Romania

Constanza

The day trip to Rumania involved a 2-3 hour wait at the border handing and collecting your passport to the border guards repeatadly.Which took up most of the day. First stop the Constanza museum all two rooms of it, then off for a quick lunch.

And then our first encounter of running the gauntlet of pick pockets, the two guides breaking into a jog as we strolled down muggers ally should have given us a Big hint.

Keep a hand and all valuables in one pocket and with the other just keep shoving them out of your way worked for us, taking all your valuables out of your pockets and holding them aloft for the pickpockets to jump for or stopping to have a conversation and reason with them is not. Also laughing and shouting advice to other people being harassed seems to be the mateing call of the pickpockets as a guy and his wife found out. Note these guys are not to subtle, they pull out of your jeans, trousers offering you money for them while their partner tries to shove his hand into your pocket.(we only met these on the way to the bus, from the meal)

Your then given a whole HOUR to wander around the the shopping district which comprises of one or two streets unlike we were told don't bring any money because theirs nothing to buy(and most people didn't) we found the shops affluent and crammed with bargains, but we were keeping our money for the duty free on the way back, also the conversion rate to the euro exchange rate is in the millions so bring a calculator to figure it out. The large department stores are an eye opener and worth a look for a country that our bulgarian guides had told us was dirt poor and their was nothing worth buying. Then comes the buying spree off to the duty free to face another two hour wait, wadeing through passport control. But the duty free is worth the trip alone, but don't bring sterling as they wont touch it with a barge pole euro's, dollars or plastic if you have it, we did our best to buy the shop out with the money we were told not to bring, all tour guides should carry a government health warning only spend your money in our country (Thats why you only get an hour.Keep an eye out for Dale winton to pop up and call time up).

Nearly forgot on the way back made a stop at the rumanian neptune resort where you get a chance to get rid of the last of your rumanian shekels and funny enough its associated with the same travel company.