Balkan bureaucracy

I miss SNCF. Sure, I don't miss the strikes or the perverted controllers but I have to admit: they give great service. Quick, easy, efficient service. When I wanted to buy a ticket in France to Milan or Spain, I was able to waltz in and do my business in five minutes. If they weren't able to help me, they would give detailed instructions on how to arrive at my destination.

I expected as much when I went to buy my ticket to Bulgaria. I brought along two Romanian coworkers to overcome the language barrier.

A ticket from Timisoara to Sofia shouldn't be that difficult, should it?

Wrong.

Apparently, Romanian train stations can't sell tickets for trains not originating in Romania. Since I have to switch trains in Belgrade, I will have to purchase a ticket in Belgrade. No guarantee that they will have a place for me. No couchette reservation. Bearing in mind that myself (like the rest of Romanians) do not speak Serbian. I just have to "hope for the best".

Luckily, I will be meeting my Serbian friend at the station so hopefully she'll get me sorted out.

So I settled for a Balkan Flexipass. This little doo-hickey gives me 5 days of travel in one month in Romania, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and Bulgaria. This is perfect. I start on Saturday, and since I'm travelling overnight, it still counts for one day. And I can use it on the way back too! And I'll still have 3 days of travel! It only cost 48 euros, which may be a little more expensive than individual tickets to Sofia, but it makes up for it in convenience.

I'm also in contact with several of the other participants. Unfortunately, due to visa regulations, the two other Romanians have to travel through Bucharest. I'm going to meet up with another Serb and a Macedonian on the trip. Somehow. I'm going to try to get a couchette and they both want seats, so we'll see how this goes.

I'm really looking forward to meeting everyone. Bulgaria, here I come!