retiredmartin

May 2026. Alba Iulia to Sibiu. Romania.

Day 2, City 3 in Romania, catching the 15.29 with what might be “Corofana”, one of the many totally reliable minibuses listed on Autogari.RO

Mrs RM’s blog will contain much, much more detail on travelling around Transylvania, which I predict will become the next big craze for Gen X & Ys bored of Prague and Peterhead.

I’m encouraging her to address the worries that many folk have about travel in the Balkans. In practice, Romania has been astonishingly easy; booking on-line, better roads than the UK, cheap and reliable Ubers in the worst case.

But there’s no getting away from that frisson of fear as you approach the dusty Autogare looking for your transport.

I mean, it’s unreadable, and the bus names are things like “FANY”; is that the same as Corofana ?

There’s a smoke-filled office where four bus drivers are playing a card game, probably GBG ticker Top Trumps (BRAPA – bladder capacity 97)

What you really need to know in the Balkans is “When is it safe to interrupt a Romanian card game to ask is a bus is running“.

Three ignore me, one looks at my phone and points to what I assume is Mr Fana’s personal minibus parked outside. We decide to stop for a drink in the cafe. Note innovative use of the cap off the top of Mrs RM’s Dutch Dopper bottle (Mrs RM’s top money maker on her blog) as a drinking vessel.

Five minutes later we emerge to find the bus pulling out, without us.

Luckily, another one turns up, only 5 minutes late; the driver shrugs and we get on.

And barely an hour of high quality dual carriageway later we’re on the edge of Sibiu (pop. 134,309), one of Romania’s top tourist spots.

Mrs RM had found the bargain rooms here (always pick a Sunday in Sibiu), £44 for Hotel Am Ring in Piața Mare (the large square),

another modern room in an ornate old building. I never did work out what this does;

and I’d be grateful if you wouldn’t tell me.

Sunday sees the square full of life well into the evening; mini golf, kickabouts and a DJ playing “Barbie Girl” at illegal volume.

And not a discarded takeaway wrapper in sight, as Romanians keep their cities immaculately clean.

Sibiu has history, and culture, and craft beer, but it’s the eyes you’re here for,

those eyebrow dormers the stuff of influencer dreams.

I bought that Karel Fialka single in 1980. Who would have believed he’s make the Top 10 much later with “Hey Matthew” ?