Days 7 & 8 - Rocky roads to Constanta
- manicmondeo
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
The final day before a rest was a testing one. Ian’s navigational skills failed him on the edge of Chişinău, causing an unwanted detour down rugged back streets; and Jim forgot which side of the road to drive on, while actually driving.
There was a lot of work being done on the roads and we found ourselves jolted on to terrible rough surfaces quite frequently. Then they got even worse. Huge holes, some covered with sand - you know, that secure and solid material… sand. Weaving slowly on whichever carriageway was less like wreck Rosemary. It was hard going and even the Soviet-style bus stops had vanished.
Eventually reaching the border, we tentatively drove through the unmanned Moldovan side. This would be easy! The Romanian guards had other ideas. It was overly arduous for a check of the passports and a quick look in the boot.
“Do you have cigarettes?” No. “Moldovan wine?” No. “Why not, it’s very good!”
Rosemary also had an x-ray. As Ian drove on to the ramp for an already disconcerting experience, speakers were playing the sounds of screeching monkeys.
The x-ray man joked that the water bottles were had in the car should be full of vodka then we could have a party.
Our first town back in Romania was Galati, which recently became newsworthy as a Russian drone crashed into an apartment. It seemed to be old news, and thankfully nothing had happened since.
The seldom-seen sun shifted behind thick clouds on our approach to the Black Sea resort of Constanta. We checked in to our hotel on the Mamaia isthmus and had a drink at an empty bar on an empty beach.
The taxi driver who took us into the old town chatter about his Tesla and visits to London. Jim responded with “blummin’ ‘eck”. Graduates waved their mortar boards outside the windows of passing cars.
The famous casino of Constanta is no longer in ruins, it looks super posh now.
The old town was surprisingly beautiful. Illuminated mosques hinted at its Ottoman past, while the lovely square and surrounding streets thronged with restaurants and bars. Ian accidentally ordered 10 sausages.
Day 8 was free and largely uneventful. Apart from the three alert messages we received about a suspect drone exploding in the port. A Ukrainian drone had been blocked by Russia and it had been sent towards the Romanian port that Ukraine uses for grain and fuel. There were no injuries and no one seemed fussed. Lazing on the beach carried on as normal, especially for Jim who fell asleep.
Songs of the day
Craig: Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles during an unplanned tour of Chişinău’s suburbs
Jim: Cannabis by Ska P as we passed wild cannabis plants
Ian: Regulate by Warren G as cars bounced, low-rider style, over the rocky roads near the border
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