Of becoming a part of Experience Bucharest and joining a team of like-minded people
The mail came one fine evening, as SS and I were sitting in CBTL and RS was getting herself a Hazelnut Latte, the one thing she absolutely adored in the world. Imagine her surprise when she saw me do a little happy dance around our tiny table, my curls jiggling in rhythm with my impromptu gyrations. It was providence, I told her later, because I was going to Italy anyway, so a stop on my way back was perfect, especially because I had seen the kind of shenanigans fellow bloggers were up to the last time they had had such a scene. Of course I wanted in!
So, a few emails later, when I had ascertained that I WAS going to Bucharest, I cancelled my direct flight tickets back from Milan, and then, after multiple flight searches, made my plans final. Bucharest was finally going to be ticked off my bucket list! Yay!
ROMANIAN VISA FOR INDIA: WHY ARE YOU SO DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN?
As I was seriously unsure what VISA I was getting from the Italian Consulate (since my passport was submitted to the VISA office of Kolkata for a Schengen VISA, and I still didn’t know whether they would give me a single entry or multiple entry VISA), I was quite afraid of getting my VISA rejected by them. But, since I wanted to go to Romania, I called up a couple of people to figure out how to get a Romanian VISA in case I did not get my Schengen VISA. Here is where I was told, several times, that if I was applying for a Romanian VISA from India, it was highly likely that my VISA would get rejected, despite invitation letter, hotel booking, and confirmed flights. Moreover, I would have to get the Romania VISA processed in Delhi and that would be a four or five day scene, at least, as per one VISA agent. I checked online, and sure enough, I read through some rejection stories that made me feel extremely depressed. My only hope seemed to be getting a multiple entry Schengen VISA that would be valid till the end of my stay, which would allow me to enter Romania without any issues.
Thankfully, a couple of weeks later, I got my passport back, and thankfully, I had a multiple-entry Schengen VISA that was valid for up to ten days after I would return from Romania. I checked with a couple of fellow travel blogger friends and they reassured me I was good to go. Imagine a second round of happy dance, jiggles, and plenty of sweat.
PREPARING FOR BUCHAREST
As I was travelling to Bucharest from Milan, I decided to look up the weather scene in the city – the predictions were slightly grim – about 1-2 degrees were the lowest. Gulping down my long-standing fear of the cold, I packed my windcheater and jacket, not to mention a couple of thick shawls, and pushed them to the bottom of my backpack with a pair of woolen socks.
They did come in handy. However, I have to admit, the worst weather I had to face wasn’t in Bucharest but in Milan, but that’s another day, and another story.
After reading through multiple accounts of Bucharest sights and food, I was fully prepared to attack the mountains of meat that awaited me – from the Sarmale to the Palinca, I was ready to jump in!
But fate, my fickle mistress, had her own plans for me. Which is why I almost missed my flight, shared a bottle of alcohol with a fellow passenger, lost my favourite neck pillow, and nearly didn’t make it. Want to know how that turned out? Wait for the next post!
Disclaimer: Poorna Banerjee was invited to be a part of #ExperienceBucharest.
