In September last year sarah and I were for two weeks in RUSE on the
Bulgarian border with Romania. We subsequently travelled thro Romania
by train and what follows is the journal I kept at the time.
Dear reader - its largely in note form; but this was what I wrote and wish
to share it. Photos will follow shortly.
SAT 21 SEPT. NEDILO THE LOCAL TAXIDRIVER WILL TAKE US ACROSS
TO BUCHAREST FOR 47euro. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE EASIEST WAY TO
TRAVEL. THERE IS only one passenger train and its too early.
Fonds farewells and photoshots at the Guesthouse. Other participants
to the festival are going in the same way so we form a convoy of two
cars.
We go across the FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE built 1954, wh is the only
connection for some 400 km between Bulgaria & Romania across
their common border ( ie the danube). Marshlands below and Ruse
townsfolk fishing ( its a fine saturday). This is a rail and road bridge.
Controls are on the Romanian side.
Our convoy stops inside the Romanian side and we get out. Drivers
collect our passports. Lorenzo in the other taxi is nervous about making
the 2pm flight from Bucharest.
Actually not too much of a holdup and we're on our way. Climate and landscape
the same as the other side. Its perhaps 40 mins to the southern outskirts of
Bucharest. Sarah remarks on the abundance of consumer goods on the pavement
stalls. This would have been impossible under the former regime. There's a lot going
on in the street - buses trams and cars too.
Arrive at GARA NORD and thers already a tout ready to open the door & carry our bags.
The little runt wants money of course - I dont blame him for that. We like tipping when its called for
( like giving the bulgarian taximan 5 lev instead of 4 wh the meter shows) but this is
obscene.
Outside the vast station sarah manages the ticket finances: Romanian lei for the tickets
plus some for Cluj, our destination.
We actually settled for a Subway meal inside GaraNord. The refreshment accomplished we
set out to utilse the subway restrooms, one of us at a time w the other guarding the luggage.
Hullo, theres a code-lock to the toiletdoor. And hullo, theres a pintsize tout quite ready to
open the door w anticipation of a gratuity ! He's apparently got the code written down on a
scrap of card. I don't bite and go back along the counter to enquire. Counter wants ( how many?)
lei for the privilege of using the toilets but I must have made it sufficiently clear we expected that as
part of the deal; and the guy comes along to open up. I actually push the wizened little tout out
the back door and the staff guy reinforces this......
Life in post-communist Romania and other parts of E Europe is very tough for a lot of people.
Those at the bottom need the mindset and resilience of streetfighters.
Patient reader, I hope I may still have you with me - and shall continue this tomorrow. Really
we had the time of our lives. Of course not everything was a bed of roses.....
