Hotel Dorobanti Iasi

... Moldova. So, here I was, a fugitive in the country! I didn't know how I would be able to get thru control if I didn't have any entry stamp. How can you stamp out if you hadn't stamped in?

I took a cab to immigration downtown, but it was very early (and Saturday-I traveled on the weekend, my own rule that I had broken. Anyway, since it was so early, I went to a coffee shop, and found a backpacker ...

... and amongst themselves.

We discuss the economics of the hostel. Roughly, she pulls in $1,000/mo in revenue. $600/mo pays her rental costs. She has another $100/mo in utilities. It is enough to pay her bills and in Romania, she is doing pretty well. The extra $ comes in from tours and she freelances as a limo driver for one of the big hotels. She had a 3 AM airport pickup later this evening. She works really hard.

... only other person at the hostel is a 60 year old Korean housewife, not what I had expected in a remote area of Romania. Suceava has virtually nothing in historical or cultural stuff to see and no nightlife. The reason to come here is as a launching pad for the painted monasteries.

We find an excellent restaurant just down the street from the hostel. In all, I would say that Romania has actually been the most consistently good food of any country so far. Another surprise.

... br>Good enough for you maybe, but what’ll I eat if I can’t find an exchange house or ATM in the vicinity? It’s a long walk back to the bus station and its exchange facilities.

“Breakfast starts at 7am.”

I’m good. That’ll help a little bit at least. Of course there are exchange facilities and ATM’s galore just around the corner, so I don’t have to fast for long. There ...

... out the distance I travelled in that time. The two trains combined travelled a whopping 117km. So it took 5 hours to travel less than 120kms. Plus it was raining and cold outside and the trains didn't have any heating. Not exactly plush travel standards as you can tell, but they were both Personnel trains, which means local trains and are mostly used by locals not crazy tourists like me trying to travel halfway across the country. In Salva I had to wait nearly 2 hours for my ...

Iasi is one of the larger cities of Romania. We got here on the heels of an adventurous car road trip of about 400km, which took about 8 hours to do, due to the vagaries of driving on Romanian roads. It is prettier than Bucharest and has a certain provincial charm, though it does not feel at all like a small city. Tavi's godparents live here and it was a pleasure to visit them, as ...

Spent one night in the Iasi (pronounced more like Yash to my ears). A few hours walking around the city, and I ended in church. I just kinda followed where all the other people were walking, next thing I know I'm standing in a line behind a few people to go into a small Romania orthodox church. I though it unusual that there were 2 cantors, and so many people were making sign of the cross. Then I realize that the line goes by a glass case, and every one is ...

... the three, it's also easily the most stunning and tranquil in both its architecture and setting. That, and it's all original - a rare thing in a region long torn by war, fire and the general decay of time. Iasi, despite all the damage it suffered under Communism, is definitely among my favorite cities in Romania. It's easily one of the country's most underrated destination, as few people seem to get out here apart from on a brief stop-off en route to Moldova. It's ...

... walking round city finding town hall (an old aristocrats mansion), old monastery, piece of rail vertical in pavement, cathedral and shop selling ****. Ate at excellent railway station buffet and walked to find internet cafe having to ask in hotel. Everyone playing video games but owners English speaking, fat, no sleep eyes son was pleasant. Walked to find local beer selling pub and want to bar asking when they closed but was ignored so walked off ...

... ruhige Italienerin; ein nie zufriedener, sooo langsamer Italiener; eine Belgierin, die immer zuerst ueber etwas anderes diskutieren will als die Moldauerin und die Schweizerin, die beide geniale Ideen haben, aber auch bald aufgeben, der Gruppe nichtakzeptierte Vorschlaege zu machen; eine Moldauerin, die die Kinder am zweiten Tag hasst, und grosse Melancholie zeigt; ein Moldauer, der sehr ruhig bleibt; und ein Deutscher, der sowieso nie einen Plan hat. Die ersten beide Tage sind ...