8 September 2006 – In Split, Croatia
I now have had a hot bath and good breakfast. At this moment I am
sitting on the patio in the warm sun putting my notes together and uploading photos.
IN a relaxed mood and mode I walked into the city of Split
– what a neat place with its very narrow ancient streets but bery mod shops. Just
going by the old 4th century ruins is quite a sight. I stopped for
a good lunch in one of the many outdoor cafes then wandered on to see the yacht harbor. Boy, are there some big yachts there.
This Country is rich and getting richer from tourism. There are many large private
yachts along the quay that are chartered out. On one was a group of young folks just really having fun – yes, this is
a party city.
The place where I am staying, a home, is not far from the center and
the old woman makes great home made fig jam. Her son seems to take care of bringing in the tourist (backpackers) since the
hotels are quite expensive $100+ where he only charges about $30/night. This is a real home with a vegetable garden and, fig
trees, and grape vines.
The saddest thing about these countries is the graffiti everywhere
– it seems some folks just have no respect of other’s property or the public building. Alas, to what end? It would
seem public pride manifests itself in power struggles and war of one nature or another. On the other hand these places I am
visiting seem to be doing quite well – good food, good clothes (very mod), new cres, and good transportation –
so people are living better than they have ever lives. Is it all on credit, borrowing from the future?
I have noticed I must be more articulate now about talking about “mail”
which now, more often than not, refers to “email” verses “post”.
Choice of words when talking to others is critical for clear understanding..
I picked up a bite to eat at one of the many stalls and headed back
to my room for a good sleep. The breeze blew off the sea most of the night which kept things cool and nice but the days are
warm.
9 September 2006 – In Split,
Croatia
I have decided to stay another day since I have the opportunity, after
asking about. It seems there was a Belgium in the same house who were driving
north and visiting the Croatian Nation
Park. [ Opportunities are created! ] and I could ride along. They picked
up their rented care and we were off for a drive in the country. At the Park
we had lunch, I bought, then took the lake boat into the park. Once there we
paid the $10US fee and walked the many paths around some beautiful falls and little rivers all across the valley. There was
a hydroelectric plant and a display of one used in the latter 1800’s – one of the first in the world. They took a swim in the river just below the falls, I had not brought my swim suit – oh, well. Then
we drove to another part of the upper lake and hiked about the beautiful country.
The countryside was not unlike that near San Diego in the
mountains to the east but with more trees – many kinds – and more water. There is some good opportunity for sailing
and canoeing here.
We finished up and headed back to the nearby town where they were
going to stay, dropping me off at the bus station at night. Now here is where
things went well and I did not worry. I purchased my ticket from a very nice clerk for the hour and half ride back to Split. The busses here are great long distance new ones but they do
not allow the use of the onboard toilet – ugh. So I just had to hold it. I
arrived back at the Split bus station and knew vaguely how
to get back to my room. So I just followed my instincts through the myriad of small streets and turns returning directly without
any mistakes. I was never really worried. The nice thing about staying in a home is that it is quite secure.
I have learned one thing in these travels – the American Express
Traveler’s Checks are not really valid except in special banks. Most vendors and hotels will no longer take them and
the American Express Company will not see that you could redeem them for $50 US dollars. This is not good. There are many ATMs that make it very convenient to get money when needed. The AMEXCO cheque has gone by
the wayside. Even in America these checks
are not accepted and the AMEXCO card is also not very widely accepted.
10 September 2006 – To Debrovnik,
Croatia
Today I am on my way by bus
down one of the most beautiful coastlines I have ever seen. This is a good place
to come and just stay for a month. There are many red roofed houses, apartments, and hotels with beautiful small beaches.
Out to sea you could see a number of sailboats. There were even a couple of large tourist ships in the harbor. I got off the
main bus and onto the city bus where I showed the dirver a little map[ of where I wanted to go, the Youth Hostel. He flagged
me where to get off and I walked from there to a nice place. I even met a fellow from Oregon
as well a others from Israel, Belgium,
New Zealand, a New York gal traveling
around the world, and several from the UK. WE had a great discussion on a number of topics. This is where real communication
takes place.
Now off to see the city before I catch the bus back this afternoon. Well, it was a good idea to walk the large wonderful castle in Dubrovnik but there were three very large cruise liners in port which filled the castle with
thousands plus all the shops in the narrow beautiful streets were very up scale. I
did branch off and go up some of the steps into the back regions of the castle which were neat. But, I was tired of the throngs
of people and spouting guides in numerous languages so I headed back to the Hostel to pick up my gear and take the bus back
to Split to catch my train to Budapest
that night.
I can tell you that the 5 hour bus ride back was beautiful along the
Croatian Coast
when I wanted to just get off and spend a month at the crystal clear water’s edge. There is sailing, para-sailing, fishing,
and just plan relaxation on the beach. I arrived in Split and headed for a good restaurant for a good dinner before taking the train. I had a
great large chicken salad and finished up with fried bananas, ice cream, and chocolate sauce plus an espresso coffee.
11 September 2006 – To Budapest and Romania
I had book first class sleeper since I was not paying for a hotel,
which in this land is really 2nd class. I sure wish they would at least clean the train windows to see the great
scenery. I slept ok with the rock and roll of the train and woke up at the station
in Zagreb. But soon we were on our way north. Interestingly
enough I met a newly married couple on the train from Portland, OR. – it is a small world. On the other hand Croatia
seems to be a magnet for may vacationing folks, especially from the UK
so I am not surprised. I think as I get on to Romania
and the summer season winds down I will not encounter so many tourists. For sure, Europe is full of them as opposed to traveling
across Russia and in Mongolia
where they were there but not in the hordes I see here. Now onward to Budapest.
12 September 2006 – To Budapest and Romania
It was cool so earl;y in the morning I obtained the second berth blanket
and slept until early morning. I was up and dressed when the car steward offered
a a cup of Nescafe coffee in a black cup, little did I know he was going to try to charge me 1/5 Euros for this cup –
but I was told drinks in First Class were free at the station (I offered him Croatian money which he refused so I just told
him NO! – Ah, well).
We rolled into the typical large Budapest
station and I said good bye to my Oregon friends. I had thought a lot about coming here and my mind was not really for it. But, it was a major city in Europe that, I suppose tourists ought to see. I was first interested in finding the train schedule for
Romania then possibly a hotel in this
big town. Well, along comes a nice older man asking me if I would like a sena (room) to say at for 20 Euros with breakfast
and access to the Internet. This sounded tempting. I asked what was special about this big city of Budapest and he pointed out on his map the museums, castle, parks, and many streets –
probably full of people and expensive shops. I kept asking myself if I really wanted to stay in yet another big city and most
certainly I was not interested in castles or museums. Naturally, the many people on the streets did not turn me on either.
My thought processes were working overtime. I had posed an idea to myself a little while ago to just keep going on my Eurail
pass to a city en route to Romania. I found the train schedule and there was a train leaving for a mid-way city in 8 minutes.
Well, my intuition and lack of interest in a big city, I don’t care how important to history it was, led me to dash
for the train.
I quickly asked the nearby conductor if this was the right train and
hopped aboard the first class section now headed for Arad, Romania. Who has ever heard of this place. Not having had much to eat I finished
off a candy bar and ate some nuts I had – I was not starving. For the next
fours hours we whizzed through the very flat fields of Hungary then Romania. Of course,
there were two stops for immigration for each country to check me out and ask where I was going. At one stop I just sat quietly watching the last of the sun light highlight the electric train wires above.
There was a mass of them tethered to weights at the poles to keep them taught. Neat they were hanging ready to power a train
engine in silence, so nice. There were a row of tank cars next to us also in
shadows of the fading sunlight. And on we went
not knowing what I was going to come into.
At my destination I got off the train with about 3 others and entered
the station – I was now in Romania.
What a contrast to more modern Europe, this was more like Mexico or Paraguay. As
I walked the station there was a large gaping hole I had to avoid. I changed some dollars for local money of LEI and walked
to the outside. I could see gypsies all about in their long skirts and covered head, really colorful. Of course, be conscious
that these folks are masters at fleecing you I kept vigilant. A taxi driver who spoke some English offered to take me to a
pension but not after a woman offered to come alone to sleep with me. Not to worry, this fellow seems to be ok and we went
to several “motel” like places. We found a nice one for 63 LEI (about $30). Fortunately there was a restaurant
next door so I had a nice chicken meal, nothing fancy mind you – there was a chicken cutlet, tomatoes, cabbage, cucumbers,
bread, and I drank peach nectar then off for a good hot shower and bed.
13
September 2006 – In Romania
This morning I will take a tour of the city with my taxi driver so
as to see where I am. I had a decent breakfast of coffee, bread, and jam - the
usual. Now for the tour of town and country provided by my taxi cab friend. What
a good day we had in this little non descript town.
My first class sleeping compartment was a great investment for $20
and at the moment I have it to myself. There is a basin with running water, a bottle of mineral water, toothbrush, towel,
and shoeshine rag. When I walked in the bed was all made up with fresh linen. I could even plug in my computer for charging
so I think I will do some catch up on my log as the sun sets.
At this moment I can see the sun setting in the west as my train passes
by a large river slowly running to the sea. The local hills are getting dark and long shadows draw across the corn fields. We just passed and old railway building that clearly has not been used in years since
all of the windows were gone. The overhead train power wires standout in the dim light as straight black lines in the sky.
I was too slow for a photo since we just passed a parked freight train. Again
we are in the clear, except for the planted trees along the tracks with corn fields just beyond. The sky is a little pale
with high clouds filtering the sunset and making it murky. An old house beside the tracks just went by, its roof missing and
leaving me wondering what happened to it – who lived in it and when. But, first back to my day excursion.
Well, my cab driver picked me up at 10:00 sharp and we headed into
the city as he explained to me about Romania
and its problems of people leaving and corrupt government. He pointed out the old hospital and a small museum that held only
some WWII relics. I could see there were some very nice old buildings from many
years past scattered among those built during the Communist period.
My one star motel was really quite nice and clean plus it had plenty
of hot water. Well, my cab driver picked me up at 10:00 sharp and we headed into the city as he explained to me about Romania and its problems of people leaving and corrupt
government. He pointed out the old hospital and a small museum that held only some WWII relics. I could see there were some very nice old buildings from many years past scattered among those built during
the Communist period. The old trolley system still seems to run, two cars at
a time and pointed at both ends. Needless to say the streets were not well maintained
but passable. I always get a kick out of the posts that are put in the sidewalk
to keep folks from parking their cars on the sidewalks – this seems to be the way for all the East European countries
since their streets are very narrow and more and more cars are being used. I have not
found any parking lots just yet. Croatia and Poland are the same.
We headed out into the countryside to see some villages. As we drove
along I could see only a small percentage of the land was farmed. All of the land belonged to the “state” at one
time and all mineral rights currently belong to the “state” so I suspect farming is not practical without new
large equipment and a lot of investment. As we approached a village I could see the houses laid out on a grid of streets,
each quite neat and with a large iron gate – this sure reminds me of Mexico
or Paraguay or many other places. Of course,
there is a church in each village but we stopped at one but it was all locked up. The cab driver, Adrian, told me that the
young folks just do not pay much attention to the church any more; it seems this is the same story in Poland and Russia too – as well as
in the USA. So much for the influence of the church; the Communists did a good job of
turning young people away from the church. Of course, our modern world with all its entitlements and technology seems
to have the greater effect on spiritual matters. Then, right there
in front of us was the classic vehicle, a horse drawn cart laden with wood, then there was another and another. Yep, the old way still works.
We drove out to some natural mineral springs that had a bit of sulfur
and carbonation to it. Several people were filling jugs of the water coming out of a pipe in fits and spirts. Yes, I did taste
it so I guess I will feel better now. We traveled on to another village now where a number of gypsies live. My oh my but their
houses are really ostentatious – large and well appointed. I don’t know where they get their money since I am
told that they do not like to work. Hence, there is a bit of stealing and pick pockets here just waiting for the unsuspecting
and many of them go to Germany and other countries to work and send money home where things are cheaper … just like
the Mexicans. As we traveled the back roads of the countryside one could feel
the pot holes every few meters; alas, there was a large crew out attempting to fill these holes up. However, at their rate
more holes would appear faster than the rate at which they were being repaired, such is the work force here.
We came back into town and Adrian
showed me where I could cash a couple of American Express checks, for a 20% fee – ugh. The moral here is to not use
American Express checks since they are instantly devalued and few places take them.
Ah, well, I was able to get some more local money since I will need it. We then went to the train station and made
reservations for a sleeper to Bucharest. Next Adrian guided me to a nice restaurant where I did have a good meal of chicken, rice, salad,
a beer, bread, espresso, and ice cream for under $10. The waitress was very nice and even handed me a 5 LEU note that I had
dropped.
Now I ambled towards the train station just down the road walking
by each store along the way. At one I purchased some apple juice for my train trip.
With my small pack on my back, my blue bag for food and a couple of books over my shoulder, and pulling my small case
I negotiated the rough side walk with its missing pieces of cement. Just as I arrived at the station the cab driver, Adrian, drove up and we chatted for a while and he helped me locate the right train platform. Of course, I just picked up my bigger bag and started down
the well worn stairway to the tunnel under the tracks. We then climbed the set of crumbling steps leading to platform two.
There was a young lady and a couple of young men who seemed to be
together with about two dozen bags. Several of the bags were large and made of very strong nylon-plastic woven material that
took two of them to handle. It seems some folks just pick up and move when needed. They sure looked like gypsies to me.
As I walked down the platform I could see there were seats of fiberglass
but several of them were broken and laying in pieces on the ground. In a parked train on the 3rd track there was
a fellow singing out the window and pumping his head in and out of it as fast as he could, clearly not mentally stable. I
kept walking since my sleeping care would be the last on the train that was now pulling into place.
I chatted with a fellow who had been living in Holland
but was really from Romania and was back
here legally fighting the “underground” as best he could, so he said. He
seem quite nice and sincere so I had not reason to not believe him, but who knows, interesting.
The sky is now quite dark grey with only a glimmer of sunset and the
pencil pines and old buildings along the track a but darkened shadows.. I can see the overhead train wires again against the
almost dark sky. The building where we seemed to have stopped at the moment is dark with broken windows but there is a glimmer
of one light in one window – who lives there now? Another train just passed us going the opposite direction and I could
only catch the two red tail lights. We are no our way now heading east towards the Black Sea.
Yes, that is where I am headed tomorrow for some travel R&R. Tis interesting
what one sees along the tracks, there is an old burned out train car now.
I was fast asleep when at about midnight there came a knock at the
train compartment door. Yes, a new passenger had just got on and it seems I was using his bed – he was yelling and screaming
like you would not believe. When I first came in it seemed so natural to just plunk down on the made up bed not paying much
attention to the particular berth numbers. I remember in Russia
when this happened and the four of us in the compartment just picked out a berth independent of number with no problems. In
fact, I my 50 years of travel and over 1 million miles on trains, busses, and planes I do not recall such a hassle as this
one. Naturally, I offered this portly gentleman the clean upper berth, but he
would have nothing to do with that suggestion and kept on raving (actually his weight would have made it very difficult to
get up into the upper berth). My second offer was to swap the upper clean bedding for mine on the bottom, but he kept raving
at the train car porter. Clearly, he really wanted his OWN compartment. The porter then moved him to another available compartment
and all was quiet until 5 AM when the train pulled into the Bucharest
station. I did have one thought as I went to sleep after the altercation that
this fellow was about to slug me and cause an international instance, ah – well.
14
September 2006 – To the Black Sea
Here it was 5 AM and the large Bucharest
train station was filled with people and trains. Once again I did not want to stay in a large city and had decided to just
keep moving to the Black Sea. I went to the information window and the lady wrote down my
platform and time for my train to the Black Sea so with only minutes to spare I dashed to the ticket window to obtain my reservation
ticket and dash back to the train – so we left post haste.
But, of course, I was not quite awake but I could see the large flat
farm land. Then as we approached Constansa I could see there were large waterways and highways all over the place. This is
quite a port on the Black Sea. I understand that currently the US has a military base there – gee, I wonder why? We even passed a set of shipping locks from sea level to river level and there were large loading cranes
and wharfs along the way. We stopped and let off passengers and on we went to
Enforie Nord where I wanted to get off, but since I was in the last car I could not see the station sign until we were off
and going again – ah, well. So,I hopped off at the next stop. The stationmaster was very helpful in finding a hotel
that took credit cards since I was running low on ready cash and my American Express Travelers checks were of no use. She
called a cab and I was taken to a Europa Hotel of the Ana Hotel chain. No, it is not cheap but, on the other hand, it is quite nice – besides
it is almost my birthday and I wanted to splurge. I could smell the sea air and
it gave me a lift.
The hotel is quite grand, all 10 stories of it with grand dining areas,
large beautifully trimmed garden, and large oval pool. All of this very near
the beach, in fact, from my room I can see the whole Black Sea. The only catch was that the hotel was going to be full, I can’t believe it, the following few days
and I would have to move, we shall see. I did take a walk along the board walk
and saw the hotel’s
yacht club” of several good looking sail boats … maybe if I could stay a little
longer I could take one out. I did check a couple of other hotels but most were
closed for the season and the one that was not did not take credit cards. Well, I really did have enough cash but it would
deplete it, on the other hand all I had to do was find an ATM machine. No worries. Since
I had not eaten for awhile I did sit down to a good lunch of cordon bleu before I took the walk.
I returned rom my walk
watching the small waves slide up on to the beach under a must beautiful azure sky. There were a number of people enjoying
the beach with the usual stalls of drinks and stuff along the sand. The breeze was fresh but not cold and I just ambled taking
it all in. Now, back at the hotel a little rest and off to the pool for a good swim. Now back, my body feels fresh. Oh, yes,
I did not have any swim suit but my bikini under shorts work just fine, who cares. Believe me, others looked much worse in
regular swim togs.
The neat think about good hotels is that they have an Internet connection
right in th room so I shall get this log off to the world. Then I shall go down for a small bite to eat – like soup
and dessert plus coffee after which I believe I shall just sit and watch the
Black Sea.
14
September 2006 – Black Sea
Here it was 5 AM and the large Bucharest
train station was filled with people and trains. Once again I did not want to stay in a large city and had decided to just
keep moving to the Black Sea. I went to the information window and the lady wrote down my
platform and time for my train to the Black Sea so with only minutes to spare I dashed to the ticket window to obtain my reservation
ticket and dash back to the train – so we left post haste.
But, of course, I was not quite awake but I could see the large flat
farm land. Then as we approached Constansa I could see there were large waterways and highways all over the place. This is
quite a port on the Black Sea. I understand that currently the US has a military base there – gee, I wonder why? We even passed a set of shipping locks from sea level to river level and there were large loading cranes
and wharfs along the way. We stopped and let off passengers and on we went to
Enforie Nord where I wanted to get off, but since I was in the last car I could not see the station sign until we were off
and going again – ah, well. So,I hopped off at the next stop. The stationmaster was very helpful in finding a hotel
that took credit cards since I was running low on ready cash and my American Express Travelers checks were of no use. She
called a cab and I was taken to a Europa Hotel of the Ana Hotel chain. No, it is not cheap but, on the other hand, it is quite nice – besides
it is almost my birthday and I wanted to splurge. I could smell the sea air and
it gave me a lift.
The hotel is quite grand, all 10 stories of it with grand dining areas,
large beautifully trimmed garden, and large oval pool. All of this very near
the beach, in fact, from my room I can see the whole Black Sea. The only catch was that the hotel was going to be full, I can’t believe it, the following few days
and I would have to move, we shall see. I did take a walk along the board walk
and saw the hotel’s
yacht club” of several good looking sail boats … maybe if I could stay a little
longer I could take one out. I did check a couple of other hotels but most were
closed for the season and the one that was not did not take credit cards. Well, I really did have enough cash but it would
deplete it, on the other hand all I had to do was find an ATM machine. No worries. Since
I had not eaten for awhile I did sit down to a good lunch of cordon bleu before I took the walk.
I returned rom my walk
watching the small waves slide up on to the beach under a must beautiful azure sky. There were a number of people enjoying
the beach with the usual stalls of drinks and stuff along the sand. The breeze was fresh but not cold and I just ambled taking
it all in. Now, back at the hotel a little rest and off to the pool for a good swim. Now back, my body feels fresh. Oh, yes,
I did not have any swim suit but my bikini under shorts work just fine, who cares. Believe me, others looked much worse in
regular swim togs.
The neat think about good hotels is that they have an Internet connection
right in th room so I shall get this log off to the world. Then I shall go down for a small bite to eat – like soup
and dessert plus coffee after which I believe I shall just sit and watch the
Black Sea.
15
September 2006 – Black Sea
My room for the night is small but it has a nice bath with hot water
plus it is right on the beach boardwalk up on a bluff overlooking the Black Sea. I sat this evening at one of the many restaurants along the way just peering into the blue ocean. The waiter
spoke some English so we chatted a bit – it seems that he is Romanian but tends to work here, in Turkey, and in Holland –
as do many others. He is one of 10 in his family. There is something about large bodies of water. I could see a cargo ship
heading off into the distance to some part of the World. Below me were a number of folks frolicking in the sand and surf,
yet some females without tops – but it did not matter. These are the last days for this area. All is quite quiet with
only a few people walking up and down the boardwalk. Most the hotels and restaurants have closed for the season. There is a fresh but not cold breeze off the Sea and the sun is warm. As I walked to the restaurant
I passed by 50 year old places badly in need of repair as well as new places looking shinny and sharp. A number of the hotels
and restaurants were being worked on for the next season. I sat down at the shaky
plastic table where I had a nice piece of pork and potatoes. Fortunately, the meals here are quite large and I seem to often
make the mistake of ordering a salad and main dish and an barely get through both of them.
The boardwalk is typical of third world countries, a nice job of mosaic
cement bricks but often places have broken up; the cement wall along the boardwalk is cement drab and has a consistent but
patchwork architecture to it – it works. Like many emerging countries the
plastic bottles, bags, and the like seem to be thrown just everywhere – the populace does not yet realize the impact
on their world and do not seem to have any pride in keeping their public areas in any kind of real sharp shape. On the other
hand, there are street and sidewalk sweepers that try to keep up with the mess. Caring
is just not a high value here and the other Eastern Block countries, just yet. Their focus is on living and trying to grow.
It is discouraging to hear from Adrian,
my cab and tour driver, that corruption is so bad that he does not have much hope of his country doing well. There is no collective
enthusiasm … i.e. no leadership since those who lead focus on using their power to gain wealth. Of course, this is a universal attribute, evening the USA.
Cell phones are everywhere, especially with the young. Great potential
can be seen everywhere but how to reach it is in question.
I woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise over the Black Sea, a large bright orange ball appearing on the horizon with a few scattered clouds about it.
I showered (always take advantage of any hot water you have access to – Doug’s travel rule #48. I wend down to breakfast where a smorgasbord of all kinds of food. I suspect it was for the large
group of tourists that had invaded the hotel, and did not allow me to stay a second night – so I moved to a cheaper
one closer to the beach having obtained all I could from my expensive hotel, including some clothes washing/ Normally, breakfast is included in the hotel room fee but I was unsure about this one since I was treated
as an al a carte guest. So, since the waiters were busy clearing tables I quickly gathered a good breakfast, ate it with all
the others, and not asking just went back to my room. Well, I paid enough for
many breakfasts in my hotel bill! Travel rule – always take advantage of
available food; I even kept an orange to later on too.
Maybe I am really becoming multi-linguistic without study, but I can
now look at a menu and sort of make out what man of the dishes are since many
words have roots from German, Latin, French, Spanish, British English, etc. and with a little attempt at pronunciation, really
looking at the word, then doing some interpretation I can come close to choosing what I want. By osmosis and keeping your
ear tuned to what others order you can use the foreign language, like “mineral water – no gas” to be direct;
the waiters seem to know by the reverse language process. Then, of course, by
asking the waiter in English, even though he does not speak English, plus some hand gestures the communication is made. Then again, a number of native folks here in Romania
do speak English because they watch TV and work in other countries of Europe where English
is quite common. This is not true in Russia
and Mongolia or China
… just yet. Doug’s language travel rule – just listen and try.
So, after breakfast I was determined to swim in the Black
sea. So I hid my wallet in my luggage and locked it up then put a do not disturb sign on my door and left for
the beach leaving all my money and passport behind. Well, I would not be long. On the beach I found a nice couple who spoke
at least 10 words of English and put my stuff down near theirs – some security in being near others. I immediately undressed
having put on my best pair of bikini underwear (well, why pack a needless piece of clothing – if I need a fancy bathing
suit for the cruise ship I will just buy one) on and went for a swim – boy was it nice to have a dip in salt water.
Surprise, it was not as salty as the Pacific. So I played in the nice cool but not cold water for a while. On the way back
from the beach I found a secluded niche in an unoccupied beach building and changed from my wet suit to some dry clothes;
it probably would not have mattered to do the change on the beach but I was right next to a very nice young woman …
Now back at the hotel, I once again took advantage of a nice long
hot shower since I was paying for it then headed out to my new hotel. I quickly secured a room for 1/6 th the price of my
fancy hotel and took a good walk along the ocean.
Well, my train leaves at 06:45 tomorrow morning to get me in early
to Bucharest so I can head across Bulgaria
to Greece during the day. I do not know
how long it is going to take me or where I will have to switch trains but I guess I shall find out in the Bucharest train station. No problems. At worst case I just stay in Bucharest
for the night and move on the next day or I may have the the opportunity to stay over night in Bulgaria. Since each country in this part of the world has their own money it is
a challenge to use up what I have before I exchange more money. The ATMs here sure help and the train ticket can be purchased
via VISA credit card. This is not true in Russia,
just yet. Once again, AMERIC EXPRESS TRAVELERS
CHECKS are of NO value any more in the World. If you do find a bank that will exchange them it will cost you at least 20%
fee. And, these used to be so valuable too. Also, the VISA and MASTERCARD has
eclipsed the AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD too, the latter not being accepted in very many places except in 5 start establishments.
Ah, well – so the world changes.
Now off to bead for an early start.
16 September 2006 – Black Sea
Since I went to bed early I was up early, even before my appointed
time. I took a nice warm shower to really wake me up then dressed and dashed
out the door. The early morning was very quiet but in the air was the smell of warm baked bread being prepared for the day.
There was not a soul around and I really did not know where the train station
was except that it was up the road not too far. Up past the shops to the bus center where I found a couple of other folks
and a taxi driver who would take me directly to the train station. There were
more people gathering for the early train; I am sure glad I was a little early. I caught the local train to Constansa where
I boarded the larger train headed for Bucharest. It was a good thing I purchased a couple of bananas and some cookies for the 5 hour ride. We passed by the large barge staging area that I noted on the way down. There seems to be a large set of
water ways, locks, and passages into the interior.
The early morning sun slowly began to light the sky and homes along
the track. I could see people getting out to work walking along the dirt paths. Many times I saw a horse drawn cart with several
people aboard headed for work somewhere. Just like the old west I came across a store with several horse drawn carts “parked”
out front … certainly a time warp back 150 years. As we moved along two
things struck me – one was the new rail bed being prepared and the derelict factories – buildings – and
weed covered train yards. There were many old train cars rusting, some even tipped on their side. As we passed by small train stations there was always a train station master standing outside “saluting”
us with his train flag tucked under his arm as we went by. I ate my “breakfast”
and dozed off.
Upon arrival in Bucharest
was to get a good lunch since it was almost noon – I found a nice chicken and rice lunch followed by some ice cream.
Now I had to determine my next train ride. Well, I was too late for today’s train to Greece so I decided to stay the night at a good hotel and leave the next day. I am staying at the Ibis Hotel, a large European chain – a little pricy but
good.
This gave me the opportunity to walk about the city. What I saw was
nothing less than a city that had not done much for the past 10 years. There were many unoccupied buildings and one was just
a shell but the architecture suggested it had been around for many years, maybe 50 or even 100. A large hotel had been closed
and just sat there. Of course, you can imagine the sidewalks were almost non-existent. It was Saturday so the hustle and bustle
were subdued. My goal was to see the “palace” where the Communist leader had ruled and which is now the Romanian
Congress. I walked through the park in front to get a good look and some photos. The building is quite a grand place.
I need to use the toilet so I needed to find a place. I noticed a
portable one set up across the street from the Congress. Well, it was a protester
so I complemented him on his work and asked if I could use the toilet – it worked and I could continue walking without
pressure. It seems that the Romanian government also has some human rights problems
but are free enough to let this fellow camp out in front.
The walk back was, of course, along a different route – travel
rule #79, never return the way you went – which posed a possible getting lost problem. Alas, my intuition pays off again
and I wound up right at my hotel. Keeping an orientation and sense of direction in a foreign country is always a good idea.
Wow, what a dinner. As I sat and ate there played a 6 live six piece
orchestra at one end of the dining room. I seemed to the only customer so there was mutual focused attention. After I clapped I really got the attention – I could just name my music, classical – of course
– and they even moved to play around my table. I could not have asked for better, except to have a lady with me. I ended
my rhapsody with Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen and some local gypsy music. This
a is great way to leave a country.
Now to finish up my travel log for this leg of my journey for tomorrow
I leave for Greece and Central Europe. The Eastern European countries have been very interesting and each has some long term
challenges.
