Back in Braşov, we had a late lunch at the cafe on top of Tâmpa Hill (995 m), then split up to have a break from each other. I contacted an acquaintance in Braşov, Titus Peride, and we met for beers and talk at a subterranean student bistro. A very enjoyable discussion about Romanian culture and history, economics, and other subjects. When this finished, I walked toward the hostel, and dropped into a small cafe. But one thing led to another, and I found myself drinking with a group of Romanians. Some were actors, one who had played many serious roles, such as the plays of Ioenesco and Genet’s Le Balcon. The conversation was a chaotic mixture of Romanian, French, Italian, Magyar, Russian, German, Turkish and Arabic, all jumbled together with a background score of Romanian doina and clouds of cigarette smoke. I was completely unprepared for the style of drinking in such a context: full tumblers of whiskey followed by glasses of sickly sweet Red Bull, alternating. I stumbled back to the hostel, where Isaac and I shared a single room. A few hours later, Isaac found me pawing confusedly at the door handle, trying to get to the bathroom to throw up. The world was spinning around me, and the only way I could manage was to crawl on my hands and knees. I was not a pleasant sight.
I had not been so shit-faced drunk in many years. I’m not normally a heavy drinker, and this kind of socializing is not my style. But I sobered up relatively quickly, the next day. We did a bit more sight-seeing, got tickets for an evening train to Budapest, and ended up going back to the hostel to relax. We watched an American teen comedy called Kids In America in the hostel lounge. The long train ride to Budapest would not involve much sleep. The compartment was full, with some elderly women who chattered in Romanian pretty much non-stop. No comfortable position was possible. It must have been torture for Isaac, who has very long legs. Finally, somewhere in Hungary, the ladies left the train, and we stretched out, exhausted, for a few hours of snoozing.
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