Day 73 - September 19th: Wonderful downhill ride through Wallachia to Slatina

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After breakfast, I packed my things again and dressed a little thicker. Although the sun was shining, it was quite cool with only 6 degrees Celsius for the departure. The curator brought me some food, which I gratefully accepted. The destination for the day was the county town on the Olt River, Slatina, which does not have an Evangelical community. However, on the way, I saw a big sign with an evangelistic missionary message, which I couldn't translate. The city of Slatina is located about 50 km before the Danube and is therefore in the lowland. That's why my bike path through Wallachia went mostly downhill. It was a joy to ride because the bike almost rode by itself.

On the way, I passed through the small wine town of Dragasani. Before and after the town, homemade wine in large bottles was offered at roadside stands. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any with me because I have limited space in my bags. About 10 km before Slatina, according to Google Maps, there was a registered campsite in a small village off the main road, but I searched for it in vain. I asked two villagers, but they didn't know about any campsite. So I continued cycling until I reached Slatina, above the Olt River. It only took me 4.5 hours of cycling for the 90 km.

A new 'speed record' on my journey. But unfortunately, there was no campsite in Slatina or in the immediate vicinity because the city is not a tourist region. Therefore, I booked a moderately priced hotel through www.booking.com and was horrified to discover that my EC card was missing when I went to pay. I briefly became restless about what to do next. I used the last bit of cash to pay in cash and in the evening, after hours of internet research, I booked a money transfer to a Romanian bank through Western Union. As I fell asleep, I thought: Without an EC card, you're pretty stranded abroad, but thanks to the internet and the payment service WU, a good alternative came up and then well after midnight.