8 Jun 2014 Bucuresti to Bacau

8 Jun 2014 Bucuresti to Bacau
Up at 6:45, dressed and out by 7:45.  We take the Metro to Obor Station, where there is a fine market.  We were rushed and ended up getting 200 g hard cheese (5 lei), 500 g cherries (4 lei), and 700 g apricots (5 lei), along with 6 radishes (1 lei).  We got 700 g of apricots because Mike tried the word for "five" hundred grams, and the merchant heard "5" lei worth.  (Back at the hotel we will learn the word for "half," as in "a half kilogram."  Carrots and nuts will have to wait for the next market.  Ditto for strawberries.
We are in a hurry, because there is so much do this AM.  From the hotel, we take the 123 bus to Piata Unirii.  Off to the Jewish History Museum.  "Closed on 8 Jun and 9 Jun" (for us special??).  This freed up lots of time. So off to La Placinte, where we had invartite with sheep cheese herbs, along with ghivech and some bread. Again, delicious --- best of show.
Took the 133 bus back to the hotel. As we were waiting, we saw a woman posting a sign for a student production of Ionescu's play "Rhinocerus."  Music, staging, everything, but we'll be gone tonight.  Too bad.  We were about to take the bus in the wrong direction, but a local waved us off.  Carol scooped up a snail that was attempting to cross the street with us.  One snail saved.
Back to the hotel before 12:45 - in time to get to the train station, for our 2:00 pm train to Bacau.  At the train station, we had a 2 lei sweet placinte with pumpkins, absolutely no comparison with the 15 lei version at La Placinte.  Quality costs.
On the train we took seats, not necessarily ours.  Next to us were a pair of 30+ year olds, with whom we traded correct seats.  (Our seats 65 & 66 were not adjacent, and theirs 64 & 67 were also not adjacent.)  Also joining us were a husband wife going home from England to a town near Suceava.  They had flown to Otopeni Airport (Bucuresti) and were taking the train to Suceava.  All told their journey was to take apx 18 hours.  He was irritated that our bags were on the wrong side, and seemed to take a dislike to us and took no role in the conversations.  Our conversations ranged over food - they suggested eating tochitura, which we had not tried, and placinte, which we had.  They suggested certain regional wines and liquors, like tuica.  We talked about Romania and travel and traditions, and the 5 hours passed quickly.
We got into Bacau at apx 1900.  We had booked at Pensiune Ellora, which we thought was near the station.  The bus driver at the train station said hop in, and he drove and drove on through the city for many kms.  Finally, he said: Get off and walk that way.  When we passed a horse grazing at the side of the street, we knew that things were going wrong. A km later, seemingly out in the country, there was the hotel.  It seemed to be way the hell away from anything, and the beds were soft.  So we said No Thanks, and walked back to the bus stop.  We caught a bus back to town, and got off a few stops too far.  Finally, someone suggested a relatively expensive hotel, Decebal, in the town center.  At this point, we took a taxi a couple of blocks and checked in (215 lei or $66.50 per night).  We were tired and hungry.  A block away was a crowded restaurant, where we got a bowl of chicken soup and a bottle of beer.  Thehotel room turned out to be wonderful and we slept well.