Overnight on the Dacia Express

Our overnight train didn’t leave until almost 3pm, so we enjoyed the rare cooked breakfast then left our bags at the Hello Hotel and took a Bolt to the Primaverii Palace (House of Ceauşescu).

Wasn’t too sure what to expect from the home of a proper Dictator.
The building was smaller than I expected, after the immense scale of the Palace of Parliament, but clearly in a well-to-do neighbourhood.
A faint lack of taste pervaded throughout, but it certainly had some sense of style, & the young lady providing our tour did a great job explaining the rooms and some family history with them.
Their later spa and pool add-ones were smarter, although it was mildly satisfying to hear they were tried and shot before they could make full use of that part of the home 👀

Where Pablo Escobar had hippos, Nicolae Ceaușescu had peacocks.
The current incumbents are 6th-7th generation, but a dozen roam the grounds nonetheless, & we spotted a couple loitering about.

Worth the visit!
After that, we walked to the Triumphal Arch via King Mihai I Park. Surprised to find a William Shakespeare head, but even more taken aback by the Michael Jackson Memorial Monument.

Another cab to the station, and we boarded our Dacia special: 17hrs to Vienna.

Much more pleasant than the Sauna Special we had before: this had nice a/c, and once we had passed the early stations, we headed off to find the restaurant car.
Okay….more a tiny drinks bar with snacks…but with a big personality behind the counter!
Tiron Gabi uses his spare time to carve things….working on a giant water melon, very entertaining!

Finally to bed…to be woken at 2am for the Passport game with Romanian guards, then again with Hungarian…the clock dropped back an hour, and on we traveled….Read more