Trip Reports - NW BUH Deal Trip Reports

Whoo Hoo, made it to Bucharest without a flaw then caught the train to Brasov, Transylvania. No vampires so far.

Mike

Whoo Hoo, made it to Bucharest without a flaw then caught the train to Brasov, Transylvania. No vampires so far.

Mike

All riiiiight :)
Enjoy Transilvania and the rest of the countryside. Brasov is wonderful make sure you take a lot of pics :)
How's the weather so far? Looks like it's going to be cloudy these days.

As far as food, do not miss out on "Sarmale" and definetly try "Mici" (or "Mititei" as they're sometimes called.)
Not sure if you're a wine kind of person, if you are I hope you enjoy it. Romanian wine is one of the best in Europe and IMHO fairly under-advertised.

Hope you have a great time,

Chris

The first round of people have been to Romania and returned. I was debating starting a new thread in trip reports, but I think at the moment I'll keep my report here. It can always be shifted over, but this way it is easier to find all of the recommendations and tips from the people's adventures here.

My adventure started on 11/17 when I drove from Seattle to Mom's just south of the border. We got up early in the morning and Mom dropped me off at the airport in Vancouver. The border was wide open and we made great time to the airport. I hopped out of the car and they headed home. In Vancouver I waited at the AS club to fly back to Seattle.

The flights went well and were on time. I flew QX YVR-SEA, then SEA-AMS on NW. The YVR-SEA flight had several empty seats, SEA-AMS was pretty full. I wandered around AMS for a little bit before catching the KLM flight to OTP. Plenty of empty seats for that three hours so was able to spread out a bit.

Once I arrived in OTP customs was quick and easy. I was through in minutes. Plus I was traveling with my backpack only so I was through quickly. At the airport I hit the cash machine to get a few lei (2.71/$). A Romanian friend picked me up at the airport and we headed to the train station. A high speed Regional train was heading out a half hour later so we had coffee and I headed aboard. The train was clean, fast and ran with German precision for the timing. Every stop was within a minute of on time.

I arrived in Brasov in the early evening and took a cab to the Rolling Stone Hostel (http://www.rollingstone.ro/) where I had a bunk booked for three nights. The hostel was clean, well located, had nice beds and large storage lockers. Cost was $12/night. There is another hostel in the same part of town called Kismet Dao (http://www.kismetdao.com/brasov/index.html). Kismet Dao gives you a free beer for each night you stay, but someone I talked to said she got a few bug bites while there. I didn't check out the insides, but the outside looks decent enough.

Brasov has a lot of the medivel center still remaining including much of the 15th century walls. There are a few churches and museums to explore. I enjoyed the town immensely. Others also recommended continuing on the train to Sibiu which will be the European Capitol of Culture for 2007. From Brasov it is easy to do side trips to Bran Castle and Rasnov as well as Sighisoara, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of Vlad Tepes.

After Brasov I took the train for a night in Sinaia. Sinaia has a couple of interesting castles and an old monastery. In Sinaia I splashed out a bit and stayed at the 3* Hotel Sinaia. This ran about $50 for the night. They also have one of the hot clubs in town downstairs.

The final two nights were back in Bucharest. I stayed at the Butterfly Villa Hostel (http://www.villa-butterfly.com/).($12/night) It wasn’t the greatest hostel I have ever stayed at, but it was ok. They have 24 hour reception and lots of people interested in partying. Bucharest is basically a big ugly city. Much of the historic center was bulldozed by Ceausescu to build the Palace of the People, the second biggest building on the planet and a street longer and wider than the Champs Elysees. He also used Pyongyang, North Korea for design inspiration. I think your best choice is to spend as little time there as possible and head to the countryside to see the real Romania.

The trip home was nothing special except for snow in YVR. My the time I left for Seattle Sunday morning there was about a foot of it at Mom’s house.

I look forward to other people’s reports especially for Amsterdam and area since I will do that trip in May.

I agree about Bucharest. Big, noisy, ugly city with lots of traffic. I walked around in the downtown area a lot, hoping to find a square where people hang out, but it wasn't much like Prague or Amsterdam. Just another bustling big city. Worth seeing the one time, but I unfortunately have another 2-day stay in December. If it were in the summer I would try a hotel in the lake district, but since it's winter I'll probably go to Brasov. Does anyone know how exactly to get to the Gare de Nord from OTP? The map I have seems to indicate that taking bus 783 to Piata Victoriei and then the Metro from there is the best bet. Also, is there a way to get Romanian train tickets online, or is that asking too much?

I tried my WorldClubs card at the lounge at OTP, but no go. I didn't think it would work, but inexplicably it works at the lounge at OSL, so I thought I'd try.

Because of this trip I'll be Gold when the Europe miles come in, so it was worth it, and I was in Amsterdam several times and got to meet my friend's smiley baby girl in Frankfurt. Next trip will gain me Plat if they don't change the fare class on me, and Brasov sounds pretty good, so I'll look forward to that.

but since it's winter I'll probably go to Brasov. Does anyone know how exactly to get to the Gare de Nord from OTP? The map I have seems to indicate that taking bus 783 to Piata Victoriei and then the Metro from there is the best bet. Also, is there a way to get Romanian train tickets online, or is that asking too much?

The hostel I stayed at suggested taking the 783 to Piata Unirii and then the metro to Gare de Nord. I'm not sure why they suggested that if the 783 stops in Piata Victoriei.

Check out http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en for train schedules. There are trains to Brasov every hour. The run is 2.5-3.5 hours depending on which train you choose. You can just walk up 15 minutes early and buy one for about 30 lei. The fee for ordering the ticket online would probably be more than the actual ticket.

The Butterfly Vista hostel web site offers rides to the airports. Based on what you saw, would you consider the staff trustworthy enough to count on a 4 AM ride to the airport, if necessary?

The Butterfly Vista hostel web site offers rides to the airports. Based on what you saw, would you consider the staff trustworthy enough to count on a 4 AM ride to the airport, if necessary?

Butterfly Hostel seemed to be a party hostel, like many capital city hostels are. The beds were comfortable enough, but the noise continued a bit late in the rooms. I told some people to move their conversation to the common area which they did.

The driver that brought people to the hostel didn't want to get up for the 6:10 am AMS flight, I assume that is the one you are on for a 4am ride. The staff called a cab which came within minutes. The cab cost about 35 lei which is actually less than the car from the hostel. Oh, in city cabs are 1.4 lei/km. From the hostel to the airport it was the outside the city rate of 2.5 lei/km.

mcrt, thanks for the information. For a one-night stay, the Butterfly Villa sounds all right (particularly with a private room).

Yeah same here .. I'm going to end up staying for two days in Bucharest. I'm still debating between that hostel or an HI hostel.

Yeah same here .. I'm going to end up staying for two days in Bucharest. I'm still debating between that hostel or an HI hostel.

I'm not sure what your dates are, but right now the HI hostel is closed for renovation. I'm not sure how long it will be closed. There is another HI Hostel up near OTP. If you are just looking for an overnight before flying out that one might be good.

I am headed this weekend and have made reservations at the

Bucuresti-Otopeni - Pension Gabriela
Margaritarului Street 18, Vila A 104,
Otopeni
Bucharest
Romania

Close to the airport and is available for booking via HI site. Hopefully it should be good ;)
I think that's the same HI Hostel mcrt is talking about.

I think that's the same HI Hostel mcrt is talking about.

That is the OTP one. The other one, Villa Helga, is the downtown one that is currently closed.

Loving the info trickling in. Thanks for posting your reports/tips... but

DID ANY OF YOU MEET UP?!

I tried my WorldClubs card at the lounge at OTP, but no go. I didn't think it would work, but inexplicably it works at the lounge at OSL, so I thought I'd try.

Show it at checkin, and try tp get alounge invitation from, KLM. They nowadays almost uniquely work with lounge invitations at that lounge.

Are any of the AMS Bound people geocachers? If so I have a coin that wants to go that direction. Let me know.

I'll be sleeping there tonight. Wednesday night I slept in the Montreal bus station and Thursday I slept on the flight to Amsterdam. I've spent all day in Amsterdam sitting in the sun and drinking espresso. So I may not be able to give you an accurate report. At this point, I'd be happy with a place to sit that isn't outside.


Grownfool:

Any update on sleeping at OTP ? Looking forward to hearing your experiences.

(Okay, I'll start the thread.)

Mod will move posts here from CommBuzz thread. Thanks, chrissxb!

***********************************************

I'll leave this open in case a compilation of some sort can be made.

(saved, just in case)

****************************************

No more poster 'delete' option?

Mod will move posts here from CommBuzz thread.

doing so. they're put in the new thread in the chronological order.

regards

chrissxb
co-moderator
communitybuzz!

No comments about the infamous stray dogs around BUH?

I stayed at this place over the weekend.

Bucuresti-Otopeni - Pension Gabriela
Margaritarului Street 18, Vila A 104,
Otopeni
Bucharest
Romania

Close to the airport and is available for booking via HI site. It is not exactly like staying at a BestWestern hotel (homely feeling), but almost there for something that is between a B&B and a Hostel. Clean toilets and comfortable beds. Would just recommend to get your own towels.

It is 10 mins drive to the airport. So taking a cab at 4:45AM for a 6:10AM flight is more than adequate. Will probably push it to later next time. The OTP immigration queues and security queues were non-existent.

OK .. I just made a reservation at the Butterfly Villa hostel and honestly I'm still not sure if I'm going to keep the reservation.

They will let me keep one of my luggage there for 1 euro/day while I take my side trip to Bratislava & Vienna on SkyEurope. SkyEurope only allow 1 luggage at 20kg to be checked in.

I think I'm going to take the train from OTP and have them picked me up from the station. Then I'm going to use their shuttle service for the hostel-Baneasa airport rides.

mcrt, how far is the Butterfly Villa Hostel to the city center? I read somewhere on their website that I must use a bus :eek:
I thought it's located in the center of the city?

Beside the HI hostels, this is another hostel that I'm considering

Cristman Hostel (http://www.cristman-hostel.ro/)

It looks nice from the pictures lol

mcrt, how far is the Butterfly Villa Hostel to the city center? I read somewhere on their website that I must use a bus :eek:
I thought it's located in the center of the city?

Like many big cities Bucharest is very spread out. Use N44 27' 52" E26 4' 4" in Google Maps to see the exact location. It is close to the Arch de Triumph and Hera Park where the village museum is located and it was a 3-4 mile walk to the Palace. It is flat and an easy walk. The weather was good when I was there so I walked a lot. I did take the subway/bus to get back to the hostel after a Palace tour because it was starting to rain.

Butterfly Hostel does have bus/subway maps that they hand out. Cabs are also reasonable, 1.4 lei/km ($.50us/km)

Well, I''ve begun my second trip. I'm on my way to YYZ to fly KLM to OSL, then OTP (and to Brasov this time), then AMS. I found out I couldn't check in online, though. The nwa site said to go to klm.com, and the klm site said that NW handles Canada. I called Gold Elite and they said I'd have to check in at YYZ. I hope my seat in the forward compartment is still there.

Edited to add:

I was able to upgrade the YYZ-AMS leg on Saturday to Biz through KLM ticketing at YYZ. I had to wait until just before boarding to find out if I got it. 30K NW miles, but only for the TA leg. AMS-OSL was not upgraded. There was still one open seat in the lower section. I have to say that I like the NWA 333 WBC seats much better. I probably won't try to upgrade on the return.

OK, I made it to Brasov, very late. The bus from the airport was even slower this time. I saw my chances for two trains to Brasov (1:10 apart) disappear while I waited in stop-and-go rush-hour traffic (mostly stop) on the way to Piata Victoriei. The last few blocks were excruciating, and I finally got off when I realized that I was fairly close and walked the rest. I was walking at least four times faster than traffic. Got to a Metro stop, went down, found out that it was the wrong line, went back up, crossed all the way around to the south side of Victoriei, and that was the right one.

Got to Gara de Nord, found the ticket counters but didn't have much cash yet, so I went hunting for an ATM. Was accosted by a cab driver, explained I was taking the train to Brasov, he recommended the bus, I said I want to take the train. He showed me where an ATM was (opposite the big board that shows the trains and what tracks they're on), then proceeded to guide me to the right ticket counter, where he waited in line with me for the 15 minutes it took the four people in front of me to get their tickets ( a lot of arguing went on with two of the people and the counter lady, I don't know why), then told the woman what ticket I wanted. He gave me his card for when I come back, and I gave him 3 lei because he really helped me out.

Unfortunately, I missed another train while waiting in line, so I ended up not getting to Brasov until almost 11pm. I took a taxi to my hotel, the Pensiunea Curtea Brasoveana. The taxi cost 9,50 lei. The driver might have looped around a little more than he needed to, I'm not sure. The room, up two flights, is large, with a large tiled bathroom and a shower stall. The shower sprayer holder didn't work - it kept sliding down. Despite carefully closing the double sliding curved shower stall doors, when I came out the floor was somewhat flooded. Otherwise the room is pretty good, with free internet, cable TV and breakfast for 60 Euros/night.

I highly recommend taking a taxi from OTP if you come in on the flight from AMS arriving at 4:50pm and need to get somewhere in under two+ hours.

p.s. I was upgraded at the gate on the AMS-OPT flight because coach was overbooked. The middle seat next to was empty, too. That B fare was good for something.

Should we be worried that grownfool seems to be MIA since he slept at the airport? ;)

<============== future OTP airport sleeper

grownfool reported in the MR forum on 11 November:

For those sleeping at OTP, go right immediately uopn entering the arrivals hall and follow the signs to international departures. If you go left, you will have to run the gauntlet of taxi drivers. The departure lobby is large and relatively quiet with lots of security. Announcements did not start until 3am and were infrequent. KLM check in starts at 4am and passport control opened at 4:30am.
Post #2500 (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6719678&postcount=2500)

Zoiks! S/he last logged in 22 November! 26 days ago! :( On the other hand s/he only has a 10-post total.

I arrive OTP Jan 2nd and leave the 4th. Not real sure what to do with my time there?? I'm considering renting a car and driving to Brasov for the 2 nites. I see Brasov is a bit up in elevation. Anyone have a guesstimate what driving conditions might be like? Is snow typically an issue?

I arrive OTP Jan 2nd and leave the 4th. Not real sure what to do with my time there?? I'm considering renting a car and driving to Brasov for the 2 nites. I see Brasov is a bit up in elevation. Anyone have a guesstimate what driving conditions might be like? Is snow typically an issue?

I was just there last week and it was in the 40s. No snow except on some high mountains. You can take the train to Brasov from Gara de Nord for about 33 RON for 2nd class one way, 48 RON for first. 2-1/2 to 3 hour trip. Or you can take a bus. The roads and traffic outside of Bucharest are supposed to be OK, though. I liked Brasov, by the way.

I thought I'd post a quick first full day report here instead of the MR thread. If it needs to be moved, I won't be hurt!

I rented an apartment from Romvision that was mentioned on the thread a number of months ago. I opted for the airport pickup for $20 Euros. We waited a small amount of time outside before we were picked up, but had no checked luggage so came out fast.

The apartment is a few blocks away from the Hilton here. From the outside the apartment looks rather Soviet. 5 or 6 story bland apartments. Once you get inside, it's not any better. The elevator looks like it's from the 50's, the hallway looks pure ghetto.

The apartment looks great inside, but has some defects. One bed is broken, the toilet seat is not attached right, and comes off. There is still food left in the fridge from the last occupant. The sliding shower door is so small that 50% of Americans couldn't get in.

The living room furniture is nice, but both bedrooms have a compressed fiberboard motif going on. Looks fine from a distance, but looks pretty cheap up close.

Now on to the positive things. Wireless internet works great. They had a repair guy out for the bed in 15 minutes, and although it has a big crack in the frame, it is serviceable.

Nice sheets and pillows, so-so mattress. Plenty of electrical outlets (normal European style). Quiet. Cable TV with lots of channels. Super-duper deadbolt locks. Phone able to make local calls (but no mobile phone calls). Small fridge, stove, clothes washer and a rack for air drying your clothes.

Lots of tile, but fakey wood flooring is going to be junk within a few years, I'd guess.

One the way in from the airport, I had asked the Romvision agent about crime, and things to watch out for. He said there was no problem.

We went out today, and were going to a fresh fruit market a couple of blocks away from the Hilton. As I was going through the parking lot across the street from the Hilton, I see a group of "Youts*" changing direction and zeroing in on us. I push my two family members in front of me and try to get them to walk fast in a direction away.

The Yout's*, about 6 or 7, circled us, and started asking for money aggressively. I start with a standard "No", and then escalated that quickly, to a much more emphatic version. One then started to get close and try to put his hands into my pockets. I forcefully pushed him away, and then a few were around my teenager. I turned around, got both family members in front of me again, and told everyone to protect their valuables.

I had all my valuables inside my coat jacket, but I would think that someone alone might get into trouble with these 12-14 year olds if they were alone.

I've dealt with similar stuff around the world, and wasn't seriously concerned, but I wouldn't recommend taking out much in the way of valuables if you're walking around the city.

We also got hit up by a lot of the "Lucky Sheep" people. I guess you rub a lamb's head for good luck next year, and donate some money to them. We were in a supermarket, and one came in the front door. My teenager donated some coins and rubbed the lamb. Then the little kid (with his mother just ahead), got persistent when we were 50 meters down the road, and kept asking for 1 Euro. No thanks!

The fruit/vegetable market was nice. It's on Piata Amzei. Apples, oranges, grapes and many other items were fairly reasonable . (4-6 Lei per kilo.) I think some things were brought in for Christmas and were super expensive. Nectarines 50 Lei per kilo. Cherries 150 Lei per kilo. (Thats almost $60 US per kilo!)

We ate at a small pizza/pasta restaurant nearby. Pizza Romea - Piata Amzei Nr 10-22 (317-0950) www.pizzaromea.ro Thin crust pizzas, small size for one person if not too hungry 6.9-14.7 Ron/Lei) large size for one hungry person or two if not so hungry (9.9-18.7 Ron/Lei).

Pasta, salad, desserts, and other goodies available as well. 3 or 4 tables only. Non smoking. Some staff speak english, very helpful. I thought it funny that a local 1/2 liter bottle of beer was cheaper than a bottle of Coca-Cola! (3.5 Lei vs 3.0 Lei). They deliver with a 20 Lei minimum. 10:00-22:00. I think they're closed on Sunday. (Brochure says Duminica Inchis)

(*Spoken as Joe Pesci)

We went back to the apartment to divest ourselves of all the fruit and supermarket purchases, and to leave any valuables that weren't totally necessary.

We then caught a taxi to Plaza Romania which the pizza folks had told us about when we asked about a mall with movies. There is a taxi que outside the apartment, and the rates are marked on the door of the taxi. I think the one we took was 1.45 Lei per kilometer, and 15 Lei per hour waiting time.

It was about 11 Lei there, with moderate traffic. This is a big mall with a dozen or so movies playing, a full floor of restaurants and food court, plus lots of expensive shopping and a nice supermarket on the ground floor.

We went in the evening, and tickets were 12 Lei each, and Thursday was ladies day, only 7 Lei for ladies. The movie didn't start for an hour, so I wanted to grab a quick snack while the others went shopping.

Philip Morris must make billions from the Romanians, as almost every table in the whole floor (at least 1000 people) were smoking. Going into a bar is one thing, but I hate to have to try and breathe smoke while eating. I asked a couple restaurant servers about non-smoking tables, and just got a vacant look. They all said, "Oh, you smoke anywhere you like. Everywhere the same." Cough, cough, cough...

The movie was fine (Vacanta, "The Holiday"), although I'd say that Romanians beat out my previous record holders for most obnoxious cell phone users/talkers during a movie previously held by New Jersey. The guy behind me got 5 calls during the movie! And the conversations were never less than a few minutes each.

The supermarket downstairs is open late (we were there after 11pm), G Market, and had a good selection of almost everything.

We got another taxi out front, but were charged 2.5 Lei per kilometer (meter marked T4 instead of T1). I assume this is for late night charges, and not a "gringo tax". :)

Still just 17 Lei back to the apartment, and time to try to catch up with FT!

Thanks for the reports, JC. :)

I'll ask chrissxb to move your posts to the NW BUH Deal Trip Reports (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=632026) thread.

Thanks! I'm sure there was a some home for them. :)

There is a taxi que outside the apartment, and the rates are marked on the door of the taxi. I think the one we took was 1.45 Lei per kilometer, and 15 Lei per hour waiting time.

<snip>

We got another taxi out front, but were charged 2.5 Lei per kilometer (meter marked T4 instead of T1). I assume this is for late night charges, and not a "gringo tax". :)


Different cabs have different rates for travel inside Bucharest, and it has only a nodding relation to the quality of the car. As you note, the rates are painted on the side of the cab or on the door. You should (automatically) check the rates before entering the cab.

On another note, I don't know what your budget is like, but if you can afford a ~$25 - $35 dinner, you might want to check out the "Dracula" restaurant/supper club next to the Pussycat a little way up from (up the street to the right as you exit) the Marriott. Food and floor show are very good (but don't sit too close to the stage, as it can get loud at times).

Different cabs have different rates for travel inside Bucharest, and it has only a nodding relation to the quality of the car. As you note, the rates are painted on the side of the cab or on the door. You should (automatically) check the rates before entering the cab.

The taxi that charged us 2.5 Lei per Kilometer had the same 1.40 or 1.45 rate on the door. Since it was after 11pm, I thought it might be a late night surcharge, but wasn't going to get into an argument about it, since I was unsure.

Eek! I'm wondering how my daughter and me, given that neither of us is particularly intimidating in appearance, would be able to handle a swarm of youths. I know Bucharest is not the only place this can happen - it happened to a friend a few months ago in Spain - and I've heard numerous other reports of other places, but still it sounds very scary. I'm glad the situation resolved itself, in any event. Thanks for posting.

We went out today, and were going to a fresh fruit market a couple of blocks away from the Hilton. As I was going through the parking lot across the street from the Hilton, I see a group of "Youts*" changing direction and zeroing in on us. I push my two family members in front of me and try to get them to walk fast in a direction away.

The Yout's*, about 6 or 7, circled us, and started asking for money aggressively. I start with a standard "No", and then escalated that quickly, to a much more emphatic version. One then started to get close and try to put his hands into my pockets. I forcefully pushed him away, and then a few were around my teenager. I turned around, got both family members in front of me again, and told everyone to protect their valuables.

I had all my valuables inside my coat jacket, but I would think that someone alone might get into trouble with these 12-14 year olds if they were alone.
Wow .. reading that that makes me REALLY worry since I'll be traveling alone :(

Eek! I'm wondering how my daughter and me, given that neither of us is particularly intimidating in appearance, would be able to handle a swarm of youths. I know Bucharest is not the only place this can happen - it happened to a friend a few months ago in Spain - and I've heard numerous other reports of other places, but still it sounds very scary. I'm glad the situation resolved itself, in any event. Thanks for posting.

Unfortunately it is just part of travel. I had zero problems in Bucharest, but have had lots of attempts by pickpockets in many countries. The successful pickpockets were in Amsterdam and Prauge. The most brazen ones were in Barcelona.

Jaimito's keeping all of the valuables inside the coat adds a lot of security to your possesions. My tips for travelers include: Only keep about $10 in your easily accessible pockets. You can even keep a small bundle of 1 lei bills that someone can steal, kind of like what I have heard New Yorker's in the past refer to as "mugger money" Travel with a debit card from one bank and a credit card from another. That way if you call to cancel one after a theft they don't cancel everything that you have. (That happened to me). Also keep $20 in you shoe or bra. That is enough to take a cab back to your hotel, the police station or a bar so you can recover.

Always be aware of your surroundings. At home a group of "youts" would really stand out because our mind has already filed everything else into background noise. While traveling everything is new and our mind is trying to process it all so it is distracted. Just try to be aware.

If you see a situation developing move into a store or restaurant. Thieves will normally just fade away because they don't want to be seen. Don't be shy about yelling. Police and Security are words that are similar in many languages. Yell those and people will respond. Dutch: Politie, French: Police.

Yelling in general will draw attention to you and them. In Barcelona when someone tried picking my pocket I yelled out that he was a MOTHER BLANKITY BLANK PICKPOCKET AND A LOUSY ONE AT THAT. As well as a few other things. Everyone in the area knew that they should be cautious of him.

Safe Travels.

In Barcelona when someone tried picking my pocket I yelled out that he was a MOTHER BLANKITY BLANK PICKPOCKET AND A LOUSY ONE AT THAT. As well as a few other things. Everyone in the area knew that they should be cautious of him.

LOL good one! :D ^

That sort of invective can work for a man, but I'm not sure it would for a woman. I appreciate the tips, and I'll just try to avoid dark alleys, etc.

But to a lighter topic - what were women wearing in Bucharest? Is it the sort of place where people get dressed up to go out in public?

To those FT'ers who have returned from your OTP trip, did you happen to take any pictures? If so, mind sharing them with the rest of us? :)

I'm a bit of a walker, and will just head off in any odd direction that strikes my fancy. I've found lots of interesting stuff this way. If you're concerned about some of the Youts, I'd just take a taxi to your location, and I think you'll be fine.

We walked almost the same route the next day, and other that Sheep Boy, had no problems at all. I think it's mainly in the tourist areas that you'll run into them, if at all.

I thought I'd just post my experience with the purser on my return flight, and some of my experiences on arriving and departing BUH.

For my 8 day trip, I just brought a standard rollerboard and a laptop bag, no checked luggage, in case there were any bump opportunities, and to simplify things in general.

I had a superb purser on my MAD-AMS flight on Dec 27th. The front of coach was totally full, and after takeoff, he approached me, and asked me if I'd like to move into Europe Select. I gratefully accepted. There were only 2 other people up front, so I got a whole row to myself.

He asked where I was flying to, and asked how my trip was going. I told him that things were fine, but MAD was quite short since the plane went mechanical and we lost a day. I also mentioned the problems with the YVR staff giving out almost expired certs and so forth, and not delivering the new ones the next day as I had been promised.

He apologized for them, and said that it was not how KLM should do it. He then asked if I had the discount certs. They were in my laptop bag, which was still in coach. He went back with me, and brought my luggage up for me, which was a great touch!

I gave him the certs, and I guess he wrote up a report about it. He then brought me 3 compete new replacement amenity packs, including the 3 2000 mile certs. I had taken the certs out of the original amenity packs, as I was going to mail them when we still in Canada. However, when I saw the Holland mailing address, I just left them in the envelope, and thought I'd deal with them later.

This was by far, the best KLM purser I've ever had, and probably comes close to the best airline purser I've ever had.

I had written to TTU on NWA.com while in Madrid about the certs and the KLM staff attitude in YVR. (Promising new certs and not delivering, long line for hotel coupon with no elite/biz class line) Now believe it or not, I rarely complain to NW, although I might gripe a bit on FT. In fact, I send a couple of letters a year. Considering my 180-190k miles of flying a year, not so much.

NWA replied with a nice letter, and gave each person in my party 7500 miles. I had really just wanted some of the 50 Euro vouchers that didn't expire in a week. Great job NWA! Because of purser, I got the certs, and NWA gave me some nice bonus miles. That helped make up for the lost day in Madrid.

The security line going to OTP was horrid. I had a one hour connection, so was to the gate about 45 minutes before departure. They had one x-ray machine going, and lines coming from two opposite directions. No elite line, of course. It took about 35 minutes in the line before I passed security. The plane was totally full, and there was a seat poacher in our seats. "In the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan", I said, and off he went. :)

The FAs were very helpful in clearing some space in the overhead bins for our carry ons. There were still 20 people behind us, but everyone put their coats in the bins, and filled them up way too quick.

Security at OTP was nothing. Really. Nothing. Just walk off the plane and out the doors. No passport stamped or anything.

I would *not* recommend changing any money in the airport. They were giving 2.25 to the dollar, but you could get 2.56-2.60 in town. I found an ATM near the exit. I just took out 400 Lei and it was enough for the few days we were in town.

Leaving at 6:10am to AMS on the 30th, we got to the airport at 4:50am. I used the Business class line, and they issued all my boarding passes (OTP-AMS-MSP-SEA-YVR), and as a NW Plat gave me a pass to the lounge as well.

The lounge was right next to the gate (#2), and had a bunch of stairs going down. When I got downstairs, they told me there was an elevator around the corner.

A nice big lounge, they let all three members of my party in with the one pass. Lots of juices, some breads, snacks and alcohol available. There are some computers there, but I didn't check them out. They do have a large smoking section available as well, it seemed a duplicate of the non smoking lounge.

Boarding started a little less than 30 minutes before the flight departure time. Here comes the fun part.

I had a super pissy KLM purser on the OTP-AMS route. I always carry a standard rollerboard, and laptop case. I think he took a disliking to me, as he sees me coming on with these and he just starts emphatically telling me that I can't bring them on. I question him, telling him that it's one standard rollerboard, plus a personal item. I add that I've flown the same luggage combination for 180,000 miles this year.

He's got a bad attitude. He tells me that I *have* to check my rollerboard. I tell him that it's not possible, since it has medical equipment in it. He then tells me that I have to go to the front of the airplane, with my bags, while he calls the service manager. Ah, reminds of me grade school! I calmly state that I travel with the same bags everywhere, and never have a problem with the size of the bags.

He then asks if the other people in my party have carry on bags. I state that we all have carry ons. It's almost like he has some sort of carry on issues going on.

The KLM uniformed supervisor comes on. She's pleasant. She tells him to just store the luggage, and that it's no problem. He goes on saying that he has to write a report up on it, and that she's asking him to do something against his nature.

The supervisor asks for my boarding stubs and I show them to her. She then asks for my elite card, which I provide as well. I then hear the purser and the supervisor, and all I hear her say is , "Platinum". The purser then gets a disgusted look on his face, and puts my rollerboard in the closet. (It would fit in the bin, but was a tight fit)

I go to my seat, and get ready for the take off. 5 minutes later, the purser comes back to me, and ask if I'd like to move to the empty Europe Select section. I'm a bit surprised by this, but move since it's empty, and more space is nice. The purser seems to be trying to make up for his previous attitude.

Before takeoff, he comes over, and apologizes, saying he didn't know I was a platinum. I don't see where this should matter, really, but I don't press the point.

After takeoff, he comes up and asks if I have any family members traveling with me who would like to move up to the Europe Select cabin. I give him seat numbers. My teenager comes up, and spreads out on three seats and goes to sleep.

There isn't Europe select food catered, and we get the standard boxed breakfast, which isn't bad, compared to most the food I get on US airlines.

The purser again comes up before the end of the flight an apologizes again. When I deplane, he greets me by name, and wishes me a pleasant journey. Quite a turnaround from his initial attitude.

Eek! I'm wondering how my daughter and me, given that neither of us is particularly intimidating in appearance, would be able to handle a swarm of youths. I know Bucharest is not the only place this can happen - it happened to a friend a few months ago in Spain - and I've heard numerous other reports of other places, but still it sounds very scary. I'm glad the situation resolved itself, in any event. Thanks for posting.

Well, I always take the approach of trying to walk away from a situation, and to start talking loud or yelling if they're blocking my way. I travel alone 80% of the time, and have never had any serious problems. My main thing is to never carry more money or things than I can afford to lose. Even when I was hit by a pickpocket team in Buenos Aires this month, and successfully caught them, they would have gotten a bit over $100 US, and a $250 digital camera.

I know some people have a dummy wallet, or a wad of small bills or handful of change they may throw in one direction and run off the other.

I've been to some quite bad areas of the world, and other than some parts of Brazil haven't felt really uncomfortable or unsafe.

To those FT'ers who have returned from your OTP trip, did you happen to take any pictures? If so, mind sharing them with the rest of us? :)

I've got some pics, but don't know how to post them on FT. I assume you have to post them on an online server and link to your report?

...
I had a super pissy KLM purser on the OTP-AMS route. I always carry a standard rollerboard, and laptop case. I think he took a disliking to me, as he sees me coming on with these and he just starts emphatically telling me that I can't bring them on. I question him, telling him that it's one standard rollerboard, plus a personal item (emphasis added). I add that I've flown the same luggage combination for 180,000 miles this year.

He's got a bad attitude. He tells me that I *have* to check my rollerboard. I tell him that it's not possible, since it has medical equipment in it. He then tells me that I have to go to the front of the airplane, with my bags, while he calls the service manager. Ah, reminds of me grade school! I calmly state that I travel with the same bags everywhere, and never have a problem with the size of the bags. ...

The Nov. 11 EU rules restrict carry-on allowances to ONE carry-on item and NO personal item -- that could have been the problem. I hate that new rule. Totally ticks me off, as that personal item provided just that little extra bit of space needed. :td: :td: :td:

Thanks for the posts on your experiences -- interesting!

Eek! I'm wondering how my daughter and me, given that neither of us is particularly intimidating in appearance, would be able to handle a swarm of youths. I know Bucharest is not the only place this can happen - it happened to a friend a few months ago in Spain - and I've heard numerous other reports of other places, but still it sounds very scary. I'm glad the situation resolved itself, in any event. Thanks for posting.

I'm a woman traveling alone quite a bit -- try to avoid scantly populated areas, be aware of your surroundings, and don't hestitate to attract attention should you get into trouble. My assumption/hope is that people may be more willing to step in and intervene on behalf of a woman than a man. Going into a store or restaurant as someone suggested can work, though I had some creeps hang out outside & wait for me once, but they took off for good once I started following a couple of cops around.

Be careful, but don't let fear keep you from having a good time.

There is also a thread in the women's forum about security purses (which I don't use) with some tips about safety measures in it -- you may want to look at that.

The Nov. 11 EU rules restrict carry-on allowances to ONE carry-on item and NO personal item -- that could have been the problem. I hate that new rule. Totally ticks me off, as that personal item provided just that little extra bit of space needed. :td: :td: :td:


Interesting to know. I saw all the signs for the liquids rules, but never noticed anything about only one carry on. Perhaps it's on the same sign, and I just didn't see it.

It's quite strange, since I have flown tons in the EU since Nov 11. AMS-PRG-MXP, AMS-MAD-AMS-OTP-AMS, and only on this last flight was it brought up. I'd guess that more than 50% of all passengers have a carry on, plus personal item. I'd also *guess* that since one bag is for a medically prescribed item, that it would be exempt from the stated limit.

As stated, a personal item (laptop bag, purse, etc) would mean that almost no one could bring on a normal rollerboard.

I've got some pics, but don't know how to post them on FT. I assume you have to post them on an online server and link to your report?

Hey JC, if you want to email them to me, I can host the pictures in my server and post the link on FT ^

Interesting to know. I saw all the signs for the liquids rules, but never noticed anything about only one carry on. Perhaps it's on the same sign, and I just didn't see it.

It's quite strange, since I have flown tons in the EU since Nov 11. AMS-PRG-MXP, AMS-MAD-AMS-OTP-AMS, and only on this last flight was it brought up. I'd guess that more than 50% of all passengers have a carry on, plus personal item. I'd also *guess* that since one bag is for a medically prescribed item, that it would be exempt from the stated limit.

As stated, a personal item (laptop bag, purse, etc) would mean that almost no one could bring on a normal rollerboard.
Nov. 11 was for the liquids, and the carry-on change was for later. I think beginning of December. That's why, on my December trip, I cut down on clothes and stuffed my backback with computer into my rollaboard. It was kind of a pain, since I had to do a lot of unzipping and restuffing at security, but I could then put all the stuff I might want during the trip under the seat.

Re: the liquids, I forgot to take out my bag of liquids twice, and they only caught it once. No problem, though. They did go through all my stuff at two checkpoints during this trip. Once at AMS and once at YYZ.

Oh yeah, I wander around alone in cities a lot and I've never had a problem with pickpockets or gangs of youths, but I'm a guy and I don't look wealthy. Also, I grew up in inner-city Chicago, so I'm naturally wary.

Oh yeah, I wander around alone in cities a lot and I've never had a problem with pickpockets or gangs of youths, but I'm a guy and I don't look wealthy. Also, I grew up in inner-city Chicago, so I'm naturally wary.

Well as another guy, I don't usually have problems, but when I see a pack of Youts headed toward my family, I get a wee bit on the defensive side. I don't know that I look wealthy, but I did have some girls in downtown Madrid yell "I love you". They were scantily clothed, as well. My companions were amused.

With a reasonable amount of travel to the UK and western Europe, I've never had any problems at all. It's just that from everything I read, Bucharest is in another league so far as personal safety goes. I'm not sure if that's accurate or not.

I had a super pissy KLM purser on the OTP-AMS route. I always carry a standard rollerboard, and laptop case.

Jaimito- It was nice to meet you and your family.

When we checked in this morning (12/31) at OTP. The KLM check-in agent refused to let us take our 22" luggages with us on board. She sited some weight limitation with the bags. We had no problem with our carry-ons for the entire trip until we checked in at OTP this morning. In the end, I relented and let her check-in our bags all the way to YVR.

On the brighter note. Our family of 3 got op-up'ed to C for the AMS-YVR leg. ^ ^ ^ . Two of us are NWA GE and the other has no status. I looked in Y and it was full.

BTW, there's a KLM lounge next to the gates at OTP. The lounge has some munchies and drinks, similar to what you would find in the RCCs, nothing to write home about.

Size + number + weight, in my mind, makes it tough to do carry-on only - for anything but a super short trip - in Europe.:td:

Here's a summary of the size & number rules from this website: http://www.kidscantravel.com/familyguide/tips/travelwise/handluggagerestrictions/index.html

Ensure your single carry-on does not exceed 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm (including wheels, handles and external pockets), the equivalent of a small rollaway, even if you are not flying to, from or transiting through the UK. Please note that you may be asked to put your handbag inside your hand luggage as it is considered a carry-on.

Jaimito- It was nice to meet you and your family.

When we checked in this morning (12/31) at OTP. The KLM check-in agent refused to let us take our 22" luggages with us on board. She sited some weight limitation with the bags. We had no problem with our carry-ons for the entire trip until we checked in at OTP this morning. In the end, I relented and let her check-in our bags all the way to YVR.

On the brighter note. Our family of 3 got op-up'ed to C for the AMS-YVR leg. ^ ^ ^ . Two of us are NWA GE and the other has no status. I looked in Y and it was full.

BTW, there's a KLM lounge next to the gates at OTP. The lounge has some munchies and drinks, similar to what you would find in the RCCs, nothing to write home about.

Nice to meet you as well. There seems to be no standardization at all, in the luggage enforcement. I suspect that I'll have to bone up on the real regulations before I fly back through Europe in April.

There is an independent lounge that I was given a pass to next to Gate 2 at OTP. I don't think it was an exclusive KLM lounge. If you check in the biz class line, I think they give you a pass then. (Or they did to me as a Plat)

Hopefully you were signed up for the Miles Safari promotion. Just from this flight alone, you'd garner even more miles, 3000-6000 depending on your stops, if on all NW or KLM metal.

It's great you got the Op-Up. That's why it pays to be elite. Did you get 3 of the Delft houses as well? I was quite underwhelmed by the KLM amenity bag.

How was Istanbul and the connecting flights? I think that I'll go out of Bucharest for my return trip next summer. Perhaps take a train some place, or head to the beach (Black Sea?).

There is an independent lounge that I was given a pass to next to Gate 2 at OTP. I don't think it was an exclusive KLM lounge. If you check in the biz class line, I think they give you a pass then. (Or they did to me as a Plat)

You're right about it being not KLM exclusive. We didn't get the invitation to the lounge (probably because we're not Plat with NW). My wife is a Plat on CO and we used her card to get in.

Hopefully you were signed up for the Miles Safari promotion. Just from this flight alone, you'd garner even more miles, 3000-6000 depending on your stops, if on all NW or KLM metal.

I thought I signed up for the Miles Safari. But when I checked my account just now, so far only the Base EQM, 50% bonus EQM and 100% elite bonus miles were posted.

It's great you got the Op-Up. That's why it pays to be elite. Did you get 3 of the Delft houses as well? I was quite underwhelmed by the KLM amenity bag.

Yep. We got the Delft houses. My wife likes the blue KLM emenity pouch, but as you said, the contents inside were just blah.

How was Istanbul and the connecting flights? I think that I'll go out of Bucharest for my return trip next summer. Perhaps take a train some place, or head to the beach (Black Sea?).

We loved Istanbul and would definitely go back again. As for the trip, we were very lucky that we didn't miss any of our connections. With the exception of a little trouble in transit at OTP, our trip was very memorable. We spent 2 nights in AMS, 3 nights in IST and 8 hours in OTP. We loved the French fries on Damrak and Anne Frank Huis in Amsterdam. We enjoyed Istanbul even more; the sights and shopping in Istanbul were like no places we have been before.

I thought I signed up for the Miles Safari. But when I checked my account just now, so far only the Base EQM, 50% bonus EQM and 100% elite bonus miles were posted.

The Miles Safari promo won't show up until after it closes. (Jan 31st, I think).

You can see all the promos you're registered for at the link below:

https://www.nwa.com/cgi-bin/wp_pointhst.pro

The KLM segments post kind of slow. In fact, the rest of my family was qualified for gold before we came back. One on Dec 24, the other on Dec 27th. Only the first had gold status that was in effect on the Dec 30th, the day we returned. The other only became gold effective Jan 1st.

If you're Plat or equivalent on any Skyteam airline, you get the same lounge benefits. I'd show the Plat card when you check in, even if you're crediting to another program.

AsianRick added some pics that I sent him to his website. These are just 5 pics from around the area of my apartment. (Close to the Hilton, which is shown in one of the pics).

http://www.asianrick.com/ft/jc/bucharest.htm

Nice photos.

Is that a giant football impaled on that tall thingy?

Is that a giant football impaled on that tall thingy?

Well, I'm not sure what it's really supposed to be, but I thought more egg like. Nanoo-nanoo. I'll send you a blow up of it. :)

Huh, maybe Mork wasn't really from Ork, but BUH. :D

Thanks for the up close and personal version. It's a little blurry, but I got the gist.

Thought I'd post a report for all.

Managed to snag a discounted 15K mile IAD-YYZ award ticket on United enabling me to finally put my megacheap NW YYZ-BUC/CDG ticket to good use. But given that the UA award ticket was made at the last minute, the only outbound flight I could get was a 16:50 pm flight arriving in YYZ at 17:20 pm. It was definitely not going to be enough time to connect to the 18:00 pm AMS flight.

So I stood by for the ultra-full morning UA flight at 8:20 am and it was my 1K status that put me at the top of a waitlist of about 15 other people standing by. Got the sole remaining seat that became available due to a passenger misconnecting, got my BP, walked by the group of 14 disgruntled waitlisters and took my seat. We sat on the tarmac for about an hour due to weather (?) and touched down at YYZ after what was about 90 minutes in the air.

Took the cost-efficient Rocket bus/subway to downtown Toronto where I met a friend for a long, leisurely lunch on Church Street. (Thanks to Flyertalk, I saved about $100+ in cab fare)

Returned to the airport afterwards where I was surprised with an op-up! The agent at the counter asked if I had a preferred seat and that's when I whipped out my Blackberry and got Seatguru onto my screen. The agent laughs hysterically when I show him the seat map and the preferred exit row, aisle seat of 77B in the upper deck of the 747. Was soon handed a World Business Class BP for that very seat along with a exit row seat in coach for the AMS-OTP leg.

Not a bad way to start a trip, I thought and especially after having taken the big risk with the IAD-YYZ standby situation.

The YYZ KLM Crown Room wasn't exciting. There was free booze but the munchies looked as if they had been sitting there for days.

Boarded the flight, took my seat and was welcome by an extremely friendly purser who wound up being the same woman/actress on the KLM safety video. She smiled and curtsied after I told her I recognized her.

The service was fair. The food was so so - the cheese plate was the only memorable item - and the little ceramic Xmas gift that was given to passengers at the end of the flight was a real nice touch. Not sure if this is something that happens on all KLM flights or only at Xmas.

Got to OTP, picked up my rental car (I'm brave) and explored Romania, a country I had yet to visit.

Bucharest. Not worth staying in for more than a few hours. Not very much to see at all.

Brasov was very much worth it despite the 2-hour drive into the Carpathian mountains. The drive was a bit harrowing at times as there was snow and ice. If renting a car, be sure to book in advance as availability looked limited.

Have posted some relevant hotel and restaurant information regarding both Bucharest and Brasov in another thread. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6938461#post6938461)

My OTP-AMS, AMS-CDG, CDG-AMS-EWR flights were uneventful but some very good times were had in AMS and CDG! ^

I did, however, manage to confirm 29A, an exit row, window seat on the transatlantic NW, AMS-EWR flight well in advance. Despite it being somewhat of a tight fit and a bit cold by the window, I was glad to have had this seat as I slept under a blanket for most of the way due to being up the entire night before ushering in the New Year in Paris.

Upon arrival in EWR, the weather was horrid and it looked as if several flights were being cancelled or delayed due to the fog. So I AirTrained it over to Terminal A - and to the United counter where I asked if there was a way to surrender my Northwest EWR-YYZ (aboard Air Canada but a UA Codeshare) and UA YYZ-IAD segments - and just hop onto the EWR-IAD flight that was leaving 40 minutes later. The agent took a look at the nested itineraries, smiled, thanked me for my 1K business - and made magic happen.

...and the little ceramic Xmas gift that was given to passengers at the end of the flight was a real nice touch. Not sure if this is something that happens on all KLM flights or only at Xmas.

The Delft houses are given out on all longer Biz class flights. They have different ones every year, and many people collect them. The year and model number should be on the bottom/back of the house. I can't say I enjoyed the liquor in it, though. Acquired taste?

The Nov. 11 EU rules restrict carry-on allowances to ONE carry-on item and NO personal item -- that could have been the problem. I hate that new rule. Totally ticks me off, as that personal item provided just that little extra bit of space needed. :td: :td: :td:

Thanks for the posts on your experiences -- interesting!

The EU rules restricting bags to one carry-on (i.e., counting laptop bags as that one bag :( ) aren't required to come into effect until April 2007 unless the member states want to implement them earlier; and all of the EU member states outside of the UK that I've flown through since mid-November are not yet enforcing the future rules which will restrict cabin baggage to the UK limit. Nor has BUH enforced the UK limit on any of my flights. (FWIW or not worth, Romania just became part of the EU on January 1st.)

Since November 11th, I've flown out of AMS, ARN, BRU, CDG, TXL, MXP, FCO, MAD, CPH and not yet had security tell me that a laptop bag and rollerboard were not allowed.

The computers in the shared lounge that SkyTeam ElitePlus flyers on KL and AZ may use at BUH/OTP did work for internet use this week (and last week). The connection speed is decent enough to get onto FT and check emails. The beverage and food selection isn't bad in the lounge -- with the food selection being better than that available at most any US airline's business lounge to be found in the US (if you like junk food, like chips, cookies, peanuts, etc).

With a reasonable amount of travel to the UK and western Europe, I've never had any problems at all. It's just that from everything I read, Bucharest is in another league so far as personal safety goes. I'm not sure if that's accurate or not.

I did a summer around Europe in 2004 and felt just as safe if not safer in Bucharest than I did in places like Barcelona or name any Italian big city.
Take the same percautions you would take in Paris/Amsterdam/etc. and you will be fine.

....Returned to the airport afterwards where I was surprised with an op-up!....

Any idea how you got the upgrade? Are you a Skyteam elite or was it perhaps because it was a B fare.

....Brasov was very much worth it despite the 2-hour drive into the Carpathian mountains. The drive was a bit harrowing at times as there was snow and ice. If renting a car, be sure to book in advance as availability looked limited....

I'm traveling in August and plan on driving or taking a train to Brasov. Besides the snow and ice, how were the roads and the Romanian drivers. Also, what agency did you rent your car from.

Sounds like you had a good time.

Here's the pics I took from my trip:

http://www.asianrick.com/misc/bucharest/bucharest01.htm
http://www.asianrick.com/misc/bucharest/bucharest02.htm
http://www.asianrick.com/misc/bucharest/bucharest03.htm

Well I took more but this would do for now. Let me know how'd you like them.

Got back from a Bucharest trip with Raybolt999 on Sunday.

We flew into YYZ the night prior to departure and stayed at an airport hotel. Canada immigration was a little alarmed at with us leaving for the United States right away the next day but eventually let us into the country. We enjoyed the hotel amenities and explored the YYZ terminals before checking-in for the YYZ-DTW-AMS-OTP. The Terminal 3 area for transborder flights is nothing exciting. It is 10-15 gates with some so-so concessions (nothing much interesting to keep one occupied).

On the DTW-AMS flight we had seats 10A/B which were thoroughly enjoyable. Some nice flight attendants and decent service on the flights. Tons of legroom in row 10 made sleeping easier. ^ Had about 4 hours in AMS before the flight to OTP. Flew to OTP on a packed KLM Boeing 737-800. Got seats 8A/B. :td: No window for 8A, luckily I slept most of the way.

Got to OTP in the late afternoon and took a Fly Taxi to Gara de Nord. The taxi driver asked asked where we were going and we responded that we going to catch a train on to Braşov. For the rest of the ride he tried to convince us to let him drive us to Braşov for €70. :( He claimed his mother lived there and we'd be doing him a big favor so he could visit her. He went as far to call someone (supposedly his mother) and offered to give the mobile phone to us so we could speak to her.

We got to the train station and he accompanied us inside hoping there wouldn't be a train for us and he'd get his fare to Braşov. We got train tickets and finally got rid of the taxi driver (a Police officer noticed him bothering us, talked to him in Romanian and he eventually gave up trying to get his Braşov fare). The taxi from Otopeni airport to Gara de Nord was about 59 RON ($23.44).

Train to Braşov took about 2 1/2 hrs. We got a taxi from the train station to our hotel in the old city center (3-4 km). Very pleasant taxi driver and a 20 RON fare ($7.45). Braşov is a nice city but can be seen easily in just one day. There are some good day trips from there which we did not do. Summer would be a good time to visit. Some things were closed in March and there was hardly any tourists.

We had planned to pay for the hotels using credit cards, however, the morning we checked out the credit card authorization at the hotel was down. We tried to get cash from the ATM but both of us were unsuccessful. Eventually Raybolt999 was able to get some money by going with a hotel staff member to the bank and having the bank call to get an authorization (not sure who they called as it was all in Romanian). Lesson learned: Informing the bank of international travel needs to be a higher priority.

We then traveled to Sighşoara for a day/night (highly recommended) then to Budapest through Târgu Mureş. We flew Málev from Târgu Mureş to Budapest. It was a CRJ200 (we were hoping for a Fokker 70 or larger :( ) but the best RJ ride I've had ^. The flight had two flight attendants that served a snack and orange juice on the 45 minute flight to Budapest.

We had two nights and two days in Budapest. March 15 is one of three Hungarian national holidays. There was a huge police presence as demonstrations against the government were expected to get violent. The demonstrations during the day were peaceful but at night they turned violent. We were looking for a restaurant that night we were ended up on Andrássy Avenue. The street had be blocked off by the police and we could see the rioters burning barricades about 6 blocks down the street. At that point we thought it would be a good time to turn around and we decided to eat at the hotel. We learned from news reports later that the police used water cannons and tear gas to break up the rioters.

The next night we flew WizzAir from Budapest back to Bucharest-Baneasa (BBU). Seat pitch on the WizzAir A320s is quite tight (probably 28-29 inches) but otherwise no complaints. The flight was about 20 minutes late and we got into BBU after midnight. BBU runway is long but in poor condition. One of the scarier landings I've had. The A320 took about 9,000 of the 10,000 feet of runway for the landing.

We took a taxi from Baneasa to Otopeni. A word of warning, taxi drivers like to jack up their prices at night. Our taxi ride from BBU to OTP cost about 75 RON ($29.79). In hind sight, if I'd been more attentive to the meter before we'd left we might've been able to get a cheaper price/km. We spent the night in the check-in area of Otopeni. Couldn't find any seats without armrest in between but we got a little rest. Check-in opened around 3:45am with passport control opening about 4:15am.

Flew a KLM Boeing 737-800 back to AMS. They assigned us seats 8A/B again and we asked for seats with an actual window in a different row. The check-in staff didn't not understand that row 8 doesn't have a window on the left side and refused to reissue a boarding pass for a different row (oh well).

We had a rather thorough interview in AMS before boarding the A330 AMS-DTW. This A330 flight was more like I had remembered NW long-hauls. Flight attendants weren't rude but they weren't nice either. There were 40-50 seats that had problems with their PTVs. The purser didn't sound like she knew much. She read the announcements very slowly and handled the AVOD problems poorly. Of course, we had an annoying group of students and annoying group on retired folks on the flight (I think the group of retired people on the tour were more annoying).

We flew a very southerly track across the Atlantic to avoid some severe turbulence to the north. This added about 40 minutes to the flight time but we only had light turbulence on the crossing. Got to DTW while many other widebody flights were arriving. Immigration went pretty fast but the baggage carousels were very congested and very disorganized. The delay in customs was ok for us since we had a very long layover. I wouldn't have wanted to go through that with a short connection.

After customs we visited the main WorldClub for showers. Very helpful after a long flight. ^ Later that night we took the short DC-9 flight DTW-YYZ.

Thanks for the report, it's interesting to hear about some other options for my return trip for this summer. I know when I first landed, I used the ATM at OTP airport with no problems. This was the one and only place I took cash out.

Thanks for the report, it's interesting to hear about some other options for my return trip for this summer. I know when I first landed, I used the ATM at OTP airport with no problems. This was the one and only place I took cash out.

When we first landed I used one of the ATMs in the arrivals area with no problem. It was this transaction that caused the fraud alert on the ATM card and my bank froze my bank account from further ATM transactions.

When we first landed I used one of the ATMs in the arrivals area with no problem. It was this transaction that caused the fraud alert on the ATM card and my bank froze my bank account from further ATM transactions.

I normally use my Paypal card for all international ATM withdrawals. I had experience problems when a preauthorized charge came through after I was already traveling. Over a year ago in Australia, I was without the use of my card for a few days. What I did at that time is had them note that I was always traveling, and I've had no problems since.

There are certain countries that bring up fraud alerts even if it's a smallish charge. Capital One froze my account after I used it for some hotels in Indonesia, and then booked some Singapore hotels through an online service in London.