Let's travel together #63 - Winter Trip To The Sea (Constanta, Romania)

At the beginning of the year, I took part in a challenge where I have written down 5 things that I wish to achieve in 2018. One of them was to see the sea completely frozen as I was thinking about a trip like that for a few years but never really decided to do it.
So this post is both an achievement for my Road map 2018 but also a great opportunity to present you the sea other than usual.

The whole journey began at 9.30 AM when me together with my sister and a very good friend of us got in the train and started the day with great vibes, ready for a new adventure and surely a trip to remember.
We bough our train tickets on Friday when the access to Constanta was still forbidden because of the crazy weather during day and night (-20°C) and the high risk for the trains to move on the frozen rails covered by snow.

Luckily (or NOT) it was one of those times when we had all 4 seasons in just a few days, so during the weekend most of the snow melt and the trains started circulating again.
We had our tickets bought for Monday so we were really shocked to see the huge changes but still wanted to take the trip and have some fun.
It's been 2 hours and a half of traveling with the train, but filled with happiness, joy and lots of jokes and stories to be told.
Once we arrived in Constanta we stopped at the Tomis Mall to eat something - getting ready properly for the new adventure which was knocking at the door.
To get to the Tomis Mall you can either take the bus, or just walk about 35 mins from the train station.

Now that we recharged our batteries, we make our way to the Casino - a place that it was already presented in one of my older posts but which remains at least as beautiful as the last time when I visited it.
It's true that the greatest beauty lies in simple things as there is nothing really special to this place but which is perfectly completed by the pure white landscape of the cold times which transforms it into a place of fairy tale.
The Casino was built in 1909 and during the World War II took the responsibilities of a hospital to help the injured people, lately becoming a restaurant.
Unfortunately the Casino stepped out in 1990 and currently it remains just a beautiful touristic attraction visited by thousands of people from all over the world.

At the beginning of the post I was saying that I wanted to visit the sea during the winter but haven't really explained why.
The reason is that during the cold times (especially when the weather goes under -15°C) the waves of the sea that splash onto the parapets that surround the casino, are getting frozen and this is how the whole place become one of those moments from Frozen (the movie).
This is a rare thing that happens in Romania as the salt of the sea doesn't really help the water freeze and this is why when it happens is so special and lots of people are visiting it.

The only problem is that when it gets cold enough and the event occurs, the access of the people outside of the city is forbidden unless is not made with a car as the quantity of the snow lodged on the train rails is huge and blocks the access.
Unfortunately, the picture that I presented above it's a shame comparing with how the place was supposed to look like but we've still got the chance to admire the frozen stabilopods which were still holding some snow and ice on themselves.
You can have a proper look of how the place it was supposed to look like on a great post created by the one and only @ananuaremere - a citizen of the city. (I still envy you, Ana! 😄)
The sad part is that half of my goal was achieved (but there are still years and winters to come) and the good part is that we enjoyed a sunny day that made our trip really special and encouraged us to explore the city even more.

As we walk further, we make our way to another place visited by tourists - The Tomis Port.
The access to the harbor can be easily made from the Casino, along with a great look over the luxury yachts and sailing boats that are "resting" and welcoming the tourists but also the citizens that are often taking a walk to the sea through this point.

If you feel hungry or want to taste some fresh fish while admiring the high seas, you can always take a break as the waterfront is surrounded by lots of restaurants and pubs which are looking forward for the tourists.
During the summer the whole view becomes even more spectacular when the dolphins are making their way to the sea becoming attracted by the people who peacefully walk around the shore, starting a beautiful show while playing and jumping into the waves.
I have to admit the fact that we spent some good hours in this place as the peace that the sea can bring you is really fascinating.

It's not a suprise anymore that I've never been a sea person so that's why I prefer to visit it only on cold times when there are not so many tourists and (in my opinion) is the best time of the year for this kind of trips. In the end everyone needs the Vitamin SEA from time to time..
It's true that the times flies when you feel great so we haven't even noticed when the hours passed and the time when our train was coming was getting closer.
Unfortunately, even though we wanted to spend more time close to the sea, we had to make our way back to the train station and get ready to return home.
The whole journey became even more colorful when we crossed a very beautiful passage where of course - we stopped by and took a lot of pictures. Who doesn't want more color in his life?

Thank you for accompanying me in one more of my adventures and don't forget to spread a smile! Life isn't that serious as it seems to be. 😊

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