2022 World Tour – Satu Mare, Romania
Hello from Satu Mare, my 45th stop on the trip and my 66th country.
Below is the standard summary:
– Cool Ranch Doritos: No
– Thai ATM Card Works: Didn’t try
– Thai Debit Card Works: Yes
– Thai Internet Purchase Works: Yes
– USA Credit Card Works: Didn’t try
– Worldwide Telephone/Data/SMS eSIM Works: Yes
– Spanish SIM Card Works: Didn’t try
– Magic Jack Works: Didn’t try
– VPN Works: Didn’t try
– COVID Compliance Chronicles: No Requirements
– Internet Works: Yes
– Drone Flights: Didn’t check
– Cost of Living: $$
– Currency: Leu 1.00 = USD $0.20
– Language Issues: None
Your Short History Lesson:
Settlements in the area go back to the Stone Age and the Kingdom of Dacia. The Romans came along and did the usual things. Romania was officially formed in 1859 with the merger of Moldovia and Wallachia, deriving its name from the old Roman Empire. It gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1877. Fun Fact: Vlad III was the medieval ruler of Wallachia, but he’s better known as Vlad the Impaler, and was the inspiration for Dracula. Romania gained several regions after World War I and lost several regions after World War II when it was occupied by the Soviets. A revolution in 1989 during the fall of the USSR led to independence. It has an automobile manufacturer called Dacia. It’s in the UN, NATO and EU but has not joined the Euro.
Packing up in Kosice, I rolled to the quite nice and modern train station, a vast difference from the rest of the town. My train was waiting so I got in, finding that out of 80 empty seats, I was booked right next to one of the only other passengers. Hmmm. This is the start of an epic 4-train journey with tight connections because that’s all that’s offered on my intended path, rather than taking one train a day for 4 days. One missed connection would derail, get it?, the whole plan, so fingers crossed!
My train left Kosice 5 minutes late and arrived in Miskolc 18 minutes late, exactly the time of the departure of my next train – damn! I jumped out, found a train man who pointed me to my next platform and I raced through the tunnels and there’s no train at the platform! A nice guy said the train hasn’t arrived yet – whew! The departure sign said 5 minutes late, then 15, then 30! I’m truly fucked for my next connection. We left 35 minutes late and arrived in Nyiregyhaza 19 minutes late, thankfully the driver must have hit the gas on the way down. I jumped off and found another train guy who pointed to the train sitting on the same platform just 2 meters away! I jumped on, adrenaline pumping. Leaving 11 minutes later, I had a cabin to myself with a table and power and nice aircon. I connected through Debrecen easily as I had an hour layover in the schedule. We pulled out on time and later rolled to a stop at a train station just short of the Romanian border. An immigration agent came in, checked my passport, found my Spain entry stamp, played with his handheld device, gave me a stamp out. We rolled across the border and about 5 minutes later stopped at the next train station, another immigration agent came in and took my passport, came back about 10 minutes later and I’m now stamped into Romania! We arrived in Satu Mare about 30 minutes late but it doesn’t matter, I’m here and in one piece. I rolled to my hotel for about 20 minutes in the dark, still warm and humid.
Satu Mare means “great village” in Romanian. It’s located in the heart of Transylvania, a large region in central Romania made famous by Bram Stoker’s Dracula and many other movies and books since. At first glance it looks a Soviet era railroad town that time forgot. My room is great – big, two single beds, mini fridge, TV with some English channels, good bathroom and aircon!
The next day I started laying out my plan to get to Chisinau Moldova, and it seems like a straightforward trip due east through northern Romania. Turns out it’s impossible by bus or train, even with intermediate stops in the middle of nowhere. Everything wants to take me south to Bucharest, so I decided to just go there. I booked a single-bed cabin in a sleeper train that takes me all the way, leaving here 5pm tomorrow, arrives 8am the next day. The price is only $83, which is great for 15 hours of travel and a bed. I also booked ahead for a sleeper train from Bucharest to Chisinau as I was worried it would be full. It leaves at 7:20pm and arrives at 8:10am. Turns out it is almost full, and I’m stuck with the top bunk of a double sleeper cabin.
I finally got to walk out and see the town, down to the city center next to the river. First up was the Firemen’s Tower, a 47m tall brick tower used for, you guessed it, spotting fires back in the day. Next was the nearby famous Dacia Hotel, which is currently closed for renovations after being abandoned for years. They’ve put a photographic tarp across the front to show what the building will look like. Next was the Capitoline Wolf, a bronze statue on a marble tower, symbolizing the wolf suckling Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. From there I walked along the river to the center of town and the Administrative Palace, which is the current City Hall. Wow – another example of Brutalist architecture that I’ve shown you before, but it seems even more Brutal than the others put together. It was built from 1972-1984 and screams ugly Soviet concrete. Off to the side was a giant banner that said “Satu Mare. More than You think.” Hmm, somebody seems a bit self-conscious. I checked for nearby restaurants and the only one I found without hideous reviews was a pizza place, which was quite upscale inside. Had avocado bruschetta which was more like a tomato and rocket salad, then penne quatro formaggi which was a bowl of noodles covered in cheese. I was delightfully surprised when I walked past the City Hall that a light and music show was running in the fountain in front. I walked home to find a wedding reception going full tilt in the small restaurant outside the hotel and a group of about 10 touring motorcycles from Poland.
I had a dream that night that I was on the set of a movie, trying to act in my part, and it took too long and I missed my flight. A lingering dread from the previous train rides?
The next day I spent the drizzly morning in a shopping mall, had lunch and came across a science club of some kind selling kits and showing demos of RC cars, 3D printers and robotic arms. Saw a shop called “Various Brands”. Lazy marketing but accurate! Back to the hotel to pack and head for the train station to Bucharest.
Is it worth a visit? Unless you’re a fan of Brutalist architecture or are just trying to get from Point A to Point B, it’s a minor stopover. Transportation is difficult and not much to see or do.
Next Stop: Bucharest, Romania
