Across Europe by Train - Jolyons 2002 Trip

Romania - Bucovina Monasteries Sep 18, 2002

Day 49 Wednesday 18 September Romania - Mircesti Hi diary. I wish I was in the UK now. I feel pressured by that bitch Maria in Brasov and Im worried about getting a flight back to the UK. Today was good tho & I visited loads of painted monasteries. cost me $60 though!! Got up at 9.30 had breakfast & left at 11 with Yoseph driving. It was great seeing the real Romanian countryside, very flat in places but then a band of hills covered in forest. Weather was fab to start. we had the odd fag. Didnt talk much cos couldnt. I cant speak French that well, picked up a hitchhiker briefly 1st stop was near Gura Humorului - Humor monastery. I thought they'd be free to film cos its all on the outside. but no. the monastery is enclosed in a wall - which means ideal place for a grumpy nun to sit at a cash desk. It was ususally 30,000 entry 60,000 camera 90,000 or 100,000 to video. So I skipped paying a few times. Humor had a little watchtower nearby I went up - very narrow. Voronet nearby & blue - my favourite then long drive onwards to Moldovita there was an english tour group here so I got to learn at last what I was looking at. All churches have the same pictorial layout. A tree of Jesse on the south, Last Judgement on the porch with heaven one side & hells red rivr flowing on the other. Inside are comin strip type squares one for each day of the year showing the saints days etc. I said bye to the group then to Sucevita the largest and best of all. Lovely drive there over a big hill, very windy, we stopped for a panoramic photo at the top, then back down windy roads. everytime I got out the car I coudlnt do my seatbelt or open the door - I didnt have Roman technigue as Yoseph said. Anyway sun was out briefly at Sucevita then it was a long drive to the big town of Suceava here I had a look at the Citadel - a nice castle but it was now closed cos it was after 6, then a nearby monastery - I wouldve sped up if Id known it would be closed, oh well. On way home had last look at Romanian countryside - I hate big towns I had descided. Its really hard to drive at night cos theres so many horses on the road & you cant see very well. Some are loaded up with loads of goods too. big loads of hay. Food at 8 My meal was ready when I got in. Soup & some veggy stuff - great. then I discussed money. I need to pay them 2,260,000 tomorrow. Sounds a lot. Then I got message saying I had to phone Maria, now shes starting to piss me off. Shes desperate for Hungarian currency. She keeps going on about my 5000 Florints - she even called back straight after I phoned her - we had to go outside to a call box? why is she so keen. Its started to put a damper on my holiday. I dont want to end on a sour note. Shes got a "friend meeting me in Sofia" which I dont want. I get to Sofia / Bulgaria 7.20am Friday, as soon as Im there Im going to look for flights to the UK. Fri, Sat or Sun. I really really want to be back home & pray for it to go smoothly. I hope Bulgaria will be easier & more understandable than Romania.

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