After a few days, unpacking, washing and relaxing in Timisoara it was time to hit the road again, or in this case the rails. We planned to head to the mountains near Busteni to do some hikes, but it is quite a journey to get there so decided on a stopover on the way. Plus the fact that to make the trip in a day we would have to get the 5.20 am train to Bucharest, so that had a bearing on our decision too ! We studied the map for a spot to break up the journey and Drobeta-Turnu Severin, located on the Danube river , seemed an ideal candidate.
The train trip was predictably slow but pleasant enough and we hopped off in Severin in the early evening sunshine and walked to our hotel. We had noticed accommodation was going to be a bit more expensive in the peak summer season but at least our choice was a lovely hotel even if a bit pricier than we are used to. We dumped our bags and with pretty low expectations we set off to explore Severin.
We were really surprised how nice this little town is, it’s well off the tourist trail but as with most places in Romania the town was clean and boasted a lovely main square lined with trees and restaurants. This one had an elaborate fountain and an old theatre at one end which was very impressive. Next to the theatre was the old medieval citadel and it looked like it was nicely restored, but unfortunately it was closed, so we didn’t get a chance to poke around inside.
Undaunted, we decided to head to the other attraction, some old roman ruins, part of which is a bridge over the Danube. Well even if the ruins are not up to much at least we can have a stroll along the famous river. Again it was not as idyllic as it sounds, we crossed the railway track then followed a dirt track through an industrial area before we came to a chain link fence. We looked through the fence at a pile of bricks which once upon a time was part of a bridge. Oh well, our expectations were low! We decided to head back along the track and have a beer in one of the floating restaurants on the Danube we had spotted earlier.
Now this was very pleasant, a cold Timisoareana beer on the Danube watching the sunset over Serbia. A great way to start the trip. After being refreshed we headed back to the hotel as the darkness grew and the lights came on. The theatre was now beautifully lit up and the fountain was all singing and dancing, putting on a spectacular lightshow. Lots of families were strolling through the square to enjoy the proceedings. After taking in the atmosphere of this lovely small town we looped back to the hotel via the water tower. Now this is the most impressive water tower I have ever seen and takes pride of place on a roundabout. Again it was beautifully lit up and we went to bed impressed with our choice of stopover.
