A Full Weekend, Part Two

So, as I was saying. . .

Life here can be hard. It frequently frustrates me, and I speak the language, like the culture, and have been here multiple times. It must be all the harder for S. Bucharest is very overwhelming: it is a sprawling city, difficult to navigate (see previous posts), and unfortunately people are not the most patient when it comes to dealing with foreigners. You have to develop thick skin and accept that things will be difficult at times to figure out. So yesterday I think we both felt a little drained.

Today proved to be much better. While at the Fulbright Commission last Wednesday, we were given tickets for a concert at the Atheneum, a beautiful concert hall built in 1886 and one of Bucharest's architectural crown jewels. We accidentally slept in a bit, so we rushed to get ready, leaving without breakfast. The concert was put on by the Society of Engineer's Orchestra, so they weren't professional musicians, but except for a couple gaffes it was an excellent concert (enhanced by the Atheneum's gorgeous interior, which I had never seen before). They played pieced by Sibelius, Beethoven, and Brahms (I don't have the program in front of me, so I can't say what the were). After the two-hour concert, we felt famished and tried a cafe a friend recommended. It was pretty nice, and serves breakfast (S had an omelet and toast) and sandwiches (I had a great chicken sandwich).

Refueled, we left for Carrefour to find non-food supplies. Mainly, we needed some organizational materials: tupperware, some bins to put electronic equipment in, thumbtacks, magnets, etc. Carrefour is right behind the Unirii (United) department store, which I had never been in, so we decided to explore it a little. We were impressed. The ground floor was mostly filled with perfume and jewelry stores, as well as The Body Shop. The second floor mainly held fashion boutiques, more of which are located on the third floor, as well as an electronics shop and a store called Diverta which sells both office supplies and books. We didn't even visit the basement or fourth floors, as I started getting a bit overheated (they had the thermostat set to eleven!), so we got a drink at a cafe, and then popped into Carrefour. We managed to get almost everything we wanted. More importantly, we had a very good, fun day.