Trams

I decided to brave the Timisoara public transportation system this morning. I've taken a grand total of one bus since I came and have mainly relied on walking and taxis to get me everywhere I needed to be.

I've been told that Tram #4 leaves from five minutes outside my apartment and stops directly in front of the institute. I confirmed this last week when I saw the #4 as I was walking home.

This morning, I woke up psyched. I was ready for my adventure! I managed to buy a ticket and when the tram came, I climbed on confidently.

We "trammed" downtown. I relaxed. "This is so easy!" I thought. "Why didn't I start doing this sooner?"

We passed by Piata Libertatii. So far, so good.We started going further and further down the street. I wasn't worried. I assumed any moment, we would turn and drive up the Institute's street.

Sometimes I shouldn't listen to myself. Before I knew it, we were in the middle of nowhere. I didn't know whether to stay on, as the tram would eventually turn around, or get off and catch another tram going the opposite way. I checked out all the tram stops but didn't see any that sold tram tickets by the tracks.

I saw a tram route map on the wall so I went to give it a closer look. The trams of Timisoara aren't native. They're originally from Germany and all the signs inside are German. Including the route map. If I read German, I could tell you what city the tram came from. No map of Timisoara to oriente myself, unfortunately.

Fourty five minutes later, I was alone on the tram in the middle of a field. We had stopped for I didn't know how long. I anxiously texted my coworker and my boss to ask where I was. Turns out I really *was* in the middle of nowhere. I was on the edge of the city limits.

Luckily, the tram turned around a few minutes later and I arrived at work two hours late but no worse for the wear. Turns out that they're doing work on some of the tracks and changed the route. My boss told me that he was meaning to warn me but kept forgetting. Gee, thanks!