Day 57

13/10/2011 – Day 57

Corabia to Turnu Mǎgurele – 35km

The day started bright and sunny but that was the best we were going to see. Breakfast stayed put today and we set off with the intention of getting to Piatra at least. The idea was to try and find a hotel there, if not we would ride on to Zimnicea where the guide says there is at least one.

As with all best laid plans we did not count on the wind strengthening and being full in the face all the way. The road was almost dead straight as well so there was not even the lure of a bend to give you some relief any time soon.

Generally the road conditions were good but we crossed over three very narrow bridges where the surface was heavily potted and broken. Even the cars and trucks had to slow down on these.

After an hour of this we passed through a village that appeared to be full of gypsies. Normally we would have stopped for coffee here but not wanting to risk having anything stolen we elected to try for the next town and have lunch there.

Although it was cloudier today the temperature had gone up a few degrees so it was not too cold as we battled the wind. The down side is that as soon as we stopped for lunch I am covered in sweat. Finding a restaurant on the edge of the town centre we stopped and sat outside although the waiter is keen for us to come in. But just after we order the food it starts to rain and we end up moving inside anyway!

Sitting there watching the rain set in for the afternoon we decide to stay here for the rest of the day. Fortunately M has just received some work so staying here would not be wasted. The hotel we had seen in the guide book was just around the corner and we dash round to see if they have any room.

The price for a single room includes breakfast but the price for a double room only includes one breakfast! So one of us does not get a breakfast, can you believe that?

 The hotel must have been good at one point in its life; in fact Romania itself must have been quite rich in the past. Looking at some of the old buildings they had money to spend on grand designs. In the country side we have passed several large dairy farms that must have housed hundreds of cows that are now just empty shells. The hotel has definitely seen better days and is in serious need of renovation. Every time the elevator moves up or down the whole building can hear it, the ‘new’ uPVC double glazing is made with recycled PVC and is badly fitted. The bath has been painted in the past but the paint is now worn and flaking. They are living on their glorious past but have not noticed that the world has moved on without them.

One thing I had noticed was that there were no traditional supermarkets in Romania so far. All the shops were ‘minimarkets’ more like the corner shop in the UK. A few hundred metres from the hotel was a brand new Pennywise supermarket (this was the second one I had seen today). Inside it was trying very hard to be the standard western European supermarket but the shelves were bare and the choice very limited. Also there seemed to be a lot of staff, in fact there were more staff than customers. Then the penny dropped, they were there to stop shoplifting! Remembering the shops we have been in over the last few days these must be a paradise for the gypsies, open shelves with everything within easy reach!