My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
This morning after breakfast we walked down to the waterfront to check out Lake Snagov.
Then we checked out of the hotel and drove two and a half hours northwest into the Transylvanian Alps.
Tonight we are at Akasha Retreat – Wellness Resort. It is a lovely little guesthouse in the mountains. Before dinner I took a yoga class. If the weather was nicer the class would have been outside.
What a day!!
We had a very nice breakfast overlooking the Danube.
Our plan was to take a taxi from Ruse, Bulgaria across the border to Bucharest, Romania where we would pick up our rental car. Duke had booked a taxi to pick us up at 10:45 and of course we had a rental car reserved near Bucharest Airport.
We waited in the hotel lobby but the taxi never showed up. The owner and staff at Ruse Boutique Hotel were wonderful. We even had a long talk with the owner who has been to Reno!
Eventually after making several phone calls and sending several messages we were notified that the taxi had been cancelled!
The desk clerk booked us a new taxi and in short order we were on our way to the ExpediCar rental car office about five miles from Bucharest airport. The taxi driver was friendly and we had a nice ride.
We had to call the rental car office again because they had no sign on the street.
After a few more phone calls eventually we were seated in their office. There were two guys behind the desk. I didn’t ask for their names.
They asked for papers. Everything started out fine.
Passport ✔️
Drives license ✔️
International drivers permit ✔️
Credit card ✔️
Things went down hill from there.
Our credit card was no good! They said it had to be an embossed credit card?!?
Embossed credit card ✔️
We met that requirement so they threw up a new hurdle. It has to have the word “credit” on the card !?! None of our credit cards say credit card on them.
So they wouldn’t rent us a car!?!
I don’t know what their scam was but there definitely was something illegal or at least shady going on. I don’t know if they weren’t happy that we didn’t want to buy their insurance or if they didn’t like Americans or if they wanted a bribe. Who knows! I am sure that if we had an embossed credit card with the word “credit” on it there would have been some other excuse.
As we were leaving I gave them my card and told them they can read all about or experience on my blog and watch it on my YouTube channel. He smiled and said don’t be too hard on us!!
So now we had to get to the airport. To get an Uber I had to download the Uber app. But eventually we got an Uber to the airport.
At the airport Duke booked another car with a pick up point a 15 minute walk away. We walked to the address but there was nothing there and then when Duke looked at his phone he had an email saying the reservation had been cancelled because they didn’t have a car!
So we walked back to the airport. On the way a security car stopped to ask why we were in such an empty part of the airport! But we got back to the airport and Duke rented a car at the rental car desk. Of course this is much more expensive than the original reservation.
So we have a car! The drive to our hotel was short. We got to our room and celebrated surviving!
Today was a gorgeous sunny day. This morning we had breakfast in the same place as yesterday. I just ordered a medium coffee instead of a large which was a much better choice! Then we went for a long walk along the Black Sea. I am so glad we got to see Varna and the sea with the sun shining.
After our walk we checked out of our hotel and started our drive to Ruse on the Bulgarian Romanian border.
Tonight we are in Ruse. Our hotel overlooks the Danube and Romania across the border. The rental company picked up our car a bit after 4 and then we went for a walk.
For dinner we went to a nearby restaurant, Terassa. We had an excellent meal.
Today we explored Varna. We started by looking for a place to get coffee and a pastry. So far on this trip when I order a large Americano coffee I frequently get the equivalent of a double espresso. So it was quite a surprise and a bit fun when today I ordered a large Americano and when the coffee came it was LARGE! The cup even had two handles!
It definitely feels like Spring is here. We walked through the park on the way back to our hotel and the tulips were starting to bloom.
This afternoon we went for another long walk. This time towards the port.
We stopped for a snack at a restaurant overlooking the port. It was fun to watch the cranes loading grain into a ship and a navy ship coming in. It was also great to sit outside and enjoy the very pleasant weather.
For dinner we went to a nearby Italian restaurant and shared pasta and pizza. It was very good.
One of the traditional Bulgarian breakfast dishes that we have had several times on this trip is mekica. It is essentially fried flatbread. This morning at our hotel I ordered an omelette and Duke ordered mekica and we shared. It was so good.
After breakfast we walked up to the nearby Tsarevets Fortress. It is a medieval fortress that according to Wikipedia “served as the Second Bulgarian Empire’s primary fortress and strongest bulwark between 1185 and 1393”. Because we were relatively early and before the tour groups arrived we had it almost to ourselves.
Then we walked back to our hotel, checked out and drove to Varna on the Black Sea. This is the farthest east we will be on this trip. We are only 218 miles from Ukraine! I am looking forward to exploring Varna tomorrow!!
Our hotel is only a couple of blocks from the water. We got upgraded to a suite. Our room is enormous.
Marion's Blog 