Timisoara
I decided to go to Romania on a whim- nothing new then! Actually, I had originally bought a ten euro flight to Corfu and planned to get some sun after travelling through the cold Baltics. Something told me however, that the chances of me spending lots of money on expensive accomodation and an outward flight with no guarantee of good weather (the only reason i was going, as I had been to Corfu before) was high. Eventually I looked at the map and decided that I would try and see as much of Romania and Bulgaria as I could before taking a flight from either Bucarest or Sofia back towards Ireland. If I had enough money left I even planned to fly home via Germany and Scotland.
My first stop In Romania was Timisoara, somewhere I have to admit, I never heard of before. All I knew in Romania was Transylvania and Bucarest and this needed to change. My first couchsurfing of the trip experience started here In Timisoara, when a nice Turkish guy called Mustafa willingly hosted me for two nights. Mustafa kindly met me at the bus station having arrived from Budapest and during my stay made me feel so welcomed and even cooked me a lovely meal which I had when I got to his flat. I explored Timisoara easily with the help of a self guided map that I picked up from the tourist info in the centre of town- It took me a while to realise this. What I loved about Timisoara was 1) It was much less touristy than where I had been so far 2) The town was small enough to walk around 3) The buildings all had historical information on them which was super interesting to read as you wandered 3) it was beginning to be the cheapest place of my travels. I even headed to the Museum of the Revolution which was only 2euro and gave me such a great insight into Romanias history and how communism functioned there. Mustafa took me to his friends place in the evening where they had cooked delcious food. They chatted about work- a tradition every friday for them, while drinking vodka shots. I politely declined but eventually decided to try it which I was happy I did. We all went out that evening and had such a good time in town and we had such a good time that they asked me to stay another night. Unfortunately I had a Bla Bla Car* booked and another couchsurfing host organised for the next day, but I was so happy to have had the offer. Next stop was Cluj.
* Bla Bla Car is a popular app that they use around Europe (only certain countries) which helps you find a ride from place to place in return for a small fee, generally faster and cheaper than local transport. It also helps you to meet locals and enrich your travel experience.
My first stop In Romania was Timisoara, somewhere I have to admit, I never heard of before. All I knew in Romania was Transylvania and Bucarest and this needed to change. My first couchsurfing of the trip experience started here In Timisoara, when a nice Turkish guy called Mustafa willingly hosted me for two nights. Mustafa kindly met me at the bus station having arrived from Budapest and during my stay made me feel so welcomed and even cooked me a lovely meal which I had when I got to his flat. I explored Timisoara easily with the help of a self guided map that I picked up from the tourist info in the centre of town- It took me a while to realise this. What I loved about Timisoara was 1) It was much less touristy than where I had been so far 2) The town was small enough to walk around 3) The buildings all had historical information on them which was super interesting to read as you wandered 3) it was beginning to be the cheapest place of my travels. I even headed to the Museum of the Revolution which was only 2euro and gave me such a great insight into Romanias history and how communism functioned there. Mustafa took me to his friends place in the evening where they had cooked delcious food. They chatted about work- a tradition every friday for them, while drinking vodka shots. I politely declined but eventually decided to try it which I was happy I did. We all went out that evening and had such a good time in town and we had such a good time that they asked me to stay another night. Unfortunately I had a Bla Bla Car* booked and another couchsurfing host organised for the next day, but I was so happy to have had the offer. Next stop was Cluj.
* Bla Bla Car is a popular app that they use around Europe (only certain countries) which helps you find a ride from place to place in return for a small fee, generally faster and cheaper than local transport. It also helps you to meet locals and enrich your travel experience.
Cluj- Napoca
Cluj- Napoca aka Cluj was somewhere I hadnt really thought about until Mustafa suggested it. It was on my way to Transylvania and It was known to many people as the student town of Romania. I planned to stay with Jorge from Portugal and his lovely girlfriend Ruxandra together with their beautiful dog in the centre of Cluj town. I took a Bla Bla Car to Cluj which was 4hrs and cost very little. On the ride I met some locals and we chatted for most of the journey- one of them even worked for Ryanair and studied Irish History. When I arrived, I was greeted with a warm welcome at Jorge and Ruxys place where the sweet smell of freshly cooking food waft throught the apartment while they sipped on wine and chatted to me as If I was an old friend- the beauty of couchsurfing. I was so inspired and mesermised by their way of life and their travels especially their funny story of their road trip to Moldovia- Very Funny! We chatted about our love of travel and bonded instantly as we cooked together and sipped on authentic Port wine from Portugal. They had set me up in a beautifully cosy room where I had privacy and lots of comfort for two nights. We continued to chat about life, travels and future plans into the early hours and I was so thankful to have met them.
The next day Jorge took me to a beautfiul viewpoint in the city which gave me a great insight into the citys layout and its beauty too. Later we strolled through the small old town and conituned to explore the many quirky bars (Cluj has some awesome bars) which you would never find on your own there including one of their favourites The Soviet which was exactly full of communist memorabilia. We had some lunch and then I headed to the theatre to meet a lady I met on the ride here. She had invited me to watch Lady MacBeth with her and her international group of friends. I enjoyed the movie but sadly they did not. It was quite humourous actually. The most daunting part of the night happened when I left the theatre aiming to walk down the street back to where I was staying, only to be greeted by an intimidating mob of people with plackards walking towards me. To me, It was intense not knowing what these plackards said nor if this was a peaceful demonstration or something more. Later that evening, Jorge explained to me the menaing of the peaceful protest- a law had recently been passed by the Romanian government allowing debts below a certain amount to be lifted, giving way to legalised corruption which many people rightly disagreed with. It was interedting to hear all of this from a local- something I would not have known otherwise. The next morning I planned to go to Sighisoara- fortified medieval town via Bla Bla Car and I was so excited. I was so pleased to have met Jorge and Ruxy and was thankful for the lovely homely experience I had.
The next day Jorge took me to a beautfiul viewpoint in the city which gave me a great insight into the citys layout and its beauty too. Later we strolled through the small old town and conituned to explore the many quirky bars (Cluj has some awesome bars) which you would never find on your own there including one of their favourites The Soviet which was exactly full of communist memorabilia. We had some lunch and then I headed to the theatre to meet a lady I met on the ride here. She had invited me to watch Lady MacBeth with her and her international group of friends. I enjoyed the movie but sadly they did not. It was quite humourous actually. The most daunting part of the night happened when I left the theatre aiming to walk down the street back to where I was staying, only to be greeted by an intimidating mob of people with plackards walking towards me. To me, It was intense not knowing what these plackards said nor if this was a peaceful demonstration or something more. Later that evening, Jorge explained to me the menaing of the peaceful protest- a law had recently been passed by the Romanian government allowing debts below a certain amount to be lifted, giving way to legalised corruption which many people rightly disagreed with. It was interedting to hear all of this from a local- something I would not have known otherwise. The next morning I planned to go to Sighisoara- fortified medieval town via Bla Bla Car and I was so excited. I was so pleased to have met Jorge and Ruxy and was thankful for the lovely homely experience I had.
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