Travel in 2023, 90 Day Rules & Chasing Residency in Romania

The big aim for travel in 2023 was to gain residency in Romania; thus, we can stay longer. This involved lots of bureaucracy to get all of our ducks in a row while avoiding overstaying in Schengen, Romania and Bulgaria.

The 90-day rule creates some fun and games with some fascinating opportunities. The enlargement of Schengen took Croatia off the table as an option for a 90-day stay in 2023. Thankfully, after getting everything required, the residency card has now arrived, and I can now look for work.

2023 Slow Travel With A Dog Diary

Each year a blank canvas starts, and the world is my oyster. In 2023, there are many ideas for where to travel and what to see. There will probably be a new country or two and certainly new towns and cities to visit. Most travel will be by train; however, using an Interrail pass is unlikely, as we plan to slow down our travelling.

Visiting My Home County of Gloucestershire

2023 started with a fun evening at my local pub back home in Gloucestershire with some friends while staying with family. We had a few more days in Gloucestershire and got to visit Lydney Docks, Gloucester, and take some local walks in the countryside before heading on.

Quick Break in Birmingham, UK

A return to Birmingham to see friends and return to where we spent the lockdown. This was a pleasant visit, and I got to enjoy some favourite bars and eateries in the Jewellery Quarter while in town. This was a brief stop before heading to BHX to catch the plane and collect Henry, our dog.

Flight From BHX to CLJ

My first flight, and hopefully the last flight of the year, was from BHX to CLJ to get back to collect Henry. The flight ran smoothly and was pretty painless. On arrival in Cluj, we settled into our new apartment, this time in the city centre.

Return to Cluj-Napoca For a Longer 3-Week Stay

After collecting Henry, my dog, from the kennels, his first stay away in Romania, we settled back into Cluj Life. Cluj-Napoca is a lovely city with plenty to see. We based ourselves in some dog-friendly accommodation in the centre of town, two places within 5 minutes of each other.

This stay in Cluj was more about experiencing local life, including frequenting dog-friendly bars and food markets. These three weeks were an opportunity to test the city for a potentially longer-term stay. While in the city, I also enjoyed my first meetup of the year.

Cluj to Brasov Train

Next up was a railway journey from Cluj to Braşov. I’ve done it many times with the dog in tow. It takes just over 8 hours, and this time we had the treat of crossing a snow-covered Transylvania. The snow had started in Cluj and was the first of the winter.

Apparently Romania has been lacking in snow this winter, unfortunately for ski resorts like Poiana Brasov. The train was pretty empty, which meant fewer distractions for Henry, my dog. On arrival in Brasov, it was snowing heavily, just in time for his walk to our accommodation.

Return To Brasov

Brasov is one of our frequent destinations because it’s my wife’s hometown. However, the city is fantastic for sightseeing, and the hiking in the mountains is fantastic, especially in the winter. Sadly, not much happened in Brasov due to a severe gout outbreak. The pain, meaning walking, was a struggle. Hopefully, a few lifestyle tweaks will keep it from returning anytime soon. However, we tried out some new restaurants in Brasov.

Train From Romania to Bulgaria

After our stop in Braşov, we decided to spend some time slowly travelling in Bulgaria, as it looks interesting and is not in the Schengen Area. We needed to navigate some bureaucracy in Bucharest. Thus, it was an early train from Brașov to the capital to ensure we could catch the only train of the day between Romania and Bulgaria. The train to Brasov was straightforward, albeit a bit late, and very busy.

However, it still left us time in Bucharest to get things done before the next train. The international train to Bulgaria was a tiny little train that had seen better days. However, it ran on time, with no issues with the dog, and we arrived in Bulgaria on time despite two border checks. Ruse railway station was the last border check. Once my passport got stamped, we did the 25-minute dog walk to our apartment in the city centre.

Ruse in Bulgaria

Ruse in Bulgaria is a rather pleasant place, especially in the central areas. There’s some pretty architecture to see, along with some pleasant bars and restaurants. We got plenty of time to enjoy the city, see what’s about, and get acclimatised to Bulgaria.

Train From Ruse to Sofia

After a cheap lunch out and some drinks to kill time in Ruse, we caught the train from Ruse to Sofia. This journey ran to schedule on an old train with no issues, despite confusion about what we needed to travel with the dog.

On arrival, we had to cross Sofia by public transport. A false start meant we used both buses and the underground with some walking mixed in, too. We found our hostel fine, then dined out at the closest restaurant to our accommodation, which was rather pleasant and a step back in time.

Sofia, the Capital of Bulgaria

Sofia is the fascinating capital of Bulgaria and is a fantastic place to visit. There are lots of things to see and do in Sofia, including a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an impressive cathedral and a variety of museums.

As well as the attractions, the city has some fantastic bars and restaurants to enjoy local cuisine. We found it difficult to find dog-friendly accommodation in the city and to find drinking options. Highlights of the city include Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Metalhim Shooting Range and Boyana Church. Overall, it’s a great place for slow travelling with a dog. We also did a lot of shopping in Sofia, including hiking shoes and vape supplies.

Train From Sofia to Plovdiv

Our next train journey with the dog was from Sofia to Plovdiv. Unfortunately, we tried to order online too late for the 13:00 train and had to visit the ticket office at Sofia Central Station. The ticket office had no queue, and we got dog tickets easily for this journey. It was rather good value too, 23.90 Lev for two adults and a dog. The journey ran smoothly, and we had the cabin to ourselves for most of the journey to Plovdiv.

Plovdiv

Plovdiv is a fantastic city to visit, with lots of tourist attractions, including Roman sites. It’s rather budget-friendly and ideal for slow travel with a dog. The food shops sell great options to keep things interesting in the kitchen, and the city’s restaurants serve good hearty food. We have found it to be somewhat dog-friendly, too, and have found some good options for pet-friendly bars, restaurants, and accommodation.

For a day trip from the city, I visited Hisarya, a town with a fantastic Roman fortress. There were also Roman baths and a tomb in the town.

Plovdiv to Varna By Train With The Dog

The next part of our adventure was visiting Varna, a seaside city in Bulgaria. This required a 6-hour train journey across the country. Unfortunately, the train was rammed full. Some people seemed uncomfortable around Henry; thus, we opted to sit in the corridor before being moved, as per the Bulgarian Railways rules.

Varna at The Bulgarian Seaside

Varna is a big seaside city in Bulgaria with some fascinating sights. It also has some massive parks and beaches which are ideal for walking Henry. The city also has some fantastic bars and restaurants to see. As a bonus, finding a centrally located, dog-friendly place to stay was straightforward for our April visit. Our trip coincides with Orthodox Easter in Bulgaria; thus, we are fascinated to see what is happening while out and about.

Varna to Veliko Tarnovo By Train

As part of the next phase of our trip, travelling by train from the Black Sea to the Adriatic, we took the train from Varna to Veliko Tarnovo. This was a pleasant, very empty trip, with a brief change in Gorna Oryahovitsa. The railway line from Gorna Oryahovitsa to Veliko Tarnovo is beautiful with lots to see. On disembarking the train, it was a 20-minute walk to our dog-friendly hotel.

Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria

Veliko Tarnovo is a beautiful place to visit in Bulgaria. Basically, it’s a town in a river valley with lots of attractions. Our visit on the May Day holiday means there are lots of people about, especially in the restaurants. The sights of Veliko Tarnovo are fantastic, including the old town, churches, and the iconic Tsarevets Fortress.

Travel From Veliko Tarnovo to Ruse

To leave Bulgaria, we had to get to Ruse first, then head north to Romania. Getting from Veliko Tarnovo was pretty straightforward. First, we got a dog-friendly taxi to Gorna Oryahovitsa that our hotel organised. Then we caught the train from Gorna Oryahovitsa to Ruse, which was a 2-hour journey.

Ruse

Staying in Ruse was to break up the travel day, so I took a quick loop through the central areas and grabbed a backpackers’ buffet to eat at our apartment. The central areas had more flowers blooming, and more fountains were on compared to our winter visit.

Ruse to Brasov

This was the opposite journey that we did to get into Bulgaria. We purchased tickets to Bucharest from the international ticket desk without issue. Then we went to the platform, where we sat in the wrong place and upset passport control. Apparently, you need to get on the train immediately, long before it departs. Anyway, the journey to Bucharest and then onwards to Brasov ran smoothly, even getting the last 2 seats available.

Return to Braşov.

Brașov was pleasant to return to again and enjoy the delights of the city. Highlights of this visit included some pleasant meals at local restaurants and a sunset walk in the local citadel. The city was in bloom, with flowers everywhere, including in the parks.

Train Brasov to Gyor

Next up on our decision to swap the Black Sea for the Adriatic was a long night train journey. This was from Brasov to Gyor in Hungary. The night train was pretty smooth sailing, as Henry, my dog, has mastered these, and we have food/potty timings down to a science.

The trip required a change in Budapest with a trip on the M4 underground, then an onward train to Gyor. Our dog-friendly apartment was a 5-minute walk from the railway station, but we stopped at a nice Viennese-style coffee shop to kill time before getting the keys.

Gyor in Hungary

My first impressions of Győr are great; it’s a rather beautiful, compact place. There’s lots to see and some fantastic areas for dog walking. I’m rather impressed with the accommodation, one of the best we’ve had on our travels.

We enjoyed some sightseeing in Gyor, saw the River Danube up close again, went paprika shopping, and did a trip to meet my brother in Budapest. As a bonus, I did a day trip to the Courtyard of Europe, an attraction over the border in Slovakia.

Hungary to Slovenia By Train

Travelling from Hungary to Slovenia is pretty straightforward if you have no changes after the border. As Ptuj is directly reachable by train from a station in Hungary, we could purchase from the Hungarian Railways website. Our trip included leaving Gyor quite early, ready for a change and a beer in Janoshaza, a village to the north of Lake Balaton.

From Janoshaza, there is a direct train to Ptuj or onward to Ljubljana. The trains were pretty busy, however; we managed to secure a room for ourselves for most of the journey.

Ptuj: The Oldest City in Slovenia

Ptuj is another beautiful town in Slovenia that was recommended to me when we visited Maribor. So far, it’s a pleasant place to spend time and has a fantastic laid-back vibe. Ptuj is the oldest city in the country and thus has a few attractions, including the castle that overlooks the town.

It also has the River Drava and the country’s largest man-made lake. Ptuj is definitely our sort of place. As a bonus, there are options for bars and restaurants, many of which are dog-friendly.

Trains From Ptuj to Rijeka in Croatia

The next day of travel for us was from Ptuj to Rijeka, which meant a very early start. Our railway journey with the dog involved 2 changes, including one in Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. The journey went smoothly, with only minor delays, so we reached Rijeka 10 minutes late. This was the first time we didn’t have to stop at the border in Sapjane, as Croatia is now in Schengen.

Rijeka in Croatia

Our stay in Rijeka is for convenience, as it is a major ferry port in Croatia. However, it is always nice to do a bit of sightseeing in Rijeka and enjoy some seafood at the city’s dog-friendly restaurants. As we are hopefully spending over a month in the Croatian Islands, we needed to stock up on essentials to avoid having to pop back to the mainland.

Dog-Friendly Ferry To Mali Losinj

From Rijeka, we caught the dog-friendly Jadrolinija ferry to Mali Losinj. This is a trip we’ve done a few times before with the dog. However, this time we had a new boat with new pet configurations. On the rear deck were some large crates for dogs to stay in during the ferry journey. This is in a shaded area which the crew escort you to.

Return To Mali, Lošinj

After a decision in Plovdiv, we decided to spend May travelling from the Black Sea to the Adriatic Sea. The final destination was to be Mali Lošinj, a fantastic place on the Croatian islands. Mali Lošinj is a beautiful town on the island of Lošinj and a great place for relaxing, watersports, and hiking.

The island is also pretty dog-friendly and a great place to spend time with Henry. There are also lots of nice seafood restaurants in Mali Losinj, which is a big draw for us. We were lucky enough to spend 5 weeks enjoying the sea, island walks and copious amounts of fresh seafood from the local fish market. We also visited the picturesque fishing village of Veli Losinj, which was a pleasant coastal walk from our accommodation.

Losinj to Karlovac By Ferry & Train

A bit of an epic travel day started with a 4.5-hour ferry ride to Rijeka. We then killed time at a few bars in the city before heading to the railway station for a slow, hot train to Karlovac.

Karlovac for Parks & Wild Swimming

We’ve visited Karlovac before and enjoyed spending time here. Karlovac appealed more than the mostly fully booked backpacker central in Zagreb this trip. The city is known for its parks and wild swimming in its rivers, which was great fun. The cost of living in the city is much cheaper than at the coast, which is nice. Our brief three-night stop was mostly relaxing, with some dog-friendly bars and a launderette visit.

Travel With Dog From Karlovac To Osijek

Our next Croatian train trip was from Karlovac to Osijek in eastern Croatia. This required a change in Zagreb and took over 6 hours on a pretty empty train. We left really early to avoid the heat for Henry, our dog, as there was a heatwave in the country. We arrived in Osijek, then headed to our dog-friendly accommodation and waited in a bar next door to collect our keys.

Osijek In Slavonija

We chose to visit Osijek in Croatia because it’s a region we haven’t visited before. The local cuisine, swimmable river and some interesting sights also weighed in on the decision. Finding pet-friendly accommodation was pretty straightforward, and most cafes and bars have been welcoming to dogs. I’ve been impressed with the restaurants of Osijek and the local cuisine. Overall, Osijek has been a pleasure to spend two weeks in.

Osijek to Pecs

The train ride from Osijek to Pecs in Hungary was rather interesting. The route took some tiny local trains through some beautiful countryside. On arrival in Pecs, it was pretty straightforward to find our budget dog-friendly accommodation. It was a nice place with a garden and could sleep 4, so plenty of space.

Pecs in Hungary

Pecs is a beautiful city that was well worth revisiting to see more. On this visit, I got to see some new museums and galleries. Pecs was different during the summer. There were more flowers, and the fountains were on. I also enjoyed some familiar and new bars and restaurants. The city was nice in the winter; however, the summer added a new dimension to the visit.

Pecs to Bratislava

Unfortunately, this long travel day was also a sick day and thus was a struggle. First up was a train to Budapest, then the underground to change trains. We then hopped on the Budapest-to-Prague train to reach the Slovak capital. Luckily our hotel was very close to the railway station, so we could relax and recover.

Revisit Bratislava

We loved Bratislava on our 2019 winter visit and wanted to see more of it in summer. Our week in Bratislava delivered and was lovely and great for seeing tourist attractions we missed on the original visit. This includes visiting an annual medieval festival at the nearby Devin Castle. We also found some new pet-friendly bars and nice restaurants.

Easy Train Journey

Getting to Vienna by train from Bratislava is pretty straightforward. It’s a direct train into Wien HBF; then you most likely need to hop on public transport. We took the underground after purchasing a week-long ticket to travel around the city. After a beer and meal before checking into our pet-friendly Airbnb, the game was on. Time for me to see more of Vienna.

My Longest Stay in Vienna

Vienna has loads of things to see, and the short visits meant I skipped loads. This stay was to revisit past favourites and see much more of the city. Cathedrals, churches, palaces, gardens and monuments were visited. This included many free things to do in Vienna. We also visited many dog-friendly bars and restaurants.

As we loved the funfair, we got to experience more of what Prater Amusement Park had to offer. Overall, this was a great stop to coincide with a wedding anniversary. There’s still unfinished business, though; we will be back…

The Travel Gods Fell Out With Me

Next up for us was the epic trip from Vienna to Brasov, Romania, to hunker down for autumn. This is where our good fortune of travelling started to unravel. First, the death of my Samsung Galaxy S10, which gets lots of use when travelling full-time.

First up was the simple trip to Budapest. However, there were delays on all international trains. I’ve heard about the mess in Germany on the Interrail forums, but it seems to have spread. Arriving late in Budapest for the night train meant we had only time for a McDonald’s in our “room”.

On arrival at the night train, which I was hoping to sleep on, we were greeted by a rude, hostile (insert 4-letter word) who told us no dogs were allowed. On investigation, this CFR train we booked was an MAV train. Thus, they don’t accept dogs in the rooms, so they are sent to 2nd class with no seat reservations and no phone for entertainment.

The journey was awful: nowhere to sleep, being moved by passengers with seat reservations. Also, there were more rude staff and excrement overflowing from the toilets next to our floor seat. As a bonus, the restaurant car won’t accept cards.

After 25 hours of misery and cursing, we arrived in Brasov and are awaiting a new phone, Monday now apparently. Watch this space; until then stuck with a battery-less laptop with broken hinges. 24 hours later, I’m showered, rested and back to normal.

Travel Break, Bureaucracy and Blog Content Audit in Brasov

Next up, a welcome break from high-paced travelling and settling down in Brasov. This means jumping through lots of hoops to set up a permanent base camp/home and maybe live somewhat like a local.

I’ve also replaced all my tech, a nice new phone with a great camera and a much faster laptop. A great opportunity to tidy up hastily posted travel blog posts from the road and add more detail.

However, I’m still finding new things to see, other restaurants and some epic hiking. Even doing the living-like-a-local stuff, like DIY shops, garden centres and notaries.

Day Trips & Walks

However, the itchy feet have returned after a few months. Thus, lots of day trips, including a visit to the beautiful mountain town of Busteni. This was an excellent day out, and the views were epic.

Another fantastic trip out was to see some of the Transylvanian fortified churches, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. My adventure included visiting two of these, Prejmer fortified church and Harman Fortified Church, both in Brasov County.

First Flight From Brasov Airport

A new addition to Brasov’s repertoire is a new international airport. It’s a small place with a few destinations on its books. Luckily for us, there were direct flights to the UK. We opted for the strangely named London Luton Airport. Growing up, Luton was never part of London, so assume it’s a marketing thing.

Anyway, the airport in Brasov is shiny and new but lacks the basics, including a place to enjoy a beer. This includes vending machine beers. Everything went smoothly through the airport, including using my new resident card in combination with my passport to avoid needing a passport stamp-out. The flight was as expected with Wizz Air, 3.5 hours of discomfort and overpriced miniature beers.

We then got the train into London proper, then the tube to our rather special accommodation at Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners. This is a fantastic base camp to further explore London.

London Antics

Chelsea is a brilliant spot for exploring London, and the trip was to just do that. The first night was spent enjoying the Christmas fun at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. This was fantastic fun, and I enjoyed the funfair and some nice food in the Bavarian Christmas village.

Next up was coffee at Borough Market, then a train trip to Hever Castle. This was pretty straightforward and included a 25-minute walk through the Kent countryside. Hever Castle was great fun and very interesting too.

The castle gardens were excellent for exploring, and the nearby church was too. We found a pub, the Henry VIII, for a few beers before the walk back through the fields to the Railway Station.

Then came a full day of sightseeing in London, with the aim of taking every photograph I missed on previous visits. Quite the task, as I lived in the city for a while. Certainly a fun challenge to make the most of my visit.

The next bucket list item was a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tower of London. This was an excellent attraction and a great place to learn some interesting English history. The entry price was well worth it for what you get to see.

UK Trains To The South West

After travelling by train through many countries in Central and Southeast Europe, I managed to get the second-worst journey home in the UK to my family’s home. GWR seemed more interested in saying sorry than providing practical information. Having worked in customer service, I found this to be a crash course in fake empathy. All’s well that ends well, and they owe us the full extortionate fare as a refund.

A Few Weeks in The Shire

Something I missed in my home village was the local pub, which was cathartic to an extravert missing natural conversation. We have some excellent plans for walks and fun things to do in Gloucestershire & The Cotswolds.

I enjoyed a day out with my dad visiting Chepstow Castle and then upstream on the River Wye. This meant seeing some places I’ve not visited or haven’t visited in a long time. The trip ended in Ross-on-Wye to get some travel blog photos. At the end, it was bad.

I also used the visit to check up on Henry’s dog-friendly Gloucestershire guide and scout some new places to add. Most of the visit home was marred by illness and bad weather, so I shelved lots of ideas. We did enjoy the Christmas markets and some meals out in Gloucester.

Returning To The 2nd City

As we were flying back to Romania from Birmingham Airport, we opted to stay the night. The hotel prices in the city were shockingly high; thus, we opted for the Travelodge at the airport. We got some time for a few beers and some shopping for essentials, including some interesting spices from Chinatown.

I also took the opportunity to revisit the Birmingham Christmas markets and have a mooch and a snack. These seemed to have grown a bit since the one before we left the UK. It was nice to return and see some old haunts.

Birmingham To Brasov Via Bucharest

We chose the cheapest option out of the UK to Romania, which meant flying to Bucharest. This was straightforward, albeit uncomfortable, and a reminder to keep avoiding flying if possible. On landing, we were greeted with snow and some delays as the plane before us had frozen, apparently.

This was our first time at OTP that the train was running from the airport to Bucharest Nord. We skipped organising tickets and purchased them from the conductor on board. These were a bargain compared to the UK. In Bucharest, I had the obligatory cheap Romanian beer while choosing the train to Brașov. The train was great, as we booked 1st class for the 4 hours, something we can’t do with Henry.

Back Home To Brasov For Christmas

After a good night’s sleep, we picked Henry, our dog, up from the dog holiday camp and enjoyed a long walk home. We’ve been recovering from the UK trip.

Brasov is a fun place in the winter, especially during the Christmas markets. I have plans for hiking, dining out and embracing being a local. The traveller in me wants to explore the local area in depth and maybe some nearby new cities.

One of the final new places in 2023 was a trip to Sibiu in the heart of Transylvania. Sibiu is a pretty city with plenty to see. My mission was to scout out the stray-dog situation with the aim of staying longer next year. The attractions were great, and the Christmas markets in Sibiu hit the spot.

The 2023 Festive Season in Transylvania

We spent the festive season in Brasov doing a combination of things, including spending Christmas with my wife’s family. We enjoyed the festive markets, had food out, an RJ style “Easy Hike” and some relaxation too.

Henry discovered he was not a fan of the locals that perform the bear and goat dances; however, he is still immune to fireworks. My wife cooked for the last meal of 2023, a fantastic beef Wellington. The last act of 2023 was to enjoy the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Brasov.

Next Stop 2024…