Timisoara - Days 126-128

The 5:30am bus to Timisoara was rought...nothing went wrong just super early. I've been waking up after 8am on most days so my body was protesting but it was really nice to see the city in the early morning. It was still dark when I left and to see the city square completely empty and embraced by early morning fog was a treat. 

The bus arrived in Timisoara before noon and yet again, a random stranger offered to give me a ride part of the way when I asked for directions. Little random acts of kindness and the trust from Couchsurfing hosts really help restore faith in humanity :) 

Timisoara is one of the largest towns in western Romania and is about as flat as Florida - a sharp contrast to the mountainous Transylvanian towns of Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibiu. But it is dubbed the "City of Gardens" or "Little Vienna" because of the abundance of public parks and green space. It's a nice town to walk around and has its share of old town piazzas but personally I didn't find it as impressive or unique as some others in Romania. However, the hosts I stayed with were spectacular. Roman and Sorina are a young couple working in the IT industry but looking for a change. Sorina in particular is a theater buff and currently directing an independent play she created. I tagged along to a rehearsal and couldn't understand a thing, but it's always nice to see people live out their passions. Also, they live with another young couple who are equally awesome :) Despite having to sleep on a cot in a closet/storage room, I would have gladly stayed longer for the company. 

I've come to the premature conclusion that Romanians are very cultured people because after the concert and museums in Sibiu, my hosts and I attended more of the same in Timisoara. After the rehearsal, we went to a screening of a 1931 silent film called Tabu with live orchestral accompaniment then immediately went to another student play about AIDS. We walked out of that one though... 

At the moment, I'm in Belgrade, Serbia. I took a minibus transfer with door to door service; probably the most luxurious transportation of the trip so far. Weather forecast says rain for the next 3 days.