Mini vacations. The moment every employee is waiting for so they can quickly escape from the city that shrinks significantly in the summer as the temperatures rise more and more. We're no strangers to that feeling either, so we've planned a short getaway now to St. Mary's. Rare kept pestering me that he wanted to fish, that he had the fishing rod ready, that grandfather had promised him that they would go fishing, but as life had other plans for grandfather, fishing never materialized. I don't have the fishing germ, but I said it wouldn't hurt to learn along with the baby, so let's see where we can do this operation.
On one side houses covered with thatch and painted in the traditional blue and white, others built in sharp lines of concrete
Jo called a friend who manages a boarding house, makes excursions on the Danube, all kinds of activities, somewhere near Mahmudia, but unfortunately, just as we wanted to run away from the concrete, so did thousands of other Romanians, and the boarding house friend's room was full. No problem, he said, I recommend another hostel with nice people, you'll like it.
He was right, and after a pleasant conversation with a voice with a sincere smile, we arranged the reservation at the Casa Sofia guesthouse in Mahmudia. In the meantime, we were joined by a family of friends with two children, and all that was left was to fill the cars and leave.
I arrived around noon, and although I'm not a fisherman, I know that a good day "on the lake" starts in the morning. We decided in unison that we didn't want to run, to cram as many activities into the day as possible, so after unpacking, we went out for a walk, to eat something and see what plans we made along the way.
Casa Teo was the recommendation we received, both from the friend who recommended the accommodation and from the hosts as the best choice, so we started there.
Interesting Mahmudia commune. On one side, houses covered with reeds and painted in the traditional blue-white, others built in sharp lines of concrete and covered with tiles, thought to receive as many tourists as possible, on the other side, a district of blocks, fossils of the communist administration.
I arrived at Teo's restaurant, but it was crowded here as well. But to our surprise, we were seated in line, and within minutes, we were asked how many people we were, where we would like to sit, and asked to wait a few minutes for a table to become available. Decent, no crowding, very relaxed attitude. The girls stayed in line, and we boys crossed to the cliff, where Iulian, a seasoned fisherman, was constantly looking for a good fishing spot.
The Mahmudia cliff is an element of contrast. A modern patch, with minimalist metal walkways, stone and wood combined in modern constructions. A children's play area, a modern pontoon for speedboats, honestly, we were very impressed. We didn't wake up quickly though when on the modern pontoon we had to slalom through bottles, glasses, seed pods and wrappers left behind by people who felt it was easier to leave them there than carry them 20 meters to a trash can.
Meanwhile, our table became free, we left the cliff and went to eat. Fish. Lots of fish. Soup, fried, fillet, all the states of aggregation. Good. That was the conclusion in the end, and for the whole meal, four adults and four children, around 700 lei . Decent for everything we wanted. We didn't look for any flaws in the service, not that there were any. The staff was young, and for the time they had to learn the art of waitering, they were exemplary.
Agale smelling discreetly of garlic, I left for the guesthouse, during which I decided that we would have time for a sunset fishing. So we boys took the sticks, Iulian found a spot on the water's edge, and we stayed for a few hours until the sun went down. The kids caught fish, so we considered our day a success.
Sulina. Here too, economic interests have overtaken the desire to keep alive a once highly developed society.
The next day, I called my friend Răzvan from the guesthouse again, to recommend a ride to Sulina. He gave us the number of a gentleman, Ștefan, whom I will come back to with the story later, who does tours from Tulcea to Sulina. We called him, made the reservation, and set off for Tulcea. We reached the border, found a parking space, got our life jackets, and got on the boat. A fast, very comfortable boat, with an attentive and kind driver. The ride, about an hour and a half, was very beautiful for us adults, but the children were a bit bored, but that wasn’t a big problem. We paid 720 lei for four adults and four children one way. When we got off, the boat driver gave us each a business card with taxi numbers. I didn’t understand exactly why, being the first time in Sulina, I thought we wouldn’t need taxis. I later found out I was wrong.
Now, the contrast appears again. Between the speed of boats on the water and the pace of life on land. Here too, economic interests have overtaken the desire to keep alive a once highly developed society. Factories were dismantled piece by piece, sent into bankruptcy, jobs automatically disappeared, and people left for other places. Those who come are either passing through, or walking beyond the city to the beach, or walking along the seafront between two speedboats that take them to and from. Like many others, we wanted to get to the beach.
But we had a very skilled mini-guide, the boy of our friends who accompanied us. He took us to the Museum of Old Sulina, he would also like to take us to the old lighthouse and the pirate's grave. We only checked the Museum, where Gheorghe Comârzan was our guide and fantastic storyteller of the exhibition.
He also confirmed what we already felt. That with the departure of the last wave of tourists, Sulina remains under the control of the winds that sweep the deserted streets. However, a new trend is taking over the city, namely real estate, and the price of a square meter has reached 70 euros.
I left the Museum, and I understood why I needed a taxi. The distance to the beach is not long, but when you have four children behind you, luggage, and August heat, you get a little lazy. Hard, very hard we found two cars to take us to the beach. And when we arrived, we thought we were in Mumbai. Dozens of people rushed to the door, hoping to get a seat. But they quickly deflated at the two words said dryly by the driver: I have an order.
The beach is gorgeous. We bypassed the umbrella area, walked straight onto the sand, as far away from civilization as possible. Well, not really, because it's hard to do that on a beach that's more crowded than Mamaia.
But the water and that soft sand specific to less trodden areas, were worth the trip. The warm wind blew us, and we left behind us only footprints in the sand.
From here began an episode, typically Romanian, which we can summarize with a single word: Japcă
It was getting close to 18.00pm, the last departure of the speedboat we had come on, and we wanted to make sure we got there on time. So I was at the wharf half an hour before departure. The boat came, but from here, confusion began: there were too many people on the shore for the capacity of the boat, 12 people. I quickly counted 20. I said maybe another boat was coming, and it was. But to our surprise, the boatman was instructed to fill the boat.
From here began a typically Romanian episode, which we can summarize with one word: Japcă.
The one who was giving the boarding directions started to say that the children should be taken in their arms to make room for other passengers. My wife pointed out that it is not normal or safe to do this. The other passengers who were already in the boat agreed with him and I said that it is not normal for him to do this.
That was the moment when I felt in his voice a forced kindness, that "okay, I'll show you."
Unfortunately I was not wrong. I think we traveled a maximum of 1 km on the water, during which the boat driver talked on the phone, and we stopped. He turned to us, and said we should pay him, or he was ordered to take us ashore and disembark. We got stuck. When did we say we refuse to pay? Drop us off at the shore where? Are we really being washed ashore, or are we swimming?
The children, 6 were in the boat, started to get scared. We adults were now at the point where we had to calm the children down, and try to figure out how to solve the hallucinatory situation we were in.
At one point we were waving all the money at the boatman as if we were stranded in the middle of the ocean and praying for safety to reach the shore.
Mercifully, in the end he took the money from everyone, but not before telling us that, although we paid a reduced price for the shower, for the children, now we pay full price. So if I paid 720 for the shower, now the trip was 800 lei. To learn our minds. When I asked for a receipt for the amounts paid, he was probably the most terribly amused himself.
In the end he started for Tulcea, we calmed down, but we understood that from now on, the TDS transport company will have to be avoided. Paradoxical in this situation is that we were informed that all these decisions are given by the owner of the company, Ștefan Paul Ivanov, who, in addition to being the owner, is also the president of the Association of Pleasure and Fast Transport Operators.
After a short search I discovered that the gentleman in question is a promoter of tourism in Sulina, speaks well, and promises unforgettable vacations. Which is fair, if they treat us and the other tourists the same way, it will definitely be that way.
With the memory of the previous day still fresh I said that one day would be dedicated to fishing, and so it was. Near Mahmudia the forest area is gorgeous, and I quickly found a stretch of bank where I cast four rods. The children caught a small fish again, I was luckier, and I caught a few branches, a yogurt box, about 10 meters of lead wire, and a seashell. Even so, it was worth the outing.
We ended the holiday with a visit to the Valsovia amusement park, which I had no idea about! Five climbing routes, skill, adrenaline and a maximum height of 15 meters! I didn't give up until I got to the last level, even though my palms stung because I was juggling hot coals. I had to get gloves, because people only had them for sale, yes no, I said I was brave. Somewhere at 250 lei was the fun for two children and an adult, but it was clearly worth it.
What I wanted to say is that the places were superb, our hosts extremely kind, the food clean and filling. I don't give advice to fishermen, because I wouldn't know what to say. But I would go here again. Maybe more towards nature and less towards interacting with merchants of various services.
