Lmao let's just pretend the pandemic hadn't happened yet. In January of 2020 when a bat had barely been digested in a China man's stomach, i got the chance to fly to Romania for a business trip. Since it was my first adventure in Europe, i sensibly extended my trip to explore a few other countries. And so begins this series of posts that will no doubt take me at least 1 and a half years to complete.
For some reason Sufian and Ivy came to send me off on my flight machiam i going overseas for a few years but i only go 10 days nia.
But nonetheless, i'm thankful to them as i got to have a nice final asian dinner at 三盅两件 before 10 consecutive days of western food.
Flying on Turkish Airlines where i will transit in Istanbul and continue to Cluj, a small city in Romania that is gaining fame as a technology hub. Also, it's close to Transylvania, home to Dracula and the land of vampires.
I was looking forward to the in flight meals but oi knn wtf is this. It looks like a primary school kid’s lunch box filled with random pieces shit. Heng I ate dinner before boarding or it would have been a very du lan 6 hour flight.
The transit in Istanbul was very nice. They have a huge, dazzling duty free shopping area which was a perfect way to kill some time.
Also it was crowded af even though it was like 5 in the morning since Turkey is one of the gateways between Asia & Europe.
Belgian waffles for breakfast during the short, second flight. Better than the crappy salad but not that great either.
Let's laugh at the clown who didn't know the Cluj airport has no aerobridge and had to walk out onto the -2 degrees runway in shorts, t-shirt and hoodie 👍🏻
Knn still need to wait for the bus to come until my balls were flash frozen. Lesson learnt, do some research on the airport before dressing for 100% comfort on a long haul flight.
Juuuuuust slightly underdressed compared to everyone else. Immigration was a little tricky because the customs officers were skeptical about why a Singaporean would visit this lok cock European city with an airport that doesn't even have an aerobridge.
Here’s a picture of the arrival hall, just to give you an idea of how depressing their airport is. An ominous start to my 3 days in Cluj.
But although the weather was gloomy, the city was pleasantly lively.
Easy check in at a nice little hotel, and after washing up, it's time to meet my business partner for lunch.
You know you're in Europe when you see ancient cathedrals like this. Walking alone along the streets was unnerving because i was the only asian person around and people were staring and taking second looks at me, possibly mistaking me for BTS' Jungkook. Thank 天宫 covid hadn't happened yet or i would have been stoned to death.
Like the respectable food blogger that i am, i had already researched on what to eat in Romania and Roata was first on the list.
Why do i get the feeling that Count Dracula will jump out and bite my neck at anytime?
But this rustic restaurant feels as authentically Romanian as it can get and i'm really looking forward to the food.
The hospitality was top notch. Right off the bat, they gave us free shots of ţuica, a type of Romanian schnapps. Possibly to get us drunk to suck blood from our necks.
In the cold winter, nothing is greater than a hearty bowl of hot soup. My dining companion ordered goulash which was delicious.
While i opted for something more Romanian in the form of ciorba de burta, a sour beef tripe soup which tasted a little strange at first, but it grew on me over time.
Then our shockingly enormous main dish arrived, the Roata Hot Platter which weighed almost as heavy as my balls after a week without masturbating. Even our poor waitress was struggling to heave this monstrosity onto our table.
But we can sleep well knowing that somewhere in Africa, a starving child won't be able to see this because he doesn't have internet access.
The platter came with *inhales* sausages, pork ribs, kebabs, stuffed cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, crispy pork fat, polenta and a mountain of country style potatoes *exhales*. Safe to say we didn't manage to finish everything but the final bill was still cheaper than a main dish in Switzerland. (The humongous platter cost us only about SGD$ 20)
A nice little stroll around town to walk off the awesome Romanian feast. Here's a communist looking anti-communist monument.
No need go Korea cosplay Winter Sonata, here also have.
Climbed up Cetatuia Hill which was obviously an easy feat for 2 fitspo individuals like us.
A decent view over the city if not for the gloomy clouds looming above.
I was definitely not struggling to control my breathing when posing for this picture.
We discovered a random empty prison on the hill. Wonder if there are any escaped convicts hiding around.
Since the first day is meant for settling in, we went to the no.1 attraction in Cluj.
The supermarket! So refreshing to see brands and snacks that i've never heard before in my life. Had fun buying some random shit and then we returned to the hotel to rest (separately you sick fucks 不要想歪).
At night, i got dragged invited along to have dinner with some of our Romanian employees and spotted some nice sights on the way, including this opera house.
The restaurant was chosen by our local friends and conveniently located in the middle of Old Town. Let's hope it's good.
Named after a French city but sells Italian food i'm so confused.
At least the carbonara wasn't bad, besides the inconceivable addition of rocket leaves to pasta.
Well this ain't too bad after all. Our new friends were friendly enough and we had a lovely few drinks together.
And by the time we were done it was as dark and foggy as a horror movie. Better hurry home before the vampires come out to feed! But more importantly i had to adjust the jet lag and prepare for my presentation the next morning.
- End of Day 1 -
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