We had a really nice time in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria and felt well taken care of at the Gurko Hotel. The owner made these small spring bouquets for each table in the dining room. Our last evening there it was cool enough for a fire in the fireplace.
We left the coziness of the hotel feeling a bit anxious about making transportation connections for our journey to Romania. The first step was to catch a bus to Ruse, Bulgaria. We waited at the bus station (shown below) for a minivan/bus to Ruse, Bulgaria.
We arrived safely in Ruse and walked a short distance to catch a train to Bucharest, Romania. It was a slow train and we had to give up our passports twice – once as we left Bulgaria and again when we crossed the border into Romania. We were nervous giving up our passports but there was no other option and both times, they were returned to us after about 30 minutes. The train was slow, hot, and sometimes stinky but we arrived in Bucharest after about three hours. Larry called a Bolt (ride share) and it arrived a minute later and we hopped in. Several miles into the ride, the driver discovered that we were not the passengers that he was supposed to pick up. He pulled over and let us out of the car – he was very nice about it. We got another ride-share car and made our way to our hotel in Bucharest. Old Town Bucharest has many grand buildings and a mix of architectural styles. There is a lively cafe scene and many families out for dinner and a stroll on a Saturday evening. Later in the night, boisterous party goers took over the streets and we were kept awake by wild Romanian dance music!
We only spent one night in Bucharest but we’re looking forward to spending a few more days here at the end of this trip. Sunday morning, we took another ride share to the Bucharest Airport to pick up a rental car. Our kind driver Vasile pointed out Bucharest highlights along the way and gave us a mini Romanian language lesson. He dropped us off and we walked down a gravel road to the WLC (We Love Cars) office.
A couple of wrong turns and we were on our way to our next stop…Sibiu, Romania. Larry is a fearless driver, the car is comfortable, the highways are well maintained and with GPS, easy to navigate. The drive was beautiful with snow capped mountains, rivers, greenery, and gorges. We arrived in Sibiu five hours later. It’s a cute town and we will spend the next four nights here.
Larry suspects that this Banca Transylvania is probably a “blood bank”!
So we’re finally settled in Sibiu for a few days. We hope to do some day trips from here and we might even make a trip to Dracula’s Castle!