Iasi - when luck just moves on ;-)

The alarm clock goes off on Wednesday morning (18.07.2018) at 5.20 am for the first time. The snooze button allows me to doze a few more minutes before it's time to get up at half past five. When I enter the kitchen, Oleg has already prepared a small breakfast. Potatoes, cheese and sausage sandwiches, pirog and coffee are ready. Some milk mixed with potatoes and bread is prepared for Rango. Tanja feeds her two kittens again before we say goodbye and Oleg accompanies us to the train station. The train doesn't leave until shortly after seven, but we have to be there half an hour earlier because of border control. Oleg gets me a ticket and hands me over to the customs officers. A short time later, we are sitting in the train and rolling west. We cross the Prut river and stop at the Romanian border post, where everyone has to get off with their luggage. Here I am the first to go through customs. Everything is quite uncomplicated, except that I am informed that animals are not normally allowed to cross this border crossing. I am advised to use the Albiţa border crossing about 50 km to the south for the return journey. We then get off at Gara Socola, in the south of Iasi, around half past eight. There is a small pavilion near the platform where we seek shelter from the sun. Some young people are already waiting there, apparently until their boxing training begins. The trainer, who appears a short time later, tells me to relax, as we will grill and eat together. In the meantime, I get some credit for my Romanian SIM card, only to find out that it has been blocked and I have to buy a new SIM card. I eat some pirog from the packed lunch Tanja and Oleg gave me. Rango gets to enjoy some bread with smoked bacon. In the early afternoon, we have grilled sausages, chicken thighs and bread. The Fat One is given a plate full of raw chicken remains and the group slowly dissolves around three o'clock. It is also time for us to find a place to camp. The boys have recommended the summit of D Căprița, which is nearby. Before that, we take a detour to the nearby Carrefour. The tent is set up by six o'clock. I leave Rango at the new campsite and go alone to Bucium to look for a source of drinking water. A bartender allows me access to his tap - problem solved. I am back at the tent around seven, have a little dinner and when the sun has disappeared, I lie down.

On Thursday morning, it gets warm under the tarpaulin fairly early - there was unfortunately no shady spot to be found. I put out my solar panel, throw Rango's blanket over the east side of the tent and doze off a little more. Breakfast is served at eight o'clock and half an hour later we set off for the boxing club. One of the guys is fighting today, and I want to watch. When we arrive, nobody is boxing and we move on to the nearby shopping mall. After getting some paw protectors for Rango and putting them on, we continue northwards. After all, the new slippers have to be broken in. We pass through the western district of Iasi and reach Lacul Veneția around half past ten. We continue northwards along its eastern bank until we reach Lacul Ciric II. Then we walk towards the city center. Around twelve o'clock, after 12 kilometers on foot, we treat ourselves to a longer coffee break. At around half past one, our further route leads us to Colecția Mănăstirii Golia, where we can take cover from a short but heavy rain shower. In the meantime, I strike up a conversation with a professor from Iasi, who clearly enjoys showing off his English skills. After the heaviest rainfall is over, we pass several churches and the cultural palace, through the center of Iasi, back south. I leave Rango at the tent after a good 20 kilometers together and set off alone to fetch some water. On the way back, I am attacked by a dog that was previously on a leash in an adjacent property. After a short time, I am surrounded by three such aggressive beasts and have to retreat. I manage to hit one of the four-legged creatures hard on the head with an iron rod and it runs away whimpering. But I don't come away unscathed either, at a safe distance I feel a slight pull on the back of my thigh. My pants are torn and the skin is torn open for 3-5 cm. In a nearby pharmacy, I get something to clean the wound and the address of the emergency room for the taxi. I go back to the tent, grab my ID card, vaccination card and credit card. I leave Rango in the tent before I go in search of a taxi. The first yellow car takes me after a short discussion, as the driver was afraid for his seats. My bag as a pad relaxes the situation and I can register at the emergency room reception at half past eight. I am immediately informed that it may take some time, as the waiting room is packed. At half past ten, I receive a tetanus shot (I only have part of my vaccination card with me...) and shortly after twelve, a young surgeon treats the bite wound. After thorough cleaning and a shave with a scalpel, the tear is taped up. I receive a prescription and a summary of the treatment and am allowed to leave. Everything is free, no insurance necessary. Crazy. I am back at the tent around half past one, have a belated dinner and then go to bed.

On Friday morning, I sleep until half past ten. Neither Rango nor the sun warming up the tent manage to get me out of bed earlier. I do some minor repairs over lunchtime, something is always broken. In the early afternoon, I go to the nearby shopping center to replenish our food supplies and have some coffee. At Gara Socola, I refill our water reserves and then end the day on D Căprița.

The delivery of the package with new hiking shoes is planned for Saturday (July 20, 2018). After I have packed up the tent and our belongings, I try to call the phone number provided from Iasi. My network operator doesn't let me through. So I send an SMS to Germany, to the wife of the parcel deliveryman, and make my way to Gara Socola. On the way, I get a call from an unknown German number. Mr. Fuciuc introduces himself and reports a small problem - he forgot the package in Germany. My first thought: with a certain probability, it could have happened to me too... So my stay in Iasi is extended for a few more days. I shamelessly take advantage of the offer to help me with any problems and ask if I can do some laundry during the next few days. I am also promised support in finding a cobbler to repair my old hiking shoes. For Saturday, I decide to do some shopping and have a cup of coffee. On the way back to the campsite on D Căprița, I refill our water supplies at Gara Socola - they already know us.

On Sunday morning, we set off for Iasi - City again. In the afternoon, I can drop off my laundry and shoes at relatives of the Fuciuc family. Until then, we take a longer detour to the botanical garden, where we are once again denied entry because of Rango. Around four o'clock, I can drop off my laundry and shoes with the woman and then start the journey back home. After another 20 km, we go to bed early.

Monday (July 22, 2018) brings no noteworthy experiences, except for a shopping trip and the mandatory coffee, we relax as much as the high temperatures allow.

During the night to Tuesday, it starts raining heavily at times and there is no improvement in sight during the morning. We mostly sleep through the bad weather. In the early afternoon, we take another little trip to get some food. On the way back, we have another unpleasant encounter with two dogs who have been suspiciously watching us for the past few days. At first, the young "supervisor" seems to have defused the situation and sent the barkers back behind a fence. Moments later, both of them come charging towards us. I have no choice but to let the Fat One off the leash. After a short scuffle, one of the attackers can be moved away from his master, but I can safely grab the other one. However, the beast has bitten into Rango's ear and it takes a moment before I can free him. Rango's ear is punctured and I have a slight cut on my right index finger. I'm getting really fed up. I clean the wounds with water at the next magazine and later at the tent with Apă Oxigenată and an iodine solution that I still have from the last incident. After I calm down a bit and take another look at Rango's ear, I decide to look for a veterinarian. According to Google Maps, they are about 7 km away. Taking a taxi with a dog is impossible, so we arrive there shortly after nine o'clock. However, the animal clinic is already closed. We are back at the tent around half past ten, I clean the wound once again and go to sleep.

On Wednesday morning, July 25, 2018, after breakfast, I pack our things and at around half past ten we set off to see a veterinarian. We arrive at the location about an hour later. The young veterinarian is busy at the moment, but she will take care of Rango in 2 hours. I leave the Fat One with all our luggage in the shade next to the clinic and go in search of a coffee and something small to eat. Shortly afterwards, I can pick up my laundry, the long-awaited package, and my repaired shoes from Mr. Fuciuc. Back at Rango, he can be taken care of sooner than expected. Contrary to my first assumption, he doesn't need to be put under anesthesia, and from a medical point of view there is nothing to prevent us from continuing our journey the same day. So in the early afternoon, we set off for Nicolina train station. On the way, I get the prescribed medications for the Fat One, and at the train station, I can buy tickets for the 6:15 pm train to Ungheni. I pass the time by writing a travel report and enjoying a hot drink here and there. When the train arrives, we are not allowed to get on because dogs are not allowed at the Ungheni border crossing. The cashier at the train station smiles and tells me that I won't get my money back and she doesn't know how I can get to Moldova. I decide to try my luck at the main train station, which is about 2 km away. They offer me tickets to Chișinău for the next day, again via Ungheni. There is supposedly no alternative route. I also missed the last bus to Chișinău and whether I can travel with Rango will be decided by the bus driver. So, once again, I cannot leave Iasi on Wednesday. I fail to check in at one of the two nearby hostels, so I spend the night in a quiet corner of the train station. Apart from loudly snoring fellow sufferers and a few mosquitoes, nobody bothers me there in the next few hours.