First thoughts on Romania...

I took the night train from Budapest to Sighisoara on Friday night. We were supposed to arrive in Sighisoara at 9:20am, but that didn't happen... When I got on the train around 11:30pm, the car was completely full (save me) w/five other couchette passengers all in the dark having come in from Vienna. I had to make my way in the dark to the top bunk - with no ladder. Then, in the early morning, the train hit a car on the train tracks and we were delayed for several hours. (The car was decimated and strewn over ~1mi. I didn't feel anything, but shortly before we stopped, I saw another car at a crossing do a fast reverse (burning rubber), so I assume that the car that was hit had to be in from of it or something.) Regardless, I made it to Sighisoara safe and sound, thanks to some nice Romanian folks who helped me find the right station - since they don't call them out and, really, they all look the same anyway.

Sighisoara...wasn't what I expected. I'm not really sure what I expected, but, not what I found. I stayed in an old hostel in the citadel (Burg Hostel), saw the clocktower, saw the house where Vlad Tepes lived in his youth, saw a funky old cemetary - but it really wasn't all that impressive.

That said, the hostel was nice (w/an awesome bathroom) and it had a cheap restaurant attached, so I decided to be a bum and stay for 2 nights. (Believe it or not, I could get a tasty vegetarian pizza, like the amount of 2-3 slices, and a good beer for less than the equivalent of $3.)

Today, I am in Brasov. (Again, thankfully, some nice Romanian folks helped me find the right stop - and Brasov actually has a station, compared to the little "nothing" that Sighisoara has...) I lucked out and got the last bed in the hostel - so, yea me! I took a bus from the train station, and managed to find the hostel and not get pick-pocketed - which is supposedly quite a feat. Tomorrow, I'm going on a guided tour w/the hostel to some local castles. It's 60RON for gas, plus ~21RON for entrance fees - but it'll be worth it not to have to figure out all the transport, etc.

I've booked a train back to Budapest for Friday night, and will then try to make my way down to Sarajevo via Pecs.

More later...