Last week we decided to take a two days trip to Brăila. This is the home town of the boyfriend; he lived there all his childhood, while I got to visit two or three times.
Whether or not one likes a city is very much based on what the person prefers and needs. I, for one, enjoyed to admire the houses in the city centre, restored or damaged; I couldn’t stop thinking how the city would have looked nowadays if the Second World War hadn’t happen. Just looking at the decayed Hotel Pescăruș made me mourn what could have been. Other than being depressed for what was lost, we did enjoy what the city has to offer nowadays; there’s beauty if one wants to see it.
Upon arrival I used the restroom at the train station and was impressed that it was free of charge for those who traveled, was clean and had soap.
We then proceed on walking to the city center, towards the hotel, and after a while we checked the maps on my phone. During our discussions we marvelled at how much one manages to forget.
After checking in the hotel we decided to walk towards the apartment in which the boyfriend grew up to see how the building looks; another family lives there now so we were happy to look up from the street for a minute. It was hot so we went shopping in a nearby store.
It can’t be a trip to the city without walking by Danube so that’s were we walked next. There were many families and children walking and playing and it was nice to just look at the water and the people. I always wonder why there aren’t more investments in water sports. I’d pay to do SUP or to paddle in a boat. We searched for a restaurant on a boat, but we found none.
Next we went to the city centre and walked on small streets and admired the architecture.
We stopped to eat sushi and the food at Katana Sushi was delicious. Afterwards we went for desert at Marshal – sweets and cakes and the cakes we picked were amazing. We both tried bragă for the first time, but it’s not my type of drink.
After another walk in the city centre, we called it a night and went back to sleep in the hotel.
After breakfast in the morning, we took another stroll in the city centre’s park and on Danube. Got a big cappuccino from a bakery at the end of Independenței street. We had lunch at the hotel and then went to a book store to get some books by local authors.
Before taking the train back to Bucharest and complaining of the conditions, we walked by Danube again and through the civic centre to the train station.
We walked a lot, talked a lot and enjoyed the little things we observed. It was a relaxed and fun trip during a hot summer weekend, as those in the south (and south-east) of the country are.
Make today count!