While S visited her family back in the States, I went for another research trip to a county archive, this time in Suceava, located in the Bukovina region and close to the Ukrainian border. Bukovina is a beautiful land of rolling hills, and famous for its painted monasteries. While I had seen part of the Bukovinian countryside before, I had never visited Suceava or the painted monasteries, and looked forward to experiencing a new aspect of Romania's rich cultural legacy. My main purpose for the trip, however, was research. Towards the end of the second world war, as the Romanian army retreated from the Soviet front it gathered a large amount of archival material, and deposited it at Suceava, the first city the army encountered upon entering Romanian territory. Much of this material has not been investigated, and I hoped to achieve a minor coup in exploring the archive for a week.
Ah, so much for expectations.
Suceava is over eight hours from Bucharest by train, and after weighing the possibilities, it made more sense to buy a $100 round-trip plane ticket on TAROM, with a one hour flight each way, rather than a $60 for a one-way eight hour train ride. Making a decision about lodging was a bit more difficult. Suceava doesn't have many options: there are several hostels, and a couple of expensive boutique hotels, but really only one place that suited my needs; a cheap communist high-rise built in the 1970s called Hotel Bukovina. On their website, they advertised an apartment suite with fridge, double bed, sofa, arm chair, cable TV, and wireless highspeed internet, all for a ridiculously cheap price. So I booked five nights there, and departed on Sunday, May 7.
Even before leaving Bucharest, the trip started off poorly. I prefer my cabbies to be of the taciturn variety, but the one who took me to the airport (Otopeni, thank God, and not Baneasa) happened to belong to the gregarious sort. As we chatted, he asked where I was from. "Oh, the United States! A great country! It is a shame, though." A shame? This immediately triggered all sorts of alarms. At best, he would be referring to the colossal mess that was the Bush presidency, but somehow I thought not. Seeing no way out of it, I asked what he meant. "Your country, it is run by the Jews! Just like they try to run our country!" Oh dear God. My worst fears were confirmed. I hate this conversation, and yet it seems to happen at least once every time I visit Romania (which, considering how brief two of those trips were, is rather pathetic). I tried to shut this one down as quickly as possible, by flatly stating it wasn't true and he didn't know what he was talking about, and further more, that the Obama administration's stance on settlements on the West Bank does not exactly endear us to the current Israeli government. Nope. Didn't work. "But Bush is a Jew. All American presidents take their orders from Israel! They try to rule the world in secret!" Sigh. . .trying to divert the conversation, I asked what he thought of Bush. "A stupid man. Now he is a Senator, yes?" (Apparently he got this "fact" from the same tabloids where he reads about world affairs.)
I can't tell you how exhausted I am from dealing with this kind of xenophobic &*$!
I arrived in Suceava without further incident. The city's airport is a pretty small-scale affair. Only two airlines run flights there, and I think it only sees about four arrivals a day. A driver picked me up by baggage claim and took me to the hotel. I sensed something was wrong, though, when the driver asked me where the other three people were. Um, what other three people? He seemed convinced that my reservation was for four people, as did the receptionist when I checked in. When I got to the room on the third floor, I could see why. Basically, it was two bedrooms with a full bathroom and a half-bath within a suite. One of the bedrooms had a tv and fridge. Neither of the them had the afore-mentioned sofa, and the arm chair looked to have been made around the same time as the hotel--it sat very low to the ground and at an uncomfortable angle. In fact, the decor of the room had obviously not been updated to postcommunist sensibilities, as was obvious from the advertisements printed by the Ceausescu-era national tourism board.
The biggest frustrations, however, were the lack of heavy curtains on the windows and wireless internet, which I learned only worked in the lobby and on the first floor, which was booked. Which meant that when I wanted to Skype with S or my parents, I had to do so in the lobby (where, by the way, they refused to turn on the lights once it was dark). That only three of the cable channels came through was just a secondary annoyance. So much for my great deal!
As Monday was a national holiday the archives were closed, so I spent the day exploring Suceava. Once upon a time, Suceava was an important urban hub, a trading spot for Romanians, Poles, and Ukrainians, a medieval princely court, and a site of both Orthodox and Jewish learning. From 1388 to 1565, it was the capital of the principality of Moldavia (before the capital was transferred to Iasi); it lost a second chance for glory when the Duchy of Bukovina, as it was dubbed--although no-one with the equivalent title of duke had ever reigned there, and considering its past the title was something of a demotion--became part of the Austrian Empire, and the Habsburgs declared the capital of province to be Cernauti, and not Suceava. During the war, most of the city was destroyed although the churches within the city received little damage. Thus, in a relatively small space one can see medieval churches encircled by shabby communist block buildings. Still, the main square showed some signs of revitalization. An enormous wooden egg painted in the traditional folk tradition--the largest Easter Egg in the world as its sign proudly declares--dominates the northern section of the square, as does a large bronze monument dedicated to Romania's fallen aviators during World War II. A nearby sign demonstrated the distance in kilometers to various European cities (Paris, London, Berlin, St. Petersburg) with the punchline: "European Union--0 kilometers." Another, nicer part of town is the area surrounding the 18th-century town hall, complete with a nice park, a few museums, and 19th-century Catholic church, all of which have obviously benefited from renovations.
Clearly, these small gestures are meant for tourist consumption. Suceava is the logical jumping-point for any excursions to the surrounding painted monasteries, as well as trips to Ukraine. Within Suceava itself one can find tucked within a beautiful wooded park an open-air village museum as well as the remains of the princely court, which are less well-preserved than Bran Castle but yet somehow far more impressive--perhaps because of the massive dried-out moat one crosses to get to it. All of which brings to mind two things. First, history is fickle. Had things gone another way, had Iasi not been declared the new capital of Moldavia in 1565, or if the Habsburgs had not chosen Cernatui as the regional seat of Bukovina, Suceava would be a much larger and more affluent city, rather than the sleepy industrialized backwater it is today.
Second, it reinforces the lost opportunity I see everywhere in the country, except for parts of Transylvania, to capitalize on the euros and dollars Western tourists would eagerly spend seeing the beautiful Romanian countryside and cities. A lack of capital is not, I would suggest, the issue: I could easily see partnerships forming between Western investors and local entrepreneurs. Rather, I see a lack of entrepreneurs, and the necessary acumen and wherewithal to see through such a project. I should say that this also extends to the hospitality industry in this region, as with one exception all the restaurants I visited ranged in service from mediocre to utterly infuriating; the hotel staff I dealt with were not exactly professional either.
Anyway, on Tuesday I began working in the archives. I found the staff there to be friendly and helpful, and luckily for me they keep all of their documents on-site rather than at an external depository, so I could receive my requested folders the very next day, or even the same day if the order was placed early enough. Unfortunately, however, and this was a huge disappointment, it was clear that one of the previous directors of the archive had either consciously failed to catalogue much of the material deposited by the Romanian army, or only catalogued those folders not pertaining to the Holocaust, as I found virtually nothing listed in the inventories to the collections which appeared useful. After working there for three days I did find some important material through guess-work and intuition, but not nearly as much as I had hoped.
Since I knew by the time the archives closed on Thursday that I had found pretty much everything of relevance to my topic, I decided to take Friday, my last day in Suceava, off and tour the painted monasteries. I went to a travel agency and made a reservation for an eight-hour tour, and then happily spent the rest of Thursday afternoon walking about the town, taking pictures of some churches I hadn't visited yet, and went to two museums: the history museum and the natural history museum. The history museum had more of a nationalist bent to its narrative than I care for, and its section on World War II was particularly disappointing, first concentrating on Romania's anti-Soviet campaign (when it was allied with Nazi Germany) and then awkwardly skipping to when Romania switched sides, where the museum's exhibit abruptly ended. It did have an impressive collection of prehistorical items, and a cool life-sized diorama of the crowning of Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great) as king of a (briefly) united Romania. The Natural History museum had your usual collection of stuffed animals and fossils; what sets it apart from others I have visited in Romania is the collection of live tropical birds in the basement (along with, randomly, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and a very freaked-out looking North American squirrel).
After the museums, I decided to visit one last church, this one actually a functioning monastery. As I walked down the hill towards the church, I wound up coming alongside an elderly Romanian woman, who gamely asked me if I was going to see the church. After I said yes, we exchanged a few blithe comments about the weather, and then came the question: "Are you Romanian? Your accent is funny--I don't think you're Romanian. Are you French?" When I responded that I was American, she then asked if my family came from Romania. "You're not Romanian? But you are Orthodox, yes?" No. As there is no word for Quaker in Romanian, and I didn't feel like explaining it anyways, I merely replied that I was Protestant.
You'd think I told her I was spawned by the Devil. "WHAT?! Protestant?! No, no, Protestants are bad, evil! No, it is no good to be Protestant. Only the Orthodox are good!" I was truly taken aback; all I could do was assure her that I was in fact a good person and it didn't matter what my religion was. Then she said something that truly surprised me. "We can baptize you! Yes, we can baptize you in the Orthodox manner, and then you will be okay." I gracefully--and quickly--declined her offer, and sped off down the road. Peasant suspicions die hard in this part of the world.
On Friday morning I awoke bleary-eyed but excited, anxious to finally seeing the glorious painted monasteries of the Bukovinian countryside. An hour before my tour was supposed to start, however, the sky darkened, and quickly a heavy thunderstorm flung itself against the city, drenching everything. Since I had neither an umbrella nor a jacket (or even a long-sleeved shirt), and what is interesting about the monasteries is their brightly painted exteriors, I came to the sad conclusion that going on the tour would be a waste of time. I would only spend the day cold, soaked, and miserable, and with the poor lighting conditions none of the photos I might take would turn out well.
After cancelling the tour, however, I realized that I now needed to find some way to spend the rest of my time, as check-out was at eleven am, and my flight was not set to depart until 10PM. Walking around the city wasn't an option because of the rain. I asked the front desk if there was any way for me to just stay in my room until it was time to leave. Considering they only had about 50% occupancy, and I had given them solid business for five straight nights staying in their most expensive room, I couldn't imagine that would be an issue. How silly of me. No, I was told, if I wanted to stay in a room until my flight, I would have to pay. Finally, I negotiated to stay in a cheaper room, moved my stuff, and proceeded to spend a long day reading, watching a couple of movies from the internet, and wishing I were back in Bucharest.
And then I was at the airport, checked in, and ready to fly. But wait! You didn't think it would end that easily, did you? The flight was late. By an hour and a half. Which may seem routine to someone accustomed to the American air industry, but when you think of what a small-scale operation domestic flights operated by Tarom are, well, it becomes more emblematic, or rather symptomatic, of the general infrastructural problems at the heart of this country. When I did arrive in Bucharest, it was after midnight, and thus the pick of taxis available ranged from the flagrantly illegal moonlighters to the legal but dodgy third-shift cabbies. Taking the lesser of two evils, I soon was heading down the highway in the direction of the apartment, when, just before we got to Piata Victoriei (minutes from our apartment), we came literally as close as one can possibly come to being in an accident without actually experiencing one. To be fair, it was the other driver's fault, not the cabbie's, but it is just one more reason why I hate taking taxis here. But at least after a long and somewhat frustrating week, I finally could sleep in a comfortable bed, and get ready for S to return!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
To Lafayette and back in 10 days
While B was off on yet another research trip to Suceava in Northern Romania near the Ukrainian border, I seized the opportunity to make a quick journey to see my parents in LA. I was able to find a good deal on a plane ticket and managed to take a lot of stuff back to the US, especially our winter clothes, which would take up a lot of space and weight. This should help us when we return for good in July and have even more to take back with us. I had a nice time at home and it was wonderful to have a little break from Romania. I missed B a lot, but was able to run several errands and stock up on some supplies for our last month! I had a chance to go swimming several times that week, which was great. The weather was quite warm, but it’s amazing what a difference the presence of Air Conditioning can make! It was wonderful to indulge in all of the comforts of home. Dishwashers, clothes dryers, air conditioning, and garbage disposals, Oh My! Not to mention fully functioning plumbing. For about the first day and a half at home, I didn’t even leave the house! On Saturday afternoon, my mom and I indulged in some retail therapy and ran across several good sales in the mall. I also had a mind-blowingly easy trip to Target, where all the things I might want or need were readily available; the aisles were actually wide enough for more than one person and their carts and to top it all the cashier was actually friendly! It’s the small things that can make all the difference. As B was helping me get the bags up the stairs to meet the airport shuttle as I left (at 4:30 AM- a truly unnatural hour), we noticed the wheels on our lightest bag had broken. Luckily, my dad knew of a company that repairs luggage and I was able to get the bag fixed, so we can fill the bag and not worry about the weight of it taking up a lion’s share of the weight allowance. It was also really nice to be able to talk with friends on the phone, sometimes more than once and not have to worry about international time differences and planning Skype appointments. One call was especially important and fortuitous. I received a call from our storage company informing us that they had changed accountants and weren’t able to run the charges for our storage space the past few months! Thank goodness, I was able to give them new and updated information, as well as lots of contact info for the future since they only seemed to have my American cell phone number. Thank goodness I was able to talk with them before they decided to confiscate our things- crisis averted! It was nice to see my parents and of course there’s nothing like mom’s home cooking, especially after we had been travelling so much and eating in so many restaurants. Also, thank goodness for Skype so that I could talk with Ben almost every day, which made the distance more manageable. At the end of the week, it was time to head back to Bucharest. I again had to leave painfully early – darn those 6 AM flights! After a 3.5 hour wait (assisted by a little Starbucks boost) and a very quick visit with my brother in the Atlanta airport, I finally got to JFK for my last leg of the trip- a 10.5 hour flight to Bucharest! While having a direct flight makes things faster and reduces the chances of lost luggage, spending 10.5 hours captive in such a small space is no picnic. Luckily, the flight was not full and I was able to get two seats next to each other to myself and stretch out a bit, which was especially lucky because this flight did not have individual TV screens to choose movies to watch. I got a little bit of sleep on the flight, but was still really tired when I finally got to Bucharest. B came to pick me up at the airport with our landlords--I was so happy to see him! As hard as I tried not to fall asleep during the day, we were invited to meet friends for drinks that night and I knew I couldn’t stay awake that late and had a wonderful nap. I’m still fighting a bit of jet lag, but B and I have been seeing our friends a lot before they all head off to the US at the end of their Fulbright time and we went to a wonderful concert of Roma music Wednesday night. Now we are preparing for our friends Ferg and Sarah to come visit us tomorrow! -S
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Much Overdue Brasov Conclusion
Dear all,
Our apologies for such a long delay in posting. Between returning to Bucharest, work, and our respective trips, we've been a little busy. So, if you'll cue the requisite time-travelling music and effects (think Wayne's World), we venture through the mists of time to the last day of our Brasov trip. . .
One of the unique aspects of Romania is its multicultural heritage. I say unique, because in this age of national self-determination, ethnic cleansing, and even peaceful separation (like the Czech Republic's split with Slovakia, or Montenegro's vote to separate from Serbia), the countries of Eastern Europe grow ever more homogeneous. Romania is an exception, though a faltering one. It boasts numerous ethnic minorities, all of whom have made important historical, cultural, and economic contributions. Unfortunately, many of these groups are dwindling in number, through a combination of out-migration and low birth rates. A case in point would be Romania's ethnic German population.
Dotting the Transylvanian landscape are fortified churches, some crumbling in ruins, others fairly well-maintained. What they all have in common is their former purpose, and status as a symbol of an uncertain future. In the medieval period, when Transylvania continually shifted hands between Romanian, Hungarian, and Austrian princes, most of Europe lived in fear of one thing: an Ottoman invasion. The Ottoman Empire, seemingly invincible, had subdued the whole of the Balkan peninsula, and constantly harried the borders Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Both to repel this threat, and also to breathe new economic life into the region, successive rulers of Transylvania invited settlers to found new villages and cities, each of which was centered around a walled church-fortress which, in time of invasion, would serve as a shelter for the townspeople. Frequently, these bastions became synonymous with the location itself.
The majority of these new settlers were German-speaking peoples. Called by the generic term Saxon in English, they actually came from all over German-speaking Europe, and comprise several distinct groups. The largest of these groups came from what is now Luxembourg (currently the sister-city of Sibiu) and the dialect of German they speak is close to modern Luxembourgish. Throughout the medieval, early modern, and modern periods, the Saxons prospered, even under the reign of Vlad Tepes, aka Dracula, who imposed harsh restrictions against them. (Many of the myths now associated with the legendary Dracula started as propaganda pamphlets produced by Saxons.) When administration of Transylvania passed to the Hungarian half of Austria-Hungary after the Compromise of 1867, the Saxons were no longer the dominant political force in Transylvania, but still enjoyed a great deal of influence. When Transylvania became part of Greater Romania after World War I, however, the process of Romanizing all aspects of society meant that the Saxon population lost a considerable amount of prestige, and soon found itself on the defensive, trying to protect among other things the right to German-language education for their children.
And then Romania entered World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. Many ethnic Germans wholeheartedly supported the Third Reich, which used its influence to win a number of concessions for Romania's Saxon population, including a great degree of cultural autonomy. Thousands of Saxons enlisted in the Wehrmacht or SS, fighting on behalf of Hitler. This is not to say, of course, that all Saxons were antisemitic or approved of Hitler's policies, but it cannot be denied that the majority were more than willing to identify themselves with the Third Reich and their Aryan brothers and sisters. After the war, however, the communist regime solidified its hold on power, and turned against all those it considered enemies, including the category of "fascist collaborators." Things became very bad for Romania's Saxons; it is no surprise that when Ceausescu offered to let West Germany pay for the Saxons to be "repatriated" (in other words, they were sold to the West German government), thousands of Saxons signed up. Today, the remaining Saxon population is a mere fraction of what it once was, and an aging one at that.
These thoughts went through my mind as we spent a rainy day, in the company of a Romanian guide and driver, touring some of the fortified churches surrounding Brasov. Transylvania's fortified churches are famous tourist landmarks, and I had always wanted to see them, but had never had the chance during my previous visits. We started out by seeing two of the most well-known fortified churches, Harman and Prejmer. To be honest, after hearing so much about these famous churches, Harman was something of a disappointment. Not terribly well kept up, Harman consisted of a tower at the head of a squat, circular wall, inside of which was a church. Interesting, but not quite as awe-inspiring as I had hoped. Prejmer was far larger and imposing, and contained museum as well as several exhibit rooms inside the wall, showing how the fortifications were used during times of war (one room on display was used as a classroom; others served as the specific refuge for individual families). In both churches we saw monuments to the village men who had fought in both world wars. Surprisingly, both churches were still in use by the local German population, although I could not help but think how empty the huge halls must feel for the couple dozen attendees.
After returning to Brasov for lunch, we then headed out on some very windy mountain roads to less-visited, but in my opinion far more interesting fortified churches. First we went to Sachsiz, a towering structure with a beautiful church inside. We didn't linger there long, however, for farther down the road Biertan waited for us. Situated atop a hill, Biertan is a truly massive, castle-like edifice. Among the most interesting things we saw at Biertan was the lock on the door to the priest's chambers, an extraordinarily complex machine which took a prize at the 1900 World's Fair. The docent at Biertan claimed it was unique; we soon learned however that it has a sister lock, located in a less imposing, but vastly more interesting church.
After spending some time wandering around Biertan, our guide gave us the following choice: we could go about 20km to visit another church that he had visited before, or 10km to see one that he had only just learned of by studying a map in Biertan. We opted for the latter, and headed off to Richis, a sleepy little village where animals roamed the streets freely, and the locals stared at us with friendly curiosity. Finding the small, unimpressive-looking church was no problem; getting in was another matter. Our guide searched and searched, but could not find an unlocked entrance. Finally, a local told us we'd have to go to the caretaker's house and bring him back to unlock the church. The girl guided us to the caretaker's house, and presently an old, wiry fellow with a quick, gleaming smile came out to greet us. Immediately upon arriving at the church's front door, Herr Schass informed us that we were going to be treated with several stories before we could enter, and invited us to sit on the steps. Schass began by describing the daily life of Richis, or Reichsdorf, in its golden days. An important producer of (especially white) wine, the population was once almost entirely Saxon and fairly prosperous, as traders from all over Romania, Hungary, and even Austria would come to purchase barrels of choice vintage. As Herr Schass stated, the village's then-small Romanian population thought of Reichsdorf's Saxons as being snooty, but that wasn't the case: the villagers often over-indulged in their product, as testified by the strange circular abrasions surrounding the church door. According to Schass, it was an age old custom for Reichsdorf's priests to assign a particular form of penance: sinners were required to place the point of their index finger on the stone, and turn it until the priest told them to stop. Hence the small, deep, smooth pits surrounding the door.
After this, Herr Schass gleefully invited us in, only to have us sit down again inside the church for more stories. As we learned, like most European Catholic churches, the interior of Reichsdorf was decorated with religious frescoes. When the Reformation hit Transylvania, Reichsdorf like most Saxon churches converted to Lutheranism, and the dowdy Protestants deemed that the frescoes should be painted over in white. Add hundreds of years worth of repainting, and the frescoes were thoroughly buried. In the early 1990s Reichsdorf (now known almost exclusively as Richis, as the Saxon population had all but vanished and the town was now over 90% Romanian) got a new priest, who decided to attempt a restoration. Unfortunately, the frescoes were too badly faded to be rescued, and only a few small patches can truly be seen. What they discovered instead, however, mystified them. At the capitols of columns throughout the church they found odd faces, which looked like a man with two leaves growing from his forehead as if they were horns. No-one knew their significance until a group of Swiss tourists came through one day; a woman on the tour happened to be an art history student, and informed Herr Schass (who by then had been elected as the church caretaker) that these were representations of the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol. A pagan symbol--in his church?! This was too much for Schass to believe. The woman was certain, however, and after a while Schass decided to contact some art historians and religious experts, writing them letters with attached pictures.
Eventually he got a response. A professor from Brown University (Schass excitedly showed us the letter) wrote back, confirming that indeed these were representations of the Green Man. It was not uncommon in very old French, and to a lesser extent German, churches to find these, and such imagery was used as a means of easing the transition from paganism to Christianity. In Romania, however, the Green Men of Richis are probably unique--no other examples are known of, at least. Schass then proceeded to show us example after example of Green Men, all the while regaling us with more stories about the life and history of his church. Seeing the joy on his face at sharing his beloved church warmed all our hearts. He spoke Romanian fluently, but every once in a while as he shared a story he would pause and mutter to himself "Ich weiss nicht, wie sagen sie ins Rumanian. . ." (I don't know how one says it in Romanian); clearly, the world of his mind was still the Reichsdorf of old. As he showed us the sister-lock to the one in Biertan--this one with odd hippo heads as adornments, I kid you not--I wondered: what will happen when Herr Schass, now 77, passes on? To whom will he pass on his stories? Will Reichsdorf, a once-proud and regionally famous wine producer, be lost forever, to be replaced by sleepy Richis?
Saying goodbye to Herr Schass, we took a back road to get to the city of Fagaras, where we hoped to see one last fortified church. After driving through some bumpy forest roads, we emerged onto a highway--only to come to a dead stop behind a herd of cattle. Eventually winning our way past the cows, who did not seem terribly inclined to let us through, we managed to pick up speed, but alas did not reach Fagaras until after the massive church-museum had closed. We returned to Brasov tired but happy, our minds filled with sights and stories. -B
Our apologies for such a long delay in posting. Between returning to Bucharest, work, and our respective trips, we've been a little busy. So, if you'll cue the requisite time-travelling music and effects (think Wayne's World), we venture through the mists of time to the last day of our Brasov trip. . .
One of the unique aspects of Romania is its multicultural heritage. I say unique, because in this age of national self-determination, ethnic cleansing, and even peaceful separation (like the Czech Republic's split with Slovakia, or Montenegro's vote to separate from Serbia), the countries of Eastern Europe grow ever more homogeneous. Romania is an exception, though a faltering one. It boasts numerous ethnic minorities, all of whom have made important historical, cultural, and economic contributions. Unfortunately, many of these groups are dwindling in number, through a combination of out-migration and low birth rates. A case in point would be Romania's ethnic German population.
Dotting the Transylvanian landscape are fortified churches, some crumbling in ruins, others fairly well-maintained. What they all have in common is their former purpose, and status as a symbol of an uncertain future. In the medieval period, when Transylvania continually shifted hands between Romanian, Hungarian, and Austrian princes, most of Europe lived in fear of one thing: an Ottoman invasion. The Ottoman Empire, seemingly invincible, had subdued the whole of the Balkan peninsula, and constantly harried the borders Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia. Both to repel this threat, and also to breathe new economic life into the region, successive rulers of Transylvania invited settlers to found new villages and cities, each of which was centered around a walled church-fortress which, in time of invasion, would serve as a shelter for the townspeople. Frequently, these bastions became synonymous with the location itself.
The majority of these new settlers were German-speaking peoples. Called by the generic term Saxon in English, they actually came from all over German-speaking Europe, and comprise several distinct groups. The largest of these groups came from what is now Luxembourg (currently the sister-city of Sibiu) and the dialect of German they speak is close to modern Luxembourgish. Throughout the medieval, early modern, and modern periods, the Saxons prospered, even under the reign of Vlad Tepes, aka Dracula, who imposed harsh restrictions against them. (Many of the myths now associated with the legendary Dracula started as propaganda pamphlets produced by Saxons.) When administration of Transylvania passed to the Hungarian half of Austria-Hungary after the Compromise of 1867, the Saxons were no longer the dominant political force in Transylvania, but still enjoyed a great deal of influence. When Transylvania became part of Greater Romania after World War I, however, the process of Romanizing all aspects of society meant that the Saxon population lost a considerable amount of prestige, and soon found itself on the defensive, trying to protect among other things the right to German-language education for their children.
And then Romania entered World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. Many ethnic Germans wholeheartedly supported the Third Reich, which used its influence to win a number of concessions for Romania's Saxon population, including a great degree of cultural autonomy. Thousands of Saxons enlisted in the Wehrmacht or SS, fighting on behalf of Hitler. This is not to say, of course, that all Saxons were antisemitic or approved of Hitler's policies, but it cannot be denied that the majority were more than willing to identify themselves with the Third Reich and their Aryan brothers and sisters. After the war, however, the communist regime solidified its hold on power, and turned against all those it considered enemies, including the category of "fascist collaborators." Things became very bad for Romania's Saxons; it is no surprise that when Ceausescu offered to let West Germany pay for the Saxons to be "repatriated" (in other words, they were sold to the West German government), thousands of Saxons signed up. Today, the remaining Saxon population is a mere fraction of what it once was, and an aging one at that.
These thoughts went through my mind as we spent a rainy day, in the company of a Romanian guide and driver, touring some of the fortified churches surrounding Brasov. Transylvania's fortified churches are famous tourist landmarks, and I had always wanted to see them, but had never had the chance during my previous visits. We started out by seeing two of the most well-known fortified churches, Harman and Prejmer. To be honest, after hearing so much about these famous churches, Harman was something of a disappointment. Not terribly well kept up, Harman consisted of a tower at the head of a squat, circular wall, inside of which was a church. Interesting, but not quite as awe-inspiring as I had hoped. Prejmer was far larger and imposing, and contained museum as well as several exhibit rooms inside the wall, showing how the fortifications were used during times of war (one room on display was used as a classroom; others served as the specific refuge for individual families). In both churches we saw monuments to the village men who had fought in both world wars. Surprisingly, both churches were still in use by the local German population, although I could not help but think how empty the huge halls must feel for the couple dozen attendees.
After returning to Brasov for lunch, we then headed out on some very windy mountain roads to less-visited, but in my opinion far more interesting fortified churches. First we went to Sachsiz, a towering structure with a beautiful church inside. We didn't linger there long, however, for farther down the road Biertan waited for us. Situated atop a hill, Biertan is a truly massive, castle-like edifice. Among the most interesting things we saw at Biertan was the lock on the door to the priest's chambers, an extraordinarily complex machine which took a prize at the 1900 World's Fair. The docent at Biertan claimed it was unique; we soon learned however that it has a sister lock, located in a less imposing, but vastly more interesting church.
After spending some time wandering around Biertan, our guide gave us the following choice: we could go about 20km to visit another church that he had visited before, or 10km to see one that he had only just learned of by studying a map in Biertan. We opted for the latter, and headed off to Richis, a sleepy little village where animals roamed the streets freely, and the locals stared at us with friendly curiosity. Finding the small, unimpressive-looking church was no problem; getting in was another matter. Our guide searched and searched, but could not find an unlocked entrance. Finally, a local told us we'd have to go to the caretaker's house and bring him back to unlock the church. The girl guided us to the caretaker's house, and presently an old, wiry fellow with a quick, gleaming smile came out to greet us. Immediately upon arriving at the church's front door, Herr Schass informed us that we were going to be treated with several stories before we could enter, and invited us to sit on the steps. Schass began by describing the daily life of Richis, or Reichsdorf, in its golden days. An important producer of (especially white) wine, the population was once almost entirely Saxon and fairly prosperous, as traders from all over Romania, Hungary, and even Austria would come to purchase barrels of choice vintage. As Herr Schass stated, the village's then-small Romanian population thought of Reichsdorf's Saxons as being snooty, but that wasn't the case: the villagers often over-indulged in their product, as testified by the strange circular abrasions surrounding the church door. According to Schass, it was an age old custom for Reichsdorf's priests to assign a particular form of penance: sinners were required to place the point of their index finger on the stone, and turn it until the priest told them to stop. Hence the small, deep, smooth pits surrounding the door.
After this, Herr Schass gleefully invited us in, only to have us sit down again inside the church for more stories. As we learned, like most European Catholic churches, the interior of Reichsdorf was decorated with religious frescoes. When the Reformation hit Transylvania, Reichsdorf like most Saxon churches converted to Lutheranism, and the dowdy Protestants deemed that the frescoes should be painted over in white. Add hundreds of years worth of repainting, and the frescoes were thoroughly buried. In the early 1990s Reichsdorf (now known almost exclusively as Richis, as the Saxon population had all but vanished and the town was now over 90% Romanian) got a new priest, who decided to attempt a restoration. Unfortunately, the frescoes were too badly faded to be rescued, and only a few small patches can truly be seen. What they discovered instead, however, mystified them. At the capitols of columns throughout the church they found odd faces, which looked like a man with two leaves growing from his forehead as if they were horns. No-one knew their significance until a group of Swiss tourists came through one day; a woman on the tour happened to be an art history student, and informed Herr Schass (who by then had been elected as the church caretaker) that these were representations of the Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol. A pagan symbol--in his church?! This was too much for Schass to believe. The woman was certain, however, and after a while Schass decided to contact some art historians and religious experts, writing them letters with attached pictures.
Eventually he got a response. A professor from Brown University (Schass excitedly showed us the letter) wrote back, confirming that indeed these were representations of the Green Man. It was not uncommon in very old French, and to a lesser extent German, churches to find these, and such imagery was used as a means of easing the transition from paganism to Christianity. In Romania, however, the Green Men of Richis are probably unique--no other examples are known of, at least. Schass then proceeded to show us example after example of Green Men, all the while regaling us with more stories about the life and history of his church. Seeing the joy on his face at sharing his beloved church warmed all our hearts. He spoke Romanian fluently, but every once in a while as he shared a story he would pause and mutter to himself "Ich weiss nicht, wie sagen sie ins Rumanian. . ." (I don't know how one says it in Romanian); clearly, the world of his mind was still the Reichsdorf of old. As he showed us the sister-lock to the one in Biertan--this one with odd hippo heads as adornments, I kid you not--I wondered: what will happen when Herr Schass, now 77, passes on? To whom will he pass on his stories? Will Reichsdorf, a once-proud and regionally famous wine producer, be lost forever, to be replaced by sleepy Richis?
Saying goodbye to Herr Schass, we took a back road to get to the city of Fagaras, where we hoped to see one last fortified church. After driving through some bumpy forest roads, we emerged onto a highway--only to come to a dead stop behind a herd of cattle. Eventually winning our way past the cows, who did not seem terribly inclined to let us through, we managed to pick up speed, but alas did not reach Fagaras until after the massive church-museum had closed. We returned to Brasov tired but happy, our minds filled with sights and stories. -B
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Transylvania Redux
Greetings from Bucharest. We are briefly back in the city to have an extended pit stop before more travelling. As much fun as we had in Transylvania, living out of suitcases and eating out at every meal took its toll and we are pleased to be back in our apartment and get back to our routines. But, I get ahead of myself - before we talk about our time back in Bucharest, there's a lot to say about our trip to Brasov.
As we mentioned before, we took a train from Sibiu to Brasov on Thursday and arrived in the evening. The ride was nice, though a bit boring and we were happy to meet up with our friend Jeremy and ready to hang out. After resting a bit and getting settled in, the three of us went to a local Mexican restaurant, Dos Amigos, for a nice dinner and relaxing evening. The food was sort of a loose interpretation on Mexican, but good nonetheless. Brasov is similar to Sibiu in that they are both German settlements in Transylvania with very picturesque main squares and very active tourist industries. However, Brasov is much closer to the mountains and has more of a bustling feel to it. Also, the idea of terrace dining is very popular in Brasov and virtually every restaurant had a terrace, including McDonald's and KFC! After dinner, we were all tired and headed to bed, especially since B had to be at the archives pretty early the next day. After we had a big breakfast with our friend Jeremy, B headed to the archives and I enjoyed a bit of Brasov terrace life. Once B finished at the archives, we met up for a bit and he had some frustrating news. We had anticipated that we would do some site-seeing in Brasov over the weekend and then B could work all week in the archives. Unfortunately, the archivists had a different idea. When B put in his order for documents, the archivists informed him that they would not be ready until late Tuesday afternoon, at the earliest! So, after discussing it for a bit, we decided to head back to Bucharest for the weekend and then return to Brasov on Tuesday, so we could use our time and hotel budget more wisely. After a quick break from the heat and a nice lunch at a modern-Italian place, Prato, we headed to the Timpa area, which is the top of the mountain just overlooking Brasov. We reached the top by a combination of several staircases and a telegondola. Since this particular day was especially warm, the top of the mountain was a nice and breezy change with phenomenal views of the city and surrounding countryside. That evening, we went with our friend Jeremy to The Auld Scott's Pub, which is a wonderful establishment run by a Scottish expat who has settled in Brasov. The beer and drink menu are extensive, as well as a good and eclectic food menu, including Madras Curry, Chicken Curry Pizza, Haggis, Scottish Breakfast, as well as many other options. Not only is the atmosphere wonderful, the service is beyond anything we have experienced here in Romania. We were very well taken care of and had a wonderful night. The next day, B and I did some sight-seeing at The Black Church, so named because a series of fires throughout its six-hundred year history left the exterior darkened. Afterwards we visited the History Museum as well as an interesting antique shop before getting on the train and heading back to Bucharest for the weekend. When we finally returned to our apartment late that night we made a simple dinner and got some rest. The next day, we did some quick cleaning and grocery-shopping. We met some friends for dinner that night at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Torito, before our friend Chris left Romania. We had a wonderful time, but felt very full after such a large meal.
B woke up before me and on Monday, only for the electricity to go out before either of us could shower. Since we can't use the water when we don't have electricity (we learned that lesson the hard way), we got dressed and headed to Starbucks for food, bathroom, and internet. The internet was not really working, but the breakfast and bathroom were nice. We spent the rest of the day running errands, including buying train tickets, and finally arrived back home. I got a shower and we ate some dinner and packed our bags again for our morning train. Exhausted, we headed to bed. At around 3 AM, I needed to use the restroom and get some water. I headed into the front of the house, where not one, but two monster cockroaches crept out of the bathroom. Luckily, the previous tenant left some Raid roach spray and I did battle. One crawled under the fridge, which I moved in order to get the critter and realized just how disgusting things were under there and what had attracted the roach to the area. So, I quickly began mopping with HOT water (I couldn't find the Mr. Clean) and realized there were pieces of broken glass under there. Yuck! Between the excitement and the gross factor, I barely fell back asleep when the alarm woke me at 7:30. So, I hit the shower so we could both get ready in enough time for the train and B was getting a little more rest. As I opened the shower door, I noticed that our water pump had failed AGAIN!!!! After much sailor's language and cleaning up the water that had gotten into the hallway, we had to get ready to head out. B used some bottled water to wash his face and brush his teeth and got dressed. Poor B, the second day with no shower and he had to go to the archives. Luckily, the KFC at the train station was clean, modern, and had great bathrooms. So, B had the first fast food he has had while here in Bucharest this trip and was able to use the facilities before our 3.5 hour train journey- those are NOT bathrooms one wants to use! We arrived in Brasov, fought the vulture-like cab drivers and made it to our pensiune only to find no one there to let us in and their adjoining restaurant closed. Luckily some workmen were able to call a staff person for us, who explained that no one was available because that street was without electricity until 4 PM. Poor B- another chance at shower foiled by absence of hot water. So, B (feeling pretty rotten and cranky by this point) headed to the archives and I proceeded to unpack and settle in. The electricity actually came back at 3 and when B came back from the archives at 5:30, he was able to get his well-deserved shower and then we headed out to take a stroll around town and eventually to get dinner at a Chinese place. The food was decent and we capped off the evening with a drink at The Auld Scott's Pub, where we ran into our friend Jeremy and his brother who was in town for a visit. That night when we went to bed, we left our windows open for air only to have several of the other guests in the pensiune decide to hang out on the patio JUST outside our room having a great and LOUD time until B glared at them through the window at 2:30 AM! We finally got some sleep after that.
On Wednesday, B went back to the archives and I spent some time walking around town. I had brunch at a place recommended by our friend Jeremy, Bistro de l'Arte, which was a very cozy and pleasant place to have some breakfast and coffee and read for a while away from the sun. I also went in search of some earplugs, which was successful, as well as some groceries for snacks and breakfast. I also met with a travel agent to arrange an excursion for Saturday to the Fortified Saxon Churches around Brasov. We arranged for an English speaking guide to take us by car to 3 Churches, an all day affair. When B was done at the archives, we had a late lunch when he informed me that he had some good and bad news. The bad news was that the archivists would not have his requested material for him until Friday, leaving Thursday as a day in which he could not get any work done. The good news was he would be free to spend the whole day with me on Thursday, which was our anniversary! After lunch, we took a walk behind the Old City wall on a path below the two towers of the fortifications until we ended up in a children's park that was at the top of a hill. The park was very pleasant and afterwards we walked into a part of town we had not yet visited and eventually ended up in a much larger park that had an area with older men were playing chess and backgammon, a special children's playground with a bouncy slide and several fountains. We finally headed back to the hotel to relax a bit and plan our sightseeing for the next day. Jeremy had invited us to join he and his brother at The Auld Scott's Pub on Wednesday where Jeremy planned to watch a soccer final and we had a nice evening and good dinner.
On Thursday, after we got ready and had breakfast, we went back to the two fortification towers, The Black Tower, so called because of the ashen hew it was left with after several fires and The White Tower. They are only a few meters apart from each other and of the two The White Tower is the more impressive. We walked up quite an incline to The Black Tower first and then up several sets of stairs. The view from the top was nice, but unfortunately in an effort to remedy the damage from the aforementioned fires, the new roof is glass, making the observatory a hot box, so after B got some photos we headed back down. As we headed to The White Tower, there was some thunder and so decided to quickly get to the top of The White Tower, which involved a long steep staircase to the tower and then several more stairs to the top. The top of this tower was much the same as The Black Tower, including the glass enclosure. Hoping to continue to avoid the threatening weather, we went into the museum near The White Tower. The museum was pretty small, though the women working there were very friendly and there was a good variety of interesting souvenirs, which we perused for a while. After the towers, we were both feeling hungry and ready for a break, so we headed back to Bistro de l'Arte. Since the weather was still threatening, we returned to the pensiune for a break. While there, we inquired about laundry services and learned that the closest place was a dry cleaner in a mall that was a 7-10 min walk away. We walked some clothes there and then got ready for our dinner. We had made reservations at Bella Muzica, a restaurant that all the guide books rated as the best in town. The restaurant is in a cellar and specializes in Hungarian and Mexican food. An odd combo, we know, but it came highly recommended. We were seated in a small room by ourselves and were even given a music menu to choose our own music. We both had burritos, which were ok, and margaritas, which were awful! Nonetheless, we had a nice evening and by the time we headed back to the pensiune, the weather began turning quite cold, so after briefly sitting in front of the fountain in the main square we headed back in doors.
On Friday, B went back to the archives, where unfortunately only half of the documents he had requested were waiting, meaning he may have to return to Brasov at some point in order to finish looking at the documents. B was sooo frustrated and finally had to make it quite clear how much of his time they were wasting as well as money for train tickets and hotel rooms. They apologized profusely and said they would have the documents on Monday and would hold them for him for 2 months, so that he could come back anytime to see them. Not the result he wanted, but at least some concession. Since the archives close at noon on Friday, we met up afterwards and headed back to the pensiune. By Friday, the weather had gotten very cold, which was a problem since we had not packed for this. B did not have any long sleeved clothes and my only pair of pants was at the cleaners. After lunch and warming up a bit, we visited an Ethnographic Museum (that had a functioning Jacquard loom!, ie an early predecessor of the computer--B) in town and then made it back to our room just before it began raining. The rain may have been ok, but not only did we not have an umbrella, but we HAD to pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners. So, we walked very quickly in the rain to the mall, where we bought an umbrella, picked up the clothes and got some hot chocolate before braving the cold and rain again. Since the weather was so awful, we didn't want to go far for dinner. Very close to our pensiune was a restaurant called The Keller Steakhouse. The restaurant was beautiful, the service was great and the menu was extensive, including a long wine menu, and even a vegetarian section. B had a Tex Mex steak, which he thoroughly enjoyed and I had some Bruschetta and wonderful Tomato Soup, which given the weather hit the spot. We headed back to the pensiune and got a good night's sleep before our tour the next day.
More on the tour and our last weekend in Brasov to come. -S
As we mentioned before, we took a train from Sibiu to Brasov on Thursday and arrived in the evening. The ride was nice, though a bit boring and we were happy to meet up with our friend Jeremy and ready to hang out. After resting a bit and getting settled in, the three of us went to a local Mexican restaurant, Dos Amigos, for a nice dinner and relaxing evening. The food was sort of a loose interpretation on Mexican, but good nonetheless. Brasov is similar to Sibiu in that they are both German settlements in Transylvania with very picturesque main squares and very active tourist industries. However, Brasov is much closer to the mountains and has more of a bustling feel to it. Also, the idea of terrace dining is very popular in Brasov and virtually every restaurant had a terrace, including McDonald's and KFC! After dinner, we were all tired and headed to bed, especially since B had to be at the archives pretty early the next day. After we had a big breakfast with our friend Jeremy, B headed to the archives and I enjoyed a bit of Brasov terrace life. Once B finished at the archives, we met up for a bit and he had some frustrating news. We had anticipated that we would do some site-seeing in Brasov over the weekend and then B could work all week in the archives. Unfortunately, the archivists had a different idea. When B put in his order for documents, the archivists informed him that they would not be ready until late Tuesday afternoon, at the earliest! So, after discussing it for a bit, we decided to head back to Bucharest for the weekend and then return to Brasov on Tuesday, so we could use our time and hotel budget more wisely. After a quick break from the heat and a nice lunch at a modern-Italian place, Prato, we headed to the Timpa area, which is the top of the mountain just overlooking Brasov. We reached the top by a combination of several staircases and a telegondola. Since this particular day was especially warm, the top of the mountain was a nice and breezy change with phenomenal views of the city and surrounding countryside. That evening, we went with our friend Jeremy to The Auld Scott's Pub, which is a wonderful establishment run by a Scottish expat who has settled in Brasov. The beer and drink menu are extensive, as well as a good and eclectic food menu, including Madras Curry, Chicken Curry Pizza, Haggis, Scottish Breakfast, as well as many other options. Not only is the atmosphere wonderful, the service is beyond anything we have experienced here in Romania. We were very well taken care of and had a wonderful night. The next day, B and I did some sight-seeing at The Black Church, so named because a series of fires throughout its six-hundred year history left the exterior darkened. Afterwards we visited the History Museum as well as an interesting antique shop before getting on the train and heading back to Bucharest for the weekend. When we finally returned to our apartment late that night we made a simple dinner and got some rest. The next day, we did some quick cleaning and grocery-shopping. We met some friends for dinner that night at our favorite Mexican restaurant, El Torito, before our friend Chris left Romania. We had a wonderful time, but felt very full after such a large meal.
B woke up before me and on Monday, only for the electricity to go out before either of us could shower. Since we can't use the water when we don't have electricity (we learned that lesson the hard way), we got dressed and headed to Starbucks for food, bathroom, and internet. The internet was not really working, but the breakfast and bathroom were nice. We spent the rest of the day running errands, including buying train tickets, and finally arrived back home. I got a shower and we ate some dinner and packed our bags again for our morning train. Exhausted, we headed to bed. At around 3 AM, I needed to use the restroom and get some water. I headed into the front of the house, where not one, but two monster cockroaches crept out of the bathroom. Luckily, the previous tenant left some Raid roach spray and I did battle. One crawled under the fridge, which I moved in order to get the critter and realized just how disgusting things were under there and what had attracted the roach to the area. So, I quickly began mopping with HOT water (I couldn't find the Mr. Clean) and realized there were pieces of broken glass under there. Yuck! Between the excitement and the gross factor, I barely fell back asleep when the alarm woke me at 7:30. So, I hit the shower so we could both get ready in enough time for the train and B was getting a little more rest. As I opened the shower door, I noticed that our water pump had failed AGAIN!!!! After much sailor's language and cleaning up the water that had gotten into the hallway, we had to get ready to head out. B used some bottled water to wash his face and brush his teeth and got dressed. Poor B, the second day with no shower and he had to go to the archives. Luckily, the KFC at the train station was clean, modern, and had great bathrooms. So, B had the first fast food he has had while here in Bucharest this trip and was able to use the facilities before our 3.5 hour train journey- those are NOT bathrooms one wants to use! We arrived in Brasov, fought the vulture-like cab drivers and made it to our pensiune only to find no one there to let us in and their adjoining restaurant closed. Luckily some workmen were able to call a staff person for us, who explained that no one was available because that street was without electricity until 4 PM. Poor B- another chance at shower foiled by absence of hot water. So, B (feeling pretty rotten and cranky by this point) headed to the archives and I proceeded to unpack and settle in. The electricity actually came back at 3 and when B came back from the archives at 5:30, he was able to get his well-deserved shower and then we headed out to take a stroll around town and eventually to get dinner at a Chinese place. The food was decent and we capped off the evening with a drink at The Auld Scott's Pub, where we ran into our friend Jeremy and his brother who was in town for a visit. That night when we went to bed, we left our windows open for air only to have several of the other guests in the pensiune decide to hang out on the patio JUST outside our room having a great and LOUD time until B glared at them through the window at 2:30 AM! We finally got some sleep after that.
On Wednesday, B went back to the archives and I spent some time walking around town. I had brunch at a place recommended by our friend Jeremy, Bistro de l'Arte, which was a very cozy and pleasant place to have some breakfast and coffee and read for a while away from the sun. I also went in search of some earplugs, which was successful, as well as some groceries for snacks and breakfast. I also met with a travel agent to arrange an excursion for Saturday to the Fortified Saxon Churches around Brasov. We arranged for an English speaking guide to take us by car to 3 Churches, an all day affair. When B was done at the archives, we had a late lunch when he informed me that he had some good and bad news. The bad news was that the archivists would not have his requested material for him until Friday, leaving Thursday as a day in which he could not get any work done. The good news was he would be free to spend the whole day with me on Thursday, which was our anniversary! After lunch, we took a walk behind the Old City wall on a path below the two towers of the fortifications until we ended up in a children's park that was at the top of a hill. The park was very pleasant and afterwards we walked into a part of town we had not yet visited and eventually ended up in a much larger park that had an area with older men were playing chess and backgammon, a special children's playground with a bouncy slide and several fountains. We finally headed back to the hotel to relax a bit and plan our sightseeing for the next day. Jeremy had invited us to join he and his brother at The Auld Scott's Pub on Wednesday where Jeremy planned to watch a soccer final and we had a nice evening and good dinner.
On Thursday, after we got ready and had breakfast, we went back to the two fortification towers, The Black Tower, so called because of the ashen hew it was left with after several fires and The White Tower. They are only a few meters apart from each other and of the two The White Tower is the more impressive. We walked up quite an incline to The Black Tower first and then up several sets of stairs. The view from the top was nice, but unfortunately in an effort to remedy the damage from the aforementioned fires, the new roof is glass, making the observatory a hot box, so after B got some photos we headed back down. As we headed to The White Tower, there was some thunder and so decided to quickly get to the top of The White Tower, which involved a long steep staircase to the tower and then several more stairs to the top. The top of this tower was much the same as The Black Tower, including the glass enclosure. Hoping to continue to avoid the threatening weather, we went into the museum near The White Tower. The museum was pretty small, though the women working there were very friendly and there was a good variety of interesting souvenirs, which we perused for a while. After the towers, we were both feeling hungry and ready for a break, so we headed back to Bistro de l'Arte. Since the weather was still threatening, we returned to the pensiune for a break. While there, we inquired about laundry services and learned that the closest place was a dry cleaner in a mall that was a 7-10 min walk away. We walked some clothes there and then got ready for our dinner. We had made reservations at Bella Muzica, a restaurant that all the guide books rated as the best in town. The restaurant is in a cellar and specializes in Hungarian and Mexican food. An odd combo, we know, but it came highly recommended. We were seated in a small room by ourselves and were even given a music menu to choose our own music. We both had burritos, which were ok, and margaritas, which were awful! Nonetheless, we had a nice evening and by the time we headed back to the pensiune, the weather began turning quite cold, so after briefly sitting in front of the fountain in the main square we headed back in doors.
On Friday, B went back to the archives, where unfortunately only half of the documents he had requested were waiting, meaning he may have to return to Brasov at some point in order to finish looking at the documents. B was sooo frustrated and finally had to make it quite clear how much of his time they were wasting as well as money for train tickets and hotel rooms. They apologized profusely and said they would have the documents on Monday and would hold them for him for 2 months, so that he could come back anytime to see them. Not the result he wanted, but at least some concession. Since the archives close at noon on Friday, we met up afterwards and headed back to the pensiune. By Friday, the weather had gotten very cold, which was a problem since we had not packed for this. B did not have any long sleeved clothes and my only pair of pants was at the cleaners. After lunch and warming up a bit, we visited an Ethnographic Museum (that had a functioning Jacquard loom!, ie an early predecessor of the computer--B) in town and then made it back to our room just before it began raining. The rain may have been ok, but not only did we not have an umbrella, but we HAD to pick up my clothes from the dry cleaners. So, we walked very quickly in the rain to the mall, where we bought an umbrella, picked up the clothes and got some hot chocolate before braving the cold and rain again. Since the weather was so awful, we didn't want to go far for dinner. Very close to our pensiune was a restaurant called The Keller Steakhouse. The restaurant was beautiful, the service was great and the menu was extensive, including a long wine menu, and even a vegetarian section. B had a Tex Mex steak, which he thoroughly enjoyed and I had some Bruschetta and wonderful Tomato Soup, which given the weather hit the spot. We headed back to the pensiune and got a good night's sleep before our tour the next day.
More on the tour and our last weekend in Brasov to come. -S
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Sublime Sibiu
Greetings from Brasov!
B and I have been very busy the last two weeks with a lot of travelling around Romania. Almost two weeks ago, we left Bucharest on a beautiful Thursday morning with some Fulbrighters for a conference in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu. The conference was organized by the Fulbrighter who is stationed in Sibiu and was also the last official gathering of all the Romanian Fulbrighters for the year. The bus ride up was beautiful and very windy towards the end. On the way, we stopped at a monastery and for lunch; 5 hours later we were in Sibiu. Sibiu is a small medieval city with heavy German influences and it was the 2007 European Capital of Culture with its sister city, Luxembourg. When it was named the Culture Capital, a lot of money was pumped into the city, resulting in a major make-over. The city center especially has been upgraded and is full of beautiful buildings, shops, restaurants, museums and a great fountain. After having a chance to walk around the city on our own, we all met for a great dinner at a local German restaurant, Hermania. The dinner was nice and B and I enjoyed having a chance to reconnect with the Fulbrighters from around the country we don't see often. After dinner, we headed to a village outside of Sibiu called Rasinari, which is where our pensiune (B &Bs) were. Since our group was large, we were split up amongst 4 or 5 pensiune. Folks got settled into their rooms and since B was presenting the next day, he took the time to work on polishing his paper. I briefly joined some of the Fulbrighters at the local disco, The Boby. It was sort of a dive with few patrons that served lukewarm drinks, including the beer. I stayed only for a little while and then headed back to the pensiune for some sleep.
We were up early the next day to head back into Sibiu for the conference. B was on a morning panel and the first in his group, so while going first can be nerve-wracking, he was also able to get done first and enjoy the rest of the day. B did a great job with his paper and the other Fulbrighters seemed interested in his information. Unfortunately, though several Romanian students attended the sessions, they rarely asked questions or made comments. Hopefully they found the presentations informative and interesting, as we did. The group was taken to lunch at a local restaurant, Gothic, by the American and British Studies department of Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu. We had an amazing, but enormous 4 course lunch and then headed back for the afternoon session, which was also intersting. Next? Back to the pensiune for ... what else? More food! B and I had been asigned to stay in the "main" pensiune, which was the site of our farewell dinner. The proprietor, Mr. Badiu, cooked us what amost everyone described as THE BEST meal we have all had in Romania. Aside from the fact that everything served was either from Mr. Badiu's own garden or a local farm, including the wine and liquors, what he made was not at all the "typical" Romanian meal, which we by now have all had more times than we care to count, but rather just very good food that is true home-cooking. On a personal note, I would like to offer special praise for the delicious and creative vegetarian food, which included a wonderful vegetable soup, some soy cutlets with some of the creamiest mashed potatoes and some lingenberry sauce. Mmmm... As the night wore on, the Fulbrighters continued to enjoy what seemed to be an endless supply of Mr. Badiu's homemade wine. Some in the group also especially enjoyed the homemade tuica (plum brandy), which in this case was especially strong. We all had a great time until one of the group began to feel ill. B and I, along with some of our fellow Fulbrighters assisted the ill friend until we could get him into our room and then bunked in with another friend. Needless to say, getting to the bus for site seeing the next day was a bit of a challenge, given the lack of sleep. Nonetheless, we set off on time and were taken to a fortified village outside Sibiu called Michelsburg. We climbed to the top of the hill and had a chance to see the fortification and the town from above- it was beautiful. Our next stop was the Village Museum outside of Sibiu. Unfortunatly, we were on a tight schedule and only had about an hour to walk around. The Village Museum of Sibiu is much like the one in Bucharest in that it is an outdoor museum recreating traditional village dwellings from around the country. The museum was interesting and well done, and even had paddle boats to rent, but we did not have enough time to see it all. After the museum, we went back into Sibiu for lunch, after which we parted ways with our Fulbright friends who made their ways home all over the country. B and I were staying in Sibiu so he could do some research in their archives. So, we checked into our hotel, The Hotel Levoslav, which as it turns out was the home of the musician Levoslav and writer of the first Slovac Opera. We were lucky to have found a very nice place just steps from the main square. The hotel has been completely renovated and was very modern and the service was great. It was a great find. After getting settled into our room and catching up on some sleep, we took a walk around the main square and then went back to Hermania for dinner. It was a very pleasant evening, but we were tired soon and got a great night's sleep in a very comfortable bed.
On Sunday, we decided to take the opportunity to do more sight seeing and walked around the square and city some more. We found a quaint children's park with lots of families enjoying a warm Sunday afternoon, and we visited the Natural History Museum, which was free that weekend in honor of International Museum day. We visited an ethnographic museum whose main exhibit is usually about the Saxon population that used to dominate the area, but the day we attended they had two visiting exhibits- one about traditional religious art and the other about the Roma population in Romania. We also noticed an Ethnographic library and another larger ethnographic museum. We learned the museum would be free the next day because of the museum day celebration, so decided to visit it then. We visited the inside of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a survivor since the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the heat of the day was upon us, we went back to our room to rest and then headed back out. Before sundown, we decided to climb one of the two towers in town, which was 111 steps. The climb was nice with several rooms along the way in which to stop and watch the gradual change of the view. The view from the top of the tower was very beautiful and gives a 360 degree birds-eye-view of the city and surrounding county. We ate dinner at a new Mediterranean restaurant and then walked around another area of the city, where we saw the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, modelled on the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul. Unfortunately, at this point, B's dinner began disagreeing with him and we headed back to the room to turn in for the night.
On Monday, B headed to the archives and I relaxed in our room and took the opportunity to have a bath in the soaking tub- what a luxury! After B got set up at the archives and was able to request some documents, we met up for a late lunch and continued our tour of Sibiu. We visited the Franz Binder Ethnographic Museum and were given a guided tour as we were the only visitors at the time. Franz Binder's collection was based on the 30 years he spent as a merchant and plant collector in Africa and well as items from parts of Asia. By the time we finished at the museum, we stopped for a quick coke and bathroom break at Cafe Wien, which is just behind the Evangelical Lutheran Church and has a terrace that overlooks to city. Cafe Wien became somewhat of a favorite of mine for the remainder of our time there and I visited every day until we left. Not only is the atmosphere nice, but the staff are great, the coffee and pastries great and the prices reasonable. Its also not very popular with the local students, so it is quiet and uncrowded. After Cafe Wien, we visited the Catholic Church in the square and then relaxed on the bench in front of the fountain. This became one of our favorite things to do in Sibiu. It was a very relaxing place and it was fun to watch all the families with young children enjoying the fountain. The kids seem to genuinely love the fountain and B and I noticed almost immediately upon arriving in Sibui just how much more relaxed the atmosphere and people seemed compared to Bucharest. That evening, we tried a restaurant in a large hotel in town called The Balkan Bistro, which B was especially excited about because the menu boasted dishes from Yugoslavia, Turkey, Albania and Greece. Unfortunately, the meal and the restaurant were extremely disappointing. The decor was very late 1980s and 1990s with very mediocre food. I guess you win some and lose some. On Tuesday, B returned to the archives and after reviewing his documents and taking his photos, he was informed by an archivist that he could not pay the photo tax at the archive, but rather at another location across town. So, he made a trek across town to find the payment office, but the only thing at the corresponding address was block apartments. Frustrated and angry at the wild goose chase, the two of us met for lunch and then visited the largest of Sibiu's museums, the Brukenthal Art Museum. The museum was quite large and boasted quite a collection of Medieval and Renaissance art. Afterword, B and I met the Fulbrighter based in Sibiu for ice cream and a nice chat. Since we weren't quite hungry for dinner, we decided to talk a walk and I offered to help B find the office where he is supposed to pay the photo tax, so we set out. A long walk later, no office was located. Frustrated and hungry, we went to a steakhouse recommended by our guide book. The restaurant was fine, but not what we thought it would be, but as we took are nightly stroll in the main square, we bumped into our Fulbright friend again, who was having a drink with a buddy, so we chatted some more.
Wednesday was our last full day in Sibiu and B went to the ethnographic library we had seen that weekend. He introduced himself and his project, not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised to be handed an entire card catalog relating to the Roma. He reviewed the options and requested some documents for the next day. Then he went to the archives for the last time. He explained his attempts to pay the tax at which point, the archivist closed the door to the reading room and told B it was not necessary for him to try more and made it clear she had been asking B to do her job. Shameless! That afternoon we climbed the tower of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has 192 steps and the view was well worth it. We had gotten a recommendation the night before for a Swiss restaurant called Max, which was located in Orasul pe jos or The Lower City. By the looks we got, it was clear that few tourists go to this area of town, which is a shame because there are some beautiful and interesting, if rundown old buildings in there. The Swiss restaurant was great and a wonderful change from the ubiquitous Romanian and Italian food we couldn't seem to escape. On Thursday Morning, we woke up early so B could get back to the Ethnographic Library and I stayed in the hotel to get us packed up. B was happy to have found great stuff at the library, making the visit worth it. After he finished his work at the library, we ate a quick lunch and headed to the train station for our trip to Brasov. What a wonderful and pleasant week in Sibiu! -S
B and I have been very busy the last two weeks with a lot of travelling around Romania. Almost two weeks ago, we left Bucharest on a beautiful Thursday morning with some Fulbrighters for a conference in the Transylvanian town of Sibiu. The conference was organized by the Fulbrighter who is stationed in Sibiu and was also the last official gathering of all the Romanian Fulbrighters for the year. The bus ride up was beautiful and very windy towards the end. On the way, we stopped at a monastery and for lunch; 5 hours later we were in Sibiu. Sibiu is a small medieval city with heavy German influences and it was the 2007 European Capital of Culture with its sister city, Luxembourg. When it was named the Culture Capital, a lot of money was pumped into the city, resulting in a major make-over. The city center especially has been upgraded and is full of beautiful buildings, shops, restaurants, museums and a great fountain. After having a chance to walk around the city on our own, we all met for a great dinner at a local German restaurant, Hermania. The dinner was nice and B and I enjoyed having a chance to reconnect with the Fulbrighters from around the country we don't see often. After dinner, we headed to a village outside of Sibiu called Rasinari, which is where our pensiune (B &Bs) were. Since our group was large, we were split up amongst 4 or 5 pensiune. Folks got settled into their rooms and since B was presenting the next day, he took the time to work on polishing his paper. I briefly joined some of the Fulbrighters at the local disco, The Boby. It was sort of a dive with few patrons that served lukewarm drinks, including the beer. I stayed only for a little while and then headed back to the pensiune for some sleep.
We were up early the next day to head back into Sibiu for the conference. B was on a morning panel and the first in his group, so while going first can be nerve-wracking, he was also able to get done first and enjoy the rest of the day. B did a great job with his paper and the other Fulbrighters seemed interested in his information. Unfortunately, though several Romanian students attended the sessions, they rarely asked questions or made comments. Hopefully they found the presentations informative and interesting, as we did. The group was taken to lunch at a local restaurant, Gothic, by the American and British Studies department of Lucian Blaga University in Sibiu. We had an amazing, but enormous 4 course lunch and then headed back for the afternoon session, which was also intersting. Next? Back to the pensiune for ... what else? More food! B and I had been asigned to stay in the "main" pensiune, which was the site of our farewell dinner. The proprietor, Mr. Badiu, cooked us what amost everyone described as THE BEST meal we have all had in Romania. Aside from the fact that everything served was either from Mr. Badiu's own garden or a local farm, including the wine and liquors, what he made was not at all the "typical" Romanian meal, which we by now have all had more times than we care to count, but rather just very good food that is true home-cooking. On a personal note, I would like to offer special praise for the delicious and creative vegetarian food, which included a wonderful vegetable soup, some soy cutlets with some of the creamiest mashed potatoes and some lingenberry sauce. Mmmm... As the night wore on, the Fulbrighters continued to enjoy what seemed to be an endless supply of Mr. Badiu's homemade wine. Some in the group also especially enjoyed the homemade tuica (plum brandy), which in this case was especially strong. We all had a great time until one of the group began to feel ill. B and I, along with some of our fellow Fulbrighters assisted the ill friend until we could get him into our room and then bunked in with another friend. Needless to say, getting to the bus for site seeing the next day was a bit of a challenge, given the lack of sleep. Nonetheless, we set off on time and were taken to a fortified village outside Sibiu called Michelsburg. We climbed to the top of the hill and had a chance to see the fortification and the town from above- it was beautiful. Our next stop was the Village Museum outside of Sibiu. Unfortunatly, we were on a tight schedule and only had about an hour to walk around. The Village Museum of Sibiu is much like the one in Bucharest in that it is an outdoor museum recreating traditional village dwellings from around the country. The museum was interesting and well done, and even had paddle boats to rent, but we did not have enough time to see it all. After the museum, we went back into Sibiu for lunch, after which we parted ways with our Fulbright friends who made their ways home all over the country. B and I were staying in Sibiu so he could do some research in their archives. So, we checked into our hotel, The Hotel Levoslav, which as it turns out was the home of the musician Levoslav and writer of the first Slovac Opera. We were lucky to have found a very nice place just steps from the main square. The hotel has been completely renovated and was very modern and the service was great. It was a great find. After getting settled into our room and catching up on some sleep, we took a walk around the main square and then went back to Hermania for dinner. It was a very pleasant evening, but we were tired soon and got a great night's sleep in a very comfortable bed.
On Sunday, we decided to take the opportunity to do more sight seeing and walked around the square and city some more. We found a quaint children's park with lots of families enjoying a warm Sunday afternoon, and we visited the Natural History Museum, which was free that weekend in honor of International Museum day. We visited an ethnographic museum whose main exhibit is usually about the Saxon population that used to dominate the area, but the day we attended they had two visiting exhibits- one about traditional religious art and the other about the Roma population in Romania. We also noticed an Ethnographic library and another larger ethnographic museum. We learned the museum would be free the next day because of the museum day celebration, so decided to visit it then. We visited the inside of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a survivor since the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the heat of the day was upon us, we went back to our room to rest and then headed back out. Before sundown, we decided to climb one of the two towers in town, which was 111 steps. The climb was nice with several rooms along the way in which to stop and watch the gradual change of the view. The view from the top of the tower was very beautiful and gives a 360 degree birds-eye-view of the city and surrounding county. We ate dinner at a new Mediterranean restaurant and then walked around another area of the city, where we saw the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral, modelled on the Haghia Sophia in Istanbul. Unfortunately, at this point, B's dinner began disagreeing with him and we headed back to the room to turn in for the night.
On Monday, B headed to the archives and I relaxed in our room and took the opportunity to have a bath in the soaking tub- what a luxury! After B got set up at the archives and was able to request some documents, we met up for a late lunch and continued our tour of Sibiu. We visited the Franz Binder Ethnographic Museum and were given a guided tour as we were the only visitors at the time. Franz Binder's collection was based on the 30 years he spent as a merchant and plant collector in Africa and well as items from parts of Asia. By the time we finished at the museum, we stopped for a quick coke and bathroom break at Cafe Wien, which is just behind the Evangelical Lutheran Church and has a terrace that overlooks to city. Cafe Wien became somewhat of a favorite of mine for the remainder of our time there and I visited every day until we left. Not only is the atmosphere nice, but the staff are great, the coffee and pastries great and the prices reasonable. Its also not very popular with the local students, so it is quiet and uncrowded. After Cafe Wien, we visited the Catholic Church in the square and then relaxed on the bench in front of the fountain. This became one of our favorite things to do in Sibiu. It was a very relaxing place and it was fun to watch all the families with young children enjoying the fountain. The kids seem to genuinely love the fountain and B and I noticed almost immediately upon arriving in Sibui just how much more relaxed the atmosphere and people seemed compared to Bucharest. That evening, we tried a restaurant in a large hotel in town called The Balkan Bistro, which B was especially excited about because the menu boasted dishes from Yugoslavia, Turkey, Albania and Greece. Unfortunately, the meal and the restaurant were extremely disappointing. The decor was very late 1980s and 1990s with very mediocre food. I guess you win some and lose some. On Tuesday, B returned to the archives and after reviewing his documents and taking his photos, he was informed by an archivist that he could not pay the photo tax at the archive, but rather at another location across town. So, he made a trek across town to find the payment office, but the only thing at the corresponding address was block apartments. Frustrated and angry at the wild goose chase, the two of us met for lunch and then visited the largest of Sibiu's museums, the Brukenthal Art Museum. The museum was quite large and boasted quite a collection of Medieval and Renaissance art. Afterword, B and I met the Fulbrighter based in Sibiu for ice cream and a nice chat. Since we weren't quite hungry for dinner, we decided to talk a walk and I offered to help B find the office where he is supposed to pay the photo tax, so we set out. A long walk later, no office was located. Frustrated and hungry, we went to a steakhouse recommended by our guide book. The restaurant was fine, but not what we thought it would be, but as we took are nightly stroll in the main square, we bumped into our Fulbright friend again, who was having a drink with a buddy, so we chatted some more.
Wednesday was our last full day in Sibiu and B went to the ethnographic library we had seen that weekend. He introduced himself and his project, not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised to be handed an entire card catalog relating to the Roma. He reviewed the options and requested some documents for the next day. Then he went to the archives for the last time. He explained his attempts to pay the tax at which point, the archivist closed the door to the reading room and told B it was not necessary for him to try more and made it clear she had been asking B to do her job. Shameless! That afternoon we climbed the tower of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which has 192 steps and the view was well worth it. We had gotten a recommendation the night before for a Swiss restaurant called Max, which was located in Orasul pe jos or The Lower City. By the looks we got, it was clear that few tourists go to this area of town, which is a shame because there are some beautiful and interesting, if rundown old buildings in there. The Swiss restaurant was great and a wonderful change from the ubiquitous Romanian and Italian food we couldn't seem to escape. On Thursday Morning, we woke up early so B could get back to the Ethnographic Library and I stayed in the hotel to get us packed up. B was happy to have found great stuff at the library, making the visit worth it. After he finished his work at the library, we ate a quick lunch and headed to the train station for our trip to Brasov. What a wonderful and pleasant week in Sibiu! -S
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Quick Note
Hi All,
B and I are not trying to ignore the blog, but unfortunately our computer time is somewhat limited while we are travelling. We have been in Sibui, a beautiful town in Transylvania since Thursday and will be here one more day. We have had a Fulbright outing and B has been doing some research. We are off to Brasov next so B can visit another archive. We have been in Brasov briefly before and thought it was lovely. We have really enjoyed our time here in Sibui and are looking forward to the next leg of the trip. We don't know how long we'll be in Brasov, but will post more details of our travels and photos soon.
-B and S
B and I are not trying to ignore the blog, but unfortunately our computer time is somewhat limited while we are travelling. We have been in Sibui, a beautiful town in Transylvania since Thursday and will be here one more day. We have had a Fulbright outing and B has been doing some research. We are off to Brasov next so B can visit another archive. We have been in Brasov briefly before and thought it was lovely. We have really enjoyed our time here in Sibui and are looking forward to the next leg of the trip. We don't know how long we'll be in Brasov, but will post more details of our travels and photos soon.
-B and S
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Plumber's Exam, Here We Come!
This past week has had its fair share of excitement and events. Last weekend, we met with previous Fulbright director, Barbara, for a wonderful dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in town. It was a long overdue get-together, which we had all been trying to plan for some time, and we had a lot of fun. Saturday morning was not unlike many other weekend mornings; we had brunch at our neighborhood cafe and headed home before the rain started. Since it was too yucky outside to go for a long walk, as we usually do, we stayed in and had a board game marathon of sorts. After I beat B at several rounds of Uno, we moved on to a long game of Monopoly, which carried into the next day. We also made popcorn on the stove for the first time, which turned out pretty good and tasted better even than any microwave popcorn we've had. Sunday started out bright and sunny and we made plans to go for a walk and maybe see a movie. That is until I got in the shower and our pump backed up again! 5 hours later- everything was cleaned and "fixed". After so many hours of horrible, difficult and stinky work, with no food since pancakes at breakfast, we were both ready for a good and relaxing dinner. So, we decided to try out the Hard Rock Cafe here in Bucharest, which had opened since B's last visit here. The restaurant is located inside one of the largest parks in the city and has a terrace overlooking a lake. It was a great experience with not only American style food and drink, but also service! Is it a bad sign that when our waitress asked us if everything is OK, we both initially thought she was scolding us? B had some great barbecue after months and months and I had some fantastic nachos! Needless to say, we will be returning there again.
After such an eventful weekend, we got started on our regular weekly routine. On Monday, after B finished at the archives, he accompanied me to the grocery store (the 5th store I had been to that day) to help me carry things back. The person in front of us in the checkout lane was buying a loaf of bread and toothbrush. He chose to pay using a credit card and since the card reader in our lane was not working, the cashier had to use the reader in the next one over. While the cashier was waiting for the transaction to go through, which it did not, the customer left the store! So, his tab was not paid and much nuttiness ensued. After 3 people came to investigate the unpayed tab, we were finally able to pay for our items and get home! Luckily, I had bought all the things needed for a wonderful eggplant parmesan and we were able to have a really nice dinner, finished off with some fantastic eclairs from our favorite bakery.
On Tuesday, we joined several folks for drinks to celebrate a grant that one of our friends had been awarded for next year. As we shared some wine, B told us all about his very frustrating experience at the archives that day. Apparently, the previous day B had requested 7 folders from 3 different collections to review. When he began looking through them, he was able to find some relevant stuff in the first 2 folders and the next several contained NOTHING at all remotely related to his topic. Upon further investigation, he realized that the archivist had simply pulled 7 folders all from the same collection. When he approached the archivist about the error, she (in true Romanian archivist style) began blaming him by insisting he must have completed the request form incorrectly. Of course, once they review the form what they find is a clearly written request showing that in fact, everything was as B had intended and the mistake was not his. Instead of apologizing at this point, the archivist blamed B's handwriting, which was not the problem. At this point, B finally got really angry and gave the archivist a peace of his mind and brought to her attention the fact that HER mistake had in fact wasted his time and that he expected all of the correct documents to be waiting by the next day. Wow, how I would have payed to see this! Needless to say, when the next day they were not able to locate the requested folders, the same archivist was very apologetic about the mix-up and the correct folders did finally become available.
Wednesday was more or less uneventful, but that was easily made up for on Thursday. All week, we had been waking up early so B could get more time in the archives, so after he left around 8:45, I was checking some emails, etc when the power went out. The internet also went out and so I decided it would be a good day to head to Starbucks to read and relax. I headed to the shower to get ready to head out. Before I got in the shower, I used the toilet and as a I flushed, I remembered that our water pump is plugged into the wall and uses electricity!!!! Aaaahhhh ... you guessed it- another HUGE mess. 3 hours later, dirty, exhausted, overwhelmed, and VERY hungry, I finished cleaning up the mess and took a few minutes to relax and read my book. During the clean up time, I had opened all of our windows to let in some light and since bugs were starting to get in, I went up to close the windows and on my way back into the apartment, I noticed that somehow, the floor was soaked again! I had been sending B text messages throughout the events of the day and at this new development, he decided to cut his day short and came home early to help me. At this point our landlady was finally up and as I was finishing cleaning up for the second time that day, she came and worked for about an hour trying to figure out how anything could flood, given that the pump was unplugged and no water source had been used in hours. The power did finally come back on, just in time as it was starting to get dark and chilly down here. At this point, we began contemplating going to a hotel for the night, but as we researched our options, we realized all the Western style options were far too expensive, especially since we would barely be there for 16 hours. Instead, we decided to have dinner at one of the hotel restaurants. After a nice shower, I took the opportunity to put on some nice clothes and even some heels and jewelery and we set off to the Corsi Cafe at the InterContinental Hotel. The menu had a slightly asian fusion aspect and given that Ben had only had breakfast and half a PBJ and I had only had the other half of the PBJ, we were both famished. We had a wonderful dinner in a pretty setting. B got some beef soup to start and a Nasi Goreng, a traditional Indonesian dish of curried beef rice topped with a fried egg and accompanied by chicken satay. I had a great green salad to start and a vegetable curry. All of our food was fantastic and the service was impeccable. Before we headed home, we walked through the hotel lobby and looked at the menu of their other restaurant, The Madrigal Cafe, which is described as a steak house on their website, but seems like it is much more, including such dishes as Coconut Curry Soup and some lamb dishes. They even have a few vegetarian options, so we may try it at some time. As soon as we got back home, we were both so tired, that we just veged for a while. Around 12:15 AM, the cable and internet froze and we took this as a sign that it was time for bed.
The next morning the cable and internet were still out and since I did not want to take any chances with loss of power, I quickly got ready after B left and headed for the Starbucks morning I had planned the day before. This was followed by a quick trip to the store and then I finally had a chance to wash the yucky towels we had used the previous day to clean up the mess, as well as the new towels we had bought. Time for us to have some new shower towels that had never been used for cleaning bathroom floors! Soon after the towels were drying around the apartment, it was time to meet some friends for dinner. Our friend Alyssa, who has been coming to Romania for more than ten years and is very familiar with Bucharest, suggested a great Lebanese place she knows. She couldn't remember the name, but knew where it was and hoped it was still there. Since we were all up for the adventure, we started walking and found ourselves in an area with some nice old houses, smaller boutique hotels with some very nice terrace restaurants on tree-lined streets; after a bit we came upon the place she had suggested, Beirut Cafe. Unfortunately, the interior was rather stuffy and several in our party had become attracted to the terrace restaurants we had passed, so we took a vote and decided to try terrace dining at a place called Piccolo Mondo. Piccolo Mondo also happens to be a Lebanese restaurant, located within a boutique hotel. We were lucky to be seated on the upstairs terrace and ordered several items to be shared across the table. One of the specialities of the house were these huge, freshly made Lebanese-style breads, which were wonderful. The boys in the group each ordered a different kind of kebab and then shared them--a true kebab feast! In fact, everything we ordered was great and the conversation even better. We had a great time and were happy and well fed and ready for bed when we returned.
Today, we got a slow start and had a leisurely breakfast and took our time getting ready. Eventually, we were ready for the day and decided to take a walk down a street we had only seen part of. A friend mentioned that a speciality Portuguese grocery had recently opened there and was worth checking out. The street was certainly not the most interesting in Bucharest, but worth exploring nonetheless. The Portuguese store was small, but nice with specialty cheeses, meats, wines, teas, and other gourmet items. B bought some loose leaf tea and we continued walking down the street. At this point, we were pretty hungry and decided to try a place called Torego, which we thought was a Mexican place. We were incorrect and it was simply an average Romanian restaurant. We chose to sit inside and got to see a wedding reception in progress and hear some live Romanian folk music. The food was pretty good and the quantity was large. So, we left feeling very full and continued our walk. We eventually headed home and have had a nice time relaxing.
We want to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day and hope its a great time. -S
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