Backpacking Europe on fifty dollars/day

So how did we stay on budget, fifty dollars a day, with Finland, Sweden and the bus tour of Morocco as part of our itinerary?

• we couch surfed seven nights: to find out more about Couch Surfing go to couchsurfing.com. Often used by students as a place to flop for a night or three, we discovered the cultural joys of being hosted by locals proud to showcase their city.

• we volunteered for free room and board for five days - teaching English with Vaughan Town in Spain. Met some lovely people by doing this. To find out more about volunteering to teach English in Spain go to vaughantown.com. You must be a native English speaker. Spain was already on our itinerary - you must pay your own way to Madrid. Then on a Saturday night there is a free tapas reception. You must also pay your own accommodation on the Saturday night. Then from Sunday after breakfast until Friday after lunch all your (four star) accommodation and meals are gratis.

• we took two all night buses so did not have to book a hotel

So out of 89 nights 14 nights were free

• we ate some meals in our hotel room, just food from the grocery store. I bought some plastic spoons, good for eating yogurt or spooning olive spread on bread.

• we usually chose our restaurants carefully, but ensured we had one good, typical meal in every country.

Could you do it for less? Yes, you could stay in a dorm in a hostel, or you could stay in a room with a shared bath

• You could cook your own meals in hostels rather than eat out in restaurants as much as we did.

• you could drink fewer cappuccinos which was our splurge

• you could couch surf almost everywhere

• you could fly more with budget airlines rather than take buses or trains.

• You could take no taxis and always use public transport or walk

You could bypass Sweden and Finland and go to more eastern European countries like the Ukraine or Moldovia
I would spend more time in Serbia and Portugal if I did this over - very inexpensive but good quality.
Portugal is cheaper than Spain
Serbia is cheaper than Hungary or Poland

Things we learned

• There are free walking tours (tip encouraged) in most cities. Learn the highlights, get oriented, go early in your visit so you can go back to see sites in more detail

• The Metro bus system in Turkey has a free service bus that takes you to the centre of the city. Most bus stations in Turkey are outside the city or on the outskirts

• Spend a week in Rome - if you have never been there make a point of going.

• Hotels are often as cheap as hostels if you want a twin room with private bath. I used hotelscombined.com and booking.com and once expedia was cheaper,

Travel light - two pairs of pants and three tops is enough, wash light clothes in your hotel room. I bought a few cheap tops and scarves in Turkey to supplement my wardrobe.
Take a waterproof, windproof shell and a lightweight fleece that will fold up small.

Discount airfare with Ryanair and EasyJet are cheaper than the bus or train sometimes. I booked Krakow to Budapest for nineteen dollars each in advance, from home, as well as Rome to Madrid for under fifty dollars. You are only allowed one carry on (and purses qualify as carry on) or you pay extra for checked and this can cost more than your flight. I took along a small cloth tape measure to ensure our backpacks did not exceed the carry on limit which is 21.6 by 15.7 by 7.8 inches or 55 by 40 by 20 centimetres.
No food or drink is free on these flights. Who cares, they are short flights.
I used skyscanner to find the cheapest flight from Izmir Turkey to Bologna Italy which turned out to be Pegasus Airlines for this trip.

I budgeted fifty dollars a day for food and hotel, and one thousand dollars extra for transportation such as buses, cabs, trains, flights within Europe. I was successful on this budget. I did purchase some gifts and souvenirs and this is extra. Due to carrying a backpack and being on a limited budget I purchased carefully and because of the time of year of our return, 17 December, I brought back all my Christmas gifts. I can honestly say that the fifty dollars per day and the thousand for transportation was achieved. We travelled in the shoulder season, cheaper than travelling in summer. Hotels are based on two people sharing and splitting the cost.
I am 63 years old and I travelled with my 36 year old son. We needed two beds and always tried for a private bathroom. Hello hotel in Bucharest, La Botanica in Portugal, TRYP Washington in Madrid, for example were clean, nicely appointed three star hotels for under fifty dollars per night. In our entire journey I think we spent four nights in hostels with a shared bath. These rooms are always cheaper than a private bath so we could have saved more money had we gone that route.

We found people watching, cafe culture, taking public transportation, shopping in grocery stores, walking from our accommodation to and from public transportation gave us a different perspective and feel for the country than staying in a fine hotel and always taking cabs. We were out and about with the common people, people in fact, like us. We spent time in public parks in many cities, sat on park benches, watched children play and old people take the sun. Staying with families, four nights with airbnb and seven nights with couchsurfing, gave us a better appreciation on how people live. We met some nice people this way and had lovely conversations.

Our trip was sort of the road less travelled, the Balkans, the Baltic, the Black Sea coast. However, if you look at the map you will see that it all made a nice route, starting out in Stockholm and finishing up in Lisbon. We flew with AirMiles, the carrier was British Airways, we were able to land in one spot and leave from another. British Airways was very good, both ways we had to change planes in London so we saw a bit of Heathrow. We got a meal and a snack and lots of drinks included in our second class fare. I should mention that the snack was a sandwich so it was satisfying. They give everyone a pillow and a blanket and there is decent leg room. You also get a toothbrush and toothpaste and earphones - I could not sleep coming back so watched three movies. Also we could check our bag for free.
You can't go everywhere in three months. We did not go to cities that Jeff, who has been to Europe five times previously, had already visited. Therefore, in Turkey we did not go to Cappadocia or Pamukkale as he had already been there. In Italy we did not go to Venice, they were having floods there anyway, but it was never really on our agenda. We had hoped to go to Greece but with the transportation workers on strike there we did not want to chance being stranded. Also Jeff had already been to Athens. In Spain we bypassed Barcelona and Granada for the same reason. All the other countries we visited were new to him as well.

I first went to Europe in 1974, backpacking on five dollars a day. We went to England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Holland. The second time was in 1986. We lived in Germany and travelled to France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium, England, Norway and Denmark. The third time was 26 years later, from 19 September to 17 December, 2012, and I backpacked for fifty dollars a day. We went to Sweden, Finland, Estonis, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Vatican City, Spain, Morocco, and Portugal. This was the trip of my lifetime so far. A feast of memories.

Note, I am a card carrying couch potato. I did not work out before the trip. Still I managed to walk ten kilometres on lots of days and carried a backpack that weighed about eighteen pounds when we left in September and about 38 pounds when we returned to Canada in December. A lot of my purchases were made in Lisbon though. I was typically the oldest couch surfer my hosts had met and the oldest person in the hostel. We were outside most days for at least six hours. We did not carry a cell phone nor did we carry an umbrella. I took no jewellery (other than a cheap watch) nor make-up but did break down in Istanbul and purchase mascara I was so fed up with looking like an albino, but it did not help much. Most days I started off looking neat but by noon was bedraggled looking and my pictures show pretty messy hair from having my hood up or from being in rain or wind. I took one of those small fold-up scissors and periodically trimmed my bangs.

My blog was written over the course of our travels from Stockholm to Finland to Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Serbia, Brasov, Transylvania, Sofia, Istanbul, Florence, Rome, Seville, etc. Seventeen countries and about forty cities and towns where we either stayed or visited on day trips.

Travelling light, travelling the way we did, I am very proud of myself. If I can do it, you can do it. I hate camping and "roughing it." On a normal vacation I like to stay in a good hotel, minimum three star, prefer four star. But in order to afford this trip I needed to stretch my money. Therefore, the trip was a choice and the way we travelled was a choice. Every day was a new day, a new adventure, places to go, things to see.
I would do it again. Next time I go maybe it will be Greece, the Ukraine, Moldovia, Belarus, Turkey, Serbia, Cypress, Portugal, Norway and Warsaw.

A few days after returning home I went for a pampering facial. The esthetician commented that my skin looked good, and asked me what I used. I said "I haven't been using a thing". I haven't worn foundation or anything else for over three months and I've spent at least six hours a day outside. "I just backpacked across a continent and I am 63 years old."
By this time there was lots of attention to our conversation and the chorus of "Good for you!" warmed my heart. "On fifty dollars a day!" I beamed. Another round of "Good for you!" I was on a roll. The next thing they are going to do is pat my head. Still I sensed a new respect from the bevy of young girls surrounding me. I looked at them benevolently with my glowing skin and rhymed off the seventeen countries we had visited.
Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Vatican City, Spain, Morocco and Portugal. Damn, I'm good!!

Yes it was an incredible journey unless you think about the KonTiki crossing the Pacific in 1947 or consider the incredible journey of three Canadians and some kittens in 1956. Strapping nine telephone poles together with rope, they embarked from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. 88 days later they had crossed the Atlantic and landed in Falmouth Harbour, Britain. Why hasn't somebody made a movie about this? Think of the adventure, the drive, the passion of these three men: Henri Beaudout, Gaston Vanackere and Marc Modena. They were the first to cross the Atlantic on a raft. Somebody, do something, while they are all still alive to tell their story!

We went on a guided tour of the ANZAC battlefield near the small town of Eceabat, just across the Dardanelles from Canakkale. Eceabat is the closest town to the Gallipoli battlefields from the first World War.
We took the thirty minute ferry from Canakkale to Eceabat for two fifty tl each (1.45 Can), effectively moving from the Asian to the European side of Turkey. We stayed at Crowded House Hotel, just a short walk from the harbour. Crowded House is a clean bed and breakfast establishment that provides tours of Anzac Cove for sixty tl each (34 Can. dollars approximately). We arrived at 1130 am and were able to get on the tour leaving at 1230. Besides the van driver and tour guide there were only three other people with us, all from Australia.

In the first world war the Galipoli penninsula was a strategic location and one million troops spent time here. The Ottoman Empire sided with Germany and the Allied forces were sent in to take the penninsula and thereby gain access to the Black Sea.

the Sphinx

Lone Pine Cemetary

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They trained in Egypt and were sent over to Gallipoli - they landed on the Aegean Coast on April 25, 1915.

4,228 Australians and 708 New Zealanders lost their lives at Lone Pine where rosemary grows wild.

Our tour guide, "Bill," is Turkish and speaks English with an Australian accent, explains things, gives both sides. We stopped at Brighton Beach, it has a different name in Turkish of course, Kabatepe, proceeded to ANZAC Cove, Lone Pine, and the New Zealand monument at Conkbayiri. Forty nine Newfies died at Galipoli, there were five hundred thousand casualties and by the time the Gallipoli Campaigne ended over 120,000 people had died including about 80,000 Turks.

The whole thing was pretty much a stale mate for nine months in 1915. The soldiers were in trenches, in the heat of summer they got a cup of water a day, their clothes were filthy, full of lice, and no man's land was the width of a road.

They fought hand to hand combat, it was a blood bath, the last gentleman's war.

Turkish trench

Ataturk led the reserve battalion that turned the tide of this war and I feel so emotional about the whole thing. The Aussies and the New Zealanders come here, they suffered huge losses, but the Turks flock here as well as it is a matter of national pride and of course after the first world war there was no more Ottoman Empire. I love Ataturk too when I read what he said in 1934, about the mothers from far away lands that have lost sons here, lying in Turkey's bosom. Very moving. There is a large monument with these words engraved in English at Anzac Cove, cold comfort for the mothers still alive back home in Australia, 20 years after the fact.

He did have a good speech writer:

'Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country, therefore rest in peace. There is no difference in the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side, here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.'. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

During the Gallipoli Campaigne Mustafa Kamal's life was saved by his pocket watch. His shattered watch is apparently on display somewhere in Germany.

The Allies finally abandoned the futile effort and evacuated Sulva Bay and Anzac Cove in December 1915 and January 1916. With no casualties the evacuation was deemed a brilliant success. The Turks say they knew the Allies were leaving and chose to let them go with no more bloodshed.

Memorial 57th Turkish Infantry Regiment

Driving back to our hostel I pondered the futility of war. Along the way we passed a shepherd. Perhaps this was the type of scene common in 1914, before Winston Churchill's ill-fated scheme for the Allies to open a passage to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles.

Getting there
We went from Saffranbolu via Bursa to Cannakkale and then to Eceabat on the Gallipoli Penninsula.
The bus from Saffranbolu to Bursa left at 10 am on Sunday, cost forty five tll each and arrived about 5 pm. It cost thirty tl to take a cab to our hotel. We still had not figured out the Metro Service bus option. The hotel in Bursa was wonderful. Clean, modern, hair dryer, slippers, nice linen, lots of towels, wow, so much better wish we could stay a few days. Breakfast is incuded, buffet, lots of choices, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, hard boiled eggs, cereal, sweet rolls, assorted breads, yoghurt, coffee, tea, hot milk which I use to make latte, really good, we eat on the terrace, lovely. The cost inclusive with breakfast was 31 Euros, tax included and a fabulous breakfast. That is about forty two dollars. A great deal in our opinion, after the sketchy hostel in Saffranbolu this is luxury. Very clean and modern with a lovely lobby, Boyuguzel Termal Hotel.

Bursa Turkey

One turkish lira is about fifty seven cents Canadian at this time.
Population of Cannakkale is about 100000 and Eceabat is less than 10,000.
Crowded House was forty Canadian a night and had a good breakfast, Egem Hostel cost the same but was not as nice.

On October 25 we took a bus from Sofia to Rila Monastary, the largest East Orthodox monastary in Bulgaria. Originally built in the tenth century it was rebuilt four hundred years later. A small part of the fourteenth century re-construction, the Tower of Hrejla, still exists today. Most of the monastary was destroyed by fire in the 1800s and had to be rebuilt yet again. It has five domes, three altars and two side chapels. The impressive frescoes were completed in 1846.

Rila Monastary Bulgaria

Our room at Rila Monastary

Monk at Rila Monastary

Rila Monastary is 117 km from Sofia. If you are into hiking there are trails from the monastary to the surrounding Rila Mountains. You could choose to stay over night or just make a day trip from Sofia on the bus.

Rila Monastary Bulgaria

Oct 23, 24 Sofia
We took a slow dirty train from Bucharest to Sofia. It left at 1 pm and arrived at 1030 pm. No time change.
Once on the train we could not get off and there was no dining car or food of any sort to be had on board.

We secured our seats and had the area to ourselves in what would have been an 8 passenger booth. Having the area to ourselves was the best part. I sanitized the arm rests and door handle and settled in. We had only had a coffee, served nicely with a tiny cookie at the hotel and a miniscule yoghurt drink at the station. We had with us 8 tiny cookies from the hotel bakery and one bottle of Kinsley tonic water. I was positive I had another bottle of water in my backpack but when we needed it, no, not there!!

Anyway we thought there would be food on the train. Long trip on an empty stomach. But we also had a small bag of cracked walnuts that Eugene in Brasov had given us, picked fresh from his walnut tree, and a bag of hard candy from Budapest that I had bought as a souvenir. We rationed the food and once I knew there was no bottle of water in my pack we rationed the few swallows left of the tonic water.

Crossing the Danube

Along the road in Bulgaria

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. We walked about seven blocks from Hotel Budapest to the old town and went on the free walking tour. The sites are very nicely laid out, a lovely walk on a sunny day. We saw the St George Rotunda, the National Theatre, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, (lovely, huge, domed church), Sofia Church and the ruins of an ancient settlement. We watched a street musician play the 'gaida', a Bulgarian bagpipe.

East Orthodox Church Sofia Bulgaria

Changing of the Guard Sofia

St George's Rotunda

Church in Sofia

Bulgaria invented yoghurt. Therefore for lunch I enjoyed their wonderful cold yoghurt, cucumber, dill and walnut soup, Terator. I also learned the "sour milk" drink is likely yoghurt mixed with water, thinned. We dined at the Mehana Izbata - located in the lower level, accessed down an alley or small side street - a picture of the dining room and the sign follows - great place, reasonable prices, good food, some ambience.

Mehana Izbana

Restaurant sign

Plovdiv

October 26
We decided to take in Plovdiv as it is on the bus route from Sofia to Istanbul and figured we would see an interesting city, the second largest in Bulgaria after Sofia, with an historic (could it be anything else?) old town. By spending the night in Plovdiv we would shave two hours off our trip to Istanbul.
Plovdiv is considered one of the OLDEST continuously inhabited cities in the WORLD, having been inhabited first in the sixth century BC. It is situated on seven hills - how many cities are there situated on seven hills you might ask? Maybe sixty, maybe more and they include the following cities that I am either going to on this trip or have already visited: Seattle, Lisbon, Rome, Istanbul, Edinburgh, Budapest, Turku and San Francisco.
We arrived by bus from Sofia and immediately started looking into our bus tickets to Istanbul tomorrow. The weather is warm, it is a Friday. We book our bus tickets and go back to find a place with Wifi to book our hostel, get that done and then start looking. We arrived in Plovdiv at 4 pm and checked into our hostel at 8 pm. We were so lost the streets are really old time, very lumpy, bumpy cobblestones, nothing is straight, very few street signs, it was a relief when we finally got there. Yes, we had a map and asked for directions numerous times. We did stop for a cold drink occasionally as it was really warm until after dark.

Plovdiv Bulgaria

The morning of October twenty seventh was a bit overcast but not cold. We walked around the old town, saw the amphitheatre but were not allowed to go into it, saw some really old ruins of the city wall, peeked into an East Orthodox church, really elaborate wood carving. The Roman amphitheatre is 2000 years old.
We stayed at Plovdiv Guest House in the Old Town, twenty five euros per night, no breakfast included. Seventeen dollars each. On budget.
In Bulgaria and Romania there are numerous stray dogs and cats. Jeff tells me it will be like this in Turkey as well. Where is the SPCA?

Cats in Plovdiv

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Brasov Romania Oct 18
We took the all night train from Budapest to Brasov commencing our journey at 730 pm. It is a 12 hour trip and we have booked a sleeping car which turns out to be nice and clean with a sink and a bunkbed. It was nice to sit and visit with our feet up, listening to the clickety clack. As it was dark we did not bother looking out the window. The conductor was nice and told us we would get breakfast in the dining car as it was included in the price of our ticket.
We ate chocolate and chips and felt very cozy.
Jeff had to take the upper bunk so we had a good laugh about that, it was quite narrow and he was worried he would fall out, it should have come with some kind of strap to hold him in. Somewhere between 11 and midnight customs stopped by twice, first the Hungarians, then, just as I may have been falling asleep the Romanians. All they did was look at our passports and stamp them.
I like the train, the swaying motion, etc but I do not think I slept a wink. I was a bit worried that Jeff might roll over and crash to the floor and also did not want to be sleeping when we rolled into Brasov. But I had a nice rest in my cozy bed.
Anyway we officially got up and went for our "free" breakfast at 7 in the "dining car."
It was so misty, foggy, trees, rolling hills, tiny mountains, rocky, I did not see the wolves, but felt them, sensed them.
In the grey morning light we saw a wagon pulled by horses, more like a farm cart, still it made me think about a headless horseman.
By 930 am we have taken a taxi for ten euros to our "hostel." I booked it on HostelWorld, but it is really a private home. Spotless, old fashioned, greeted by Martha, 79, who showed us our room, utterly charming. She speaks French and Romanian it seems, so with gestures and a few words in both languages we learn that her son will be home in the evening.
We leave our packs and trundle off to explore Brasov. I am back in my hat and mitts and Jeff needs to buy a toque. It is an alpine town. The mountain air is crisp, an overcast fall day.

Brasov like Hollywood has a sign

Dessert in Brasov

There used to be 500.000 people in Brasov but since communism ended and the industries were taken out, it is half that size. That is a lot of people in twenty years. Eugine's dad was also an engineer. He was not a communist. When communism ended the high placed communists all got mega rich. They were also better off during communism so for them it was a win win situation. It is like an old boy's club - if you were in the communist youth then you hire your homies in 2004.
Before communism ended there was. in the last year, food rationing, all the agricultural products were being exported. If you were a good communist you had more food.
There are a lot of Hungarians in Transylvania so we are fortunate to now meet a Romanian, the house is furnished in old school Romanian style I think, lots of ornaments, woven tablecloths, needlework table runners, persian style carpets everywhere, but they may be from here. There is a big ceramic tile heater in the living room.
Eugene warns us about pickpockets, especially around the train station and tells us about two Canadian mountain bikers who were robbed and slightly injured recently near Bran. From here on we are worried about being robbed even though we carry little cash and wear money belts and neck pouches, we are bulky all the time with this padding.
Oct 19 - The day was bright and sunny and actually reached 20 C, a heat wave.
Martha gave us a nice breakfast and insisted we have a small glass of brandy. This is such a cozy house, clean, quiet and comfortable.
We walked to the old town, saw the black and white churches and took a few pictures of Council Square where, it is said, the Pied Piper led the children from Hamelin. There are numerous bakeries, coffee houses and shoe stores around the old town. All kinds of pleasant side walk cafes.

Then at 11 am we decided to go to Dracula's castle. We got lost on our way to the bus station, likely walked five km, took us two hours to find it.
Anyway the bus to Bran was only six lei one way and left right after we arrived which was good.

Bran is a touristy, pretty alpine town. After walking around the picturesque downtown we purchased tickets to Dracula's Castle. It was a beautiful sunny day, small mountains all around, some fall colour, but still very green, a lovely day. Vlad the Impaler may never have set foot here but the castle was home to the royal family for a time and the grand daughter of Queen Victoria lived here.

Dracula's Castle, Transylvania, Romania

On the way to Dracula's Castle

Draculas Castle, Transylvania

Outside Dracula's Castle

It was interesting to walk all through the castle, quite a large endeavor, furnished in period style, quite a few stairs and narrow passages. Worth it. Tick. We toured a castle.
Now although Bram Stoker, the author, never set foot in this castle either, his classic work, Dracula, can easily be imagined here.
Queen Marie of Romania is said to have lived here around 1920.
Raised in England, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, she married Ferdinand of Romania when she was seventeen. Queen Marie was a glamorous and interesting figure, her rumoured affairs and unlikely friendship with the Canadian, Klondike Joe Boyle, are documented, and perhaps her story could be a tourist draw as well. Just a suggestion. Joe and Marie got chummy during the first world war and she actually provided the tombstone to his gravesite in London, England. His remains were brought back home to Canada about sixty years after his death and he is now buried I think in Woodstock Ontario. He was called the saviour of Romania and the inscription Queen Marie placed on his tomb reads "Man with the heart of a Viking, and the simple faith of a child."

We ate lunch and had coffee in Bran and caught the van to Brasov at 440, the drive back was only half an hour.
This whole endeavor, start to finish from the bus terminal in Brasov was just over four hours. Anybody could do a daytrip from Brasov in five hours and see a lot of Bran. I enjoyed walking through the market and bought a small cutwork tablecloth, handmade, very similar to Hardanger embroidery. A souvenir of Romania.
One Romanian Leu is about thirty cents Canadian. Therefore a thirty leu tablecloth is about ten dollars. Brasov has a population of about 228,000 and is surrounded by the Carpathian mountains. Bran is a town of about 5000 but does do a brisk tourist trade, thanks to the castle. Try to get rid of your Romanian money in Romania. It may be difficult to convert it in another country.
We stayed at Eugine Jr and Garlicia Guesthouse for twenty five Canadian dollars a night. What a bargain!! Breakfast was not included but Martha did serve us two breakfasts and gave us brandy and cake so we were treated very well. Very homey and warm and exceptionally clean and quiet.
We are wondering why we are still stiff and achy having walked 10 ks a day for a month now. Jeff was chilled last night and not too perky today. Now I have a theory. Mild food poisoning or the flu.
The landlord, Eugene, in Brasov, gave us special herb tea with lemon and at noon we trundled off to the train station.
He called a cab for us and it was one third cheaper than our inaugural trip.
The train station has all kinds of unsavoury types hanging around and we have been warned about pickpockets. We have booked to Bucharest with the idea that we will book the overnight train to Sofia from there. About seventeen Canadian each from Brasov to Bucharest, about 120 kilometres.
We have seats, the train gets pretty full and eventually there are people standing.
Beggars come around from time to time. One kid passes out photocopies of some hard luck story and then comes back around and picks up his money and the photocopies. Another older guy came around, I thought he was crawling but Jeff told me later he didn't have legs. Well, he started the conversation out by saying "I wonder if they get more money is they don't have legs,.....". I'd like to know how he got on the train.
Bucharest
Get into Bucharest at 510 and find out there is no sleeper car available to Sofia tonight, we can get one tomorrow for four people. We don't want to share so will take the day train or bus.
We book into a hostel with wifi and try to get a cab but the driver waves us away with "Get some exercise". No cab driver will take us as the hostel is close and the fare is too low. We now spend two hours looking for the hostel with no luck, ask numerous people for directions, wave down taxis, get refused, it is dark and the streets are badly in need of repair.
Shortly after 8 pm we found a cab driver who took us to the hostel and then they were full and moved us to an affiliate by private car. We had walked through so many dodgy streets we were glad to bunk in across from the French embassy. I must have gone to sleep by 930, felt chilled and exhausted and then Jeff got sick at 5 am so now he is back sleeping but I am awake.
Staying an extra night
On our long route to nowhere last night one of the many places I asked for directions was a hotel, Hello,
close to the train station, where the young man behind the desk spoke good English and did his best to tell us what streets to take. Someone pointed out that we would be walking through a sketchy neighbourhood.
Well I was more surprised today in daylight to see several people running around in housecoats. Like instead of throwing on a sweater I will go out in my housecoat, sit on a chair on the street and visit with my neighbours. Of course last night there were a lot more wearing housecoats because today is warm and sunny.
The sidewalks and roads are in poor condition, we were lucky we did not fall in a hole or get tangled up in a loose wire. There are a lot of loose wires and what appears to be power lines strung through the trees. I would like to get that type of thing in a picture, I would also like to take snaps of some Romas with their long black braids but then I have been warned not to so I don't. Roma are not Romanian but rather from India it is speculated, they have been here since the thirteenth century. Another name, gypsy, is from Egyptian though. There are a lot of gypsies in the Balkans and right now I am one of them.
Boy, we are lucky - we could have done worse than wander around and get sore feet last night, with the loose electrical wires flapping around, large holes in the pavement and the stray dogs. Last night was the second time we could have benefited from having a cell phone, otherwise it has not been much of an issue. Bucharest seems way more run down than Brasov.
So because we are still under the weather we decided to book into our first real hotel, Hello, for 33 euros which is only a few dollars more than the hostel.
Very nice and a tv with BBC so we catch up on the news.
We walked here from our hostel and this evening walked to the train station and got our tickets, 280 rom for two seats, we leave at one pm and get into Sofia at 1030 at night and we are splurging and staying at the Budapest Hotel for sixty Canadian a night for two nights.

Bucharest train station

We actually saw very little of Bucharest, other than the area around the French Embassy which have been gentrified and then wherever we were last night in this area near the train station. The largest Parliament Building in the world is here though, with the lofty title, Palace of Parliament.
It is 5 am, between Jeff snoring and the dogs barking I couldn't get back to sleep, after I initially woke up at 330 am. Must try to get some rest so I am alert tomorrow. We have now travelled over 13000 kilometres. It's funny that we don't hear dogs during the day.
Human population of Bucharest is around 1.6 million, dog population is likely 10,000 strays, apparently 75 people get bitten every day but I only discovered this after we left, on the internet, so do not have proper stats.