Out of Romania (Temporarily) and into Moldova

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009--Mamaia and Constanta (Continued)

While at the cyber cafe, I arranged a reservation for a hotel in Brasov for 2 nights. I sent inquiries related to places in Sighisoara and Sibiu. Hope to have everything planned for the nights I will be in Romania after returning from Moldova.

The afternoon was spent on the beaches in Mamaia. It's the major beach resort just north of Constanta and is, according to my guidebook, where all the "beautiful people" go. Well, they looked like normal people to me. But there were many of them. Mamaia has a very nice sandy beach that is several kilometers (miles) long. There were rows of people the whole distance. I spent about 3 hours walking--down and then back up the beach again--and watching people. If I were going to the beach to swim or sunbathe, I would choose Mamaia over Constanta. But it still is nothing compared to nearby Varna in Bulgaria. I guess Constanta/Mamaia are popular due to the fact that it is the only area in Romania for going to the beach and is also a desitnation for people from Moldova (landlocked), Ukraine, and Russia.

Ate dinner at a Turkish restaurant near my room. I had an early dinner and then watched TV.

Friday, Aug. 21, 2009--Constanta to Iasi

Since my train would not depart for Iasi until 13:30, I spent the morning at the cyber cafe working on my reservations. I now have them for everywhere except Sighisoara. I'm thinking I may just show up there and see what I can find if I don't hear from the places I have written.

The granddaughter of the man and woman whose room I am renting was there this morning. She speaks English. The grandfather, who usually stays around the house while the grandmother goes to the station to find lodgers, was gone fishing, so she came to be present to assist any of the lodgers. She and I sat and visited for a long time. She is a law student in Bucharest. The grandmother gave us both a big helping of rice pudding topped with cinnamon to eat while she was gone and we were visiting.

The station platform was full of people waiting for the train to Iasi. One thing I noticed, however, is that they all seemed to be Romanians. I have not been seeing foreign tourists here the way I did in the other Balkan countries. I wonder if it is because the prices are so much higher here. Even the hostels in Romania often charge 15-18 Euros ($21-26) for a bed in a dormitory room with 6-8 beds! Who knows, though. Maybe they are all in Transylvania and I will find them there when I return from Moldova.

My reservation was for Car #1 on the train, and there wasn't one when it arrived. Many of us were waiting. But the engine disconnected and disappeared. Soon it was back with Car #1. Every seat was fills, and it was a tight fit with the seats positioned facing each other in groupings of 4. I was beside an elderly woman. Across from me were a young woman and a middle-aged man (whose family was on the other side of the aisle). The man's young son entertained us all, however. He was so cute. And people started getting off the train at various stops. Although it was a 9-hour trip for me and the young woman who spoke English and was also going to Iasi, only the first 3 hours were crowded. Another interesting thing was that it was a double-decker train. When I tried to put my suitcase up on the rack overhead, it would not fit, since the ceiling was low. I had to put the bag under the seat. Thank goodness there was room for it there. Some other tourists had theirs in the aisles.

On the way to Iasi, I made a discovery. Although I had asked for a train ticket from Bucharest to Sibiu on the day that I return from Moldova, the lady printed a ticket from Bucharest to Brasov. I had intended to go Sibiu-Sighisoara-Brasov so that I would be closer to Bucharest for my last night before catching my flight to Copenhagen. Sibiu is twice as far away. The young lady on the train went to the ticket counter with me and explained the problem in hopes that they could switch my ticket. But the lady said there are NO trains going from Bucharest to Sibiu. Quickly thinking, I decided I should just keep the Brasov ticket. But that means that I now would have to contact my two hotels in Brasov and Sibiu and ask them to change the dates for my reservations! What a hassle.

To handle all of that, I had to stay on the train all the way to Iasi Central Station. My international train, would leave, however, from another terminal. It was 22:30. I bought a snitzel sandwich--a large bun with an even larger piece of pork meat fried in batter and topped with cabbage and mayonnaise--and at it at the Central Station. Then I walked the 2 km to the other station. It was a straight route that I could see on the map and was well lighted.

The other station, where we had stopped going through, was much smaller, though. Fortunately, there was a small waiting room, so I got out my novel and began to read while waiting the 4 hours until the train to Chisinau would arrive from Bucharest.

Saturday, Aug. 22--On the Train and in Chisinau

I was the only passenger waiting for the train at the small station in Iasi. Several homeless people had wandered into the waiting room and fallen asleep on the chairs. At first, a policeman came and made them leave, but he didn't return after midnight.

By the time I needed to head to the platform to wait for the train, it was a dark and lonely station. I could not see any employees anywhere. Two of the homeless people pointed me further down the platform. There, I encountered a group of men in uniform coming out of a building. They were the immigration and customs staff for Romania, and one of them spoke English. They made sure I got in the right car and the right bed.

I felt sorry for the two people in my compartment--a young woman going to spend the weekend with her boyfriend and a young man going to spend the weekend with his girl friend. They were awakened as a part of the process of getting my luggage into the compartment, making my bed, etc. Of course, they would have been awakened anyway to show their passports and answer the customs questions, but it would have been a much shorter intrusion.

I slept well, but it was hindered by the fact that we had to get up for Moldovan customs and immigration. It was reminiscent of the old communist days; Moldova was a part of the USSR! They asked lots of questions--where I was going, why, where I was staying, who arranged my lodging, etc. Then they made everyone open their bags for physical inspection. My sleeping, however, was also hindered by the lack of time. The train trip was from 3:30 to 9:00. And with the interruptions, that gave me really only a handfull of hours to sleep.

I got up a little early so I could see some of the countryside. It has rolling hills and is quite pretty. We passed some wonderful looking vineyards just a short distance from town. Moldova is especially known for their wines and the fact that the wineries have kilometers of underground storage facilities for the wine. Unfortunately, the biggest winery (Cricova) has a reputation for having expensive tours while giving the attitude that they wished they had only your money and not you! I may try to visit Cojusna one day.

The man who arranged my apartment for me was supposed to meet me at the station. I was told to come to the front entrance. Several people approached me, but they were all taxi drivers hoping to make some money. Radu was not there. I waited until 9:30, but by then I was worrying. Fortunately, I had a phone number, but I didn't have any money or a phone. I asked several people whether they spoke English, and none did. I spoke to a Finnish man who suggested that I go inside to the international ticket office. When I got there, though, the woman was processing multiple tickets for a woman. I returned outside and there was a young man who spoke English and made the call. I should have waited, because Radu told him he was on his way and would be there in 1 minute. Sure enough, he was.

My apartment has the look of an old Soviet apartment. It's nice enough, but it has flowered wallpaper, inexpensive rugs on the floors and over the furniture, inexpensive closets along the walls, etc. But it is a big apartment with a living room, bedroom, dining room, kitchen, entrance hall, bath, and toilet. It's all mine for the next four days. It also has a telepone and cable TV. It's a very central location on the main street in town with one of the major hotels (currently being remodeled) just across the street.