Romania - Week 23

We drove to the Hungarian Serbian border from Szeged, filling up with water on one of the motorway service areas. We’d read all the info on the Camping & Caravan Club website about driving in Serbia and what we needed to do to cross into the 18th country on our big adventure.
We needed to make sure we had an entry stamp in our passports plus all the vehicle documents. (We were covered by our vehicle insurance luckily.) We didn’t need a vignette and we’d found a campsite open near Subotica so we didn’t have to find a police station to register ourselves.

We got to the border, but they wouldn’t let us through as we didn’t have the original documents for Harriet the Hymer. The border guard called for a more senior man who explained, in brilliant English, that we were welcome to enter, but poor Harriet couldn’t. I must admit, he was a really nice chap, just doing what he was paid to do.

Feeling a bit deflated, we about turned and headed for Timisoara via Arad in Romania.

We had to show our passports and vehicle documents at the Romanian border too. “Have a nice trip”, was the reply when we told them we were on our way to Greece, and we were waved through. We pulled into the kiosk car park, a bit further along the road, to buy a €6 Romanian vignette. A lot cheaper than Hungary! It was easy for us to cross the border but not so easy for the lorries. I lost count of them all lined up waiting to get through. What a nightmare for the drivers.

So we continued on our way. The roads were good but the closer we got to the town, the busier it became. Andy did an excellent job as always, negotiating all the traffic and the few idiotic drivers. Google maps is a great sat nav and hasn’t let us down yet.

There were no campsites open so we managed to find a secure car park in the centre of the town. The guard waved us through the barrier and pointed to a large “bus” space. We parked up and had tea.
The noise of the traffic didn’t bother us too much but the builders over the road were making a right racket all evening.

Timisoara is nick named little Vienna. We went to have a look around and could see why. The architecture around the squares looked amazing. Shame it was dark. The next day it rained so we stayed in the warm and caught up with some TV we’d downloaded onto Andy’s iPad from Netflix. The rain stopped later on in the afternoon so we were able to put on our coats and go walking back into town. After a quick look at the Orthodox Church we sat in Starbucks and used their free WiFi to finish last weeks blog post.

Rachel from Hymer Eriba messaged us to let us know that she had sent Harriet’s V5 and letters of authorisation to us via courier. This was just the news we were waiting for. It meant we could go to Serbia. We had to hang around Timisoara for a few days though as they were being sent to the Mercedes dealer, Autoklass.

We were in need of water and some peace and quiet. We’d found a place on the park4night app that sounded just what we were looking for. The write up said ...
This is the most fantastic stop, we had the car park to ourselves. We parked under the walnut tree and have been having a few fresh nuts ... delicious! There is chanting over the tannoy in the early evening and again from 6 am to 8 am but it's lovely. It's part of the appreciation of different lifestyles. Fresh water available and toilets. No security concerns, easy to get to, highly recommended ...
So we drove the 20 odd miles to it and filled Harriet with water.

The next day was spent doing housework and generally chilling out. We did have a wander around the monastery in the afternoon, but apart from that, we were just being lazy.

We got the map out and decided what to do while waiting for the vehicle documents. If there had been a campsite open, we would have probably stayed put but with no electric hook up or solar panel, we had to do some truckin to recharge the batteries.

So a plan was made to visit Sibiu, Sighisoara and Bran castle as, according to google and other trusty sources, they seemed to be the main tourist destinations in Transylvania.

Sibiu is a nice place to visit as Romanian standards go. They had a Christmas market and ice rink in full swing. It was so nice to see the people enjoying themselves.

It’s a few years since I visited Romania. 1980 to be exact and Ceausescu was still in charge. Thank god they shot him. I think it’s come a long way since then. When I was there last, they had Dollar shops next door to Romanian shops. The Dollar shops were full to bursting with everything you could think of, but the Romanian people weren’t allowed to shop there. They were only allowed in their own shops and if they had 3 items on the shelves, they were lucky. That image has stayed with me since I was 16. Thank heavens it’s changed.

One of the things we’d not seen before on our travels are the little bread shops they have that you get served through a little glass window. Lots of people were buying what looked like Cornish pasty’s made from dough and filled with with sweet fillings such as chocolate and pink cream. We didn’t try any.

After wandering around the old part looking at the buildings, we found a small restaurant for lunch. Good old fish ‘n’ chips twice, Romanian style. It was delicious!!

We drove to Sighisoara and parked up for the night at the bottom of the Citadel. The old town of Sighisoara is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s full of narrow cobbled streets, a very old clock tower and 190 covered steps that were built in 1642 to reach a really old church at the top. It’s steeped in history that goes back as far as the Romans.

It was full of tourists even at this time of year and even the Dotto train was still running. Unfortunately the tourist information was closed, which was such a shame as it would have been so good to have a guided tour around this place.

Our 7 day vignette runs out tomorrow so we renewed it online. It only took 5 minutes using the Halifax Clarity Card. Harriet is 3.5t so we chose the icon next to the car

Click here to visit the website.

Hungary - Week 22

Nobody said anything about a very noisy freight train that runs right next to Arena Camping in Budapest. (Think Roger Rabbit, when Eddie Valliant goes to visit Dolores in the bar when the train rumbles through.) Nor did the website say we would be under Budapest airports flight path! It did say, however, there’s free WiFi all over the campsite ... hmmm, there isn’t. Apart from that, it was great lol. It’s clean, well maintained with the free use of a washing machine. The staff are very friendly and helpful so it’s not that bad if, like me, you can wear earplugs 😉

We spent the first day of our visit washing clothes, cleaning and generally getting things in order. Believe it or not, we call this a chill out day.

The following three days were spent sight seeing in the capital. There’s a lot to see and at this time of year, it’s better than visiting a deserted town or village.

We bought 48 hour tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus which included a boat ride on the river Danube. It took us all over the city so, for our first stop, we chose to get off at Hero’s Square for lunch.

We spotted some fancy looking buildings which turned out to be the Agricultural Museum and by chance, found the Anonymous Statue. Legend has it, that if you rub his pen you’ll become a great writer?!! Well, you have to try these things right 😁

Back on the bus, we rode up the hill to the Citadel where we watched the sun setting.

By the end of the day we had managed to ride most of the red line and back in the centre. We wandered round in the dark until it was time to head back to the campsite. Budapest is magical in the dark, so many buildings are beautifully lit up. It’s also the first city we’ve come across where they have their Christmas lights on.

The second day, we took the boat up to Margaret Island and back again with the commentary telling us about the buildings and bridges we could see. We managed to find the “Shoes on the Danube”. It’s a sobering scene on the banks of the river. Many Jewish people in 1944/45 were made to take off their clothes and shoes and were shot in the back so that their bodies fell into the river and were washed away.

By this time it was going dark. The parliament buildings were again beautifully illuminated.

On the way back to the metro, we called in to St Stephens Cathedral where mass was being held. We nearly got locked in but managed to escape before the singing started. It definitely had the wow factor inside.

The third day we visited the old market building and the Dohnay Street Synagogue.

It’s the largest in Europe (and the third largest in the world). We did have to pay to get in but one of the guides told us all about the building and the Jewish religion, which we found really interesting. In the garden of remembrance outside, there’s a weeping willow tree, and each leaf is inscribed with the name of a Hungarian Jew who perished in the war.

We managed to have a look around the market hall too, full of food stalls and lots of Paprika, which Hungary is famous for.

We left Budapest and headed for the Hungarian seaside. That’s what the locals call Lake Balaton as the country is actually land locked. It’s a summer destination but we needed some downtime. We found a parking spot right near the lake and stayed there the night. 

The sun was shinning when we got up so we walked along the edge of of the lake in to the town of Siofok. The whole revetment looked deserted as did the road running parallel. There were lots of hotels along the front, closed it seemed, for winter. Looks like the “Tinsel & Turkey” weekends haven’t caught on in Hungary yet.

It wasn’t until we walked over the railway lines and into the centrum did we find any life. What a lovely little place it turned out to be too!

Right in the centre is a “lighthouse cafe”. Well that’s what we called it. We paid the £2 each to take the lift up to the top where the revolving cafe was.

Even managed to get Andy outside on the balcony to view the surrounding countryside and the town below.

By the time we’d walked back, it was getting near teatime so we decided to stay parked up for another night.

The next morning it was time to leave and head for our last stop in Hungary as we didn’t want to pay for another vignette. The hardest decision on this trip so far has been where to go next. Life’s tough when you’re on the road lol. We decided on Szeged. It’s near the border with Serbia and big enough to keep us busy. So after walking round in the morning and looking at the architecture etc. we decided on spending the rest of the day in the thermal baths. Never had a spa day before so a treat was on the cards.

The write up said, it is a wonderful 19th century (06.09.1896), Neo-Renaissance styled, Thermal Bath House that focuses on its wellness, fitness and therapeutic benefits via a Thermal Bath, Steam Room, Saunas, Jacuzzis, Swimming Pool, Cold/Warm/Hot Plunge Pools and Lounge Areas.

So when in Hungary, do what the Hungarians do. That’s what we say, especially when it costs the grand total of £5.29 for the two of us! We both loved it especially as the water was so warm.

Next stop - Serbia :o)