Bucharest/Romania, where my heart is!

It's almost 11 months since i came to Romania. Before coming to Romania, i was the first person in the world who didn't expect NOTHING there. Only gipsyes and bad people. A very poor country. And then... how wrong i was!

I landed in Romania on 29th june 2013. I was excited, many new experiences and people was about to come to my life, but at the same time i was a bit scared, was my first time living abroad, and was going to be in a country with very bad reputation in all the world, specially in west Europe (spain...!!).

After 2 weeks in the city, is discovered that all the stereotypes where not right. Actually, only few (but really few!) stereotypes are right about Bucharest and Romania in general.

First of all, yes, Romania is a poor country. Romania didn't had the time to develop after Ceaucescu (if you don't now what or who Ceaucescu is, i order you to google it!) era. This time just finnished 20 years ago, and Romania have been almost always a poor country. 
So, this is the first right stereotypes about romania. And is a very big topic.

But the people is HAPPY in Romania. They are "poor", they always have been poor, but they DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT IT! This is the difference with Spain, for example. The economical situation in Spain is horrible, and the people is always complaing.. because we are not used to it. Romanians are used to live with a very little money, they would like to have more (of course!) but they are ok with that. They know someday the economical situation there will be much better.

Second, Bucharest.. what you will do there? Is there something to do? 
Of course it is! The question is, what i can't do in Bucharest? (Ok, you can't go to the seaside! hehe)
This city have everything you need. Museums (not the bests in europe, right, but some of them are very interesting), parks, shopping areas, nice people, clubs, restaurants, bars, small-cute cafes, amazing architecture, magical libraries and wonderful terraces. 
This city is alive, it change everyday. You can easily discover new places everyday, even if you're born in Bucharest or you spent 11 months here. There are too many places to visit!

I know Bucharest doesn't sound exciting for the foreigners. I know it because it wasn't for me, and wasn't for all the people who i met all around europe during this 11 months.
Everybody, really, EVERYBODY, said the same:
   - But, there's full of gipsyes. Aren't you affraid?
   - Wow, when you said Romania i felt bad for you... i'm sure you want to move to other place.
   - There's party? 
   - Isn't a very ugly and destroyed city?
   - What about the language? Someone speak english?

And they broke my heart every time. Really. People, try to be more open minded... Be brave and try to discover places where not 90% of europeans have been. You'll be very surprised!!

And if there's something more sad than a foreigner (who have never been in Romania) talking bad about the country... is hearing a romanian talking bad about the country.
I can understand is different to live in this country for some time, than to live forever. That happens everywhere. They really don't appreciate the beautiful things they have, and that's very sad.
Today i posted something on my facebook:

Am fost o săptămână și jumătate afara din București, și București, MI-E DOR!!
Grecia este foarte frumoasă, dar București este București, am o inima mea acolo!
În fiecare data oamenii mă întreabă unde locuiesc și eu spun "București", eu vad la fata din oameni cu frica... de ce? Eu întreb de ce acesta față, București este un oraș foarte "frumoș"*, la fel ca România.
România, București, te iubesc foarte mult!

**Știu ce București nu este cel mai frumos oraș din lumea, dar este frumos și foarte special.

Translated:

I've been a week and a half out of Bucharest, and Bucharest, I miss you!
Greece is very beautiful, but Bucharest is Bucharest, I have my heart there!
Every time people ask me where I live and I say "Bucharest", I see the fearon this face... why? I ask why that face, Bucharest is a very "nice"* city, like Romania.
Romania, Bucharest, I love you very much!
** I know Bucharest is not the most beautiful city in the world, but it is beautiful and very special.

And then.. some romanians messaged me saying thank you. And some of them even said i open their eyes, and they will start to see the good side of Bucharest.. and nothing can make me happy to hear this. 

I know, Romania have a lot to improve, to change... but, i love the way the things are moving!
I'm not romanian, but i'm very happy here, with the people and the city. I can't say (almost) bad words for Bucharest. Of course every city have a bad side... or do you think London, Paris or New York are only the touristic-nice side? The cities are much more than that, and i invite everybody to discover the real Romania. You'll be surprised, trust me.




*This is my opinion, and this is what i think about the country. I know many people will not be agree with me. And also many people will be completely agree with this...

Visita obligada (parte II) // Must-see places (part II)

Para celebrar que ya llevo almost 9 meses en Bucarest, hoy os traigo la segunda parte de lugares imprescindibles que visitar!
En esta ocasión os traigo tres restaurantes! Yo no soy mucho de comer fuera de casa, y si lo hago, suelo turar por el fast-food (KFC <3)

Disfrutad!

Carles S.

ENGLISH

To celebrate that i've been almost 9 months in bucharest, today i show you the second part of the must-see places.
In this ocasion, i'll show you 3 restaurants.

Enjoy!

Carles S.

- Club A:
              Strada Blanari
Yes, the famous Club A isn't only a club, is also a cheap restaurant!! Every time i go to eat out, Club A is one of my first options. Specialty in pizza and pasta.
Pizza from 13 lei (margherita)

- Burguer bar
            Strada Selari
Probably the best choice for a healty food. If you love hamburguers, you'll love this place. Differents kinds of meats, and very reasonable prices (from 15 lei). If you go, try the "wedges" fries!

-Caru' cu bere:
            Strada Stavropoleos, 5
Probably, the most famous restaurant in Romania. The restaurant it is housed in an 1875 building, and used to be a legendary beer hall. It's, with any doubts, a must-see place. 
The students menu for lunch is 11 lei.

Visita obligada (parte I) // Must-see places (part I)

En Bucarest hay infinidad de locales escondidos que merecen una visita... el problema es encontrarlos!

Así que para facilitar las cosas a los recién llegados (o simplemente a aquellos que ya estén aquí y quieran conocer más lugares...), aquí os traigo una pequeña lista de lugares que vale la pena visitar.

Iré escribiendo más posts de este estilo, ya que hay muchísimos locales en Bucarest que merecen la pena.

Si conoceís algún local más, cuéntamelo!

Disfrutad!

Carles S.

ENGLISH 

In Bucharest there are many places which worth to visit... the problem is to find them (many of them are very small and hidden in the city!)

So, to make it easy to the new expats/foreigners, here you have a small list of places that you should visit, at least once ;)

I'll write more post about places to visit in Bucharest, also, if you know some place, let me know!

Enjoy!

Carles S.

- Ted’s Coffee

            Strada Ion Campineanu, 10 (Near metro Universitate)

Espresso: 4.5 lei

Cappuccino: 5.5 lei

Pro: The local isn’t very big, but have enough tables. Free Wi-Fi and many plugs!

Probably the best value for money coffee of the city.

Contra: No food. Closed on weekends

- Origo

            Strada Lipscani, 9

Cappuccino: 9 lei

Pro: Many varieties of coffee. Free water. Free Wi-Fi.

Contra: Small space, only few tables. Only one plug

- Coftale

            StradaProfesor Ștefan Mihăileanu, 42

Is considered one of the fewest coffee shops in Romania to treat coffee as an art. The local is an old beautiful villa!

Cappucino: 11 lei

Espresso: 7 lei

Pro: The beautiful place. Free water.

Contra: A bit far away, but it worth it!

- Dianei 4

            Strada Dianei, 4 (near metro Universitate / Piata Rosetti)

An abbandoned house with a charming ambient.

Cappucino: 9 lei

Espresso: 6 lei

Beer (500ml): 7 lei

Water: 7 lei

Pro: The terrace in spring/summer. The cultural events.

Contra: Is there any contra? ;)

TURISMO NACIONAL // NATIONAL TOURISM

ENGLISH VERSION DOWN

Rumanía cuenta con varias ciudades que merecen la pena ser visitadas, ya sean por su casco antiguo o por algún monumento que allí se encuentra.
Dado que moverse en Rumanía es un poco complicado al principio, he decidido recopilar aquí los destinos más famosos, y cómo llegar hasta allí, precio incluído.

Hay que tener en cuenta que las carreteras generalmente no están en muy buen estado, y que rumanía cuenta con muchas montañas, lo que hace las distancias aun más largas de lo que realmente son! El principal medio de transporte es el tren, aunque en rumanía el sistema ferroviario está muy anticuado y es muy lento, aunque conecta las principales ciudades. Por otra parte, tenemos el autobus, que llega hasta las aldeas más alejadas. Generalmente es más barato y más rápido que el tren, aunque no esperéis ahorrar mucho tiempo en comparación con el tren, porque como he mencionado anteriormente, el estado de las carreteras deja bastante que desear, además de la falta de autopistas.


El precio de los billetes de tren son con el IR (interegio), segunda clase (lo más económicos), pero también los más lentos.
El precio de los autobuses puede variar, ya que hay muchas compañías distintas que cubren las mismas rutas. Además, es posible obtener descuento de estudiante o de pensionista 

Espero que esta información sea útil a futuros erasmus, EVS, o simplemente a viajeros que quieran planear su ruta antes de llegar aquí.


NOTA: Hay que tener en cuenta que estos precios están sacados a febrero del 2014 y pueden variar con el tiempo.

Se puede consultar el precio de los trenes aquí
Y el de los autobuses aquí (es la compañía que he usado yo, pero hay más)


Saludos, 

Carles S.


*** ENGLISH VERSION***

Romania has several cities that are worth being visited.
Since moving in Romania is a bit confusing at the beggining, I decided to gather here the most famous destinations and how to get there, price included.

Keep in mind that the roads are generally not in very good condition, and that Romania has many mountains, making the even longer distances than they really are!
The main means of transport is the train, though the railway system in Romania is very outdated and very slow, but connecting the major cities. Moreover, we have the bus, which cover all the coutry, also the most remote villages. Generally it is cheaper and faster than the train, but you don't expect to save much time compared to the train, because as I mentioned earlier, the state of the roads is bad, and also the lack of highways...


The price of train tickets are for the IR (interegio) , second class (cheapest one), but also the slowest.
The price of the bus may vary, as there are many different companies that cover the same routes. Also, you may get student discount.

I hope this information is helpful to future erasmus, EVS, or just travelers who want to plan the route before arriving here .

NOTE: Keep in mind that these prices are taken as of February 2014 and will vary over time.

You can check the price of the trains here 
And the buses here (is the company that I've used but there's more)

See you soon,

Carles S.

- Bucuresti - Brasov

                Train

                - 1 way: 50.5 lei

                - 2 ways: 87.7 lei

                - Time: 02:30/02:40 h

             Bus: 43 lei one way

- Bucuresti - Sinaia

                Train:

- 1 way: 41 lei

                - 2 ways: 70.6 lei

                - Time: 1:40

Bus: 33 lei one way

- Sinaia - Brasov

                Train

                - 1 way: 17.5 lei

                - 2 ways: 28.3

                - Time: 1h

Bus: 11 lei one way

- Bucuresti - Sighisoara

                Train

                - 1 way: 69 lei

                - 2 ways: 121 lei

                - Time: 5h

                Bus: 66 lei one way

- Bucuresti - Cluj-Napoca

                Train

                - 1 way: 111.5 lei

                - Time: 10h

- Bucuresti - Constanta

                Train

                - 1 way: 62 lei

                - 2 ways: 108.4 lei

                - Time: 3h

Y pasaron 7 meses... // Have been 7 months

ENGLISH VERSION DOWN!!

Antes de empezar esta “aventura” pensaba que mi tiempo en Bucarest se me haría eterno, que 12 meses se sentirían como varios años…

Y no podía estar más equivocado, tras 7 meses aquí, me he dado cuenta que el tiempo vuela, se me escapa entre los dedos.

Han pasado ya 7 meses, y me quedan tantas cosas por hacer, tantos lugares por descubrir y tantas personas que disfrutar… Parece que fue ayer mismo cuando llegué aquí con la maleta cargada de nervios e ilusiones a la par.

Siempre pensé que sería difícil adaptarse a un lugar nuevo,  que esta ciudad me trataría como a un extraño, un visitante más, pero lo cierto es que siento que aquí está mi hogar.

Jamás había crecido, conocido, aprendido, viajado y/o experimentado tanto en tan poco tiempo, y eso (y más) es lo que Rumanía me aporta día a día.

Predeal (Photo from Martina Grassi, EVS volunteer in Arad)

My flatmate Ekrem on the first snow of our EVS :D

And thats me and my sgtrange ginger hair in Sinaia!

----*----

ENGLISH VERSION

Before starting this adventure i used to think that my time in Bucharest would be eternal, that would feel 12 months like some years.
And I couldn’t be more wrong! After 7 months here, I realized that the time flies, it slips through my fingers.
It’s been 7 months since I came here, and I still have too many things to do, places to discover and people to enjoy… It seems like was yesterday when I came here with my luggage full of dreams.
I always thought that it will be difficult to adapt to a new place, this city would treat me like a stranger, one more visitor, but the truth is I feel this city like my home.

I never grew up, learnt, travelled and/or experienced much in such a small time, this (and more) is what Romania give me day by day.

El tiempo vuela // Time flies

**ENGLISH VERSION, DOWN!**

Y porqué digo esto? Porque ya llevo aquí nada más y nada menos que tres meses.
Y lo mejor de todo, me siento realmente adaptado a la ciudad. Obviamente hay cosas que no comprendo, pero me gusta sentirme un poco extraño!
Cada día conozco lugares nuevos, llenos de encanto. Y es que si algo tiene esta ciudad, son pequeños cafés repartidos por la ciudad, escondidos de los turistas, y con una buena dosis de encanto en su interior (y en sus terrazas!).

Este mes he estado bastante ocupado, han llegado los erasmus y he estado recibiendo a algunos en mi casa, recogiéndolos en el aeropuerto, ayudándoles a buscar piso, enseñandoles la ciudad...
La verdad que necesitaba un poco conocer a un buen puñado de gente "nueva", con diferentes inquietudes y con muchas ganas de empezar una aventura como es el erasmus.

Lo mejor de todo? He comprobado que tras 3 meses viviendo aquí, soy capaz de entender el rumano y hablarlo (obviamente, no en su totalidad, aun ando escaso de vocabulario...), hasta el punto que mantuve una conversación enteramente en rumano, por teléfono, con una persona que no conocía (y por lo tanto, no estaba habituado a su voz/acento). Después de esta conversación realmente sentí que estoy aprendiendo mucho más de lo esperado, y me siento muy orgulloso de mi mismo. Nunca pensé que sería capaz de hablar y/o entender el rumano en tan sólo 3 meses!
Esta experiencia me ha hecho esforzarme más por aprender el rumano. Vale, es un idioma que probablemente no me vaya a aportar nada en el futuro, pero quien sabe? La vida da muchas vueltas.

Aquí el otoño casi que ha pasado de largo, ya hemos llegado a temperaturas de 2ºC. Me comentan que no es lo habitual en estas fechas, que es simplemente una mala racha... Pero bueno, lo cierto es que pronto volverán a bajar las temperaturas, y aquí yo ya voy con abrigo y bufanda, a principios de octubre! Una locura!

Os voy a dejar algunas imagenes que he tomado por la ciudad, pero aun no he salido un dia "en serio"!! Muy mal, lo se!

Un abrazo,

Carles S.

Interior de Casa Poporului

Balcón de Casa poporului, con vistas al bulevar Unirii

En el lago Herastrau con mis nuevos amigos erasmus ;)

Vistas de la casa Presei Libera, desde el lago Herastrau

**ENGLISH VERSION**

And why I say this? Because I've been here three months!
I feel really adapted to the city. Obviously there are things that i don't understand, but I like to feel a little bit stranger here!
Everyday i meet new places, full of charm. This city is full of small cafes, hidden from the tourists, and very charming.

This month i've been busy, erasmus just have arrived and have hosted some in my house, picked them up at the airport, helping them to look for apartments, showing the city ...

Best of all? I realised that after 3 months living here, i can understand and speak Romanian (obviously novery fluently, because of my limited vocabulary... ), some days ago i had a conversation entirely in Romanian, by phone, with a person who did not know (and therefore was not used to his voice/accent). After this conversation i really felt I 'm learning more than expected, and I am very proud of myself. I never thought I would be able to speak and/or understand Romanian in just 3 months!


Here the fall didn't stop, we've arrived at 2° C. The romanians said that it isn't usual at this time, it's just some days... Well , the truth is that soon the temperatures will drop again, and here I 'm already in coat and scarf, in early October! Crazy!

I 'll let some pictures of the city, i hope you enjoy them!

Take care,

Carles S.

DOS MESES EN RUMANÍA // TWO MONTHS IN ROMANIA

ENGLISH VERSION, DOWN!
FOTOS AL FINL ;)


Sí, dos meses...
Y este ha sido más intenso que el primero, si cabe.
He viajado, he cumplido años, he celebrado, he discutido...

Pero empecemos por el principio.
El día 9 de agosto, Eliise y yo empezamos nuestra primera gran aventura en Rumanía. Empezamos a hacer atutostop. Fue increíble ver como los coches nos paraban sin pedir nada a cambio, y tras 9 horas y un accidente de coche (si...), llegamos a Arad (al norte de Rumanía, cerca de la frontera con Serbia y Hungría)!
Fueron como 9 horas de viaje, pero mereció la pena.
Allí pasamos 4 dias rodeados de voluntarios, visitamos Timisoara, una ciudad preciosa, aunque que nos pareció un poco aburrida.
Después del pasar el día en Timisoara, volvimos a Arad, y celebramos mi cumpleaños rodeados de muchos voluntarios! (y Eliise me preparó una tarta un tanto especial: chocolate, plátano, melocotón, yogur natural y bizcocho!). El caso es que la fiesta fué divertidísima, y fue un auténtico placer poder celebrar mi aniversario allí, rodeado de tan buena gente.

Y después, qué pasó después?
Pues decidimos ir hasta Belgrado! Esta parte del viaje fue la más complicada, ya que en Serbia nos costó mucho que nos cogieran los coches, pero poco a poco, aldea tras aldea, alcanzamos Belgrado. Por fin, uno de mis sueños cumplidos!!
Sin duda alguna, ésta fue la mejor parte del viaje. Belgrado es una ciudad maravillosa, y para ser una capital se respira cierta tranquilidad que me encantó. Y cómo no, atravesar el impresionante río Danubio, y tomar una cerveza desde lo más alto de la fortaleza observando el río en plena noche, mientras oíamos la música proviniente del BeerFest.
Belgrado es una ciudad mágica, y espero poder volver pronto, con más calma.
Allí me reencontré con viejos amigos, y nuevos conocidos. Hicimos amigos, y soñé con vivir allí (porque sí, es una ciudad que me ha enamorado!).

Tras dos días, empezamos el viaje de vuelta a Bucarest. Fue un viaje un tanto... largo, vamos a decir largo. Aunque sólo tuvimos que coger tres coches para llegar hasta casa, si tenemos en cuenta que uno era una caravana, con una familia hungaro-rumana que se chillaban por todo, y que además, conducian a 70/80 kms/hora...

Y una vez en casa, aun con el cansancio en el cuerpo.. celebré de nuevo mi aniversario, ésta vez con los que me rodean cada día.
La idea inicial era una fiesta de temática Rocky Horror... pero al final se nos fue de las manos, y se convirtió en una fiesta travesti, así, sin más. La verdad que fue una fiesta épica, y que quedará en el recuerdo de todos mis invitados.

Y para finalizar el mes... un viaje inesperado a Bulgaria, donde visité Plovdiv i Veliko Tarnovo, ambas ciudades me parecieron preciosas, pero personalmente me quedo con Plovdid y su casco antiguo.

Como veis, ha sido un mes agitado!!

Nos vemos pronto,

Carles S

***

Yes , two months ...
And this has been more intense than the first , if it's possible.
I traveled, I celebrated my birthday, I had discussions ...

But let's start fom the beggining!
On August 9 , Eliise and I started our first big adventure in Romania. We did atutostop for first time. It was incredible to see how the cars stopped us without asking anything in return , and after 9 hours and a car accident ( yeah. ..) , we arrived to Arad (north of Romania , near the border with Serbia and Hungary ) !
We spent four days surrounded by volunteers, also we visited Timisoara, it's a beautiful city, but we found it a bit boring .

After spending the day in Timisoara , we came back Arad and celebrated my birthday surrounded by many volunteers! ( and eliise prepared a special cake chocolate, banana, peach , and yogurt!) . Anyway, the party was hilarious , and it was a real pleasure to celebrate my birthday there, surrounded by such good people .

And then what happened?
Well we decided to go to Belgrade! This part of the trip was the most complicated, because in Serbia was a little bit complicated to take cars, but step by step, village after village, we reached Belgrade. Finally, one of my dreams come true!

Without any doubt, this was the best part of the trip . Belgrade is a wonderful city! And it's impressive to cross the River Danube, and grab a beer from the top of the fort watching the river at night , as we heard the music from BeerFest.
Belgrade is a magical city, and hope to return soon, with more time to visit the city and enjoy.

There i reconnected with old friends, and new acquaintances. We made new friends, and dreamed of living there (because yes, it's a city I 've fallen in love!) .

After two days, we started to back to Bucharest. Travel was... Long, yes. We take only three cars to get home, if we consider that one was a caravan, a Hungarian-Romanian family who were screaming for everything, and the velocity was70/80 km/hour...

Once at home, even with fatigue in the body... i celebrated my birthday again, this time with those around me every day.
The initial idea was a Rocky Horror themed party... but eventually became a transvestite party. It was an epic party, and that will remain in the memory of all my guests .

And to end the month ... an unexpected trip to Bulgaria where i visited Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, both cities seemed lovely, but personally i prefer Plovdiv and its old town.

As you see, has been a hectic month !

See you soon,

Carles S.