Directions: HOW TO REACH MERIGAR EAST (23 August village)

ARRIVING BY AIRPLANE TO BUCHAREST:

(International Airport Otopeni - www.otp-airport.ro or Airport Baneasa - www.baneasa-airport.ro)

At the airport you can change money – there are exchange offices and cash machines too. Exchange rate is about 4,2 RON = 1 Euro (April 2009) but at the airport you have usually lower rate, so change only as much money as you need for travel. The rest you can exchange on the spot as there are many banks, cash machines and exchange offices in touristic places along the coast.

RENT A CAR:
You can rent a car directly on the airports, there are many rent-a-car offices. Here some useful links:
www.hertz.com www.hertz.ro
www.avis.ro
www.rentacarholiday.ro
www.bavariarent.ro
www.budgetro.ro
www.directrent.ro
www.dollar.com.ro
www.sixt.ro

BY TAXI:
Bucharest - 23 August is 270 km. Another possibility to go directly from Bucharest's airports to 23 August is to take a taxi. It takes about 3,5 – 5 hours (depending on traffic) and costs about 100-150 euro (negotiate the price before you take the taxi and take only taxis with company-emblem). Sometimes you can pay with euro but usually taxi drivers take domestic currency.

BY TRAIN:
From Bucharest to 23 August:
There are 2 steps:

1. Transfer from the airport to the Railway station:
From both - Otopeni or Baneasa airports you should go to Gara de Nord railway station.
The most simply way to go from the airport to Gara de Nord railway station is by taxi. From Otopeni the taxi costs about 60 -100 RON (more or less 20 euro). Negotiate the price before you take the taxi and take only taxis with company-emblem. The passage takes about 35-40 minutes. From Baneasa it is cheaper and closer.
From both Otopeni and Baneasa airports to Gara de Nord railway station you can also take a shuttle bus 780. A double ticket (save it as you can use it when you return) costs 11 RON ( 2,5 euro). You can buy it in small offices at almost every bus stop.

At Otopeni airport the bus stop is close to the departures.

At Baneasa you must walk left from the main building, follow the street where taxis are used to park till the big street (there is a traffic circle). Cross the traffic circle as the bus stop is at the opposite side of the road. It takes about 5 minutes walk.

Bus 783 takes you to the center of Bucharest, but not directly to the railway station! If you take this bus, you must change on Piaza Victoriei for Metro to Gara de Nord rail station (1 station).

"Henri Coanda Express" trains - provide connection between Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport (Otopeni) and the Gara de Nord Railway Station, via CFR “Airport Stop”, with a frequency of one train per hour, from 05:15 a.m. until 23:20 p.m.

The passengers’ transfer to CFR “Airport Stop” is provided by buses whose schedule is synchronized with the trains schedule.

The tickets are valid both for the train and for the transfer bus, the price being of 6 RON per ticket. Tickets can be purchased from the ticket office located at the ground floor of the International Arrivals Terminal as well as from all the railway station ticket offices and travel agencies in the country.

2. Travel Bucharest – Constanta – 23 August
23 August is a village between Constanta (36km) and Mangalia (10km). There is no train station directly in the village! The closest railway station is called Pescarus and is situated 4 km from the village but only 1km from the Gar (see pic.1).

From Gara de Nord railway station (Bucuresti Nord), there are direct trains to Constanta. Then in Constanta you have to change for bus to 23 August (direction Mangalia).

Trains timetable:
Bucuresti Nord(departure) – Constanta (arrival): 06:59 (11:16), 09:20 (13:37), 14:00 (18:05), 18:45 (23:12)
Bucuresti Obor (departure) – Constanta (arrival): 13:18 (19:02)
The ticket costs about 40 lei ( 10 euro).

The train connections for the summer time will be available in May, we will inform you.

For those who want to travel from Constanta directly to Merigar East, there are 2 train connections to Mangalia. Pescarus (Pescarus halta)is the name of the small station where you must leave, 10 minutes walk from the Gar.

Trains timetable:
Constanta (departure) –Pescarus (arrival) 07:50 (08:47), 19:15 (20:12)
The ticket costs 4 lei, 1 euro.

Pay attention! - there are more trains Constanta - Mangalia but not all stops in Pescarus!!!

You can also look at www.cfr.ro for timetable of Romanian Railways.

pic.1

BY BUS:

From Bucharest to 23 August

From Bucharest, you can take a bus or microbus which is the most common way to get to Constanta. The bus station is situated close to Gara de Nord rail station. You can find it easily if you walk the street on the left side of the Ministry of Transportation building which is opposite to Gara de Nord rail station. You pass the huge building of the Ministry (on your right side) and follow the street straight on. After several hundred meters, on the left side, there is a parking and bus station (see pic.2). From that place every 40 minutes there is a connection to Constanta or Mangalia (direct connection to 23 August village which is 10 km before Mangalia).

Buses from Bucharest to Mangalia passes 23 August where you must leave. In case you do not get direct connection, you take a bus to Constanta where you change to 23 August (direction Mangalia).

The first microbus starts at 6.30 the last at 19.45. There are few travel companies but the most popular is SIMPA TRANS, you can see it on every bus and microbus. If you take a big bus it goes quicker as they don’t stop in every village. Smaller microbuses are not so comfortable. Timetable of departures you can find on www.simpatrans.ro (only in Romanian).

A ticket to Constanta costs 50 RON, 12 euro, and the time of passage is about 4 hours.

pic.2

ARRIVING BY AIRPLANE TO CONSTANTA:

(Airport Mihail Kogalniceanu - www.mk-airport.ro)

You can rent a car directly on the airport
www.autonom.ro
www.hermann.com.ro

You can also take a taxi and go to Constanta or directly to 23 August.

Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport – Constanta transfer route is served by minibuses operating from Constanta railway station (Gara CFR ). Time table for buses and all information about transport possibilities you can find on: www.mk-airport.ro/transport/

The distance from to the city is around 25km and takes approximately 25min. The distance to 23 August is about 60 km (1-1,5 hours by car depending on traffic).

From the Railway Station in Constanta you take a bus or microbus to 23 August (direction Mangalia).. There is the bus station from where every 30 minutes a bus departs to Mangalia. In summertime in every 10 minutes. The ticket Constanta-23 August costs 7 RON (almost 2 euro).

The time of passage is 45 minutes.
If you have any question, please do not hesitate to ask.
HAVE A GOOD JOURNEY!

ACCOMODATION

NEAR THE GAR, RENT A ROOM in 23 August Village
The closest and most chosen by retreat participants accommodation possibility is to rent rooms in the village 23 August. It is not typical touristic place with many hotels and pensions but rather a village where you can rent a room in one of the villager’s houses, often sharing the space with the householders. Sometimes owners move out for the renting period making the whole house available for the customers.

There are different standards and prices according to circumstances but it is still the cheapest accommodation possibility in the neighborhood ( prices vary between 15 to 25 euro per room ).

For renting rooms in the village, please contact Juliana :
ghitaiuliana@gmail.com ,
tel: 0040 746716140 (Romanian or English)

HOTELS AND PENSIONS ON THE COAST
You can book accommodation directly in hotels or pensions along the coast.

If you want to book a hotel room in one of the Black Sea touristic resorts ,
click: www.plaja.ro, www.litoralulromanesc.ro, www.laguna-tour.ro or just search in internet under “Litoral Romania”.
On the, www.litoral.info.ro you can find more informations about the Romanian Black Sea.

CAMPING
In Jupiter holiday center there is a tent Camping called “Zodiac”. This camping is 6 km far from the Gar.
www.campingzodiac.ro
Tel: 0040 241 731404

TRAVELING ON THE SEASIDE

While the retreat time every morning and afternoon –according to the retreat program – buses will run between Camping “Zodiac” in Jupiter – Neptun – Olimp – 23 August - Merigar East and back.

IN GENERAL
BY BUS:
On the national road, Constanta-Mangalia buses and microbuses are coming every 10 minutes.
There are many buses between the holiday centers.
The village is 3 km. from the Gar, on this distance there is no public transport; it takes 30 minutes to walk there.

BY TRAIN:
On the road Constanta-Mangalia, there is a local train. In the summertime, there are 5-6 trains a day.
Near the Gar is a train station (Halta Pescarus), 10 minutes walk to the Gar. Click www.cfr.ro for timetable of Romanian railways.

MEALS ON THE SEASIDE
All holiday centers are full with restaurants, coffees, fast foods, terraces, window bakeries, fruit sellers and food stores.
The meal for one day cost about 15-20 euro.
The Gar is between the two holiday centers and right near the Gar there is no any restaurant.
During the retreat there will be catering service in the Gar.

Any kind of question you have, please ask at this email address: office@dzogchen.ro