Fortunately, we were at Budapest Keleti station by 6:15 looking for coffee and sandwiches for the trip. Don't want to rush, and if we miss this train the next is not until 13:30.
Unfortunately, the only open food stand took cash only, so I had to run to find an ATM for a 1000HUF withdrawal. That is a $3.63 US cash withdrawal.
Crazy.
So, two sandwiches and two terrible cups of coffee later, and we were on the train to Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Fortunately the tickets for this eight hour rail journey cost us $80 total!
Unfortunately we are in second class, and I forgot that second class in (some of these) former communist dictatorship countries is like no class at all.
Fortunately there is a first class car with decent bathroom, the next car over.
Unfortunately we are kind of crammed into worn out, flat and frayed seats in a kind of warm compartment.
Fortunately we are seated with a nice couple about our age, who are from Brasov Romania. We can communicate enough and they tell us we are going to a nice area.
Fortunately the window opens to air out the car, and if it gets really hot I can do the "stand at the window" trick I perfected years ago on another slow train in Poland.
Which I ended up doing.
A lot.
Not just to look, but to stretch.
Fortunately we picked up a great bottle of really good Hungarian wine yesterday for our trip.
Hopefully the $1 sandwiches will be good. It will be very unfortunate if they are like the coffee.
Fortunately there is a dining car on this train and we are next to it.
Unfortunately it is cash only and I have no HUF or RON currency.
Fortunately they take Euro. Praise allah! And the guy is really nice, and laughed when I said I really needed some coffee. I bought four cups (He raised his eyebrows at that. I let him think they were all for me!) at €1 each and took them back to our compartment. The people smiled and brought out cookies, and so we toasted and smiled a lot and passed a pleasant half hour looking out the windows together. Funny what coffee can do.
Fortunately it was good strong coffee. I am thinking I might hang out there a while, sit at the table and enjoy a real cup (in a real cup, I mean).
Unfortunately the train is really slow and creaky and I am wondering how long this trip will really take.
Fortunately the scenery is pretty, and we are slow enough to hear birds chirp, dogs barking in the villages, and to see every single blade of grass in the field. The train makes a satisfying "click-click, chug-chug" sound, and the whistle is long and mournful. I actually love it.
About 10:45 we got to the last town in Hungary, Biharkerrsztes. While they switched engines on the train, the border police came in and took our passports. They looked us over and with an official smile stamped them, right there on the train. Officially stamped out of Hungary. We sat there for half an hour.
About three miles later, in Episcopia Bihor, Romania, we stopped again and this time the police took our passports. I always get a little nervous when that happens. Anyway, he was back in ten minutes with a smile and ,"have a good day." We pulled out soon after.
Fortunately I have two new stamps in my passport.
Unfortunately we have just changed time zones and lost an hour of our lives. Poof*
Now we are ten hours out of sync with home.
After the border ordeal we decided to eat, since it was suddenly 13:00 and we totally missed noon. Seriously. One minute it was 11:59, the next minute 13:00.
So I went to my friend, the dining car man, and begged four plastic cups from him.
Unfortunately the loosened cork broke off in the neck of the bottle! Tragedy!!
Fortunately our friends had a corkscrew and saved the day.
We opened the wine (a 2007 Cabernet and it is fantastic) and shared drinks all around, the four of us.
Fortunately the $1 sandwich is really good. Amazing.
Fortunately the wine is great and we have an entire bottle.
So far the Romanian villages have been cute looking, in a practical way.
Here is a small town, church spikes standing tall and golden domed Russian style orthodox cathedral there, right next to the grain elevators in the middle of the communist style concrete block housing, surrounded by nice, single family homes with red tile roofs. Then we plunge out to the farmland again, green forested hills rising on both sides of the wide valley.
So far a relaxing and interesting day, and I am already 300 pages into the next Lee Childs book.
Unfortunately all the water and coffee and wine meant I needed to visit the WC.
Unfortunately the first class one was in use, so I had to use the peasant class one.
It totally reeks.
Unfortunately right in the middle of conducting business, we plunged into a tunnel. I tried to keep my aim steady and true.
The valley narrowed into a canyon and we are rushing through the trees next to the river. Then back into a narrow valley. Every house has a lush green garden. Most barns and outbuildings have a open-ended roof slapped up. Like a kid would make. You know, you figured out how to put up the slanty roof top, but you have not figured out how to bring the side walls up to full in the triangle end pieces. Every house has a really healthy wood pile, and I am jealous. The hay is thrown up into piles around a central post. You can tell it is done by hand.
The hills get higher and there are cliffs now, next to the river.
I check google maps to see where we are, and it has flipped, north to south. WTF???
Honest to god actual people in colorful clothes, riding on hose drawn carts full of hay.
A kid with a real pitchfork, pitching hay, thus proving my pile theory. (I know several kids who would do well to pitch hay for a week. Bet they'd appreciate school then. No time for fidget spinning if you have a pitchfork in your hands.)
A huge yard sale type event at a campground, stretching about a mile.
Guy on motorcycle on the dirt road, racing the train to the crossing. He lost.
A ramshackle wood board and rope bridge slung across the river.
An unremarkable concrete church painted silver so it dazzles in the sunlight.
A herd of white goats walking across the main bridge over the brown river.
Fortunately we arrived on time.
Unfortunately there is no train to airport.
Fortunately a taxi is only about 20 RON ($5 US).
Unfortunately There are no taxis!
Fortunately finally one shows up.
Unfortunately he is a skinny chain smoking guy with tattoos, his car has bald tires, suspect steering (as in weaving way into the oncoming lane and back) and the gas light was on.
Fortunately we made it.
We picked up an Avis car rental. There was some question about the paperwork, but fortunately the young girl worked it all out.
A couple hours later we made it to Sighișoara, where we are staying for two nights. More on this tomorrow.
It was late, like 20:45 late, so we literally dropped our stuff and went to dinner.
An amazing meal for 181RON ($44 US) total.
We had an entire bottle of excellent local Cab-Merlot-Syrah blend.
Huh.
Who knew the Romanians made good wine?
A full litre of gas water, and salmon appetizer to start. I ate chicken stuffed with cheese and red peppers, Gail had chicken with polenta and some sort of a citrus basil sauce that was delicious. She said it was the best meal of the entire trip so far.
After dinner I had what turned out to be a very fancy caffé macchiato, with a straw.
A STRW!!! Who drinks coffee with a straw?
Anyway I tried a shot of Palincă, the local (plum) liquor.
That was too harsh, like some Raki, and I was not impressed. Pure alcohol.
So I threw down the shot to celebrate my friend Jan's birthday. The sacrifices I make for you, buddy.
Good buzz.
The place was packed, then suddenly it was empty and we were left alone, listening to American Oldies rock.
We closed down restaurant around 23:30. I paid up, they closed out and left. We just let ourselves out.
We considered just sleeping on the floor but walked the town a while instead.