Timisoara and the start of the western Balkans trip

I am on a train to Belgrade from Vrsac. Yesterday was my last day in Romania before heading into the travel through Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina before meeting up with Jenny, Shaan, Hannah and Taran in Croatia in early July. I realize this is a lot to pack into the next three weeks.

Timisoara was a nice starting point although I ran into challenges with a delayed train out. Rather than getting in around 2130, I arrived at 0100. The guesthouse I was staying at was accommodating, but not too happy about the late arrival.

Timisoara was a nice small city with a claim to being the greenest city in Romania. Definitely the Old City and downtown core had a lot of parks and squares that provided greenery and a sense of perspective of the older sections. It appeared to be a younger city in terms of the “old” city section with many of the buildings built in the late 19th and early 20th century. Some of the medieval battlements remain but most had been repurposed into shops or museums.

I started the day exploring the Memorial to the 1989 Revolution which told the story of how Timisoara was the start of the revolt against Ceasescue and the Romanian Communist party in December 1989. It was well done and provided a lot of context to the events in Timisoara and how they spread through Romania.

I spent a lot of time wandering and looking at the various sites along the cobblestone streets of Timisoara. Due to the rain I went to the National Art Gallery as well. Then I ended the day trying some beer at a brewery that had a store downtown.

It was a good way to end my time in Romania for now. The trip out of Timisoara to Serbia was a bit more eventful. I had read that there wasn’t any direct bus or train routes, so was expecting to catch a bus to Morivita, town just inside the border from Serbia, take a taxi across the border to Vrsac, the first town not he Serbian side. Somehow I ended up with a miscommunication to the taxi driver who felt I needed to just go to the border. I was confused, but hopeful I could find someone to drive me on the other side, and I think the border guards thought I was some migrant sneaking in to work illegally. I got a few more questions that usual. At any rate, I did get through but didn’t find taxis on the other side. My phone also wasn’t connecting in to any network and so I decided to walk the few kilometres to Vrsac. At least it was a nice day for the walk.

Now I am on my way by train to Belgrade. The adventure continues.