After three months in Romania, I took advantage of some national holydays to take some days off and travel around the country for 9 days. I have always loved traveling, and I wanted to discover new places, new cities, and get the chance to relax.
I prepared my itinerary in advance, and booked most of my train tickets online. I chose to travel only by train. I like it a lot, and it’s not too expensive. I especially like the systems of night trains, we have so little of those in France. It’s great because you don’t lose time during the day and you save the price of an accommodation for one night.
My first train ride was from here, in Csíkszereda, to Oradea. I took the night train which goes to Budapest. A lot of different people traveled on this train: there were people talking Hungarian, people talking Romanian, rabbits… Well, ok, there was only one rabbit, but he was absolutely cute and sitting on the seat right in front of me for a few hours.
ORADEA
The night was nice, and I slept a lot, more than I had actually expected from a night sitting in a train. I arrived very early in Oradea, at 5:30 a.m. and I really did not want to go alone out on the street, in the cold night, under the rain, in an unknown place… I think you get it; I do believe I have to be at least a bit careful. And I am not that adventurous. I stayed in the train station for 1h30, drank some coffee, charged my phone, and read some only tips about what I could visit. I really wasn’t very original on this trip: each time I arrived in a new place, I would just go on TripAdvisor and check what was worth seeing according to other people.
First thing I did when I finally went in the city was to buy myself some breakfast. Even if I appreciate cooking and nice meals and everything, there are not exactly essential to me on a daily bases and I had planned on saving money on food. I mainly (not only, just mainly) lived on bananas, bread and croissants for 9 days. Not nice bakery croissants, unfortunately, just industrial ones I could find in supermarket: not ideal, I admit, and it did make my French hart cry more than once, but at least it was still croissants, I guess. I actually enjoyed eaten basic stuff (when I say I could live on bananas, it appears I am hardly exaggerating), and it made me very happy to start cooking when I got back, but that is still nine days from now, so everything in its right time.
I love my first morning walking through Oradea: the shops were still closed, and the streets were still empty. The fact it was raining may also had something to do with that. I really felt at home walking under the rain. Yes, rain is the norm where I am from, and at least in Oradea there was no wind, and the rain was falling vertically. Vertically falling rain: a meteorological phenomenon which still amazes me and which I discovered when I moved out of my hometown at the age of 18. So, during my first morning I just walked, for a couple of hours. I am not sure I really remember where I exactly went. I stayed outside, walked past the theater, walked past several churches, walked past beautiful buildings, walked past the fortress, walked past shops, coffee places. Walked through a park. I loved it.
I visited my first museum after that. I decided to go to the Jewish History Museum, located in a synagogue. It is not a very big museum, but there are lots of different objects, and it reflects Jewish history in the city through many years, and under many different aspects. I would certainly recommend it. Almost everything is translated into English. I was the only person visiting, which I felt almost uncomfortable about, I am really not used to being alone in museums. The one staff member present was really nice to me, she explained the museum to me in the beginning, came to make sure I had enough light to read the different panels, told me to come to her if I had any questions, and said I could just leave my coat and bag on any chair if I wish (which I gladly did, my back was getting tired of carrying my bag around without really resting). I was in the museum for one hour.
Then, I still had time before my check in the hostel I had booked, so I decided to go to a view point. I saw the name on some panel in the city and I entered a Google map itinerary. I walked up through a residential neighborhood, with not much of a sidewalk. I did not come back the same way, as I noticed from up there that there was a pedestrian bridge, which showed on Google maps, but was not included in the itineraries. My walk down was much nicer than my walk up, and finish in a park, Ion C. Bratianu Park. From up there, I can say this: nice, foggy, silent. It was nice, I could not say otherwise as I really love seeing cities from above (and using the hashtag #cityfromabove when posting in Instagram). Even though the weather was not nice, I decided to go there, I was not sure 1) I would have the time later on; 2) the weather would improve in any way. Well, a few hours later the sun shone and there wasn’t a single cloud to be seen in the blue sky. Too bad. But at least, as I was there in the bad weather, it was very silent as I was alone and I could enjoy it even more. (The only person I saw was a jogger going up the hill and down the hill and up again.)
I went to the hostel I had booked to do the check in at 2 p.m. I booked all the accommodations in advance through the website booking.com. I found it very easy, because I did not even need to create an account, and therefore no need to come up with yet another password I’d almost never use and would be bound to forget. I did however download the app on my phone, because they sent me a link in a message that I can open through the said app, and with all the information. I stayed in a hostel, I had a bed in a dormitory. I was sharing the room with two German girl. What a change… (more than half the people here at our accommodation are German native speakers). The host was very nice, she texted me in advance through WhatsApp. I had everything I could need: bedsheets, towels, looker, tea and coffee. It was Oradea Central Hostel (Strada Mihai Eminiscu Nr. 14).
I only stayed two days, but I feel I really had time to see a lot. I visited several places I really enjoyed. After my check-in on the first day, I still had some time in day light to go back out, and I visited the Moon Church (Catedrala Adormirea Maicii Domnului). Located on the Piața Unirii, the inside is really beautiful and incredible.
The next day, I went to the fortress, and after walking around in the interior yard, I visited the museum. I had a small surprised when I bought the tickets, they had a system which startled me a bit at first, I had never seen that before: they did not give me one full price entry ticket, but rather two half prices tickets. I was quite surprised when they handed me two tickets instead of one, and took some time to understand what was going on. I really loved the place, with different exhibition (art, history, photography).
I decided to go for a break and sat at the Café Frei in one of the main streets. I had a caramel cappuccino, it was delicious. But what I had not expected was, when I ordered my coffee, seeing I was struggling with Romanian, the waiter kindly switched to English, and asked me where I was from. When I said France, he actually switched to French, and was doing quite well. It was fun speaking French during this trip, if only for a few minutes, I certainly had not seen that coming.
Then I went to the House Darvas-La Roche, on Strada Iosif Vulcan 11, a nice display or Art Nouveau. I could see different exhibition (one about cars, one about Goya), and the design or the different rooms. It was all very nice to see.
My next step was the Neolog Synagogue Zion, on Strada Independenței. It is a very impressive Synagogue, and I enjoyed seeing it a lot. I very seldomly visit synagogue, in fact the only religious buildings I am used to going in as a tourist are churches or cathedrals. It was very nice to observe how a synagogue is designed, and to see it from different angles (I could also go up the stairs and admire it from the upper levels).
At this point, I felt I had seen enough places in one day, so I walk to the train station, because I did not have my train ticket to leave the next day. I love the train network in Romania, I found it very efficient. I did buy most of my tickets online, maybe two weeks before my trip (if you buy it in advance, you even get online discounts). But some tickets for shorter regional travels can only be purchase at the station, as it is the case for the one I wanted. My next step was to be Arad, a city located on the way between Oradea and Timisoara, so I decided I would spend one day there. I bought my ticket, and on my way back to the hostel, I decided to stop in a park, just to sit there on a bench and to look around. From there, I saw a nice cathedral in a larger park, and I decided I would go and have a look. I went to the gate, but all the doors seemed to be locked, which was surprising as I could see many people on the other side. I almost gave up, but it turned out the gate nearest to the cathedral was indeed opened, so I stepped in and visited the building, and walked through the surrounding park. It was very nice, and I went back early, as the ticket I had just bought was for a train leaving at 6:45 a.m.
ARAD
I arrived still a bit sleepy at the train station the next day, but ready for a new adventure. When I stepped on the train, someone asked me if it was the right train to go to Arad. I shrugged as I did not want to affirm anything: although I was pretty sure of myself, I still find it difficult to step into a train where the only indication of its destination way the panel in the main hall. There is not always indication on the line or on the train, and I am only very slowly getting used to it. I sort of half slept on the train, but I was full of energy when I arrived in Arad. If I remember correctly, the train ride was approximately 3 hour long.
Before walking toward the city center, I bought my train ticket for Timișoara in the afternoon (that’s were I would be spending the next three nights). I don’t have as much to say about Arad than about Oradea, it’s a smaller city, I was only there for a couple a day, and I chose to visit if differently. I knew anyway from the start that most the museums would be closed, because it was a Monday. I just wanted to wander around the streets, to see nice places, to walk alongside the river, and I did just that. There were several lovely buildings not far from the river.
I did go inside two churches, the Holy Trinity Cathedral and the Biserica Catolică „Sf. Anton de Padova”.
I sat in a big square behind the theater and drank coffee there, and I went into several bookstores. I particularly love books, so I wanted to have a look. At this point I really wanted to avoid buying anything, because I did not want my backpack to be heavier. I knew I would still have to carry it in many places.
I spent a very nice time there, and on just two occasions it felt a bit strange and I turned around. The first one was when I was just walking alongside the river, and crossed a bridge to admire the view, and to try to further walk through a different part of town. There, I ended up in a ghost part of town, with no one, and a lot of closed places (artificial beaches, probably lovely in the summer). It felt uncomfortable to be there alone, so I went back to the main street from there. The second time was when I wanted to visit the water tower turned into a museum, which appeared to be open. I went there and the door was indeed opened, so I stepped in… but no one was there. It was very silent, and a sign on the door indicated a number to call if you wanted to visit. Alone, in a street with very little traffic, I had no intention to call some number on the door, even if I was interested by visiting the museum. So , I went back to Parcul Reconcilierii, and walk around more.
All in all, I particularly enjoyed the relaxing day I spent in Arad.
TIMIŞOARA PART 1
I took the train to Timişoara, it was about 1 hour away, I think. Arriving there at the station and going out on the street, I immediately felt I was in a big city: big streets and a lot of cars. I followed my GPS to the city center, where I saw some Christmas lights shining for the first time this year. I loved the vibe. I went to the hostel in which I had booked a bed in a dormitory, the Hostel Cornel (Str. Oituz nr.5), and rang at the door. Someone opened me, but they said they were just a resident, and the reception was closed right now, but I should go down at the bar and see if they were there. I did, and I could do my check-in. However, they told me they had had to disinfect the reception and the dormitory earlier in the day (because of what, they did not say), so they could offer me to share a room with one other person, or to pay a little more and get a private room. I generally don’t mind sharing a room, but in this case, I felt I would rather be alone. I wanted to have a secured place to leave my stuff during the day, and sharing one small room is not the same as sleeping in a dormitory. So, I paid a bit more and got my own room. The staff were very nice, and spoke very good English. The room was comfortable and cleaned.
On the next morning, I had to decide what to do with my three days in Timişoara, considering two of these were National Holiday, and that in all likelihood a lot of places would be closed. It made me think about somewhere I had wanted to go when I first organized this trip for myself, but did not manage to fit it in. I wanted to see the Danube River, but I could not find an easy way to go there for a day with the train from Craiova (my next stop). I just gave up and decided to go to another city instead. But, now I was thinking I could maybe go from here, from Timişoara. So, I looked up the trains online, and found out there were direct trains from there to Drobeta-Turnu Severin. It did mean getting up at 4:30 a.m. to walk half an hour to the train station, and then sit (or most probably sleep) in the train for 4 hours. But I would not have to carry my bag with me, and I also thought I would not be bothering anyone with my alarm clock. It’s not really something that would have stopped me had I been in a dormitory, but I like to think I am being considerate and I always think twice about doing something which would wake up others. In this case, it would not even be an issue. I decide to walk to the train station to get more familiar with the way, and to buy my ticket, which is what I did at some point later in the day.
The first place I wanted to visit this morning was the Revolution Memorial Association, which was located not 2 minutes away from the hostel (Strada Oituz nr. 2B). The sign at the gate also showed it opened at 8 a.m. which is fairly early for a museum I thought, and it was not even 10. I went there, and it did not close on this national holiday (we were the 30th of November, which is a national holiday in Romania in honor of St Andrew, the country’s patron saint). They did however say I was a bit early: apparently, on National Holiday, they only open at 10 a.m. which was indicated…nowhere, as far as I could tell. But they still let me in when I arrived, even if I offered to come back later, because they said they were there anyway. I started buy watching a movie about the 1989 revolution in Timisoara, it was in Romanian subtitled in French, so I could understand it entirely. They were permanent and temporary exhibitions, the latter being about Eastern Germany. I also particularly remember the exhibition based on children’s drawing, which I thought were very nice. The people working there were very nice and helpful, offering me translation of the Romanian texts so I could understand the panels (as a matter of fact, I declined, because I am quite comfortable reading Romanian by now, especially when I basically know what the texts are about). They were also very proud to have “the only piece of the Berlin Wall in Romania”.
Afterwards, I went to the central square in the city, and I walked around, looking at the different buildings. I went from Piaţa Unirii to Piaţa Libertăţii to Piaţa Victoriei. I enjoyed looking at the Christmas decorations, at the Christmas market slowly being set up, at the ice ring being prepared.
I really felt like walking, so I found a nice pedestrian path, just alongside the Bega River and I followed it for some time. There were a couple of other people walking or biking along the way, but not so many, probably because of the cold. It was freezing, whenever I was taking of my glove to watch at my phone, to eat something, I felt my fingers getting so cold they were hurting me. I am just not used to such weather. My walk took me through several parks, and I decided to stop and head back towards the city center when I arrive at Parcul Regina Maria.
From there, I walked to Parcul Civic and to the fortress. Again, I just wanted to see it from outside, for this day at least. As I knew I was going to get up very early the next day, I decided to go back to my room in the middle or the afternoon, and I laid in bed for the end of the afternoon and for the evening, switching between a nice book and crossword puzzles.
DROBETA-TURNU SEVERIN
And here I was walking at 4:30 a.m. towards the train station. I felt quite well, I exactly knew the way and I already liked Timisoara. Somehow in this case I did not feel unsafe at all waking there on my own. There train was almost empty. I fact, in the car I was in, the only seat already taken when I arrived was supposedly mine. I really did not care, because, like I said, the train was empty, and up until now, I only rarely saw people in trains in Romania respecting seating.
I sat there, slept, and when I woke up the train was going through a very snowy landscape, which was just beautiful. I love it, especially if I don’t have to go out, and if I am admiring it from someplace warm, which I was.
About half an hour before we arrived, I could see the Danube River through the train’s window. I just loved how it looked.
I first went towards the center of the city. I was Romania’s National Day, and many people were gathering in the street and music was being played. I decided to keep at a distance and star with the park instead. From there, I went across the train rails, and I walked alongside the river, up to the remains of Trajan’s bridge, marked on the internet as a noteworthy tourist attraction. I was indeed not the only one there. A family was also walking on the same path, and two people were taking pictures of the Trajan’s bridge. There were also plenty of fisherman there, slightly further down the river from where I was standing. I was being very careful at that point, because some stray dogs were turning around me barking. For the first time in my life, I saw dogs not as pets, not as domesticated animals, but as big wild animals, or at least that is really the way it felt. I was not totally alone there, and they did not try to be harmful, but I was a lot more carful than I usually am around dogs, and I noticed it in my way of behaving.
I walked then to the medieval fortress, and stood there admire the view, something I particularly enjoy doing.
I had not expected anything to be open on that day, and I did not even try to check if I could visit anything, that’s not what I wanted for the day. I walked around mainly, through the central square, passed the church, all the way to the Water Tower and then to another parc. It’s nearly winter, so none of the fountains had water in them.
ORSOVA (or almost…)
In the afternoon, I took a train to a nearby city, Orsova. I had planned on visiting it during an hour or so, before taking a train back to Timisoara. Little did I know then that it would be impossible. I could not find any safe way to walk from the train station in Orsova to the city center. The road is really meant for cars and trucks, and there are plenty of those. The Google Maps itinerary does not specify it’s not a safe road for pedestrians. I started walking along the road, but arriving at the bridge, I decided it was too dangerous for my taste and I turned back. I watched the city from a distance, from across the river. It was still very nice to see.
I sat in the train station, and read and relaxed, which was quite nice. I really enjoyed those quiet moments for myself.
TIMIŞOARA PART 2
Arriving back in Timişoara in the evening, I walked to the hostel and passed through the Christmas market. There were many people in the street, and it smelled of mulled wine and sugar. I was exhausted, so I did not stay and just walked further down the street. But I did enjoy the Christmas lights and the Christmas vibes.
The next morning, I packed everything and checked out of the hostel. Yet again, the reception was closed, but there were working from a table at the bar and I could give back my key there. I went, had a bite for breakfast, and visited the Art Museum, located on the Unirii Square. The building door giving on the street was wide opened, so I stepped in, but was not sure were to go.
The building’s janitor, I suppose he was, who spoke English, indicated a door right at my left and told me that was the ticket shop for the museum. I thanked him and tried to enter, but the door was looked. This was odd, as I was sure the museum should be opened at this time. The man whom I just spoke to saw me blocked, and he told me, pointing at another door on the left, to just enter the museum now, and to come back and pay later. What? Ok… That is something I had never seen before when visiting a museum. I did just that. After a minute or so in the museum, a security man came toward me, and I thought for sure he would be asking me for my ticket. No, he just wanted to tell me to be careful when turning around because of the backpack I had. I may have spent an hour or so in the museum, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was the only visitor, and it felt really strange. Towards the end, one of the employees came to me as I was visiting one of the last galleries, and she started opening some other doors and showing me in. For example, I saw the ballroom from the palace. It was very surprising, but it was a nice surprise, I’ll take it. In the end, I went down, paid for my ticket and left.
My next step was to go inside the Catedrala Mitropolitană Ortodoxă. I walked there, entered the building and gazed inside, but there were a lot of people, and I decided not to stay long, and maybe come back later. That is what I did, at which point I saw an ambulance parked right in front of the cathedral, and nurses entering the building, so I decided the gaze I had earlier that day would be quite enough.
I stopped for coffee and shopping (or to be more precise, book shopping). I stepped into a bookstore, and ended buying a comic book and some postcards. Then, I sat with my coffee on Piaţa Libertăţii and looked as adjustments were being made to a stage and microphones were being tested, musicians were warming up.
My next intention was to visit the National Museum of Banat, inside the Maria Theresia Fortress. I had seen the fortress from the outside already on my first day, and this time I wanted to go in. I went there, and it took me some time to find the right door to enter the museum. I think it’s the one located on Strada Martin Luther. Am I not sure? No, because… well, because this happened: I went in, climbed the stairs in front of me, started looking around in a corridor trying to find someone, which I finally did. That person could manage in English, even if it was not very good. She explained there were several different exhibitions (including the history museum part, which was still my main goal up to this point). She said I should pay the tickets for what I wanted to visit, and so asked me if I wanted to visit. I said yes, she sold me a ticket for the tarantula exhibition and left. Hum, ok, so I looked at the tarantula project. Basically, I walk in a corridor and was surrounded by small boxes with big spiders. At the end of the corridor, there was a sign pointing toward the exit, which lead to a locked door. I turned around, never found the ticket shop for the history museum, and left the same way I entered. At least I am not afraid of spiders.
From then on, I just walked around, went to the Piaţa Victoriei, enjoyed the different Christmas stands.
I looked at the people ice skating on the ice ring that had just opened. I ate some chimney cake (yummy, but what an unhealthy dinner). At some point I decided to sit in a Starbuck coffee. It’s not at all the kind of place I would recommend on such a trip, I generally prefer small local coffee places, but I needed to charge my phone, and I knew I could do it there. Before I left for the station, I went back to the stage I had seen earlier that day, and watched a few minutes of a play in Romanian.
In the train, I quickly found a seat, and I fell asleep (it was past 10 p.m. already).
TÂRGU JIU
The night train from Timisoara took me to Craiova, and from there I took another train for a day trip in Târgu Jiu. I was in Craiova at 5 a.m. and I was out by 5:45. I had to change my plans for the day at the last minute, because of the weather. I initially wanted my day to be mainly a very nice and long walk, preferably under the sun. I did not however care for a very long and wet walk under the rain. Because, yes, it rained during the most part of the day.
My first destination in the city was the infinity column.
I walked there from the station. I had to cross by foot the railway, and that is still something I found difficult to do, I am always hesitant about it (and even more when I am in the station stepping out of the train). So, I first went to the infinity column, the to the Gate Of The Kiss and the Table of Silence, both located in another park, Parcul Central Constantin Brâncuși.
I enjoy parks a lot, even if the rain does put a dampener on it, especially when you have glasses. I also looked at the river a lot, it flows right pass the parc I was in.
After that, I spent most of the day walking around, looking at the squares, the churches, the different building. At some point, I used different options to stay dry: reading in a coffee place, and going to a big shopping center, the Shopping City Târgu Jiu (Strada Termocentralei 10), about half an hour away on foot from the train station.
CRAIOVA
In the evening, I took the train to Craiova, and it was really full at the beginning. It was the regional train, and I suspect a lot of people from a nearby town take it to go to work, I noticed the same thing in the morning.
When I arrived in Craiova, I had to walk a lot, because the pension (Pensiunea Luisa) I had booked a room in was a 40-minute-walk away from the train station, on Strada Caracal Nr. 12. Again, it was a very nice place, with a welcoming staff. I am really satisfied with all the places I stayed at during this trip. Here, the significant difference was that the person who checked me in did not speak English. She could understand a few words, but that was about it. So, for the first time, I was actually stuck with having to speak Romanian. I managed alright, and I went to my room, which was nice and warm.
The next morning, I had breakfast at 8:30 a. m. at the pension: coffee, eggs, tomatoes and cucumbers. Then I went out towards the city center. I saw the Holy Trinity Church, the Mihai Viteazul Square, different parks.
As I usually like doing, I first walked around through the different streets, enjoying the views, the buildings, the vibes, the walk itself. I had pizza in the park for lunch, from a small place around the corner of the square.
Then, I chose to go to the history and architecture museum, the Oltenia Museum, History and Archeology Section, Strada Madona Dudu 14. I really love history museums. Again, it felt a bit strange when I entered, because once more I was the only visitor. The women at the entrance not only sold me the ticket (5 lei) but also walked with me through the whole museum, which was a bit uncomfortable. She was just a few paces in front of me, waiting as I was looking and then walking on when I was finished.
My last stop in this city was the Nicolae Romanescu Park (Bulevardul Nicolae Romanescu 1A), which is really big and has a small pond. I walked around through the alleys and enjoyed it, as simple as that. I went far enough in to see the suspended bridge over the pond, but chose to stop there. I was getting tired and cold, so I called it a day.
I went back to the hotel, and needed to ask where I should leave the key in the morning, because I would be leaving before check out. In Romanian (which gives something like “Plec mâine dimineaţă devreme, unde las cheia?”, at least that’ s more or less what I said). Well, I don’t know how I sounded, but she understood my question and answered it, so I was pretty pleased with myself. I spent the evening in bed, with a book, and I gave a phone call to my siblings. It was a very nice way to end my vacation.
I spent the next day on the train. I came back to Csíkszereda with two trains. The first one from Craiova to Bucharest, and the second one from Bucharest to Csíkszereda. The first train surprised me because it looked more like a tramway to me. I had time to buy myself something to eat at the station in Bucharest. I did not do much that day, obviously. I read in the train, and I looked at the landscape through the window. I particularly remember how I found Sinaia beautiful under the sun, with snowy mountain tops.
Gen
ESC Volunteering with Care2Travel in Miercurea Ciuc 