Urs

The music in this internet cafe is so poignant and moving. A simple lilting piano tune but one with so much depth, it's making me feel quite emotional for some reason.

I arrived back in the UK earlier today having got up at 6.00am Romanian time (thus 4.00am UK time) this morning to leave for the airport. I didn't sleep particularly well as one pillow was too low and two were too high. Still, I feel quite good after a mere four hours sleep and a night of me being bitten by strange creepy crawlies. I am all itchy everywhere now.

My friend kindly picked me up from the pensione and had some delicious chocolate coissants and coffee to hand. Unfortunately, I don't like coffee but the coissants were brilliant. The Romanians certainly know how to make baked products!

We chatted a bit on our hour and a half journey to the airport. We saw the sun rise over the Romanian wheat fields and viewed a rather nasty lorry crash at the side of the road. We also got lost on our way to the airport and I almost missed my flight - but I got there in the end.

At the rather chaotic airport, I spoke to a gentleman who works in the insurance business in Hungary and Romania, and also an old lady whose friends live in Bucharest. I spent the entire three hour flight talking to this fascinating woman. She was telling me how much Romania has changed, with the increase in the number of banks, the gentrification of the cities, the building of better infrastructure and the increasing prevailence of good customer service being key to its resurgent economy. She told me the last 12 years had seen a significant transformation in the country and that Romania is becoming 'more European'. There are many new restaurants opening up and whilst corruption is still a problem, it is nowhere near as prevailent as it used to be. The future is certainly looking bright.

Romania is a truly beautiful place with friendly people, a wonderful vibe and the best scenery I have ever seen. It is also insanely cheap - the whole trip cost me less than £400 - and whilst my friends perhaps spent a little too much on me (despite my insistence I wanted to pay my fair share, they were having none of it), I still contend it's one of the best countries for value-for-money I have visited.

Beer Tasting Notes VIII - With A Romanian Flavour

The Romanians tend to prefer the mainstream, mass-marketed, international brands but there are a few good local brews to be had, plus a range of other beers you would struggle to find in the UK. Instead of waiting two months like I did with my Ukrainian flavoured Beer Tasting Notes, let's have a look now at what I sampled...

Ciuc (5.0%) - Pronounced 'chuck', this beer is delightful. With a crisp, deep flavour and a slightly drying aftertaste, this full-bodied and naughty tipple is probably my favourite of the whole trip.

Ursus (5.0%) - This beer is one of those salutary tales where it's best to judge it in all available forms. I had it at the football match on draft, where it was rather flavourless and very watered down. However, in bottles it had a far cleaner flavour. Claiming to be the reigning beer of Romania, it couldn't even reign over my heart.

Holsten Unfiltered - Apparently the Holsten brewery does this and it is most agreeable. It has a nice tangy and citrus flavour, with a slightly odd taste. It never gets sickly though and I had a good three or four after the football match.

Ankerbräu Nördlingen - I believe this is a German beer, brewed in the Bavarian town of Nördlingen since 1608. It's another one with a very odd, almost metallic, taste but one which grows with you after each sip. I drank this one in the restaurant on the Sunday and, again, three or four of these don't get sickly.

Clausthaler (0.0%) - Bought in the hotel in Sinaia because there was nothing else I hadn't tried, this beer is a perfectly acceptable take on the non-alcoholic variety. Due to the lack of alcohol, it perhaps tastes slightly too malty.

Bergenbier (5.0%) - This is one of the most popular brands in Romania. I drank it overlooking Peles Castle on the Monday, a well-deserved reward after three hours of intensive mountain walking. With that view, anything is going to taste good. This drink has a harsh, strong taste and has a very close similarity to Stella. As in Artois, not McCartney.

Timişoreana (5.0%) - This beer is brewed in the north-west city of Cluj by the same brewery who make Ursus (SAB Miller). Brewed since 1718, this is a very smooth, deep tasting beer which does not reflect the fact that it's made by one of the big four breweries.

Albacher (4.8%) - A tinny, disappointing beer which was ridiculously fizzy. I couldn't finish this, but then it was warm and I did need to go to bed.