domingo, dezembro 10, 2006

Bucharest

4 am we arrive in Bucharest. Wow, what a life! The city was still awake, lights and people everywhere and definitely not scary! But we were so sleepy...And Vera my 2nd host was only waiting for us in the next morning.

Who would say that romanian language was so similar with Portuguese?! But is true :) we could understands written things and even some sentences... Its so near and so far...

lovely Vera lives with her father in city center and did everything to make us feel comfortable, walked us around, cooked for us :) and her father sooooo friendly :)

Bucharest is not a dream city but its what it makes it so worthful to see...Is a real city with real people!

Two days was enough, my birthday was coming near and we had to get to Sofia (Bulgaria).

Bribing game was starting to be for granted and soooo funny :) ones more we got to Romanian border for almost nothing...

Tania day Lua.

1st stop: Siguisoara!

Face Warsaw without Kuba almost became a real nightmare...and we only wanted to leave! How could something that was already so well planed turn up side down :) it feels so good when it happens!

ok, over 26? no international student card ( even if is a fake one) saved us of paying a full and expensive ticket :) running from one ticket office to other, trying to speak 5 unusefull west European languages we missed the direct train to Romania...

with a little bug inside saying that maybe was not that bad spend one more night with Kuba :)brave Tanya could not loose one more day of travel. And together, two best friends jumped inside a train to Budapest without ticket and with a terrible past experience in this same situation some years ago :) we didn't care...We were together!

Polish controller came inside the carruage, we said we had no tickets and if it was possible we would like to buy it :) It was possible to buy it of course until the border. (Russian couple have told me was cheaper to buy tickets until borders than buy a full ticket).

Some years before in Hungary because we had no reservation, controller kicked us out in the middle of nowhere so this time we decided to jump out before it would happen. Very late evening, last polish train stop, good spot in the floor to sleep :)

The sun raised early, time to walk :) we decided to cross the border walking and get back to train again in Slovakia. In the middle of the way we found some guards that very gently took us to border...Everything was going fine until I realize my beautiful bag with my camera was forgotten in the train station in Poland :( nothing could make me unhappy not even my stolen camera :)

10 km walking until next village with train station, for almost 10 euros was possible to cross all Slovakia,unbelievable... And between beautifully mountains and forgotten castles we arrived in Hungary... The game was almost starting :) ladies and gentleman welcome to the controllers bribing world!

How much is the ticket to Budapest? May we pay in Euros? 10 euros both, no paper? Deal! Oh my God...We bribed the controllers!

well we crossed all Hungary for 15 euros each and from Romanian Border until Siguisoara we didn't even pay...Lucky was with us but until when? Was too much attractive what was happening to even ask...

Lovely siguisoara, field up with gypsies, dracula stories and tourists :)

Time to go to Bucharest where Vera was waiting for us :)

Tania from the moon

Heading to Warsaw

Farewell party was obvious very emotional... The happy family together, making promises to see eachother soon, laughing and crying at the same time, selling recycled wallets for my trip :) 6 am, time to call a cab...The 16 hours bus that would take me to Warsaw was a open door to my trip...

Alone, crying like a baby, seeing my world friends staying behind I was sure was high time to leave: The world was waiting for me :)


What time is it? Midnight already? But at midnight I was suppose to arrive in Warsaw. Will my host still waiting for me? I will arrive at 2 am, two hours late,with two big suitcases, alone, no host phone number or address...Nothing :) trusted completely that someone I don't know will be waiting for me...

The Bus stops...Not the most friendly place in the world believe me! Some American girl as worried as I was but still very distant jumped from the bus with me...What to do?

Started to see some figures in the darkness coming in my direction, some friendly face smiled to me and said my name: Tania? - yes, I am Tania :) a big hug like old friends was enough to feel it :)

solved the American girl problem we went home :) his home :) a Russian family was also there with him "he wanted to help them" he said. For me was simply great :) if its a rarity see Portuguese people traveling, a Russian cool family with two little kids backpacking was even more exotic.

The small flat seamed gorgeous to me, in one of the walls I could find a picture of Lisbon :) in the kitchen the food plates was like mine in Lisbon...No,no,no not Ikea pack but my father single pack of plates that he gave me when I moved to my first flat. J. attitude with the russian family and myself made me in the first moment look at him with a different look...I was expecting something so different from Poland.

Next day, young Russian family left and Cool Jakub walked me around :) not before a big polish breakfast :) in that night a Austriac couchsufer was with us, we met some "friends", had some wine and beers and sat in a garden drinking but this is a secret :) In Poland is not aloud to drink in the streets...

A bit drunk me and my host started to be a bit happy...Well 5 months in Estonia, meeting great guy's,travelers with so many experiences to tell,and myself always jumping out in the last moment and there I was :) available! Jesus, so available that I was not even ashamed to be like that :) a magic feeling fell a sleep with me (us) but next morning was nothing there... No one talked about it.

packed my small backpack, time was Running :) at 5 pm I had to be in the airport: Marta was coming :) together we were suppose to head to Greece to meet catarina. I didn't see both for 5 months...

said good bye to jakub, was not easy, but was the world calling me and when we are in love with the world no one can stop us :) and at 5 am I was hugging my best friend at the airport!

We have to run :) we have a train leaving to Romania soon.. Run Marta, run...Life is too short to walk around :)

My two big suitcases, my laptop, somehow my heart stayed in Warsaw but there I was with my body, my mind, my fire heading ones again to what I most wanted in this life: Travel!

Tania from the moon