Bucharest: Gypsies and garbage and dogs (oh my!)

Elena in the courtyard at Peles Castle
see all photos »

Our first stop in Romania was the capital, Bucharest. We had heard a few things about Romania - mainly to do with gypsies, garbage and dogs - and they all turned about to be true. There's a substantial quantity of all of the above, although garbage is at its worst along the train lines.

Our first day was spent checking out the city itself. We went for a walk from our hostel (near the main station) and saw the opera house, the Parliament building (the second largest building in the world, the Pentagon being the largest), and the old town. In the afternoon we headed off to Bucaresti Mall to do some shopping and watch The Simpsons Movie!

Richard next to a statue at Peles Castle
see all photos »

Our second day was spent on a day trip to Sinaia where we went to visit Peles Castle, the home of the first king of Romania, King Ferdinad. The town of Sinaia was surrounded by mountains and forests, plus the fact that there was heavy rain and thunder definitely added to the ambience of the place. The castle itself is incredible - having had a working elevator and air conditioning since its construction started in the late 19th century - and the fact that it is still furnished just makes the experience more complete. We also visited Sinaia Monastery which was set against the mountains and very peaceful.

Elena in Sinaia
see all photos »

Our trip back to Bucharest, however, showed that not everyone has the hospitality towards foreigners as the people in Bulgaria. We bought a return ticket to Sinaia that morning, and so visited the ticket booth at Sinaia station to validate our return. The ticket lady did so, recommending a later train but admitting we could get the train we had come for as long as we didn't want a seat. We accepted this and boarded the train a few minutes later. When the ticket inspector came around, however, she explained (through a reluctantly translating passenger) that we had boarded the wrong train and had to pay for this train.

Elena and Richard at Peles Castle
see all photos »

This would have been fine if she wasn't asking for 400 lei (125 euro) each. Due to such a ridiculously high fine (most Romanians wouldn't earn that in a week) we flatly refused and argued that we had bought a return ticket. It was obvious from the start that she was trying to rip us off (she never printed a ticket), and we were willing to take it to the police if necessary. In the end, a different passenger spoke to her for a few minutes and she eventually gave up on us and moved on. Moral of the story: don't buy return tickets!

Sinaia Monastery
see all photos »

The next day we boarded a train (with valid ticket at the ready) to Brasov.