The conditions were simple: look for a country outside the Schengen zone that allows people with a Schengen visa. Among the various spots on the map of Europe, my eyes latched on to one particular place. I knew it from my early teens from Bram Stoker's magnum opus. Yes, the land of Dracula had held me in awe ever since my first encounter with the book. And it was decided. It had to be Romania.
We landed in Bucharest on a sunny morning. The city had nothing of appeal to me except for the Romanian delicacies. It was only a mere shadow of the grand city that it had once been. But the city was never the destination. The charms that Romania had to offer started unfurling during the train journey from Bucharest North to Medgidia. Endless fields of maize, wheat, and sunflower blooms greeted our eyes on either sides of the tracks. From Medgidia, we had to catch another train to Tulcea Oras, the gateway to the Danube delta.
The train to Medgidia was already waiting on the platform. More than a train, with just two small compartments, it looked like a blue and white soapbox to me. We were now travelling through rural Romania. Most of the passengers were farmhands who seemed to know each other. The train chugged through more fields, tiny villages, water bodies, and a long stretch of woodland before reaching Tulcea.
Tulcea was a charming harbour city situated on the shores of the Danube. It was our departure point to the Danube delta. From Tulcea, one could travel through any of the three arms of the Danube. We chose the Sulina arm which was the shortest among the three. There were both government ferries and private speed boats operating along the different water routes. We took the afternoon government ferry to Sulina where the Danube met the Black sea.
The sceneries on the banks of the Danube from Tulcea to Sulina alternated between stretches of uninhabited lands and residential areas. One could often see huge stork nests with chicks perched high atop the telephone posts in the villages on either sides. We reached Sulina late in the afternoon. As soon as the ferry docked on the pier, a lot of locals who were already waiting there started offering the disembarking tourists rooms to spend the night.
Sulina relied primarily on tourism for revenue. Fishing was also one of the main occupations and the Danube provided catch in plenty. There were a number of restaurants offering fresh fish delicacies. Most of the locals provided stays to the tourists at their homes.
After the late lunch, we decided to head to the beach which was around 2 kilometres from the town centre. By the time we reached the Sulina beach, it was deserted and quiet with only the soft lapping of waves to break the peaceful silence. Having an entire beach bathed in the setting sun’s golden rays to ourselves with nothing but terns and gulls around was an experience to cherish for a lifetime. Returning from the beach, we walked around the town and found a room to spend the night. Sulina was just splendid with the waxing moon setting over the mighty Danube whose banks were lit with red and green street lights.
We had to catch the first ferry to Cris̹an the next morning. Our main attraction in Cris̹an was exploring the lakes and channels that encompassed the delta in a wood boat or a “lotca” as the Romanians called it. We roamed around one of the villages in Cris̹an haggling with different boat operators before finding a good deal. Soon we were off to a completely different world.
Speckled with water lilies and algal blooms, the delta was a unique ecosystem which was home to so many different species of flora and fauna. Besides the majestic dalmatian pelicans, there were a number of other birds including purple herons, cormorants, terns, swans, and such. The lakes filled with algae unravelled a spectacle before our eyes. There was a bustle of activities going on simultaneously - the fish nibbling on the algae, the tiny green frogs catching the insects that were fluttering around the algal blooms in the whoosh of a tongue, the terns catching the frogs and the fish in graceful snoops into the water, and the sky filled with endless number of different water birds in flight. Silently witnessing all these were the pelicans looking like the guardians of the delta. They had colonies around the lake. As they took flight one by one at the approach of our lotca, they looked like flying witches from a Miyazaki movie. With us lost in the sights of the delta, three hours flew like the flick of a wand. Soon it was time for us to head back to Tulcea.
The next day, we left for Petros̹ani to the Retezat mountains. We stayed in a guest house in Vulcan. After having the traditional Romanian lunch our hosts served us, we caught a bus to Câmpul Lui Neag. Our plan was to trek 18 kilometres from Câmpul Lui Neag to Lake Bucura, which is the largest glacier lake in Romania.
After passing forests and meadows we reached Cabana Buta, a secluded traveller’s inn perched on the side of S̹aua Plaiul Mic at an altitude of 1580 metres. Once the last rays of the sun had faded out, the mountain chill started engulfing the place. We were the only guests at Cabana Buta that night. The cabana was owned by eighty year old Piekny Albert. His wife made simple but delicious Romanian food of which the chicken soup and blueberry marmalade were my favourites. The cabana, situated away from all the hustle and bustle of human habitation, was surrounded by the tranquillity of the mountains and forests.
We set off in the morning taking in the beauty of the green mountains. The signs said that there were foxes and wolves in the area. The whole morning air was sweetened by bird songs. Everywhere we could see small birds aflutter from one thicket to another. The grassy ground was decked with splashes of brightly coloured flowers. In addition to huge coniferous trees, the whole place was dotted with several varieties of pines.
Climbing up and down S̹aua Plaiul Mic, we reached Poiana Pelegii. Until then, we were the only two souls wandering through the mountains and forests. From Poiana Pelegii, there were a lot of people trekking up to the Bucura lake. All of them came from the other side of the Retezat national park and had their vehicles parked at the meadow. From there onwards, the texture of the ground started changing. Although the path was full of rocks and steep climbs, the view made up for all the difficulties in climbing. There were plenty of freshwater streams and different fruit-laden plants grew beside them. Under the cerulean skies, the massif shrouded in pretty shades of green and grey kept calling us forward.
After two hours of trekking, we reached the Bucura lake located at the base of the Pelega peak at an altitude of 2040 metres. The lake was so breathtakingly beautiful. Much of its appeal came from its peculiar shape and crystal clear waters. Bucura which was surrounded by mountains on all its sides was a cirque lake that looked like an amphitheatre. The fact that we did not come prepared to camp there for the night remains a thing of regret until this moment even as I type these words away.
After spending some time at the lake we started our descent towards Poiana Pelegii. While descending, our excitement started fading as exhaustion slowly took over. Luckily, we got a free ride from Poiana Pelegii to Hateg. From Hateg, we went to Vulcan, back to our guest house. It was soon time to say goodbye to Romania. We had to catch the night train from Simeria to Budapest. But by then, I had already fallen so much in love with Romania.
Despite the beautiful sights Romania had to offer, the glimpses of unemployment and poverty did surface every now and then. From the abundance of natural resources to homeless people and children looking for discarded cigarette stubs on railway platforms, the country whispered a variety of tales to the beholder. But nothing could mask the goodness of the Romanians. I have never encountered such people who were so nice and welcoming to foreigners. Starting from the guy at the airport who helped us with directions, our AirBnB host at Tulcea who took time off from work to drive us to the shopping area, Bianca and her friends in Vulcan who went out of their ways to make sure that we never had even the slightest of discomfort, the ranger we met on the Bucura trek, the couple from Cluj-Napoka who gave us a ride from Poiana Pelegii to Hateg, and the elderly lady and her daughter we met at the Petros̹ani station at midnight, everyone we met overwhelmed us with their love, kindness and generosity.
There is no denying the fact that traveling has given me immense joy. But I have always equated it with the thrill of experiencing something new. Experiencing a foreign place or culture has always given me the happiness of reading a new story. But in the end, I have always wanted to come home because I never felt like an insider. For once, I felt at home in a foreign land.