Since our house renovation could not start until September, Silviu and I decided to make the most of the rest of our summer holidays. We would make a road trip to visit his home town, Sebeș, Romania. After staying only five days in our new home, we put down our mops and rags, declared a moratorium on the battle against the spiders and grime. Then we embarked on our 3-day, 2,000 km drive.
Itinerary
Day 1: Home to Nuremberg, Germany
Day 2: Nuremberg to Vienna, Austria
Day 3: Vienna to Sebeș, Romania via South of Budapest, Hungary
Day 1: France to Germany
We left on Sunday, 1 August, at 8:30 a.m. After making a quick stop at the gas station, we got onto A10 highway. Fortunately, we were heading towards the east of France. On the A10 in the opposite direction, traffic was slow as French holidaymakers clamoured towards the south.
German Highway Speed Limits
I had heard there were no speed limits on the German Autobahn. Thus, I had imagined it to be the Wild West: it was though not exactly accurate. While there were indeed sections without speed limits, others had limits of up to 130 km/hour. Still, drivers really did not joke around when limits were lifted. On the three-lane stretches, cars just zoomed past in the far left lane at 150 km or 160 km. As if there were no tomorrow.
In the beginning, I told Silviu to stick to the kiddy lanes and drive at 130 km/hour. That would leave the adults to play in the fast lanes. By the way, I have a teeny-weeny bout of Tachophobia—fear of speed. This applies whether I’m in the car or on a bike, especially downhill.
The weird thing was, after a while, driving at 130 km/hour felt normal—even to me! It felt almost like travelling at 50 km/hour on a city road. We reckoned that the perception of speed was relative. If every car was flying past at 130 km/hour or faster, I would hardly feel the speed.
French vs German Highways
Free Highways
We had owned our little Golf, Volkswagen for three years. But this was the first time we had brought it outside France. This was because the pandemic health measures had restricted us to travelling local for the past three years. Consequently, we were used to the French highways system: frequent and expensive tolls. Gas stations there had amenities every 50 km or so: a restaurant, cafe, minimart, and free restrooms and showers. If you were in a rush, you could just grab a sandwich or a pastry from an adequate selection, pleasingly placed on the display shelves.
Germany’s highways were our first foreign encounter. The service experience was quite different. On the positive side, there were no tolls, meaning we travelled for 800 km for free. By comparison, we had paid €21 in tolls for a 200 km trip to Gonneville-sur-mer, Normandy, at Christmas in 2020.
Gas Station Amenities
In terms of comfort, I preferred the French rest stops. For one, the German facilities were less aesthetically welcoming as they were not as well lit. Moreover, their selection of snacks was limited. During the 9-hour trip, I had a sweet craving and was looking forward to getting a pastry from a minimart or a cafe. However, the sad and unappetising selection of baked goods dampened my craving. Still, one good thing was that it helped me to ward off some unnecessary unhealthy calories.
Another difference was that German highway restrooms required payment. It was a nominal amount of €0.70 and one could redeem €0.50 through a purchase at the cafe. Some of the toilets had turnstiles which accepted credit card and coin payments.
At our first stop, we arrived at the turnstiles without small change, and no credit card payment was accepted. We almost turned back to our car. Just then, a gas station customer stepped out of the minimart and overheard our dilemma. He generously offered to give us €2 for the entry fee, saving us a trip back to the car.
Smooth Sailing
Overall, German drivers were disciplined: they signalled before changing lanes and avoided swerve abruptly in front of others when overtaking.
Approaching the border at Forbach / Saarbrücken, we were unsure what to expect at customs. As Germany is in the Schengen Area; so, there are usually no border controls. However, there might be Covid-19 health checks which could cause a jam. We were pleasantly surprised to cross without hassle. Aside from a lunch stop and a couple of coffee stops, we drove smoothly and reached Nuremberg at 5 p.m. after nearly 800 km without incident.
Nuremberg, Germany
We planned to stay only one night in Nuremberg, Germany. Since we had just a few hours to explore the medieval city, we splurged on a city-centre hotel to save time. A hotel outside the centre would likely be cheaper though and most likely come with free or inexpensive parking. We ended up paying €20 for a private overnight parking.
Covid-19 Sanitary Measures in Bavaria
We should have done better research on the different Covid-19 sanitary measures in the different countries. We knew that wearing masks was mandatory in enclosed places in Germany. However, we were unaware that FF2P masks specifically were required in Bavarian public places, including restaurants, supermarkets and train stations.
At check-in, the front desk informed us that our medical masks were not accepted. I guess that the hotel was not that strict as they allowed us to check in without the proper masks). In addition, they informed us that the hotel had run out of FF2P to sell, leaving us to find our own.
Hunt For FF2P Masks
It was on a Sunday that we arrived in Nuremberg. As most of you may know, Sundays in Europe are quite different from those in Singapore, Asia generally. In Singapore, Sunday is a day in the week when most people do not work. Instead, they spend time with their friends and families in air-conditioned malls shopping and eating. In fact, shops and restaurants are not only open but also open all day. In Europe, it is another story. Like in Asia, Sunday is a non-workday for rest and religious reasons. There are exceptions, especially in the bigger cities, where some shops are open for tourists.
As it turned out, when we arrived at 5:00 p.m. in Nuremberg, all the shops in the city centre were closed. Google indicated that a few minimarts inside Nuremberg Central Station were still open. There was, however, a catch-22: how could we enter the enclosed station to buy FF2P masks without already wearing one?
Our Options
- Eat exclusively on outdoor terraces. That would mean no toilet visits (a big No-No for me)!
- Get takeaway food to the hotel. It was too depressing a thought to even entertain after spending eight hours on the road and another seven the next day. We really needed to relax and try some good local food in a nice restaurant.
- Find a restaurant willing to sell or provide FF2P masks. It seemed that some restaurants do provide masks.
- Find someone around the train station who was willing to purchase the masks from the minimarts for us .
Weighing our chances, we chose Option 3, hoping to buys masks alongside an apéritif from a bar. Then we would go to another restaurant with those masks. Unfortunately, we were turned down by three venues. After an hour of fruitless searching, we headed to the main train station around 7:00 p.m.
Kind Souls To The Rescue
While waiting for the traffic light located opposite the train station to turn green, I spotted a Chinese-looking couple nearby. They were busy with their two young children. Then, an idea popped up in my mind: the couple looked like they were tourists. If they were tourists, they might have extra masks. This seemed especially likely since the woman was carrying a handbag—one never knew what treasures a handbag could hold. With that in mind, I approached the couple. When they first spoke, I thought they were visiting from Hong Kong. However, it turned out the young family was visiting Nuremberg, but were currently living in Dusseldorf.
Without further ado, I asked if they had any spare FF2P masks. The woman immediately replied that they ran out of FF2P masks. As if to verify her answer, she fumbled in her handbag and took out a small pouch filled with masks, but hélas, medical masks and not FF2P ones.
One More Try
Her response dashed our hopes again. Still, not wanting to give up , I unabashedly asked the couple for a favour. Would they mind entering the train station to buy the masks on our behalf? The couple looked at one another and I saw a look of reluctance and hesitance on the face of the woman. I was undeniably very disappointed, but I could understand their dilemma. After all, they were approached by strangers while managing young kids. Understanding their awkwardness, I quickly reassured them it was alright. Instead, we would try to find perhaps a police officer to help us at the station.
No Help From Security
With that, Silviu and I left them walked over to the train station. Like most main train stations I had come across in my travels, the Nuremberg train station did not give me a safe feeling. Indeed, a crowd was gathering around a disturbance at the entrance of the train station. They were spectating a ruckus caused by a wild, drunk-looking man and three police officers. The drunk-looking man was flailing his arms, shouting presumably in German at the police officers. Meanwhile, the latter seemed to be trying to calm him down.
Nearby, I saw two other uniformed guards, likely security guards, observing the scene. Since they were doing nothing, I approached one of them. Before I said anything, she glanced at me sternly and gestured towards the commotion and walked away from me. Really? Was a small army really needed to manage an unarmed drunk man?
A Surprise Rescue
Moments later, the father we had spoken to earlier appeared beside us. He must have settled his young family safely nearby. Without preamble, he volunteered to find the masks for us in the train station while we waited outside for him. Five minutes later, he came out victoriously with two FFP2 masks in his hands. Our short night in Nuremberg was saved by this kind couple.
Day 2: Germany to Vienna, Austria
Since it was a manageable 500 km to Vienna from Nuremberg, we started out late in the morning at 10:00 a.m. The ride from Germany to Austria was uneventful, with a scenery much like southern Germany’s. There were however neither no-speed-limit highways nor Covid-19 controls at the border. In addition, in contrast to Germany, Austria required a a toll vignette—€9.50 for a 10-day validity tax disc.
We arrived in Vienna with ample time to explore the city. First, we enjoyed a cocktail on the terrace of the famous Palmenhaus, a former greenhouse, which overlooked a park. We then finished the evening with a copious portion of traditional Austrian schnitzel.
Day 3: Austria to Sebes, Romania
Austria to Hungary
It was a long day on the road as we had to cover 730 km, crossing two borders to reach Silviu’s hometown in Romania. We checked out early at 8:00 a.m., grabbed a quick breakfast and hit the road
Crossing into Hungary
Much like Austria, Hungary also requires a vignette. We bought a one-month tax disc of €14 online before leaving France and displayed the printed copy prominently on our windshield when we crossed into Hungary. With a one-month validity, it meant that we did not have to buy another one on our return trip. Since Vienna was only 70 km away from the Austria/Hungary border, we crossed into Hungary within an hour after leaving Vienna. As with the other Schengen crossings, there were no routine Covid-19 or passport checks upon entering Hungary.
It was our first time in Hungary. Unfortunately, as we were pressed for time, we skirted around Budapest along the ring road. We hoped we would get a chance to visit Hungary, especially Budapest, in a leisurely fashion in the future. Despite the highway having only two lanes in each direction, the 400 km drive across the Hungarian plains was straightforward. Our only entertainment was watching trucks jockey for position as they tried to overtake one another. Other than that, we made only one pitstop at a McCafé for a quick coffee.
Hungary to Sebes, Romania
At the Hungary / Romania border, there was a holdup due to Romania not being in the Schengen Area. As a result, cars slowed down at the check-point to present the national identification documents. Fortunately, we only had to wait roughly fifteen minutes before showing our documents. Besides taking our passports, the officer asked to see our car registration documents. We got back our passports shortly after and I found a Hungarian exit border stamp on my brand-new passport. I was thrilled to get a physical passport stamp, as they have become rarer with regional integration.
Still withholding our car registration documents, the officer directed us to park our car a few metres ahead of the checkpoint and to come back when he called us. Slightly worried, we did as instructed and parked and waited next to the car, under the blazing sun. Fortunately, he called out to Silviu in less than five minutes and cleared us to go—apparently a standard random check.
After the twenty-minute interlude at the border, we made one last restroom stop at a gas station before finishing the last stretch of our trip. We got to Sebeș ahead of schedule and managed to join our in-laws for a sumptuous, home-cooked dinner prepared by my mother-in-law.
This wasn’t our first time making the journey — read about some of our earlier Romania adventures, from cycling through the countryside to exploring Sighișoara.