Yesterday, I got up and took advantage of the big breakfast buffet at the Hotel Hello, and went to the train station and took the 2 1/2 hour train ride from Bucharest to Brasov. Brasov is a beautiful medievil town, and the reason I am here is to see Dracula's castle, which is nearby.
So for the day, I took the train on a relatively non-eventful ride. The ticket agent, who was an elderly lady, took her time. When I tried to present my credit card to buy the 51 Lei ticket (approximately), she said credit cards weren't accepted, although the sign said they would be accepted. Also, when I got on the train, the price of the ticket said 50.50 lei, although I paid 51 lei. I am wondering if she just pocketed the change.
The ride was uneventful, and the train ride was nice, viewing the mountains and foliage.
After a few hours, the train reached Brasov. I followed the instructions to the hostel, and took a wrong turn-which was my fault. I asked someone at a bakery with-a-window facing the street the right directions, and she sternly said she didn't know where the street I was looking for was. She obviously wanted me to leave. There we're about 6 other people there, and I continued to ask the others, and someone else helped me.
Eventually I found the hostel, and I left my things there and walked back to the old town. Along the way, I stopped for a snack of a pretzel, and I realized it was the same pretzel and same lady helping me who rudely advised me she couldn't give me directions before.
The town is beautiful-old medieval buildings, small streets, and houses close together-absolutely stunning.
I ate dinner at a restaurant in town, and went back to the hostel, and talked with the others, who have traveled a lot more then I have. One guy used to be an accountant for E&Y, so we discussed financial accounting since that is what I went to school for. That is hostel life-a few nights ago I was clubbing to Electronic Dance Music-now we we're discussing changes in Sarbanes Oxley.
