Crossing the Danube to the Capital, Bucharest - Romania🇷🇴 | A 40-Year-Old Woman's European Train Journey #03-1

[Day 7: Bulgaria → Bucharest/Romania]
Heading to the capital on a surprisingly slow train. I was shocked by the ultra-metropolitan Bucharest.

🚊 A 96-day travel essay. Read the previous story here ↓

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## The Deceptive Romanian Railway

It seems I successfully cleared Bulgarian exit procedures, so I transferred to the Romanian train that was waiting.

Compared to the retro-filled Bulgarian train, this is a modern vehicle that feels like it has jumped forward several decades in time.

There is an electronic display on the ceiling of the aisle, and I learned that this train is a Desiro (Blue Arrow).

Blue Arrow! It sounds fast!!

My excitement was short-lived; the train showed no signs of picking up speed, moving sluggishly and sometimes at a pace that felt like it was almost coming to a stop.

Huh? Did something happen?

By the way, there is no dedicated first-class car; only four box seats are set aside as first-class in a corner of the same car as second-class.

I took a seat in the first-class box since I had the chance, but it seems no one bothers to buy a first-class ticket when the second-class cars are just as comfortable. The first-class section quickly turned into a hangout spot as national railway employees finishing their shifts kept piling in.

## The Scenery Changes Completely After Crossing the Border

The train that departed Ruse first rattled across the massive Danube River.

Before starting my journey, I re-read my favorite novel, "Traveler of the Danube" by Teru Miyamoto, so I felt strangely happy, thinking, "Oh, the Danube River!"

After crossing the Danube and completing entry procedures, the train entered a rural area.

Just minutes after leaving Bulgaria, the scenery outside the window changed completely.

It is still a rural area, but perhaps because the farmland plots are so huge, I am surprised by the expanse of the fields, which feels like moving from Honshu to Hokkaido.

Even though the crops don't look that different, the rapeseed fields themselves are just enormous.
It feels like the yellow scenery outside the window lasts for seconds.

I didn't have any prior knowledge, so it was a new discovery for me that Romania is actually a major agricultural country!

## Actually, Romania's Railways are Old-Fashioned

And the train is slow as always.

It keeps moving sluggishly and then slowing down to a crawl, making me wonder when it's ever going to show its true speed.

The train cars are new, but perhaps the track infrastructure is still old, preventing it from picking up speed,

I thought to myself while looking outside carefully, and sure enough, I could see that the intermediate stations also had a charming, old-fashioned look.

It's a heartwarming scene, but I was strangely convinced that this just means the train cars don't match the facilities.

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## Getting Around the Big City of Bucharest by Subway

Without ever picking up speed from its sluggish pace, we arrived at the capital, Bucharest.

From here, I have to take the subway to the city center where my vacation rental for tonight is located.

I had braced myself by checking how to buy tickets and how to ride, but I just followed the metro signs, bought a ticket at a vending machine, and was able to board without any trouble.

The Bucharest Metro seems to have been around for quite a while, and it has a completely seasoned atmosphere.

The passengers and the information provided feel sophisticated, and having lived in Tokyo for a long time, I feel like I'm riding the Tokyo Metro, and I can even transfer with a straight face.

When I come to a big city, I can blend into the streets just as easily as I do in Tokyo.

This feeling is both happy and, at the same time, a bit unsatisfying, as it makes me feel like everywhere is the same.

## The Vacation Rental in the Downtown Area Has Excellent Taste!

When I arrived at my destination station, it was an area that felt like a corner of Shibuya.

At the meeting place designated by the female host of the Airbnb, a man claiming to be her proxy was waiting, so I felt a bit guarded.

I chose a female host's Airbnb specifically because I'm a woman traveling alone!

I felt a bit uneasy, but the man was experienced; he calmly explained things in fluent English while guiding me to an old building just one block off the main street.

The inside of the building was as dim as the exterior, which made me anxious, but the atmosphere inside the room was completely different!

It had been renovated with a bright, white-based color scheme, and the interior was stylish.

With a large bed and even a bar counter by the window, I was so happy that I would be able to stay here for two nights.

While I was impressed, the host's proxy calmly explained the room's facilities and then quickly left.

## Bucharest Night!

Now then, what should I do tonight?

Anyway, I haven't eaten anything since this morning except for the snacks I had on hand, so I'm starving.

Since I'm right in the center of the city, there are plenty of shops. I went into a busy restaurant nearby and ordered beer and a kebab.

The kebab was different from what I had imagined; it was minced meat shaped into a bale like a hamburger patty and grilled.

It wasn't wrapped in bread or vegetables, and it was brought to the table casually rolled onto a plate along with a mysterious yellow lump as a side dish.

The yellow thing tasted like corn, and the kebab was so spicy it was almost hot.

Well, it was a rather questionable meal, but I toasted to myself for having safely arrived in Romania for now, and decided to go to sleep early.

🚊Next time, walking around Bucharest. A wonderful encounter at the Palace of the Parliament.

📘 This post is part of "A 40-Year-Old Woman's European Rail Trip" ↓