a mystery to me. I would need weeks to clean this mess up, if it could even be cleaned up.

Yes, With Bones, Careful When You Eat This 

We had lunch in an OK place, though; a four course fish lunch. Starting with boiled cooked fish made from pike, catfish and carp, then the left overs of that were poured into a stew like soup, made more palatable and different tasting by using herbs. All this was followed by deep fried fish, so greasy I could not eat it. Would not eat it! All of this fish eating ended with a cup of coffee and some sweet cookies.

We left the ‘restaurant’ at 2.15 PM but now the boat raced back to the docks in Tulcea, within one hour we were back in town. All the way back the driver of our boat forgot about his passengers, his tour, and his responsibilities as a tour guide. He was on his cell phone the whole way back. Somehow he found a very quick way to one of the main arms of the Danube (the Danube river splits into 3 main arms in the delta) and raced along at full speed to get ‘home’. We saw one of the splits on the Danube River, where one major arm splits off, but who really cares?  The boat driver sure did not! So we saw the delta, not at our pace, but we saw the delta. Would I recommend this part of Romania?  Maybe! 

Picture Perfect  -  Grey Heron

But I cannot tell you really the best way to see it. We tried to do it in a sophisticated way but it seems most people at the Delta are shortsighted, only looking for a quick buck from tourists. I felt like I was milked while at the river’s end. It could be so much more if only Romania had a better system, a better way to show off a unique area on this planet. Too bad, I hope it will change in the future.

Some Tourists Were In Kayaks But There Were Many Flies, Mosquitoes, Etc.  Glad We Did Not Do This!

Black Church of Brasov ( Kronstadt )

BlackChurch of Brasov   

Plum Thief 

Oh, we are good in diddling in the morning. We had a leisurely breakfast, sat on ‘our’ veranda, read some world news and I ate some self-picked, ripe plums from the tree in the garden. The owner even helped me pick them, they had too many plums.

Orthodox Church And Grave Yard

When we could sit no longer we sauntered over to the cemetery near the hotel and paid our respects to the dead. Inside the cemetery was a small Orthodox Church where a lonely cleaning lady spends her morning tiding up after the church service. She was very intent on her polishing, sweeping and must do it often. It looked odd to me, thinking of her life compared to my life. I would never even think of doing what she does and I am sure she does not get paid for it either. People are very different. I wonder many times if it is fear that makes them behave like this, meaning do they do things to earn a good performance star in their catalog of life?  They were told to be good in this life so they have a better next life; but the ones telling them that story don’t know what the next life will be, no matter how much they read or learn, etc. Nobody knows the future, especially after we join all the folks in the ground, in this cemetery or another piece of land, just like it. I had a philosophical moment.

WW 1 Graves Of Siebenburger 

Across the street was a small park, covered with old grave stones too. Most of the dead there are from 1915 and 1916, so WW 1 casualties. We looked for the old cemetery of the middle ages, but did not find that one. I wanted to read the German names, wanted to know from what part of Germany those Siebenbürger came from. In German, the family name gives sometimes a clue as to the region where they originated.

But, like I said, those old graves no longer existed; at least we could not find them.

Tampa Promenade

Brasov, Romania 

Since our hotel was a bit outside the old city walls we had to walk through the gates to get into town. On this day, we did not go immediately into town, but walked the outside perimeter of one long wall, the Tampa Promenade of Brasov. The layout of Brasov was a bit strange. This wall was adjacent to a mountain. And the Linen Weavers of Brasov were in charge of this section of the town’s defense and also the maintenance of this section of the wall. The corner tower, the bastion, is still called the Weavers Bastion. The mountain loomed over the town and if you climbed the mountain you had a great view of Brasov, but in times of war, you could also shoot from the high position right into town. Why the town folks chose this location for a town and why they built a wall against the mountain seemed very strange; and then to put weavers in charge of the defense? Sure the wall was large, impressive even, yet it was not impenetrable. The small moat they dug sure would not have made much of a difference in the defense of the city. Who designed this defense in 1421? Or was it more of a show of power, rather than a war installation? Sometimes I wish I could talk to the people who were around when things were decided upon, sometimes I wonder if the people in charge have any real practical ideas as to why they do things the way they do. So much money and energy was and is spent on foolish things that it boggles my mind. This wall, this town might be one of those towns I do not understand.

Narrowest European Street

We walked a lot today. Carol read about a street, an official street named Strada Sforii which is supposedly the narrowest street in Europe. Aptly called the Rope Street, it is a scant 3 feet wide. I felt a bit strange walking this lane, it was long and narrow, and it just connected 2 major roads. It was good for foot traffic, but not even good to carry things in your hands or for the use of a horse or a wheel barrow. When you met someone going the other way you had to stand sideways to let them pass. I could not see much practicality in having a path like that. Sure, if it would be a bit wider, then it made sense, but this was not a walk way in the middle ages. Maybe it was, like the name indicated a strip of land where rope was made. Nobody walked there in the Middle Ages; it was just a narrow and long section to make ropes. Now that would make sense. Just because I see things in today’s terms, does not mean it was that way when it was installed. Today however, this lane is an official ‘street’ and used as an oddity. Photographers love it; it is in many wedding pictures, too.

The Black Church Dominates The Town Of Brasov

Still Charred From The Fire Of Years Ago 

The BlackChurch, a building that dominates the town, is called that because many of the stones on the outside are singed with soot. After a town fire  caused by invading Hapsburg forces, the town folks just called it the Black Church, never mind that it is officially St. Mary’s Church. 

The history of the building is impressive, but I came to see the Buchholz organ. A 4000 pipe organ built by the Berlin, Germany factory and brought to Brasov and installed around 1840. Many Organ Concerts are given on this unique and masterfully built instrument. We were lucky to get tickets for a performance tonight. 

Some Of The Buchholz Organ Pipes

The range from bass to piccolo is simply awesome. Listening to music played with the acoustics of a church was worth the trip to Brasov.      

Since this Church is so old and since it was a part of the culture for centuries, it has an impressive collection of old carpets. Some examples hung on the church balcony railings and the details, the colors, the motifs showed clearly the artistry it takes to make them. Those carpets must be the envy of serious collectors. I met a few of those collectors the last time I was in Istanbul; they would give a fortune to call those carpets their own.

Just Love To See Other People Work 

The day was interesting, informative and well spent. Not so much in volume but in value. We did walk quite a bit, but also took our breaks, had a coffee in an outside café, watched roofers install a new roof, watched small children play in the market square and just experienced Brasov the way it is today.

The next time we would take a hotel inside the old city, though. Our hotel, as nice as it was, was too far from town. 

Brasov(Kronstadt), RO

Brasov(Kronstadt), RO

Masks From Years Ago

Instead of the small car we ordered, we received a Skoda Octavia Sedan, a nice, large, rugged car, a much better car for the rough, Romanian roads. It was an upgrade; I paid the same price, 25 Euro per day. While the car was older, it was in perfect shape, everything worked; a diesel engine, manual shift.    Still, driving a strange car, through a city I don’t know, with standard shift which I don’t use too often these days, with the GPS not knowing all the smallest roads inside the city; it was a bit stressful to start diving off in all the traffic. But, it was also a delight to be with wheels again and not sitting and waiting for something to happen. I was glad to have Carol there to help me out with her co-piloting.

Dracula's Castle As It Looks From The Street

It Is A Long Way Up To The Castle Entrance

The Courtyard Of The Castle

We made up our minds to go and stay for 2 days in Brasov (Kronstadt), just because we were told it is a must see town. Yes, of course, it’s one more Siebenbürger town. On the way we wanted to see the town of Bran and stop at the Vlad Tepes castle, said to be where Dracula lived. Bran castle was on the way to Brasov anyway, it was just a small detour from the shortest way picked by the GPS. Bran is very touristy. Everybody just stops there to see the castle and that is it. There is nothing else I remember seeing that would necessitate a stop in Bran. The Bran Castle itself was made famous by the author Bram Stokes

View From The Castle 

A Farm House On The Castle Grounds 

who wrote the most read book on Dracula. A torture chamber was available to see on the tours given in the Castle, but we opted out of that. There was a lot of information on both Bram Stoker and Vlad Tepes within the Castle. While Carol has some interest in the legend of Dracula because she read the book, it is not a must see. Yes, there is a lot of  fanfare and hoopla made of Dracula, but he was an unfortunate guy. His life and his realm were in the way of life when the Ottoman Empire happened to decide to extend their territory in the name of religion or power struggle. He was caught in the middle. Was he brutal?  

The Order Of The Dragon (Dracul in Romanian)

Yes, so was everybody else at that time and age. Was he obsessed? Maybe, but then there were very many religious zealots, just as they still exist today.
From the way I see it he was a Noble who was misguided by his life’s experiences.
On both sides, the Islamic side and the Christian side, many mistakes were made, blinded by nothing else but ‘belief’.

Not so much different than things are today, really.

Best Picture Of Vlad I Could Find 

Brasov turned out to be another large city with a historic center. The hotel we had was nice enough but a bit far away to walk into the center. There was no public transportation for us; there was no taxi. We walked all the time. It was a bit easier walking towards town, but walking back to the hotel was all uphill. Phew!  The hotel room had a balcony and a veranda in front of the room, nice. Parking was very secure in the back of the hotel under a plum tree.

The Church Was Closed On Monday

We tried to see the famous ‘Black Church’ of Brasov, but it was closed today, like every Monday. We will go back tomorrow and see what the inside of the Cathedral looks like.

On the way back we walked through Catherine’s Gate, built in 1559

Poarta Ecaterinei

Catherine's Gate (Poarta Ecaterinei) 

Catherine's Gate, erected in 1559 by the Tailors' Guild, is the only original gate to have survived from medieval times. The fairy-tale tower we see today was part of a bigger structure, which unfortunately, was demolished in 1827. The original structure can be seen at the Weavers' Bastion Museum where a large model of 16th century Brasov is displayed. The four small corner turrets (as seen in other Saxon citadels) symbolized the judicial autonomy of the Town Council which could apply, if necessary, the death penalty. Above the entrance, the tower bears the city's coat of arms: a crown on a tree trunk.     

The gate has 4 turrets, indicating that if you walk through the gate you realize that the town has the right to dish out capital punishment. As a traveler, you were made aware that once you enter, you are subject to the rules of this city. Somehow I felt this is a nice deterrent. You are totally aware that, if you don’t do as the town tells you, off comes your head. But then, it’s like that if you travel to Saudi Arabia today, right?

I told you, not much has changed when one compares the then to the now.

An Old Picture Showing The Determination Of Innocence By Weighing the Accused

The only thing might be different today is that we travel faster and see more mixtures of cultures, but then, when you look around Romania, that might not be true. Like I said before, they still have a time schedule pegged to the horse’s gait. The roads are still narrow and there are so many cultures living within Romania even today, that it seems Romania might need to be ruled differently than Canada and the U.S. or any other place in Europe. I don’t know about Romania yet, I am just traveling, looking, collecting data in my mind. Let’s see what tomorrow brings, when we walk some more through the old Brasov and explore the buildings a bit more and visit the famous Black Church. 

Today's Modern Art In Brasov

Presidential Palace, Bucharest, RO

Presidential Palace, Bucharest, RO

Sunday morning, the sun shines, it’s a new day.

On our last visit to downtown Bucharest we just walked the Historic area and were not impressed by the beauty of that section but we saw the Presidential Palace from afar. We decided, since this is the main attraction of Bucharest, to give the Palace a chance and explore it some more.

Again we took the local bus and were let off within a long walk from the Palace.

The Grand Entrance With Avenue 

It being Sunday, there were lots of people just walking, just enjoying the summer day. 

By just looking around us we got the general idea of Communist thinking, the time when they built this complex, and we saw a lot as we walked toward the massive Palace building. It was an experience to see the former grand vision, the illusion of grandeur really, but it also was a bit scary. The whole complex was huge.

What was even scarier was the condition of most of the buildings.

Mixed Use Buildings, Offices And Residential

Yes, we wanted to see the Presidential Palace, but surrounding this complex are also all the ministries and government buildings that give the whole an even more massive appearance. And most were outdated and in not tip top shape.

When we walked towards the front of the Presidential Palace it became obvious very quickly that there was something going on. People streamed toward the site, walking alongside us over the very wide, tree shaded avenue. Masses collected there and we could hear loudspeakers, noise and saw flags waving in the wind.

Tourist Entrance To The Palace

The city had a car race (kind of like formula 1 car) in the square in front of the palace. The square was roped off with lanes, a huge fence surrounding all and police and security were in abundance. There was an admission charge. Carol and I are not racing buffs, so we tried to walk around this mayhem but it was not easy. We learned, facing the front of the Palace, the tourist entrance is on the right side of the complex.

We finally succeeded with lots of questions and people pointing us in the right direction and lots of walking around obstacles. We did find the entrance to the tour one can take to see the inside of this place.

Naturally, there was a line up. I noticed people taking out their passports and I found that a bit odd. So while I stood in line, Carol asked why those people needed a passport. Well, she was told we needed a passport too to get inside the building. Well, good luck folks, I left my passport hidden at the hotel room. I don’t like to walk around with the only paper that gets me home. They would not accept a photocopy but insisted on the real deal. So we made this trip into the city to see the building for naught.

Judging by what we saw outside and around the Presidential Palace, I would not have been impressed much. Outside, at the side of the entrance, the tiles were coming lose, the window sills starting to rot, and the place did not look maintained or impressive. Stairs were chipped; loose concrete showed bad building practices.

I did get an impression of the ‘whole’ of the installation, Palace, Ministries other buildings surrounding the Palace, layout of parks, green spaces, fountains, etc. all of what I saw gave me the feeling that I don’t ever really need to see more.

All of this is not for me.

I found it hideous, even sick. It showed me a mind or mindset that needs to readjust itself to reality.

So, we walked around the avenues a bit, stopped for a cappuccino, chatted with a couple from Scotland and then had dinner at a Greek restaurant and took the bus back to the hotel.

Big Blocks of 'Living' Quarters Near The Palace

We are now packing our stuff away, tomorrow we will leave in our rental car, but we will leave our riding gear in 2 lockers the Hostel provided. Those lockers come in handy; we won’t have to schlep helmets, boots, heavy jacket, etc. with us in the small car we are renting. It saves space and we will have to come back here anyhow to 1) return the car and 2) to pick up our bikes in a week or so.

Frustration day

Frustration Day

For the last few days, I felt like I was running in a maze, trying to find my way out of it.

I did manage to find a taxi this Saturday morning but I had to tell the driver how to get to the BMW shop. He was trying to go the long way, guess he thought he could get me to pay more.

Once at the BMW shop, nobody knew I was there to pick up my bike. Romeo was not in on this Saturday and nobody knew anything about my bike. I found my bike parked way in the back, wet from the rains we had yesterday. Now I had to find the keys for the bike and then…..the bike would not start. No, not the battery, I have a brand new battery in this bike. So what is it?  The bike cranked but would not turn over; a short someplace because of the wet conditions? It was frustrating! Nobody around from the shop crew of course, I am on my own.

I turned off all the buttons that were on, that somehow had been turned on by someone. Heated grips on? That sure was not me who turned this on in 30 C. weather. I turned off all lights, put the bike in neutral and tried again. No, it would not start. Did I say it was frustrating?

The bike was standing all night way leaned over on the too short side stand, does that have anything to do with the not starting?  I am no mechanical expert; I can tighten a screw but that is about it. Now what? I looked at the bike and just stood there for a while, getting a bit steamed because for the last week we’ve had nothing but frustrating experiences with our bikes. It was not really the bike; it was more with the people we thought were in the service business. Yes, I know they have to make money and all, but I am used to being treated politely and nicely when I have problems. Here I felt pushed aside but needed because they need my money to stay in business. But really, they had no business sense.

OK, I looked over my bike one more time, all buttons are off; I even opened the gas tank to make sure there was gas inside and then, I pushed the starter and with a bit of hesitation, the bike started. Good!

But why did it not start before? I have no clue! I just got on the bike and rode it back to Hostel Taxi. Parking at the Hostel was at a premium, there was not a lot of room in the street because all the residential folks living around the Hostel use all the parking spaces. I parked my bike on the sidewalk, covered it up with a bike cover and hoped that tomorrow the bike would be there. There was no guard nearby; no fence. The bike was exposed to all kinds of damage. Not a good spot to keep a bike for 10 days. I have to think of something else. All this is frustrating, somehow nothing works as it could or should.

Meanwhile, Carol was in the room doing her thing. Unbeknownst to me she was taking a shower but I didn’t know that. I walked up to the room, tried the door, locked! I knocked, but nothing was going on. Mmmm. I walked around the building, looking for Carol thinking she is outside but could not find her. I walked up to the window of the room from the outside and called for Carol, no answer!  Is she OK? I walked up to the registration, asked if they have the key to the room but they just shook their heads, no! Now what?

I went back to the door and now I really KNOCKED!   This time loud and banging! I knocked with a sound and loud “Carol” call following my knocking. Finally I heard the lock being opened from the inside and I can get in to the room, take off my riding gear. What is going on? Her hair was wet, a towel draped around her, she had been in the shower, but she was crying; too much frustration, too much upheaval. While she was in the shower she heard me knock the first time, got out of the shower to open the door, but I had left already looking for her. She went back to the shower, the phone rang and it’s ADAC. Carol answered the phone and found out the registration we sent out was for my bike, not her’s. She went back to the shower and then I showed up ‘’again’’ now knocking like a wild man. This in and out; up and down; not knowing what was what; finding mistakes, etc. wears on ones nerves. I cannot blame Carol for crying, it’s a frustrating experience to be stranded without a bike, with help but no real help. I can only take so much of frustration before I lose it, too. My way of coping is to get mad at something.

Not sure if that is a good way, but after a week of trying to solve issue after issue, I felt frustrated. So in order to not do more damage with my behavior, I just vegged out, read a book and took long, slow, deep breaths.

Carol sent ADAC a new photo of the correct VIN# and we called it a day. It’s nice outside but we just read.♠

TGIF or is it ?

TGIF or is it maybe in a week from now?

So today I learned a few things about Romania.  Well, Bucharest anyway! It ain’t NYC. 

The most important thing on our minds today was to know what BMW could do with Carol’s bike.

It rained all day, we took it slow in the morning, giving Romeo time to get to work, for BMW to look at Carol’s bike and then for them to call us. So we called BMW at 11.30 AM and asked for Romeo.  No Answer! So we called ADAC in Germany and were transferred to ADAC Greece and they told us to wait a bit, they will call the BMW dealership in Romania and ask what is going on.

Outside I see the pouring rain, everything is soaking wet. It rained since last night already.

Finally at 4.30 PM Romeo calls and tells us we need a new wiring harness, a new alternator and a new regulator; (and a new battery, but he did not say that). Our bill will be about 2000 Euros and the work will take between 7 and 10 days. Could we please fax him a copy of the registration? Well, the answer to a fax was simple. NO!

We told him we can come over and he can make a copy at his office, to which he said, a photo of the registration via email would be OK, too. Whatever is best for us?

OK, Taxi would be best, because it’s only 10 minutes away and then I KNOW he has what he needs and we can see the bike, talk some more and see what else he can do to expedite our repair.

We tried calling 5 Taxi companies, we even asked the front desk at the hostel to help us get a taxi. No luck. Especially on rainy days, there is no taxi to be had. This is not

Uber and not NYC.

We can, however, take a picture of the registration and email the picture instead.  OK, we did that, we took a picture of the registration, attached it to an email and sent it. In the email we asked that he acknowledge the receipt and to please send us a written copy of his verbal repair estimate in return.

We know that ADAC asked him to send them a written estimate too, but when we heard from ADAC again, Romeo had not done any of this. 

Romeo, when he called with the estimate, also told me that he could do nothing to my bike. My bike still leans over way too much, always on the brink of falling over. Would I please pick up my bike tomorrow, they cannot store my bike in the BMW shop. What can I say? I know my bike leans over too much but they don’t have a solution (welding on a piece?) to fix it. I told Romeo I will be there in the morning to pick up my bike. 

The rest of the day we just hung out. The pouring rain gave us time to write notes, take inventory and think about other possible ways to spend the next 10 days in Romania.

We did not want to just vegetate at the Hostel Taxi, even though it’s an OK place to hang out.

So I asked the young man at the front desk of the hostel if he knows of a car rental place, or could he drive us to the nearby airport to get a rental car.

He said yes to all of the above but also mentioned that he has an acquaintance who leases out cars. With a few calls from his phone he arranged a 10 day lease for a Skoda diesel car, a bit aged but in good repair. His friend would bring it to the Taxi Hostel first thing Sunday morning. Is that OK?  Great, fine with me. We hired a car for the next 10 days, starting Sunday.

For today, Friday that is all we can do, tomorrow we’ll take the next step.