I am opening a new category of the blog, “Life and Travels”, where I will talk about how I see life, how I have changed my life lately, as well as about my travels, many, few, as often as they may be. I’m starting with an “journey of self discovery”, as I called it, the first trip I’m taking and planning on my own, to places I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. It looks like a travelogue because I posted directly on facebook, and now I’ve collected these posts here. Enjoy!
What do you do when you don’t like something? You do everything you can to change that something or you stay in that situation and complain that it’s not ok. When you say “I would do this, but…” you cancel the intention to do that something. I am now trying to dismantle the statement “I would travel, but I don’t have money”. I set out on an adventure: I travel through Transylvania on a budget. I mean I want to see how cheaply I can travel, visit, live, eat on a 5 day trip, taking into account food, physical and other restrictions. I will post prices, locations and ideas for cheap stuff. If you have any ideas, I would love to share them in the comments. Anything is welcome. In the picture, breakfast with a view, breakfast (2.50 lei plus homemade millet bread) with a view of the city of Alba Iulia.
And because it is raining with cats and dogs, and my visit to the Dendrological Park in Alba Iulia seems compromised, I will take advantage of my free time to tell how I prepared for my adventure. I chose Sighișoara, Alba Iulia and Cluj as locations, because I wanted to visit them a long time ago, but I didn’t have time, money or company. As I said before, “I want to, but…”. And it was postponed indefinitely. I set my timeframe without taking into account weather conditions, Mercury retrograde or other logical conditioning, but which only bring more postponements. I chose the transport by train, I bought tickets from the railway agency, with advance and circuit discounts, they cost me 200 lei, compared to 250 lei, if I bought them separately, on the day of departure from each city. I chose the accommodation in hostels, paying attention to the prices and the most central location, I made reservations on Booking. 2 nights each in Alba Iulia and Cluj, 50 lei per night, so another 200 lei. And because the rain has stopped, I will tell in another post about my first day of adventure, in Sighisoara. In the picture, my bed on the “floor”. Closer to the sky.
First day. Sighisoara. I chose not to spend my first night in Sighisoara, but in the evening to leave for Alba Iulia, where I will stay for 2 nights, so I knew that the first day would also be the longest, not having the opportunity to rest until 10 pm. So at 5 o’clock in the morning I set off for the train station, with emotions as high as the house and a fairly balanced backpack on my back. After 6 hours on the train, in which it was incredibly cold, 6 hours in which it rained almost continuously, I got off in Sighisoara. Funny thing, the sun came out immediately! Good sign. Although I had downloaded maps, made my itinerary, I felt that I didn’t need all that. I simply walked out of the station, after leaving my backpack at the baggage desk, and I went where I could see. Although I had never been to Sighisoara before, in 15 minutes I had reached the most beautiful point in the city, from where I could look at the panorama of the city. Wow! I was experiencing a mix of emotions never felt before! I stayed there for a while, then I took a walk through the Citadel, savoring every stone and blade of grass, without a target, without an itinerary, just…feeling and photographing. Costs? I chose not to visit tourist attractions with an entrance fee. I had a very good view of the city even without climbing the tower, and I didn’t feel the need to see the torture chamber. The whole Citadel is an objective to visit, free of charge. I ate sandwiches from home and a menu for 15 lei at a hostel in the area, red bean soup, chicken leg with fried potatoes and coleslaw. Total expenses Sighisoara, 20 lei, 15 lei menu plus 5 lei luggage at the station. Next stop, Alba Iulia.
I just finished the Alba Iulia stage and I’m on the train that takes me to Cluj. It was…wow! But let me try to express myself in words. I left Sighisoara on 19.11 hour. I arrived in Alba Iulia at 21.30. At 22.00 the check-in at the hostel expired, so I took notes on the train to arrive in good time. Thank you, uncle Google, I arrived at 21.55. I got a bed on the “floor”, as I showed you yesterday. 2 roommates, a girl from Galați and a French girl, both younger than half my age. The next day the French girl left and a Ukrainian biker came. Today we all went in different directions: the girl from Galați to Brașov, the Ukrainian to Ukraine, me to Cluj. Hostels are a separate world, people, usually very young (with exceptions), from different parts of the world, who have a common passion, travel. I am a small child besides what these children have seen and traveled. The next morning I started for Citadel, with a break at a supermarket where I bought 4 slices of salami (“4 slices?!” the saleswoman looked at me surprised), a small Rom chocolate and 2 peaches. 5 lei with the bag included. I entered the Citadel through the highest point, sat on the grass and had breakfast with a panoramic view. I saved the peaches for later. In the evening I found a Kaufland, where I stocked up on everything. 16 lei. And I also have something left for Cluj. Yesterday and today I visited Alba Iulia at my own pace, without wanting to check off objectives, to necessarily see what others have seen, but slowly, I let the city reveal itself to me, to guide my steps according to my heart, to show me secret and little-traveled places, the treasures of the Albaiulian soul. In the sun and in the rain, Alba Iulia guided me through the Citadel, the Dendrological Park and picturesque hills. Costs? 40 lei. That I couldn’t resist a cappuccino and an ice cream.
Well… Cluj. Big difference compared to Alba Iulia. I arrived in the evening, Uncle Google led me to the hostel. After I arrived, within 2 minutes it started raining and it didn’t stop until late at night. I checked in and even though the reservation said I had a bed in a 6-bed room, I got a bed in a 10-bed room. I accepted because it was just me with a girl about my age. The other rooms are all occupied, only here are free beds and I see that the other rooms are also being accommodated. And I realized why. My roommate is missing some tiles from her house, I think she is a relative of the hosts or something, and no one is staying with her. But I get along well with her, she sleeps well, although at first she looked at me badly, now she talks very polite to me. Whatever. In addition to the rain that ruined my evening plans, I made another unpleasant discovery: my buns went moldy. I forgot to put them in the fridge. So all my eating plans were messed up. This morning I ate a bag of crisps and a local homemade chocolate. French fries for lunch. Now a handful of cherries. I don’t really like Cluj. The only place I liked was Cetățuia park, where I want to go tonight to see the sunset. Spending today? Hmmm… 45 lei. The ticket to the Botanical Garden 10 lei, the fries 11 lei, and other food the rest (I bought 2 homemade chocolates, very good).
I’m on the train to Bucharest. Night train. My adventure ends tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock when I get home. Today, being Saturday, the people of Cluj seemed more relaxed, Cluj less rushed than yesterday. Slowly I took my steps through the Ethnographic Park, then again in the Center, where I discovered a treasure: the walls of the old Citadel. That place was amazing! I lay on a bench in Piața Unirii for about 2 hours, after I had finished my daily 20 km walk. I knew I still had 2 km to the train station. Expenses on the last day? 23 lei: 6 lei entrance to the Park, 15 lei a rib with rice and baked bell pepper at self-service and 2 lei a tea from the vending machine. I wanted coffee, but I pressed the wrong button. I’m dead beat tired…
