I’m being told that Europe contains 50 countries (or 51 or if you count Kosovo).  This is a very broad definition which includes Kazakhstan and the Caucasuses.

I’ve got this dream of visiting every European country within my lifetime.  So far I’ve visited 18 of this 50, and it seems like a lifetime and I’m not even halfway yet.  But somehow it seems as though I’ll be spending more time doing country counting rather than actually visiting something worthwhile.  Such as visiting every single country in the former Yugoslavia…8 of them.  Had I started this bucket list in the 80s I could have gotten Yugoslavia out of the way in one trip.

And so I’m beginning to run of out the “Good” countries and going more backwoodsy.  Such as Moldova and Belarus sometime.  Those are countries I wouldn’t think about visiting, but somehow I’m checking them off my list at some point in the future.

And there’s another thing.  I won’t be alone anymore.  I’m engaged.  And now Sharon will soon be my travel companion.  I am excited and scared at the same time.  I have a responsibility to keep her (and myself) safe during these trips.  Most likely I’ll stick to the safe parts of western Europe.  But come to think of it, I haven’t ever been anywhere really shady, although some parts of Romania and Poland seemed a little gray.

And so now I start a new journey of sorts.  A journey of me transitioning not only from explorer but also to tour guide anxious to see how my better half enjoys Europe.

I ended up getting up early. It was about 6 AM and I managed to chat briefly with my girlfriend before she went to bed.

Breakfast at the hotel was the usual cold cuts, toast, and eggs. Unfortunately because my plate was so small I ended up spilling my jelly toast on the counter. I tried to wipe it up as best I could but later on I saw that the attendant had wiped it up there early.

My tour of the palace of parliament was not until 10 AM so I had a few hours to kill. I decided to check out some of the his store churches because they open early and were free.

At one church there was a whole other building separate from the church for people were lighting candles and offering prayers. It seems so unusual from the faith that I am familiar with. Many of these churches were orthodox churches with no seating. I did some research and found that chairs inside churches during services were not implemented until a time when preachers were speaking for hours at a time rather than just a simple message from the pulpit and a brief singing and prayers.

Whenever I go into these churches I try to refrain from taking photos especially when people are praying. I like to refrain from being an ugly tourist. During one search visit I saw a man being comforted by a priest.he was whispering things to the priest and I believe it might’ve been a confessional.

You got to be about 9 o’clock so I decided to head toward the palace of Parliament. Because of my fiasco yesterday with being fined on the buses, I was apprehensive about using public transport again. So I walked to the palace of Parliament.

The palace of parliament is the second largest office building in the world behind the Pentagon. Quite a few city blocks were destroyed to make room for the building. Work started in the early 80s and ran nonstop until it was completed in the early 90s. The building itself isso big that it’s not occupied and costs a fortune to heat and cool.

I entered to the right side of the building. My reservation was under Jeffrey and thankfully they found my reservation. I paid the extra money to be able to use my good camera to take photos of the building.

One thing I noticed about our guide was that his shoes were tennis shoes…with blue laces. Certainly this was not something that would be found at an official public tour in the United States. Rather you would probably see the tour operator wearing nondescript black tennis shoes.

Our tour guide called for assembly for the 10 AM tour. He had an accent which initially was difficult to understand. But after a while you get used to it. The hallways and rooms are huge. All material within the complex was made by Materials found in Romania.

Nicolae Ceaușescu was the Romanian dictator Who had a crazy idea of building such a large building after a visit to North Korea. Our tour guide told stories about how he had stairways built and torn down and rebuilt five times because it was not up to his specifications. He never did see the building completed as in 1989 the revolution took place and he and his wife were executed. Our tour guide pointed out that he does not like anyone to be killed but he was happy that it was the end of a dictator. Our tour guide said that when he gives tours to Romanian groups he has to watch what he says because some Romanians still find Ceaușescu a good leader.

Room after room we were shown the greatness of the palace. We were able to go out on the balcony to see the large main road leading to the palace where we took some photos. I asked her to her God if he was alive during the revolution. He said that he was three years old but his parents and grandparents told him stories of the revolution. In fact his parents were briefly separated during the time of the revolution but both are united back home and were glad to find each other safe.

At the end of the tour I asked our tour guide if he knew the bus number to take to the Arc de Triomphe. He recommended taking the subway as it was much faster than the bus. I was able to figure out my way to use the subway and get to the appropriate place to walk to the arc de triumph. It was a few city blocks away from the subway station. There were cars all around it and so I had to watch myself as to when I should cross the street. I managed to get some good pictures of it and tried opening the doors to go on top but they were both locked.

I decided now would be a good time to get lunch. I chose my hotel because it was near Pizza Hut and a local pizza chain that is Jerry’s pizza. I had Pizza Hut last night therefore I decided to try Jerry’s Pizza. Unfortunately Jerry’s pizza was Takeaway only as they were no tables and chairs inside. When I ordered they had to find someone who spoke reasonable English in order to take my order. I ordered a small carnivore pizza which I later found out was ham, bacon and pepperoni.

When I got my pizza briefly considered to be eating it on a park bench near the restaurant but I decided it might be best for me to walk the pizza back to my hotel room so I could relax and recharge my phone.

As a sidenote can anybody explain why cell phones are never able to keep their church throughout an entire day? I started using my cell phone which was fully charged at breakfast and by the end of breakfast it was down to about half the battery. I really need to get a new cell phone when I get home but I figure the battery situation probably has improved. I get the feeling that it’s the Facebook app that drains the battery with location request.

My pizza was it quite as warm whatever I got to the hotel room but it was edible. I recharge my phone and got it up to about halfway charged.

After a while I decided that I would like to go out and see a few more churches. I had also seen a list of sites in Bucharest which were beautiful enough to share on Instagram. I decided to go to one of the sites which was a small open courtyard of rainbow colored umbrellas. Around the area was an outdoor eating area. I’m sure those people eating their lunch were probably thinking I was crazy for taking so many pictures.

As a sidenote I think my camera lense has been damaged because it appears to be loose and it doesn’t focus as well and take pictures. I’ll probably have to get it serviced whenever I get back home.

After the rainbow umbrella so I decided to check out a church nearby. As I walk to the church and noticed that her usual building which the first to ground floors were an old style brick and then the upper floors were a modern glass building. This was truly a example of old and new coming together with in Bucharest. It was not surprising that the building housed an architectural firm.

I manage to find another church nearby which was very small. Around the church was graffiti but the church itself was not graffitied. Either the church is very adamant about cleaning of graffiti or the graffiti artist choose not to spray paint on the historic church.

Next I decided to wander around the old city looking for souvenirs. If I happen to come around a historic church I would go in. I still needed to get some souvenirs for friends and family. I had also packed one less shirt to wear on my way back thinking that I could just buy a shirt while in Romania. The only problem is The shirts that I found were kind of ugly.

After searching around for quite some time I finally found a souvenir stand that had everything that I wanted. This includes a quality Romanian flag and not just a paper thin flag of low-quality.

I ate supper at a subway not because I was craving Subway but rather I was craving the unlimited drink refills. I had a ham and cheese, cheese chips, and a fountain drink. I also managed to fill out a Romanian survey to get a free cookie. As I ate my sandwich I begin to feel very tired and cold. I decided I best call it a day go back to the hotel for a nap.

I certainly don’t want to be feeling nauseous tomorrow on my way back..

I’m still trying to figure out the best way to the airport whether it be by bus or train or taxi. I am unsure if my bus pass covers the train to the airport and I don’t want to be caught again buy the ticket checkers and have to a 50 Romanian lei fine.

Here’s to hoping I can get some good sleep so that I’ll be rested to be able to travel tomorrow

I slept in a bit. I got up and left for breakfast at McDonald’s at around 8:30 AM. I had the usual burrito wrapped sausage egg and cheese plus orange juice.

I went back to the hotel and asked the front desk person to help me book a reservation for a tour of parliament in Bucharest. The front desk lady did not speak English very well so our conversation was slightly difficult. She made the reservation under Jeffrey instead of my last name. I just hope that there’s no other Jeffries which arrive for the 10 AM tour tomorrow.

I packed up my stuff and headed out. From experience I have found that whenever you go on a long train ride it is probably best to eat before hand. So I stopped at Subway and had a quick lunch and got a to go cup on my way out. I got to the bus stop just as bus number for to the train station was loading people but I hadn’t bought my ticket yet. Therefore I had to wait for the next bus.

When I got to the bus station I discovered that the next train to Bucharest wasn’t until 1:42 PM which was about an hour and 45 minutes. I wish I had known the train schedule that way I would not have wasted so much time just sitting in the Brasov train station.

As I waited a Romanian man struck up a conversation with me. He was ethnically Hungarian but lived in Romania. At some point the Austria Hungarian empire had crept into parts of Transylvania. Therefore there are still some ethnic Hungarians living in Romania. He showed me photos of canyons and natural formations where he lived. He had come to Brasov to look for work but I believe he was unsuccessful. He has a wife and a 10-year-old son. I could only wish him well in his job search.

Previously I had seen an advertisement in McDonald’s for a job paying 28,000 Romanian lei which is equivalent to US$7100. The cost of living in Romania is very low compared to western Europe. The US dollar can go very far in Romania.

I boarded the train and found other people sitting in my seat. We played the usual game of musical chairs until we could get some semblance of order according to what our tickets were assigned to. I was one of those people at one time where I just sat wherever I wanted to and didn’t realize that the tickets have a specific wagon and seat number.

The scenery immediately after the train station was very beautiful. It reminded me of Gatlinburg. The Carpathian mountains may be the poor man’s Swiss Alps.

There is a young lady sitting across from me who I found out spoke English. I asked if she was American and she said no. Later on I found out she was a New Zealander living in London. I started to ask her about life in New Zealand and where New Zealanders vacation to. she answered my questions that seem disinterested in my situation such as where I was from and why I was vacationing in Romania. So I decided to leave her alone the rest the trip. I’ll put on my headphones to listen to my iPod not necessarily because I was craving to listen to music. Instead it was to drown out all the Romanian that was being spoken in the background.

As we approached Bucharest north station I found it unusual in that not many people are getting up to get their stuff in anticipation of the trains arrival. I guess because the train was terminating in Bucharest it seemed a bit over prepare to get off so quickly.

As I got off the train And walked into the lobby area of the train station a man asked me if he could take me to my hotel. He was offering 50 Romanian lei but I declined.

Are use the train station is free Wi-Fi to determine the best route to my hotel. It showed me going to the bus stop and getting on bus 85. I had trouble buying tickets at the machine so I got it from the lady at the ticket booth. I asked for both bus and metro ticket for 24 hours.

After a while bus 85 did come and I got on. The ticket card did not show any barcode or electronic stamp on it so I figured it was OK. However the ticket control officers boarded the train and was asking everyone for their ticket. I gave them a ticket and they said that it was invalid. They told me to get off the bus. I had to pay a fine of 50 Romanian lei (about $8.50). I tried to explain to them that I was unfamiliar with the transport ticketing system as I have just arrived into the city. But they did not speak English and were adamant about giving me a fine. This aggravates me because it is my first time in their city and they should have cut me some slack. Since I did not know if I was allowed to continue my journey on the bus I just walked to my hotel. I believe it was probably around 2 to 3 miles down the road.

When I got to the hotel and explain the situation to the front desk gentleman. He recommended that I get a new card from the newspaper booth around the corner. Looking over the map it may be that I may not have to get a bus ticket anyway because most of the attractions are within walking distance Albeit at a bit far.

I decided to have supper at Pizza Hut which was just a short walk away from my hotel. I ordered a small pan meat lovers pizza. Here’s an interesting phenomenon. The 300 mL cola from the fountain was six Romanian lei. However the 250 ml cola served in a glass bottle was seven Romanian lei. In short its slightly less drink for more money.

I think the waitress forgot about me what it was time to pay. She was busy serving many other people in the other room. I wasn’t sure if it is appropriate for me to tip the Romania but I did anyway. I was trying to check on the Pizza Hut wifi, but the Internet wasn’t working.

I spent the rest of the time before sunset wandering around the streets of the old town. Most of the old town is made up of bars in Gentlemens clubs, with occasional souvenir stand mixed in.

I’m back in my hotel and will probably go to sleep in a few hours. Tomorrow I have a tour of parliament scheduled. I’ll spend the rest the time visiting histiric landmarks and maybe in a museum or two.

I wasn’t even sure that the hotel provided breakfast. Looking over my booking from booking.com it didn’t mention anything about breakfast. So I went down to McDonald’s.

It’s hard to believe this McDonald’s was open so late last night with the carousing and again open this morning, hopefully with a different crew.

I had cheese, egg, and sausage wrapped in a soft burrito bread. I use the free McDonald’s Wi-Fi to try to determine the best way of getting to the second bus station in the town. I had two options at two different bus stops. I knew one bus stop had to ticket machine and I wasn’t sure about the other bus stop. So I bought my ticket at the first bus stop however I realized that the bus came Center at the bus stop further down the road. So I headed out to the second bus stop. I didn’t make it in time to catch the bus so I had to wait. It was Sunday and buses only ran once an hour instead of every 30 minutes on weekdays.

I made it to the second bus station in town known as Autogara 2. Immediately after getting off the bus and wandering into the parking lot, I had people asking me if I was going to Bran. The guide book had warned about accepting offers from individuals at the bus station. It wasn’t that they were trying to rip you off rather it was about you paying extra for something that you could do on your own. I acted like I did not speak English. It’s a good thing to do when your overseas and someone is harassing you. Just act like you don’t understand English and eventually they will leave you alone.

Our driver showed up and I bought tickets to Bran which was 8 lei – about $2. I dosed on the ride there, but I’m always afraid of falling asleep and someone stealing my stuff.

I almost got off at the wrong stop but the driver and passenger is on the bus stopped me in time. The area around Bran Castle is a big tours trap selling worthless trinkets. Tickets to bran Castle 40 lei – around $10. There was no queue going into the castle. Instead it was a continuous line. At most other famous castles, there is a entry line with entry time. With no entry time it was a continuous line through the entire castle. Very crowded. Teenaged girls doing ridiculous selfies.

I’ve found the doorways of Bran castle were shorter. Was this because people in early ages were shorter than modern man?

The castle appears to be in good condition. I’m not sure if the furniture was original. I’m also not sure about the connection between the castle and Vlad the impaller. The castle was to collect taxes against merchants who were traveling to Brasov.

Quite honestly I became claustrophobic there in the tour and was glad that I reached the exit.

I wandered through the maze of vendors Hawking souvenirs. I decided it would be best to try and go to Ransov, as rain was in the forecast but he was still sunny. I wanted to try and beat the rain which was expected by mid afternoon.

At the bus stop I met up with a British couple named James in Sharon who are also going Ransov. They were very friendly and we shared stories of Britain and the USA. Eventually the bus came and I had mapped it out on my phone using Google Maps.

We did eventually get off at the right stop and found her way to the funicular which would take us to the Citadel. Ransov’s clock tower and Hollywood style lettering on the mountain makes for a postcard view to the town. We found the funicular and rode to the top.

I had trouble finding the entrance to the citadel. The way the citadel is positioned you actually have to walk through a corner of it to get to the ticket booth. There is also a dinosaur park for children. I believe one got to the dinosaur Park by riding wagons with seeds hauled by tractors to the park. I didn’t go to the park because I figured I could see dinosaurs back home at a science Museum.

The Citadel provided for some great views of the city. The only problem is that the rocks around some of the high places are slippery from being worn down so much. So you really ever watch yourself. Throughout the Citadel there were vendors Hawking their Goods. I didn’t buy any because I figured I could live without this type of junk.

I wandered back to the bus stop. The bus must have just come because it seems to take awhile for another bus to come. While I was waiting quite a few private drivers came to offer a ride to us. When I say private drivers I mean non taxis. Being the prudent traveler that I am I refused their offers. However others at the bus stop did take their offers. Apparently hitch hiking and drivers offering thier services is common in Romania.

While I was waiting I heard an accident and experienced the aftermath. One driver with changing lanes to turn right and did not see the other driver one driver was changing lanes to turn right and did not see the other driver. They traded paint. Both cars where roadworthy after the accident. One of the driver’s was very upset at the other one. Throughout my time there the police never did come in I’m not sure if they were called.

The bus finally did come. While I was getting on, a traveller was asking the driver about where the train station was. The driver did not understand and I was a confident enough in my answer to provide him with Direction.

I Made it back to Brasov to the bus station. Next I had to catch a city bus to my hotel period however I had failed to buy a bus ticket beforehand. Unfortunately there were no ticket machines at the station that I was walking near. Using the Brasov Hollywood sign I walked back to the old town. It might have been three or four miles. As I walked I was beginning to get hungry and thought about having Domino’s pizza for dinner. I managed to find my way using Google Maps. At the Domino Pizza the workers must not have been too busy as all three of them were sitting in the lobby and one of the girls was sitting in the lap of one of the guys. When I entered they quickly became busy knowing that they have to cook my pizza. The pizza was decent.

I walked back to my hotel with a storm looming in the background. What was unusual to me was how many people were out even though a thunderstorm was imminent. I did make it back to my hotel room before it started raining which made for a perfect day.

Tomorrow I catch a train to Bucharest period there are about 18 trains daily so I didn’t buy a ticket in advance. Bucharest seems foreboding to me as it is a very large City with a lot of stray dogs.

This time I did sleep in, if only briefly. My hotel is immaculate. It’s the biggest hotel room I’ve ever seen in Europe.

Breakfast was the usual variety, that is cold cuts and toast. I did find some sugar coated crackers which were really good.

My hotel is within walking distance of the old town, but far enough away that you wouldn’t want to run back real quick to get something.

So I walked to the old town, and got a bit lost along the way. Lots of colorful buildings painted in bright colors. There’s a bell tower where you can see a good section of the town. Along the town’s streets are the occasional gift shop, selling Dracula themed items, among other fairs. I always wonder what happens with this type of junk people buy and never display. I imagine some of ends up in landfills, or garage sales or the like.

I did see a church decorated with white cloth on the pews. I had already seen a wedding party being photographed, so I figured that was it.

I climbed the stairs to the church on the hill and paid 8 lei to get in. Nothing spectacular, but historically significant to the town. In the basement are tombs, many encased in cement, others behind clear glass with the wooden coffin showing.

Nearby is an old cemetery, but the graves are not as old as the church.

I had lunch at a restaurant in the lower part of the town. My burger was a bit rubbery. I overheard a group of people speaking English…not only that, it was southern American English. They kept making references to southern things like grits, and Kentucky and Tennessee. I introduced myself, by saying “Do I hear a southern accent?” They were from Huntsville, doing some type of Baptist missionary work.

Which brings to mind if I have a subtle disappointment on my face or does my voice lower in disappointment when I find out that an acquaintance isn’t church of Christ? Do I not have a poker face in matters of faith?

I took it easy today. Sighisoara is something you can do in one day, if not half a day. Intriguing village, but not enough to write home about. I did pick up a small drawing of the clock tower for display in my home.

The train ride back was uneventful. Sighisoara’s train station is so small they don’t have a screen displaying the schedules. I asked the ticket agent just be sure,

When I arrived in Brasov, I met a Japanese guy who had the goal of visiting 100 countries. He was up to 75. We were going the same direction, so we rode a bus we thought was going to the old town. On the bus was a drunk guy who put his arm around my new Japanese friend, to which the Japanese friend moved seats. My hotel is in the main drag of Brasov. I didn’t account for the drunk people being out on the streets. So I might have a sleepless night.

Goodnight all

I tried to sleep in…really, but my biological clock woke me up early. I ended up getting up at around 7:30 AM. Breakfast was served at another location around the corner from my hotel or residence as it is called. The usual breakfast fare included cold cuts, cereal, fruit, and bread. Unfortunately there was no way to toast the bread so I ended up making a sandwich with the cold cuts. Also ahead cookie crisp cereal. I have found that this type of cookie crisp cereal is never a chocolatey as the ones I’ve tried in America. I noticed a sign that stated the cook would prepare an omelette if you asked. This was confirmed as I saw an older lady ask for an omelette. I asked our host for a ham and cheese omelette and she said that she could do cheese but no ham. This really befuddled me as ham was already on the breakfast buffet. If it was a hassle for them to cut up the ham I’d be happy to cut it up myself and toss it on there while they were cooking the omelette. But to keep everyone happy I was satisfied with just cheese omelette. Now it wasn’t exactly the best omelette but it was filling which is something I needed because there was no toast being made.

I went back to my room and packed my backpack for the day. I noticed the go Pro tripod mount had broken. I guess I’ll have to order a new one from eBay. I don’t necessarily use the extension stick for GoPro filming but sometimes it helps to be able to film an unusual positions using that selfie stick with the tripod mount.

I figured before I checked out I needed to see if anyone was there at the reception desk at Casa Luxembourg. Casa Luxenberg is the reception desk for the Huet residence. I walked by there and I guess the same host was in charge of breakfast which was not completely over yet. So I decided to tour around the town.

The set up of Sibiu is similar to Brasov, but in a smaller scale. However I do believe Sibiu has a much larger main square of the two. I took several photos around the town before going back to Casa Luxembourg. This time she was helping an older couple that seem to be asking a lot of questions. It seems Casa Luxembourg also doubles as a tourist information center.

So I went back out and took some more pictures. This time I did manage to find the city walls and towers without actually sitting out to look for it. Unfortunately the wall was not accessible as the stairways were locked. Still it made for a good photo opportunity.

Knowing that I needed to check out by 12 noon I went back and the host was not busy. She explained that I could just leave the key at the residence front desk which remained unstaffed. I asked her if she could call and make tour reservations at The Romanian parliament in Bucharest. Reservations of this nature can only be made through a phone call which makes it somewhat of a hassle. The host called the reservation number but it was busy. She said she would try later on in the day.

I decided to Tour St. Mary’s Cathedral. As I approach the cathedral there was a small food market including local honey. I thought to myself would be interesting to try and take it back in my suitcase which would be a near impossibility.

The lady who met me at Saint Mary’s Cathedral said that the main part of the building was closed for renovations but I can visit the chapel and the tower. It seems like you’re up is continuously in a state of renovation. Too many times I’ll find a picturesque scene online and journey there only to find ugly construction curtains which completely ruined The photo opportunity.

St. Mary’s Chapel is skippable. However in the tower has a view that is incredible. At the top there were at least two pigeons trapped as they had flown in open windows and we’re unable to find their way out. There is only one window in each corner that opens. There’s a sticker on the window at that instructs do you or us to shut the window when they get done. The pigeons seem to follow me around from window to window. I finally realized that the pigeon has a homing instinct to try to get out to the fresh air rather than being left the store in the tower. When pigeon actually did manage to get out as I had left the window open and just ducked my head when the pigeon flew out.

From my perch I noticed a large Cathedral which was not on my tour guide book. I decided to check it out since I knew the general direction of where the church was located at.

I found my way there and immediately noticed that it was a orthodox church. How did I know this? I had seen orthodox churches before in Latvia. Orthodox churches are unique because there are no pews and everyone stands during the service. So I guess when the song Leader says “let us stand,” he really means it in Orthodox churches. Then again I’m not too familiar with the types of songs they sing orthodox churches if any. It could be Gregorian chants.

While inside the church I saw a handful of individuals making the sign of the cross and silently praying. While I am impressed with their dedication a part of me is saddened that they do not know The simple gospel rather than this whole pomp and circumstance that orthodox and Catholicism relies on.

I had some time to burn so I decided to go by the city walls again for an up close look. In the wall behind the wall there was interesting graffiti including a guns and roses quote from November rain.

I was getting hungry and decided to try and find lunch. On my way from the train station to the hotel yesterday I smelt some good pizza. So I went looking for that particular pizza place. The pizza place was having a buy one get one free but I told the waiter that I would not be able to get two pizzas and instead he should only cook one. Unfortunately The menu was not a la cart. So I ordered a ham and salami pizza. I thought I had ordered just a small pizza but the calzone the waiter brought out was huge and I knew I could not finish it. Had it been a familiar pizza like Pizza Hut or Papa John’s I probably could’ve finished it. But this one was strange tasting. Not bad but just unusual. Paid as much as I could and paid my fee which ended up being 38 Romanian lei. This was one of the more expensive meals that I had purchased but it is still cheaper American standards.

The time was 1:30 so I had some time to kill. I tried to find a pharmaceutical museum but was unsuccessful therefore I went to the natural history Museum. The museum itself is nothing to write home about but I can understand why this area would have a need for it since it may be the only hands on exhibit showingprehistoric creatures. In the front lawn of the natural history Museum there was a triceratops model which came in nicely with the medieval tower in the background.

Next I decided to find the history Museum. On my way to the history Museum I stumbled upon the tourist flea market area. After looking over several magnets I discovered a small framed artwork which I purchased. I also tried saying thank you in Romanian to the shopkeeper which came out OK.

The Museum of history is also nothing to write home about. But it gives some perspective to those needing it.

The Museum of history has a coat of armor and several firearms on display which they keep locked up for security purposes.

It wasn’t quite time to leave so I decided to head over to the bridge of lies. The bridge of lies is traditionally referred to as the place were lovers go and pledge their love for one another. So the tradition says that if the bridge creaks then all I was told. However now the bridge does not creak anymore because it’s made out of concrete. I made a few videos about it I decided grab my luggage and head toward the train station.

I made small talk with Isabella who had been so kind and helping me out before. Isabella was The receptionist who met me last night and showed me to my room.

Before heading to the train station I decided would be best to backtrack towards the subway to grab dinner as I thought most restaurants will be closed whenever I got to Sighisoara. The subway workers were confused that I did not want the combo and they could not give me a bottle drink if the combo was not purchased. Secretly I think that getting a bottle drink actually saves them money as there are no refills which are in Play win the combo with a fountain drink is purchased.

I almost ate my Subway sandwich while on my way to the train station but I figured it would cause for an acrobatic act, trying to maneuver a backpack, the suitcase and the subway meal. Therefore I eat it whenever I got to the train station.

There was a beggar with only one leg there scooting around on his knees asking for money. Just as I set down to eat my Subway mail I believe security asked him to go outside rather than harass people for money. So he went out to the tracks which technically were still on train station property and his audience was captive.

Once I finished my Subway sandwich I decided would probably be best for me to try and get another drink to refresh me on my way to Sighisoara. So I hurriedly Took my luggage and went to the nearest supermarket about a block away to get a Fanta Orange.

I made it back in time and figured I should probably go to the correct platform. There was a train already at the platform three and I had wondered if that was the train else’s post to be on as it look like it wasn’t going anywhere. I watch several people get on the train and I almost asked one of them if this was the train to Sighisoara. Finally one of the train representatives got off the train and confirmed that this was the train I was supposed to be on when I showed him the tickets.

This Regio train is the slowest of all the Romanian train system. It stops at every little small train station on the way but this was the best route I could find. There is no assigned seating so I tried to find a row without another person in it.

I ended up sitting with a young college student who out later found out spoke English fairly well. She took classes in Sibiu but went back home to Medes on weekends.

At the second stop a few construction workers came on board. Not wishing that they should stand the whole way I offered up my seat which my backpack was in to allow for them to sit down and still allowed me to sit. One of the construction workers held a 2.5liter of beer. I had never seen beer and a bottle this big. And he was passing it around to the other workers and even poured it unsuccessfully to a used bottle to another worker. He didn’t necessarily smell of alcohol but it’s somewhat concerned me that he was drinking this much beer in one sitting. But who am I to judge? And someways I’m thinking that anybody who drinks that much beer is probably an alcoholic. He offered to help me put my backpack up above the seat in the luggage rack but I had a lot of electronics in it and I opted to hold onto it.

Now this train is a dilapidated German train with cracks in the windows and graffiti sprayed along the side. At this particular state where Phoebe was on the outside of the window therefore I did not have a clear view of the stations. Eventually the construction worker found another seat for me stating that I could see you out in this seat. I was kind of glad he found that seat as I was kind of feeling awkward with him drinking that much beer around me.

The construction workers got off at another stop. Then a few stops later of very few amount of adults and a ton of children got on. You could tell the children were poor because their clothing was dirty. Also several minutes into the trip a few of them were begging for money. I felt bad not giving them any but I figured if I gave won some money word would get around and I would be pestered to death. One of the adults reminded me of Carol Burnett’s character in the movie Annie. She seemed pretty mean and even gave a couple of the kids spankings before the trip is all over with. The kids were tossing coins at the step to waste time. I thought for sure they would try to pick pocket me so I kept an eye on my pockets. But they didn’t and they were off by a couple stops later.

After what seemed like an eternity we finally stopped at our final destination. The

train had been really hot. I later found out that my candy bar head melted into a chocolate puddle but luckily the wrapping kept it watertight there for my backpack remained untouched.

I got lost on my way to the hotel but a kind gentleman help me out even though he did not speak any English practically. My hotel room is one of the biggest Hotel rooms that I have stayed at in Europe. It’s even big by American standards. It has a fancy old Timey bathtub with the option of showering.

Tomorrow I will tour Sighisoara, which should only take half a day so it will be a down day for me. Hopefully I can try to find a place to rest before catching my train back to Brasov at 5pm.