New city, lost post

Sorry dear readers, but yesterday I spent quite a while writing a rather long post about the castles and palace I visited on Sunday, only to have the computer decide to crash, and then the connection be so weird (it was Windows *95*...) that I couldn't recover the post. Sorry, but I'm not going to re-type it right now. I've written most of it out in my personal journal, so if a book really does come out, then you can read it then... :) Suffice it to say, Bran Castle, known more famously and incorrectly as Dracula's Castle, was really cool, and Pele's Castle was magnificent.

So, on to current events. Because I couldn't find out about train times to Bulgaria at my hostel (I took a nap yesterday instead of going to the train station to research...), I decided to come to Bucharest for a couple nights, and then head on down to Varna (on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria). I'm a bit tired of moving around so much, partly because I've only stayed 3-4 nights in each of the two places since I left Budapest. So, if I like Varna, which is rather small and certainly not the happening summer haven it is (due to the obviously not swimming-friendly Spring weather), I may stay there for a week or more, and THEN head to Istanbul. Also, missing ANZAC day in Istanbul might make lodging a wee bit easier to find. I love Australians and Kiwis, and they are great to go out with, but I really would prefer to know I can find a place to sleep -- that doesn't blow my budget...

I slept poorly last night (there was a guy in the room that snored even worse than I reportedly do -- and I was wearing earplugs and he still woke me up several times, think the sound of a chainsaw... -- and I've recently been told my snoring isn't what it once was), so I slept for a while when I got in to Bucharest today. I woke a little while ago, found some food, and now here I am, slave to email and my blog that I am...

I have to say, though, I felt right at ease with my crazy taxi driver. He was making lanes, wildly changing lanes and nearly clipping jaywalkers and cars alike. Almost on a par with the taxi drivers of Buenos Aires. [and as a side note: I do NOT condone hitting pedestrians, whether they are jaywalking or have the legal right of way. I speak as someone who has been hit TWICE by cars, and both times I was in a crosswalk with the right of way...]

So tomorrow, I will walk around this city of contrasts. There are many buildings still scarred by bombs or in various states of serious disrepair, sometimes alongside lovely, majestic buildings. Also, the second [to the Pentagon] largest government/adminstrative building is apparently here, too.

I will discover the state Ceausescu left this city in.