A Short Winter

So, as the clocks go forward, and the snow fences are removed, it seems official - winter is over.

Cernavoda Station

Despite fears to the contrary, the winter was relatively mild and, I'm sure, not a patch on what it can be.  True, there were many cold, grey days and some snowy showers but only one major snowfall and that was mid January.  Temperatures got pretty low but the heavy snow coincided with my trip back to the UK at the end of January so a trip to the airport became a bit of an issue.

It seems that at some point, the highways maintenance crew decide not to try and keep the motorway open and give up clearing the snow.  This happened a couple of days before my trip (and it's never good to get between an Expat and his trip back home!) so an alternative was needed.

Some checking showed the trains were still running, so at great expense a ticket was purchased for the 1445h train from Cernavoda.

Station buffet

Having been warned off the railways in several
countries, I felt that it was worth a challenge and expected the worst.  I got a first class ticket (ok, so I chickened out of 2nd) and can say that it was equal in standard to the trains I take in the UK, up the East Coast line.  Warm, and comfortable (once the lodger in my seat had been persuaded to move) but a bit slow.  Several stops for quite some time with no info on what was happening.
 It arrived on time but then took 6 hours to reach Bucharest...but at least it did!



They do miss a trick, though.  With a train full of people, someone somewhere needs to be selling over-priced food and drink.  It was strange that no one's set this up.  Maybe they don't know how desparate people get on a train for a Kitkat and warm beer...the UK can teach them a thing or two.

BUT, as I said, it got there.

After that, the snow hung about a while but no more falls.  Unlike the UK, where it just rained for 3 months solidly.  Miserable place.

The pics here were taken in early February as the snow was well melting by then.  I took them on a visit to the station on a boring Sunday.  The pic on the left shows probably one requiring the most resilient employees.  Petrol tankers passing to Constanta have guards every 3-4 tankers, all kitted out ready for trouble.  I guess it's a real threat but not an easy job riding shotgun for 200 miles in freezing temperatures!


Anyway, time to change the snow tyres.  Soon time to fill up the pool.