LONG TIME DEAD

A late summer trip for me and my partner Paula. September 2023.

Less than two weeks after helping Paula move into a new house we are headed on a whirlwind tour of Romania. My suggestion that it will be deeply relaxing and just what is needed was rightly viewed with suspicion, but Paula is always up for new stuff so I get my way.     

A cheap and speedy train takes us from the airport into Bucharest Nord, the sort of faded and edgy station that I love. En route to our hotel, we see intermittently why the city is labelled the Paris of the East. There is French influence in the architecture and French (and plenty of Italian) influence in the language – all rooted in the enduring Romanian Latinity.    

That first evening we eat in Caru’ cu Bere. This is a bit of an institution on the edge of the old town. It was a beer house from the late 1800s and has served food from this site for over 100 years. We enjoyed excellent Romanian fare and good beer al fresco.   

We have just one full day in Bucharest. We spend the morning on a guided tour at Casa Ceausescu in the Floreasca district. This is the place Nicolae and Elena used for entertaining and is a mix of both austere and lavish decor. Pretty much everything remains exactly as it was when the Ceaușescus were executed in ’89. Paula marvels at the gold bathroom suites. I’m into Nicolae’s outfits in the dressing room – plenty of eastern European Kim Jong-un going on.

It was very hot in the afternoon so we stayed in the leafy surrounds and swim lanes in the lovely Gradina Floreasca outdoor pool. There is much fun to be had watching two Romanian lads on the pull, both punching well above their weight and both still fruitless when we left at 4ish. We would have liked to explore the Floreasca district a bit more but time is against us.

Dinner that night was again on the edge of the old town at Lacrimi si Sfinti – another fab old-school Romanian place that I would recommend.   

The next morning we embark on a three hour bus journey to the Danube Delta at the far north-west of Romania. I can’t believe we’ve never clocked the Danube Delta before this trip. It is a huge expanse of waterways and the second largest and best-preserved river delta in Europe. I found a great little tour company (Discover Danube Delta) and the super helpful manager Calina helped me on logistics. We book in for their 3 day/2 night trip which includes accommodation in a local B&B.

The trip starts late afternoon at the Old Port of Tulcea where we pick up binoculars, life jackets and board a small speedboat. It is a 90-minute ride to the small fishing village of Mila 23 accessed by waterways only – slowing down to see eagles, pelicans and many types of heron. Not long after arrival we are served a massive stew of broiled carp and catfish at our B&B. This is a no fuss meal – the food is very rudimentary in both look and taste.

We say yes to the optional sunrise excursion the following morning, so the day begins with a 5.15AM alarm. Our guide is Florian and we meet Roger – a UK guy on a retirement trip. We see more amazing birds and then, after a stop for breakfast, we head to the Letea Forest. This involves a switch from boat to jeep and we see wild horses, lots of ancient forest and stop off at a local’s house for carp and catfish stew. This is all less than 2km from the Ukrainian border. That night we are seriously knackered – so it is just more carp stew and then bed.  

We return to Tulcea by boat the next morning and then take a private hire taxi to Mamaia, just north of Romania’s third largest city Constanta. Mamaia is on a brilliant slice of land only 300 metres wide that has Lake Siutghiol on one side (perfect for sunsets) and the Black Sea on the other (perfect for early morning tea at sunrise).  

Our taxi driver tells me the hotel we are heading to is owned by the great Gheorghe Hagi. This triggers a one-sided conversation with Paula in the back of the car about the delights of both Hagi and 80s/90s football. Seems he took over this hotel in 1999 and is currently both owner and first team coach at FC Farul Constanta.

Hagi’s place is popular with both those on conferences and those looking for some relaxation. It has a couple of nice outdoor pools and a great spa area. We find a pleasant little fish restaurant nearby that we go to on consecutive nights. It faces west so is perfect for eating in the evening sunset and the cooking is far more refined than our Danube Delta scran.

Next day is departure. I make myself very unpopular by relying on a complex three-change 120-mile public transport journey ahead of a 2pm flight, all so we could squeeze in an extra night in Mamaia. I’m lucky and the connections work out fine, and we even get time to loiter around Bucharest Nord station once again.   

Post Trip Reflections  

We only skimmed the surface of Bucharest, with 2 nights and 1 full day. I reckon 3 nights and 2 full days is needed to do the city justice. Definitely get beyond the old town which I thought was a bit tawdry. And a word of warning, dodge the over-priced yellow taxis and take an Uber instead.

If you have never lived off freshwater fish for three days then prepare yourself. It has a very earthy taste and up in the rural areas is cooked simply to say the least. Pack some energy bars just in case it all gets too much for you.   

We caught the very tail end of the Mamaia holiday season in the second week of September. It was still plenty warm enough, but much of the place had started to shut down and I wouldn’t suggest going there any later in the year than we did.

All in all, I really enjoyed my Romanian mini-adventure and would recommend it. And despite being knackered from a house move, Paula also said it was both invigorating and insightful.