Handy Hints:

• Uber works in Romania

• Don’t forget to print your boarding pass if Australian and flying Ryanair.

Daily Expenses:

• Flights Lisbon to Dublin 59Euro, $95AUD

• Flight Dublin to Bucharest 63Euro, $101AUD

• Car Transfer Bucharest 30Euro, $50AUD

• Currency: Romanian Leu

Pre Tour Day: Friday 7th October 2022 (10-24 degrees) Sunny, Rainy Dublin

Hello my Literary Friends!

This morning I was up before dawn to make my way from the Living Lounge Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal, to Bucharest, Romania. By 6.30am I was in the Metro Station making my way to the Airport line, catching the train to the terminal. Upon arrival, I got a little turned around. I swear when I looked at my RyanAir information it said Terminal 1. Never mind.
Google Maps successfully guided me to the Free Shuttle Bus to take me to Terminal 2, where other Budget airlines like Wizz and EasyJet had gates. Ryanair were on time and after having my Boarding pass printed and passport checked (the only thing that frustrates me about flying RyanAir!) I was on my way to Dublin.

Dublin was chaotic as always, but to my surprise much more difficult to navigate than back in March. The staff weren’t particularly helpful and I ended up spending well over 45 minutes trying to get my visa check for the next flight. As I only fly with carry on luggage, it was relatively fast to get through security after this and make my way to a café for breakfast/lunch/coffee. The Butlers Chocolate Café was well located and the perfect sugary kick to get me through the next leg of my journey. NB: The café does not have any charging points, for travellers seeking electricity.

By 4pm the boarding was due to open for the flight Dublin to Bucharest, OTP Airport. At 4.45pm, having moved gates four times, I stood at the window beside a Canadian man, watching in interest as the aircraft at our gate was disembarked, passengers forced to walk around the tarmac and re-board the adjacent aircraft. There were no explanations as to why, but it made for an entertaining view. As we watched the rainclouds creep toward us, my new friend (whose name I forgot to ask) and I talked about Romania and contemplated if people’s luggage was going to find them at the other end. By 6pm we were taking off and on our way to Romania. I can honestly say, I’ve never been on a more interesting flight. I’d guess approximately 90% of passengers were Romanian, which explains the lingering scent of cigarettes and alcohol wafting through the aircraft. By the time we were close to landing, most of the plane was on the verge of drunk and a little disorderly (in places). It really helped set the vibe for returning to this part of Eastern Europe. This is my first time setting foot in Romania, but immediately flash backs to my last venture into this part of Europe began to surface from cities in places like Hungary.

Due to arriving around midnight, I took advantage of a pre-booked private car from the hotel Venezia which admittedly wasn’t cheap, at 30euro. But at the time, I wasn’t sure if Uber would work and didn’t want to take any chances being ‘taken for a ride’ arriving in a foreign country in the middle of the night. As we disembarked the plane, I overheard some locals explaining to an American couple not to let the local Taxi Drivers know you are foreign or they’ll price gouge.

The Central Hotel (which was the replacement hotel for Vilinus which was under renovation) was easy enough to check in by 1.30am with a clean and comfortable room. Bathroom was functional with hot water and amenities provided.

Tips:

Uber does work in Romania and is widely considered significantly cheaper than traditional taxis, which have also been reputed to intentionally rip off tourists.

Accommodation: Central Hotel (as Vilinus is under refurbishment)

If you are looking for the TravelTalk itinerary, it can be found here.