I went to Romania. It didn’t wow me!

UPDATED JANUARY 2021

I bet you weren’t expecting this!

So, what happened?

As you know, I’m a great advocate for Europe, and even more so for Eastern Europe. I mean you only have to scroll through this link to experience my love for the continent.

But if you’re as lazy as I am (whaaaat!), I’ll give you a helping hand!

CROATIA:

• Going to Croatia: How to visit the Balkans: Introducing Croatia – the dream of Game of Thrones!
• An introduction to Zagreb: 10 reasons why Zagreb is a family destination – A great place for teenagers!
• An introduction to Split: Have you ever been to Split in Croatia – Bring out the dragons!
• An introduction to Dubrovnik: 21 reasons why Dubrovnik is one of the top European cities to visit. If you haven’t been. Go now!
• Croatian Gastronomy: Croatia – a basic guide to food!

THE CZECH REPUBLIC:

• Going to Prague: I’m going to Prague and taking the train!
• Living in Prague as an expat: How I came to live in Prague.
• What to do in Prague: 4 Days in Prague – 40 Things to Do!
• Is Prague a part of the East or a part of the West? Prague is just one of those perfect places!
• Going to a little skiing village: Introducing Rokytnice nad Jizerou! 
• Skiing in the Czech Republic: The time that I fell off the ski lift and almost broke my leg!
• Czech Gastronomy: I didn’t kiss a girl but I ate fried cheese and I liked it!

ESTONIA:

• The Baltic States: Why travel to that part of Eastern Europe?
• Going to Estonia: An introduction to the Baltic State.
• Going to Tallinn: A charming Medieval town.
• Estonian Gastronomy: A simple guide to Estonia food.

HUNGARY:

• Going to Budapest: Budapest is a classical city of awe – 10 amazing ways to see it!
• Choosing a luxury hotel in Budapest: What no one tells you ‘cos the water is magical and it’s a secret!
• Hungarian Gastronomy: The food in Hungary is stodgy but surprisingly nice!
• Public transport: I’m going to Budapest and taking the train!

LATVIA:

• The Baltic States: Why travel to that part of Eastern Europe?
• Going to Latvia: An introduction to the Baltic State.
• Going to Riga: Riga is gorgeous. Go there right now!
• Latvian Gastronomy: Latvian food & drink.

LITHUANIA:

• The Baltic States: Why travel to that part of Eastern Europe?
• Going to Lithuania: An introduction to the Baltic State
• Going to Villnius: Travelling by bus-coach across the Baltic Region
• Lithuanian Gastronomy: Lithuanian food & drink

POLAND:

• Poland: 10 reasons not to go!
• Public transport: How to use the train in Poland
• Visiting Poland: Booking a cheap holiday or vacation in Poland
• Best of Poland: Dumplings, & everything in between!
• Visiting Warsaw: A 5 minute introduction to Warsaw
• 4 days in Warsaw: Don’t just stand there – 23 Reasons to Do It in Warsaw!
• Why did I decide to go to Warsaw: It’s quite wacky!
• Polish Gastronomy: Polish food.
• The secret of eating & drinking in Warsaw – How to make pierorgi and eat it!

SLOVAKIA:

• An introduction to travelling to Slovakia: Astonishing news! I’m organising a Summer European Challenge Campaign. By train!
• An introduction to Bratislava: Should you visit Bratislava, or stay at home and not bother!
• Slovak / Slovakian Gastronomy: 9 traditional East European things to eat in Slovakia!

SLOVENIA:

• An introduction to travelling to Slovenia: Fantastic news! I’m travelling to Sweden & Slovenia by bus. Now isn’t that just awesome. Eek!
• Going to Slovenia: A 5 minute introduction to Slovenia!
• Going to Ljubljana: 51 things to do in Ljubljana. That’s right!
• Going to Kamnik: Introducing Kamnik – A town stuffed with mountains and cheese!
• Going to Lake Bled: Lake Bled – 10 reasons to visit!
• How to visit Slovenia: How to make Trnič cheese!
• Slovenian Gastronomy: Slovenia – a basic guide to food!

p.s If you’re booking hotels, houses and apartments, use this link to save 20% or more, between 5th January and 31st March 2021!

Booking.com

Now to be clear, I’m not saying that I don’t like Romania. I’m not a hater you know.

I’m just saying that it didn’t tickle my fancy!

And even though that’s a rare thing, here’s somewhere else that I won’t be rushing to anytime soon.

Singapore.

South Africa.

The Dominican Republic.

And.

Slovakia!

Not Sloveeeeeenia that I absolutely adore.

But Slovaaaaakia.

I mean, once upon a time, I even spent a considerable amount of time living there.

And it hadn’t changed.

Not one bit.

And not for the better either!

Now before you all get your pitchforks out and proceed to burn me at the stake.

When writing about Romania, I’m refering to the nation and state of Romania, not the people.

And certainly, I’m not in any way making reference to the Roma minority!

I’m not cruel!

If anything, I very much enjoyed learning about the history and culture of the indigenous people, and only wish that I could have learnt more!

So what’s this post all about then?

Well, Romania was my 65th country, and in truth I was excited, and waiting to be dazzled.

Not by flashy buildings or histories of yore, but just by that feeling of joy.

Being in another place.

I mean, I was in a new country n’ everything.

And some things were quite interesting (I’ll tell you all about them next week)!

But.

I wasn’t overwhelmed.

I wasn’t fascinated.

And sad to say.

I wasn’t even impressed.

I’m well-travelled and know perfectly well that each country has a different charm to it.

And you don’t have to be a wealthy nation, have historical claim, or filled with a huge amount of resources, to get it right.

You don’t even have to have a name that anyone can pronounce.

Heck!

You can be as tiny as you like and still be totally compelling!

So.

I’m the last person on earth to ram my opinion down anyone’s throat.

Let’s get a little bit of background shall we?

ROMANIA

Romania is a country in a region that is considered to be Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and South-East Europe, and surrounded by Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, Moldova, the Ukraine, as well as the Black Sea!

It has a population of almost 20 million people, is considered one of the poorest members of the EU.

That notwithstanding, Romania has the second-longest river in Europe flowing through it – the River Danube – the second-longest mountain range in Europe – the Carpathian Mountains – and has been around as far back as 40,000 years ago!

Most people don’t know an awful lot about Romania, but it’s rise to fame came about in modern times due to the Communist rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu, and the intrigue of Bran Castle, otherwise known as Count Dracula’s Castle.

More about this next week!

AND BUCHAREST?

WELL, I WENT TO ROMANIA. IT DIDN’T WOW ME!

Bucharest, otherwise known as București, is the capital of Romania.

It has a population of roughly 1.8 million people, is very near the Bulgarian border, and was first mentioned in 1459!

The architecture of Bucharest is an interesting mix of neo-classical, art-deco, French and communist-era design.

In fact, pre-WWI and WWII, Bucharest was sometimes referred to as Little Paris, but was utterly destroyed by earthquakes or the rampant desires of Nicolae Ceaușescu, who preferred Bucharest to look like the country of his dreams, and bull-dozed most of the city to the ground!

In truth, Nicolae Ceaușescu did this to make way for his Palace of the Parliament, which outside of the Pentagon, is the largest administrative building in the world!

So there’s that!

WHY GO TO ROMANIA?

To visit Count Dracula’s Castle!

Nah.

Don’t be ridiculous!

No seriously.

That’s really why I went to Romania!!

To visit the castles!

Not just Bran Castle, but Pele Castle too!

I’m a tourist. What of it?

TAKE ME THERE?

Once again.

We flew with Ryanair.

And it was pretty alright.

IS IT GOING TO BE CROWDED?

Nope!

Bucharest is beginning to attract attention, and certainly, in the peak months, you’ll get a summer rush, but it’s hardly Dubrovnik.

Or Prague!

Romania isn’t on the radar of most people and so the capital city – Bucharest – is almost always mixed up with – Budapest – the capital city of Hungary!

They’re nowhere near the same!

Budapest is far nicer!

WHAT IS ROMANIA LIKE?

Well, it isn’t Switzerland, that’s for sure.

Or Denmark!

It’s not anything like other East European cities either!

It’s a bit gritty, but not like Berlin.

It’s got that old ex-Soviet Union look, but not like Riga, or Warsaw.

It’s a bit rough-looking, and not very well looked after, as there were loads of really beautiful buildings that were either abandoned, or falling apart!

I wanted to get a feel of Romania, so we were there for a week.

It didn’t wow me!

I DON’T SPEAK ROMANIAN!

Not a problem.

If you can speak German, Russian or a little English, you’ll be fine!

AM I GOING TO LIVE IN A HUT?

Umm!

Thanks to the fact that Romania isn’t on the beaten path, accommodation ranges from quite simple, to 5-star establishments.

It won’t be necessary for you to live in a cave!

Prices are excellent, so we decided to use booking.com to book a large two-bedroom, two-bathroom, two balcony apartment for just €54.00 a night.

Our Green Apartment was big enough for four (4) people sharing, making it a ridiculous price of €13.50 per person.

I really don’t think you can do any better!

Having said that, in the summer months, book ahead.

BUT WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I GET TO ROMANIA?

Romania isn’t boring.

There is plenty to do.

WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORT POSSIBILITIES?

Romania isn’t the safest of countries, but public transport is cheap and available.

We chose a better option.

Uber.

OMG!

Uber was so cheap that our rides across town cost as little as €2.60 in some places.

Two (2) Euros and sixty cents!!!

Isn’t that marvellous!

If you’re in Germany, here’s my link!

ANYTHING ELSE?

Prices are extremely cheap, but do double-check your bill.

Don’t bother to use public transport as Uber is cheap as chips.

The city centre seems to be alright at night, but most of the side roads had no street lamps, so was pretty dark.

There also seems to be a lot of construction going on as the pavements had lots of huge manholes that were fenced off with plastic tape, and couldn’t be seen at night, so that you did, in actual fact, fall in!

Don’t expect service at restaurant and bars.

I live in Berlin, where service isn’t that fantastic, but Romania totally beats nonchalant attitude, hands-down!

The amount of time that I had to ask staff at “nice” restaurants to clear and clean tables before we sat there, was rather too much for my liking.

And apparently, it’s quite the norm!

MY VERDICT:

Romania is a European historical country, mixed with distinct reminders of a socialist past.

WOULD I COME AGAIN?

Probably not!

It didn’t wow me!

I wouldn’t go all out to visit Romania, but if you’re in the region, take a day or two and visit.

Or go to the countryside, which is quite nice!

But as always, don’t just read the papers, or listen to hearsay.

Go see for yourself.

Europe is wonderful!

I WENT TO ROMANIA. IT DIDN’T WOW ME!

This article is not sponsored, and all opinions are really, my very own!

Next week, the Romanian places that I did like!

And in a few weeks, I’ll be revealing my next summer trip!

Stay tuned.

Yay!

That’s it for now.

See you next week!

Watch this space!

Note! I never travel without insurance as you never know what might happen.

I learnt my lesson in Spain. And obviously, in countries like Qatar, where technically the risk is higher, I can’t imagine going that far beyond WITHOUT INSURANCE. No siree! You can get yours here, at World Nomads!

So what are you waiting for?

Thanks a million!

Have you ever been to a place that didn’t click? Would you visit Romania? Let me know in your comments below!

See you in Berlin.

If you have any questions send me a tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on Linkedin, make a comment below, look for me on Google+ or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com

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