This weekend we went to visit some ruins of an ancient Roman city on the coast of Romania. It was difficult to get to especially since instructions were poor, so in case anyone ever Googles this blog, they will know how to get there.
How to get to Histria
From the train station take the 100 bus (on the right as you exit) to the northern bus station. (if you are already in Constanta I believe you can also take the 42 bus to the north station, but we were south so ask for directions if coming from the north).
Ask the bus driver how to get to the north bus station. He will tell you where to get off and you walk a block away from the main road and turn left. The bus station is not well marked to say the least. If you see a bunch of people milling around and a few minibuses you are probably in the right place. Go inside to the waiting room and ask the person in the ticket booth when the next bus to Histria leaves. The bus to Histria is an actual bus, not a minibus. You pay inside the bus once you start moving. It is 8.5 Lei to get to Histria and takes a little under 1.5 hours.
Make sure the ticket lady in the bus knows where you want to go because she will tell you when to get off. Also before you leave the bus make sure you know when it comes back.
It will drop you off in the middle of nowhere next to a fork in the road. There is a sign that says Histria pointing to the right fork. Next you get to walk 7km until you get there. There are no other forks in the road so it is hard to get lost. The walk is actually pretty nice. Lots of fields, a lake to the side, herds of sheep or cows. Wear comfy shoes. The site is in the middle of nowhere and around 5 or 6km you will start to see the museum ahead of you. It costs 6 Lei for students and 12 Lei for everyone else. The museum is ok, but the ruins outside were pretty cool. You can walk through old Roman streets and climb on the half built walls. There is some marble, wells, and remnants of an old canal system. We were warned about the snakes, but only saw one. It is also on the coast which provide some nice photo ops and a good place to eat lunch. There is no food here so pack your own or just dont eat. On the whole it was a really pretty day and we got some good exercise.
Head back to the bus early just in case it is early. Our bus was 15 min late, and I was starting to get worried. We had met a nice German couple earlier that we spent the day with, and that made me feel a lot better, but waiting in the middle of Romania for this bus that they said would come...... I was glad to have extra people and resources available if I needed them. But the bus did come finally. I was not looking forward to walking another 4 km to the nearest small village.
Once we got back to Constanta the German couple took us to a coffee shop. Coffee never tasted better. Sitting down and getting a warm drink (with caffeine) was perfect. By the time we got home, we ate and crashed. We are still a little sore today, but no one can say we didnt get our exercise in!
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1 comment:
Thank you for the photos. The country side looks nothing like I would have expected, although you had accurately described. Some of the photos look like the sand hills north of North Platte. I recently watched a made for TV show called Vlad the Impaler, which was filmed at Dracula's Castle(in your photos). Why did you not "thumb a ride" on the hay wagon. Looks like fun. What percent of the traffic that day was horse drawn vs motorized. Do you see horse drawn vehicles in Constanta? I talked to Scott today and he agreed to bring back a dozen cream puffs in his luggage for mom and I. Make sure he keeps them cold. The town looks quaint. Nor like I expected for a city. How old is Constanta? More pictures are appreciated. Feel free to take some of your living quarters and your house keepers. What happened to the dog that adopted you? Keep up the posts, I look forward to them every day. Dad
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