1.1 Train ride to the seaside

Date: summer of 2004

Location: Timisoara -> Constanta

Summer holidays while you are in school are the best without a doubt. Yet in Romania the holidays for pupils last for 3 entire months! One could argue they might be too long, but they never are. There's so much to do in these three months. Go to the pool, meet friends, visit grandma in the countryside, watch MTV for endless hours on end, go camping etc.

The highlight of the summer is travelling to the seaside. Means of transportation depending on the budget. The train is the preferred choice of penniless pupils, who used to get a 50% discount based on their school id. A two-way ticket cost back then around 35 Euros. We had an open return. Looking back it was rather cheap for 800+ km. But it was an adventure in itself.

The summer of 2004 was extra special for me since it was the first summer I was to travel alone to the seaside. On top of that I was accompanied by my first boyfriend and his male best friend. Two hot 19 year-olds and 16 year-old me on our way to the Black Sea. It was the perfect getaway! That is, if we survived the 13hrs train ride ahead...

 

Around 22:00 PM, all packed I went to the train station with my dad. I dread that place. The main train station in Timisoara was in 2004 a dirty, run-down and damaged building. Cheap hotels, prostitution and homelessness are trademarks of the surrounding area. It is not a safe and ideal place for a lonely teenage girl to wander in at night. Hence my dad - despite my continuous protesting - walked me to the train station. 

 

In the main hall I met my boyfriend, H., and R., his best friend. We already had our tickets, we only needed to check the platform where we needed to board our train. I couldn't wait to board the train and be out of that disgusting, smelly place already. The main hall was home to plenty of homeless men. Beggars and gypsies roamed the place, relieving inattentive travelers of their possessions. It was a delightful place for studying human behavior. 

 

You get to the platforms by walking straight ahead out of the main hall. To get to our platform we needed to cross over the rail tracks. It was platform 4 or 5. We crossed the tracks, while double checking on incoming trains. On the platform there are benches to sit on. I would not recommend. They are either dirty or occupied by a dormant beggar or drunkard. You wouldn't want to disturb their slumber.

 

The train finally arrived. We got in, found our seats, said our goodbyes and away we went. It was one of the modern train carriages. We got lucky. The old ones had seats covered in some material that resembled vinyl. The new carriages had seats covered in a fabric that you find on bus seats, which was much more comfortable. Remember we were to sit on those seats for 13hrs. Another plus of the new carriages was the air-con. Old ones didn't have it. And during summer in Romania it gets very hot. Also at nighttime. We also got very lucky and didn't have to share our 6 seat booth with other travelers. Yet. We could try to lay on all the seats and sleep during the long night ride. With another bit of luck it will be a smooth ride until sunrise. We were very thrilled and made jokes the entire ride. We were too excited to sleep. So we chatted until 2 or 3 AM about Family Guy or other TV show we were watching back then. 

 

The train follows a gorgeous route through southern Romania. It takes you through a bit of a hillside, then it turns left and follows the Danube for a while. You pass Orsova, Drobeta Turnu-Severin and Portile de Fier. The views are spectacular! If you travel by day. During nighttime it looks like you are in a military compound with lights everywhere. Afterwards the train follows a route trough Oltenia which leads you to Bucharest. The countryside is not as spectacular here. There are plains and fields. A lot of passengers board the train in Craiova, most to get to the capital. The commotion and the loud talking woke us up. Our empty booth filled up. Now we had to suck it up until after Bucharest. One by one we had to visit the train restrooms. My only advice is: don't. If you think you can hold it in until your destination, do it. Or visit one ahead of the train ride or don't drink too much water.

The conductor paid our booth a visit again. Some of our new travel mates didn't have tickets, but they slipped some cash in his pockets and they were good to go.

 

The train cleared up after Bucharest. Only travelers to the seaside remained. Some new ones boarded too. The scenery gets gorgeous again after passing Cernavoda. The train follows the Danube again, this time its the man-made canal, a reminder of the communist times. You can smell the sea and salt in the air. The sun is high in the sky and each station brings you closer to the gorgeous seaside. This was always my favourite part of the ride. I loved watching the scenery unfold as the train passed by. Meanwhile my travel buddies discussed strategy improvements in Warcraft 3 or Starcraft. They couldn't wait to find a internet cafe in Constanta to go for a "long". 

 

We arrived shortly before noon in Constanta. Only 30 mins delay. That is a considered a win by CFR standards. Now the Black Sea awaits.