Focşani - visiting Alina

After spending the night from Wednesday to Thursday (05.10.2017) in various trains and train stations, we arrive in Focşani around half past ten in the morning. Alina picks up Rango and me from the train station and we take the city bus to her apartment. Despite a small bus, Rango can ride along this time without any problems. Once we arrive at Alina's place, I enjoy the opportunity to take a warm shower. Then the host invites us to the table, where we have Mămăligă (cornmeal mush) with Brânză (a kind of salted cheese) and Must (a type of young wine). We chat about all sorts of things until the afternoon. Alina is a very interesting young woman, she studied design and founded her own fashion label (COOLTA). About three years ago, she set off on a bicycle to Indonesia, where she lived for 3 years and taught students in fashion and design. In the afternoon, her uncle and aunt pick us up to go walnut picking. On the outskirts of Focşani, her family has a plot of land, on which there is, among other things, a distillery. After collecting a few sacks of walnuts, her uncle shows me the facility (which Alina's father and his brothers built themselves) and we discuss the topic. Afterwards, I am invited to a barbecue. There are grilled trout, lamb, Mici, various salads, along with Mămăligă and bread. Plenty of homemade Must and red wine are served, and time flies in a joyful atmosphere. In the evening, we are chauffeured back to Alina's apartment, where shortly afterwards another guest arrives. Damien has been traveling around Europe by bicycle for about 2 years, covering a distance of about 25,000 km during that time. So, in the evening, there is a kind of hostel feeling in Alina's kitchen and we exchange stories until late into the night.

On Friday morning, we have a hearty brunch in Alina's kitchen, before we head to the city center in the early afternoon. There is a wine festival in Focşani over the weekend, and Damien wants to take the opportunity to earn some money as a street musician. That is how he has been financing his existence for some time. The wine festival offers all sorts of culinary delights, and we are constantly busy indulging in them. We also try some Romanian wine to the sounds of Romanian folk music. As darkness falls, we make our way back home, during which we have a run-in with a few law enforcement officers. Apparently, wearing a muzzle is mandatory for dogs in Romania. Luckily, I have one with me, and after the officers check our identification and everything seems to be in order, they let us continue on our way. Back at the apartment, I prepare a dinner and we spend the night with an interesting conversation and a glass or two of Must.

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, it is raining. Nevertheless, Damien sets off in the early afternoon and tries to generate some income at the wine festival before continuing southeast. Apart from a walk with Rango, we spend the day in the apartment. I use the free time to work on a few travel reports, and Alina keeps Rango entertained.