I got off the train in Timișoara and barely had time to check for free wi-fi before my CS host, Bogdan, approached me: "Sophie! Welcome to Timișoara! Are you hungry?" Less than a minute later, we were in the car, headed to the city center.
I've always had a fair amount of pre-travel anxiety- I have many memories of sitting on the light rail, heading towards the airport thinking, "I just want to be at the gate." In Europe, it's making sure you get to the train or the bus station on time or being able to contact your blablacar driver to know the meeting point. Traveling in Europe, however, also elicits a new form of anxiety that begins to bubble up immediately after I hop out of the car/bus/train.
"Where am I going?"
"How do I get there?"
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Is there Wi-Fi so I can check the map?"
"Where does the bus pick up?"
This arrival anxiety is something I've been working to curtail. Everything always works out in the end. The unknown is soon known.
However, I've always appreciated it when a host has the time/resources to pick me up from the station. It doesn't always happen, nor do I expect it, but it's a nice gesture.
Anyway, as we were driving towards the city center, Bogdan started telling me more about the Timișoara's history. He grew up there, and knows a lot about the history and development of the area. "You've been to Wien [Vienna]? Timișoara is called a small Wien."
There was a lot of construction on streets and the market square when I visited, but the city center of Timișoara was quite beautiful- there were lots of ornate and brightly painted buildings.
We arrived at Jarvis Pub, which I found out Bogdan and his family own as a side project. This is what I love about Couchsurfing. You never know what your hosts will be like until you meet them. I've been doing this thing where I don't normally choose what to eat, but let my dining partner choose or give me recommendations. I'm a large proponent of trying everything once, in order to make the most of my time traveling in new places with different food cultures. Bogdan's advice was easy to follow: smoked pork ribs.
I hadn't had pork ribs since I can't remember when. And they were good. Really good.
While pork ribs are not a traditional Romanian dish, I am spending almost three weeks in the country, so I don't feel the need to stick to a "STRICTLY TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN" schedule. In any case, the food the next day was momentous.
In the morning I met Bogdan and Mihaela for breakfast, which consisted of coffee, tea, bread, soft cheese, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, duck breast, prosciutto, and zacuscă, a savory vegetable spread. What a far cry from the simple toast and jam I would eat with a cappuccino in Italy! I love these types of differences among different countries. During the meal, Bogdan showed me several videos about Romania and its tourism, which I thought was a nice introduction to the country. I am very happy to be spending more than three days here, unlike Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, which I zipped through.
After breakfast, Bogdan, Mihaela and I went to an open market, where anything you can think of is sold, be it clothes, antiques, shampoo, chocolate. We spent a few hours there, and eventually made our way to Timișoara's Oktoberfest, in its last day. By this time, I was pretty hungry, so was pretty excited when we sat down to a meal of Timisoreana beer, french fries, and mici, which, according to Bogdan, is Romania's pride and joy. Similar to ćevapčići (remember?!), mici are grilled links of ground meat, usually mixed with herbs and spices. Like the Wikipedia page says, best enjoyed with mustard and cold beer.
Bogdan showed me how to properly eat mici, by sticking two toothpicks in one and using them to pick up the meat. Mihaela prefers her own method, by making a "mici sandwich" with bread. I tried both ways and enjoyed the meal immensely.
Later that day I had a chance to walk around the city center to take some pictures, go to the ATM, and pick up my Pink Martini ticket.
The next morning would be another early one, as I had a 6:40am train to my next stop: Cluj-Napoca. However, that didn't keep me from staying up late to talk to Bogdan and Mihaela. I felt incredibly comfortable with them, almost like I was at home. We had some really great conversations on life, traveling, and cultural differences- all current favorite topics of mine :) I was sad to leave what felt like so soon, but alas, maybe I'll return to Timișoara some day!
Next up, the six hour train ride to Cluj, during which I learn never to use a Romanian train bathroom.
 |
| On the border of Serbia/Romania |
"Where am I going?"
"How do I get there?"
"Where's the bathroom?"
"Is there Wi-Fi so I can check the map?"
"Where does the bus pick up?"
This arrival anxiety is something I've been working to curtail. Everything always works out in the end. The unknown is soon known.
However, I've always appreciated it when a host has the time/resources to pick me up from the station. It doesn't always happen, nor do I expect it, but it's a nice gesture.
Anyway, as we were driving towards the city center, Bogdan started telling me more about the Timișoara's history. He grew up there, and knows a lot about the history and development of the area. "You've been to Wien [Vienna]? Timișoara is called a small Wien."
There was a lot of construction on streets and the market square when I visited, but the city center of Timișoara was quite beautiful- there were lots of ornate and brightly painted buildings.
 |
| Exhibit A: Timisoara is beautiful |
We arrived at Jarvis Pub, which I found out Bogdan and his family own as a side project. This is what I love about Couchsurfing. You never know what your hosts will be like until you meet them. I've been doing this thing where I don't normally choose what to eat, but let my dining partner choose or give me recommendations. I'm a large proponent of trying everything once, in order to make the most of my time traveling in new places with different food cultures. Bogdan's advice was easy to follow: smoked pork ribs.I hadn't had pork ribs since I can't remember when. And they were good. Really good.
While pork ribs are not a traditional Romanian dish, I am spending almost three weeks in the country, so I don't feel the need to stick to a "STRICTLY TRADITIONAL ROMANIAN" schedule. In any case, the food the next day was momentous.
In the morning I met Bogdan and Mihaela for breakfast, which consisted of coffee, tea, bread, soft cheese, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, duck breast, prosciutto, and zacuscă, a savory vegetable spread. What a far cry from the simple toast and jam I would eat with a cappuccino in Italy! I love these types of differences among different countries. During the meal, Bogdan showed me several videos about Romania and its tourism, which I thought was a nice introduction to the country. I am very happy to be spending more than three days here, unlike Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, which I zipped through.
After breakfast, Bogdan, Mihaela and I went to an open market, where anything you can think of is sold, be it clothes, antiques, shampoo, chocolate. We spent a few hours there, and eventually made our way to Timișoara's Oktoberfest, in its last day. By this time, I was pretty hungry, so was pretty excited when we sat down to a meal of Timisoreana beer, french fries, and mici, which, according to Bogdan, is Romania's pride and joy. Similar to ćevapčići (remember?!), mici are grilled links of ground meat, usually mixed with herbs and spices. Like the Wikipedia page says, best enjoyed with mustard and cold beer.
Bogdan showed me how to properly eat mici, by sticking two toothpicks in one and using them to pick up the meat. Mihaela prefers her own method, by making a "mici sandwich" with bread. I tried both ways and enjoyed the meal immensely.
 |
| Note the toothpicks |
The next morning would be another early one, as I had a 6:40am train to my next stop: Cluj-Napoca. However, that didn't keep me from staying up late to talk to Bogdan and Mihaela. I felt incredibly comfortable with them, almost like I was at home. We had some really great conversations on life, traveling, and cultural differences- all current favorite topics of mine :) I was sad to leave what felt like so soon, but alas, maybe I'll return to Timișoara some day!
Next up, the six hour train ride to Cluj, during which I learn never to use a Romanian train bathroom.
Comments
Post a Comment