Over the years, I’ve been surprised at both the dangers that visitors falsely believe are all around them as well as the ones they completely ignore, therefore I thought it was about time to set the record straight, so to speak. Therefore let me say this before anything else: Romania is an incredibly safe place. Really and truly. Outside of the Peace Museum in Sweden, … Continue reading Dangers in Romania
In the Communist days, there was a tremendous frenzy to house people in cities in apartment buildings, each one known as a bloc (blawk). There is a classic Romanian film called The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. Totally worth seeing. There’s a line in there that I absolutely love, where Lazarescu’s female neighbor says “totuşi suntem la bloc” which translates to something like “we have to … Continue reading How to Negotiate and Survive the Romanian Bloc
Sadly, as I detailed at length here, riding the rails here in Romania ain’t quite what it used to be. Simply put, for me riding CFR, especially in those “heady days of yore” was quite often akin to Teddy Roosevelt sailing off to Africa in search of adrenaline. It was quite an adventure for me, especially since I started out at almost zero knowledge of … Continue reading True Tales of Riding the Rails in Romania
This has been a post I’ve been wanting to write for a long, long time. Cars are expensive in Romania and gasoline/diesel is as well. Therefore a lot of the population takes taxis, which are numerous and plentiful just about everywhere. Unless you’re visiting Romania and driving your own car, chances are likely you’re going to take a taxi at some point. Before I say … Continue reading My Guide to Taxis in Romania
Well I’ve flown out of there twice now this year so time for a current (for now) guide to Romania’s busiest and biggest airport, officially called Henri Coanda Airport. Despite serving Bucharest, it is actually located near a tiny village named Otopeni in the next judet (“state”). For years and years and years the airport was called Otopeni (oh-toe-pen) as well. The airport’s international three-digit … Continue reading My Guide to Otopeni Airport
All Things Romania 