trust in romania

Romania, for me, is best described as trust. I trusted so many people and in turn, was given a lifetime of memories. Going, in the first place, was a last-minute decision because I had one week open before heading to Malta.

I arrived in Bucharest, the capital which is full of Soviet era architecture and beautiful pockets of greenery. A day or so in I made a friend at my hostel and we decided to go to the opera together; neither of us has been. I felt like real life Cinderella in my floor length metallic skirt and Converse.

On my last day In the capital my hostel told me about this great ride service. Essentially, people who are going to a certain area will make stops along their way picking up (low) paying riders, dropping us as close as they could to your destination. It started solo ride until we picked up one more passenger, a single guy. It should be noted that the driver was also a man. So I TRUST! In the universe protecting me and keeping me safe. The passenger turned out to be a hoot and a holler and a gentleman. We spoke through Google translate exclusively and while in bumper-to-bumper traffic- lept from the car to pick me a roadside apple. We shared a rum in the backseat and I showed him my first tattoo I just got in Albania. He told me about his friend who lived 10 minutes from the area I was staying in and I made an appointment right then and there.

The day of my appointment was full of surrender and a little (lot) bit of caution thrown to the wind.

My artist worked and livened in a local apartment building. His studio is an empty unit out with a whole tattoo shop set up and then a little couch. He offered me a drink, and I accepted juice. After taking a few sip I excused myself to the bathroom, only to see the bottle leaning on the side of the sink. Of course, my first thought is oh my gosh am I being drugged but my second thought was no it doesn’t feel like I am. My gut wasn’t telling me to run, just to take a deep breath and trust that I was safe.

Surprise surprise everything went great! The juice was just juice. The tattoo was painless and beautiful, a bouquet of flowers. ‘You can’t have flowers without rain’. Ht invited me to his apartment where I met his wife and two adorable children. They called me a taxi home and we’re still friends on Facebook today.

SO much of solo travel is like this. Making decisions bordering on delusional. Seeing the world glass-half-full. Heart open wide to connection and love. Do I recommend everyone do this?

10000000% yes!!!

babes we have ONE life- we gotta live it. Go outside and trust in yourself and the universe and the people around you. It’s all we’ve got 🩷