Bucharest, Romania, Dracula and Best Friends

Here is a link to more of my photos of Romania.http://picasaweb.google.com/Iamgoingplaces2/Romania#
Use the slide show feature.

 So while hanging out in my Orange hotel Suite in Bulgaria
I looked at a map. I realized that Romania is not that far away. I checked on the price of a plane...$234 one way. Checked on the price of a bus it was $32 so the bus it would be. Good bye to my Orange room in Plodiv and the next day I was back in Sofia to catch a bus to Bucharest, Romania.

 I like the sound of Bucharest and I didn't know any thing about it except that Dracula lives there. I also believe that Natasha and Boris from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show were born there. So after stocking up on fruits and nuts and bread and cheese I spent one more night in Sofia. The next morning I took a cab to the bus terminal and hopped on the bus for a six hour ride to Bucharest.

The long distance buses in Bulgaria are very nice and comfortable but don't have toilets and the the bus does not make a lot of stops for the toilet so I drink very little water. I keep my legs crossed. The bus was not crowded and the time passed quickly.

 The bus driver spoke no English. I made friends with a Japanese guy and an Australian couple as well as a woman who spoke the same language as the bus driver so she kept me informed of what ever pronouncement he would make.
 We crossed the border we were all looked at suspiciously by the border guard. Our passports checked and stamped and we were on our way.


Hello Romania.

I did not have a Lonely Planet Guide book for Romania. The Australian Couple had an outdated Lonely Planet for Europe. I got a quick look at it for some hotel ideas. At the bus terminal in Bucharest the first thing I did was get some Romanian Money out of an ATM machine. I still did not know the rate of exchange but I did have enough money to get a cab and pay for a night in a hotel.

I was immediately approached by a guy who asked me if I needed a cab. I said yes. I told him of a hotel I wanted to go to it was the "Hanul Luc Manuc" Hotel in the city center. *I had gotten it out of the Australian couple's Lonely Planet guide book. The cab driver spoken almost no English but indicated that he knew the hotel. I asked him how much he made a hand gesture of 10 fingers. I showed him Romanian money he shook his head yes and off we went.

The Taxi driver dropped me off in the city center which by the way looks very much like Times Square in New York. I did not see a hotel. He gesture that it was up a pedestrian walk way and he could not drive there. I was suspicious. He then clearly let me know it was 10 Euros that he wanted. I shook my head NO WAY. I insisted that we agree on 10 Lei Romanian Money. We argued and I would not leave his cab. We got people walking by involved. I had no idea how much a Lei was worth but we finally agreed on 20 Lei.

I grabbed my bags and started walking. The driver left in a huff. It seems Romanian Taxi drivers do not discriminate they will cheat any one. Young, Old, Romanian or Tourist Male or Female all are fair game. It turns out one Romanian Lei is worth about 30 cent so I ended up giving the driver about $6 U.S.
I walk up the Pedestrian walk way and I don't see a hotel.

I ask a waitress in a near by restaurant. She says that hotel closed two years ago. Stay calm I tell my self. I ask her if she knew of a hotel in the area. She said yes there is one on the other side of the park but she didn't know any thing else about it. So off I went in the Romanian version of Times Square.

I walked and kept a good attitude in my head. When I got around to the hotel Horoscop I did not care what the price for a room was I was taking it.

The Woman at the front desk was very nice and pleasant to me. Her name is Valentina. She owns the hotel. She showed me a room and told me the price in Lei. I still was not clear of the value of a Lei but I took the room right in the heart of the city. Nice room, small but Nice.

Fast Forward 10 Days
I have had a great time in Romania.
It turns out the price of the hotel room is reasonable.
I have great relationship with the hotel owner and she has since moved me into a 1 bed room apartment for the same price as the smaller room.

 It also turns out that I am right down the street from the  Palace of the Parliament...The house that Nicolae Ceauşescu Built at great expense. It is suppose to be the second largest building in the World next to the Pentagon.

Bram Castle, Transylvania

I met two guys from Spain and we became best friends for a few days. Jorge and Alfonso. We rented a car together and took a trip to Transylvania to Dracula's Castle and to see a couple other cities. When we got to Bram Castle it was still day so Dracula was sleeping and would not come out in the light of day.
I sure wanted to meet him.

Romania has been a surprisingly diverse and sophisticated country from its big cities to the Carpathian mountain range and small towns like Brasov. The people are friendly enough and most of them speak some English. It has been a good adventure here.

Now I am heading to Israel I will be there on my birthday.

Bulgaria

Gypsies, Cathedrals, Monasteries and Suites in Bulgaria.   
This is the first time I am posting a link to a photo album. Click on my photo it will take you to my photos of Bulgaria.                                                                                                    

I got to Sofia Bulgaria at 7am in the morning and once again asking my self exactly why it is I travel with out making hotel reservations? Oh yeah for the adventure of diving into the unknown. Yeah that's it the Zen of not knowing is cool and all but at the moment I am sitting in the airport at 7am and there is no information desk or tourist office open to help me find a hotel room.


There is an unsecure internet connection in the airport. I do some checking and with in an hour I am  in my hotel room at the Hotel Amethyst in Sofia, Bulgaria Room 302. I am happy cause I have internet in my room and a small refrigerator. Cost for the room 48 Lev around $32 American.


 I am now dealing with a new language and a new currency and the fun part is most people here Don't speak much or any English. I am forced to learn Bulgarian. I make a lot of notes and practice.


The young Bulgarian Taxi driver that took me to my hotel from the Airport spoke no English...at that time I spoke no Bulgarian. Silence. He then asked me in Spanish if I spoke Spanish, 'why yes I do'. We communicated in Spanish. He even taught me some basis Bulgarian words while speaking Spanish. I gave him a nice tip of 5 Lev. He smiled. We said Adios.


The weather was a bit cool my first day in Bulgaria. I enjoyed it because it has been hot and Sunny every day of my travels. I went out walking the streets of Sofia just to get a feel of the City and it's people. Over a mile from the hotel it started to lightly rain then POUR and then Lightening and Thunder when I thought it could not do any thing more it started to throw big hail stones. Very nice. I was enjoying it all.


I stood under a metal and glass frame phone booth to stay dry. I didn't think it was the smartest thing I could do when the thunder and lightening got the heaviest. After 45 minutes it slowed and then stopped. It became Sunny and warm and has been that way every day I have been here in Bulgaria. Sunny. Hot.


Bulgaria has been a Good Mix of Experiences. I suppose I had gotten a little lax in my security efforts. I was walking in a nice area near the High priced Sheraton Hotel. I am walking on a street that is not very crowded. I hear my bag unzip. I quickly turn around with my fist cocked back to punch  some one. I reach out and grab this girl. For a few seconds I thought about punching her as I held her arm. She was of course a Gypsy. 


I held her arm but I did not punch her. I wondered for a brief second what to do with her. She fail to the ground and I fail on top of her. I let her go and I got up. She lay there and screamed. And then this guy comes up and screams at her. He was a gypsy too. I knew he was her accomplish. He politely handed me my sunglasses which I had dropped. I let them both go. I straighten my self up and regain my composer and continued my walk. As I walked away people looked at me knowingly like this was nothing usual.


Later I told a couple of people I met in a Vegetarian restaurant and before I could finish my story the woman of the couple said "Gypsies, We are all targets for them." My lesson from the experience has been to be more alert when carrying my bag and to be more aware of who is walking near me. It was a good lesson and a good reminder.
 And I have been approached several times by friendly Gypsies and Yes I stay alert.


There is so much to say about Bulgaria in a positive light. Transportation is good for local or long distance. The American dollar is strong here and goes a long way. Lots of fresh fruit and Vegetables. And Yes there are a lot of Beautiful Churches and Mosque here. I have gone in to every one that I can. I take the time to pray in each one. St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral is Awesome and then some.


I had heard that the Rila Monastery was worth a visit and that it is possible to sleep there over night. So after four days enjoying Sofia I packed my bags and hopped on a bus for a 3 hour ride to the Rila Mountains. 


Once I got to the Rila Monastery. I found the office to get a dungeon, I mean room. The Monastery is beautiful and the room was small. To call the room small may be too big a word to use to describe it. The room cost 20 lev for the night. A little over $13 U.S.

I wondered what I had gotten my self into? There was no heat in the room, no shower and the hole in the floor that was the toilet was down the hall a 150 feet away.  The bed was so soft that when I sat on it I almost touched the floor. Funny thing about all this is I slept very well in this room in this bed. I have no doubt that I was a monk in several past lives.


I left the Rila Monastery and made a 5 hour bus ride to Plodiv. I found the Leipzig hotel but all they had left was Suites. I debated with my self over the price. The price was more in Lev than I wanted to pay.


I said yes and checked in. I went up to my Suite and believe me it is VERY SWEET. Room 1102 on the 11 floor next to the Presidential suite.


 My room has Orange decor carpet and ceiling and all. My view is spectacular for Plodiv.
 I have an Orange leather sofa
 and a High speed internet connection plus a refrigerator a large bath tub and big bathroom. I guess $53 American is not too much to pay after staying at the Monastery it all balances  out.

4 a.m. Flight to Bulgaria...and Parting Shots of Malta

St. Dominic's Festival in Malta. 

Malta was for the most part a positive experience. I am happy that I went there. I am even Happier that I went Scuba Diving there twice.

My second dive was an exciting open water dive near The HMS Maori a Tribal-class destroyer.

Maori was attacked by enemy German aircraft and sank at her moorings in the Malta Grand Harbour on February 12, 1942. She was raised and scuttled and re-sank on July 15, 1945.

Located a little over a 1000 feet from the shore in Valletta, Malta's Capitol.
My dive and swim around the Maori was like being in a dream and a movie at the same time. I am ready for more.

There are two Islands that make up Malta. There is Malta and Gozo. I did visit them both I saw a lot and I know there is more to be seen.

My last days in Malta I walked a great deal around Malta. Malta is a bridge between Africa and Europe. It is mostly a European Culture with a surprisingly large Africa population too.

On my last night in Malta, Mario the owner of the Grand Harbour hotel invited me for drinks in the hotel bar. He had been so nice and friendly with me that I decided to say Yes. I had sparkling mineral water and he had wine. Some friends I had made, Anita from Australia and Nicholas from Germany showed up and we talked and drank until after 10p.m. when I had to say Good bye and Good night because I wanted to get a little sleep before my early morning flight...very little sleep.

Mario left a 1 a.m. wake-up call for me. His brother Raymond was there at 2am with his son Joesph to take me to the airport. Good bye Malta.

I quickly checked in for my flight to Sofia.
All is well. Then heading for my gate I have to go through the security check. The guy doing the ex-ray sees some thing in my bag that look like scissors.
He is right. I have scissors AND my Swiss army knife that my sister Tami gave me almost 30 years ago tucked in my carry on bag. I had forgot to pack them in my luggage.

The security are very nice to me BUT they tell me that I can not take those things through that I would have to check them. I know that there is not enough time to go back and come through screening again. I sadly release the knife and scissors which my sister also gave me. I mention to the air port security guy whose name is also Mario that I would have to let the knife that I had for 30 years go.

I quickly made peace with it in my mind. The security guy Mario calls me back goes and talks with other agents there and then he filled out forms to make this a "Checked Security Item". He got my name and flight. I was sure I would never see that stuff again.

At the gate when getting ready to board my flight I see Mario hand a bag to one of the attendants then he sees me and says "It's on the plane". Wow. Can you believe that?

After an uneventful two hour flight to Sofia, Bulgaria, I arrive safely at 7a.m. I go through immigration and I get my luggage and my Swiss Army knife and my scissors arrive too.
Thanks Mario.

Good Bye Malta and Hello Bulgaria.

Now to Find a Hotel in Sofia...

On to Malta

Hello World,

Life is Good and I am in Malta. Good bye to Tunisia and it's Crowded colorful Souks and it's Medina and abundance of unloved starving street cats.

Good bye to shop keepers that don't know the word Thank You.

Good bye to the Hot sunny sweat producing weather and the non-existant Vegetarian Restaurants of Tunisia.

Good bye the to rush for limited seats on the train and Good Bye to the Beautiful Blue and White houses of Sidi Bou Said.

I am happy I went to Tunisia. I do recommend visiting if you have never been there. Once is enough for a life time.

So Hello to Malta. Hello to a small and Beautiful Country. The different views of Malta are beautiful and inspiring. The view from my hotel 'The Grand Harbour Hotel' is awesome and immense.

As soon as I got to Malta I liked it. Even the people at Customs were friendly. I moved through immigration and I got a smile. Unlike Tunisia that checked my carry on bag just a little bit too vigorously for some one LEAVING their country...

I stopped in the tourist office at the airport in Malta and the woman there went out of her way to help me. She suggested the Grand Harbour Hotel to me and I am glad I took her suggestion.

Nice old hotel with a great view and stairs in the hall way that go no where except into the ceiling. Mario and his brothers Robert Chris and Raymond that run the hotel are nice people too.

If you take the stairs from the 6th floor to the 5th floor the stairs just stop, so you have to go to another part of the building to find a complete set of stairs.
Did I mention that my room number is 69?

My first night in Malta fire works were being shot off over the Harbor. I accepted that they were being shot off for me, and they were.

It seems that Malta is BIG on Religious Festivals. Every town has a Festa. They attempt to out do each other and then after a week of Festa that town closes up shop and goes on Vacation.

There was a "Festa" here in the Capitol city Valletta. There are nearly 60 festas in Malta. The Maltese festa, a religious celebration organized by the local parish happens most during the summer months.

It was the Festival for St. Dominic I went to it. It started at the entrance to the Church of St. Dominic. The streets in front were filled with people young and old. I felt comfortable in the crowd.

The Festa started with the bells of the church Madly Ringing... then bishops and others of the cloth proceeded out the door carrying long candles and crosses and religious icons. On and on it went. At odd moments the crowd would wildly applaude some thing or some one exiting the church.
There was even a Marching Band that followed the procession.

The large procession proceeded to parade down the street and on for several blocks. It was quite a religious and party like event. Fireworks shot off at various times during the celebration.
It is good to be a Saint in Malta.