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A Taste of Life in Romania

The lack of space in the small Bucharest apartments certainly did not impede the preparation of an absolutely amazing homemade meal given to me on my first night in Bucharest.  

Here are a few of my observations of life in Romania.

The Food

Romanians adore fresh fruit and vegetables, and non-processed foods.  

Almost everything is prepared by hand and does not come from a box or out of the freezer.  

The vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions are the freshest and amazing vegetables I have ever had.  

It seems that many fruits and vegetables in the US are imported, processed, or genetically modified to make them big and shiny, yet the natural taste has been diluted out of them.

My first meal consisted of a tomato, cucumber, and onion salad with red wine vinegar, a freshly made yellow bean soup, red peppers stuffed with a mixture of rice, sausage, and spices along with a freshly made crusty artisan bread.

The Transportation

After a good night's sleep I was off to explore Bucharest.  

There are four ways to get around Bucharest. You can either walk, take a taxi, take a bus, or take a subway. I partook in all four methods.

Obviously, walking close distances is the easiest and cheapest means.

There were plenty of sidewalks and the city felt very safe and comfortable. Never did I feel endangered.  

Judging by how thin the Romanian people are, I would guess they also do a lot of walking.

The next cheapest means is the bus. A bus ride to anywhere along its route costs $0.30 US.  

You purchase a ticket at ticket dispensers throughout the city and hop on a bus.

The buses were all very modern and clean, however, most did lack air conditioning, so on a hot August day in a crowded bus, it could get pretty steamy in there.

The subway system in Bucharest is extensive and modern and can take you from one side of the city to the other.  

The subways also seemed very safe and I didn't observe any shady characters loitering in the subway areas.  

One trip on the subway cost about $0.50.

And the final way is taxi.  These are prevalent in most areas and are easily accessible.  

The taxi drivers seemed to have limited English speaking abilities but that also varied widely.  

A word of caution, the price per kilometer is clearly posted on the door of every yellow cab, and this can vary from $0.50/km to $1.50/km.    

Always look for the taxis that charge 1.4 Leu/km (~$0.50/km).

People

Before I discuss the details of my trip, I would like to talk about the people of Romania.  

I found the people of Romania to be generally thin and attractive.  

The Romanian people seem to be taller than the world average and predominantly brunette.

But more importantly, it was the kindness and extreme generosity of every single person I met on my two-week adventure. 

People who never met me before would take me into their homes and welcome me as a member of their own family.  

Since I spoke no Romanian, and many Romanians have at least some English ability, they would attempt to speak English whenever possible to make me feel more comfortable.

And finally, the Romanians are extremely proud people. 

They are proud of their country, proud of their history, proud of their place in the world and everything they have achieved.  

I really enjoyed meeting new people and creating new friends in a faraway land.

________

About the Author: Karl is a physicist and avid photographer who only recently decided to set out and explore the world with his camera. Catch more of his adventures at https://facebook.com/kbarth

Planning a trip? Go Backpacking recommends:

Bogdan

Thursday 13th of September 2012

Hello all, Just in case you all need some tips in accommodation in Bucharest,please take my advice and try Antique Hostel in Bucharest,Romania. There are few things to visit/do,and the nightlife is awesome. Cheers, Bobbie

Andrew

Saturday 13th of November 2010

Are you going to be able to make it over to Moldova on your trip? It's right next door and has a very curious history and most people don't even know it exists.

Fantastic write-up, by the way, keep up the good work.

Cheers, Andrew

Karl B

Monday 15th of November 2010

I heard about Moldova, but never made it there. Closest I got was staring at Ukraine when I was on the Danube river.

Jhanella

Wednesday 10th of November 2010

You have a lot of adventures and I envy you for that. You are such an adventurer traveler. Traveling is something we have in common only I never to most of the places you have been. Anyway, the food is something I always appreciate while traveling. I hope to be in Romania to one day and experience what you have experienced.

Ayngelina

Tuesday 9th of November 2010

Great portrait of Romania, and while I've always been intrigued by the country you surprised me in a good way with a few things like the unprocessed food. Looking forward to the post on Bucharest.

Karl B

Tuesday 9th of November 2010

Thanks! It was an amazing adventure. I have never eaten fruits and veges that had such an intense flavor. Eating non-processed foods is definitely the healthy way to go. Have you been to Romania?

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