Beginning of the journey.
Daniela, my wife and I on our way to Bucharest. Here we are on our first flight, from Toronto to Prague.
Our sons Tudor and Gabriel had arrived earlier for vacation to Romania.
It's a hot, hot summer. My father, 66 was hospitalized before our arrival
due to circulatory problems. We are happy to get some good news though, he
will be released soon, but he will be required to take it easier for the future.
Today we took a trip to the Bucharest's suburbia village Sintesti. There we've been surprised to see homes built by people now called "romms" or "tigani" (gypsies) as they've been called during Ceausescu. All homes are new and imposing opulence, but missing stylishness. Sharp roofs and owner's name graved on metal plates on the roof tops is what makes the new architecture distinctive. We receive a smile every time we take a picture. People showing interest in their new homes is not news for the the romms and it makes them proud.
It is a hot, hot summer!
The hot weather brings 40°C range temperatures. I've got food poisoning, but could not found the cause. Today we will leave for Curtea de Arges, the city where I was born and my grand mom still lives. She is almost 89 and spent 40 years teaching for low grades. She's been hoping for the last five years to be alive and see me, my wife and our kids visiting her. Today is the big day. When she sees us she falls in tears.
I am visited early in the morning by an older friend Dr. Chefani, grandmother's neighbor. Last night I've developed fever, 39°C. The doctor prescribes me the medication to put me back on my feet. He leaves but not before he invites us to visit his new cottage located on the Zigoneni Lake's shore.
In the meanwhile Daniela, Tudor and Gabriel are gone visiting the famous monastery of Curtea de Arges while I will stay medicated in bed.
In the afternoon the doctor returns. I am a bit better and he loads all four of us in his car for a ride and in fifteen minutes we all arrive at the cottage by the lake. Only 15 minutes from the house to the cottage!
Later in the evening we leave Curtea de Arges, and return to Bucharest, not before promising to grand mom we will return on September 1st. to be with her again. I am still on medication but I'll keep the promise!
We arrived back to Bucharest. I am feeling better today, dizzy a bit after Cloramfenicol the antibiotic prescribed by the doctor. We've parked the car close to the University plaza and went for a walk. "The car" is a Romanian made model of Citroen, "Oltcit" brand, which I owned between 90 and 92 and my father inherited when I left. My dad likes to think to it as "the car", but I rememberd the old joke calling the Oltcit "The Old shit" which makes now more sense than ever: It takes shamelessly 15 liters of leaded gas for every 100 Km in the city and the engine stops gracefully at every traffic light while is idling. But we are in business since we are not on foot..
First visited place is my former high school "liceul Ion Creanga" which brings me old and dear memories. Everything around seems smaller and duller but I realize that things did not change much. It is just I who have changed.
After that we walk to the Romana Plaza where I took this picture of Daniela in front of the University she graduated. I will be visiting my University a few days later.
Next we are heading to Calea Victoriei. The first place we will be visiting is "Casa Scriitorilor" (House of the Writers)
We keep going on the Calea Victoriei and we take pictures of the Biserica Alba (The White Church), vis a vis one "Casino Paris" newly open and the entrance to Hotel Bucharest. when we finally arrive to the Palace Plaza where we enter inside the Athene Palace - Hilton Hotel. Here after we take the first picture we are stopped by a security guard who tells us in a quite polite manner that taking pictures inside the hotel is not allowed.. After the renovation the hotel looks gorgeous. It deserves the five star ranking. Everywhere you look you see a nice blending between refinement and good taste.
Ateneul Roman is the next place. The building architecture is gorgeous. This is a very old concert hall which has the second best acoustic in the whole world after Scala of Milano. Inside the preparations for the "George Enescu" festival opening on September 18 are on going. We are not allowed to visit, but we'll be taking pictures of the building on the outside.
Right in front of the Ateneul Roman we couldn't help to notice a movie crew
taking pictures of a disabled child. For the past nine years every time when we
are seeing a documentary about Romania, the subject is the same: Unfortunate and
disabled kids. It seems that stray kids and orphans make the main subject of the
international media.
I personally believe that there is a negative media campaign against Romanian culture and society by focusing on unfortunate kids with disabilities, as opposed of revealing any other positive aspects. The truth is that in Romania live maybe too many unfortunate kids, orphans and disabled kids. But so do in the US, Canada and Western Europe. I don't remember seeing any movies about squeegee kids from Toronto. There are no foundations of the rich, rising founds for Romanian children such the one in the above picture. In the western countries the child in the picture would probably get at least a wheelchair from such foundations, but he will not get the attention of the country's government, in any case not more than this child would get from the Romanian government.
2004 Update: The movie crew was Canadian! The movie was released in 2002 and was called "The Wild Dogs". The man in the blue shirt, holding a small white camera, is the director, screenwriter and the actor Thom Fitzgerald. Oh, well, I almost forgot: The stray street dogs are also a tough Romanian problem worth to talk about, even to picture it through a movie. I hear that The Wild Dogs won the Best Canadian Feature at the 2002 Atlantic Film Festival and Thom Fitzgerald was awarded Best Director. I should probably go and get the movie I guess, before making any comments.
I took some pictures from the car. Their purpose was to remind to myself about old places in Bucharest. I started with the Arcul de Triumf.
The Arcul de Triumf came into service for a royal World War I victory parade celebrating the new state of The Greater Romania (Romania`s reunification with Transylvania). It burnt down and was rebuilt in granite in 1936. The resemblance to the one in Paris is entirely intentional. The Arcul de Triumf Plaza brings together in one intersection seven large avenues of Bucharest.
Arcul De Triumf seen here from the Kiseleff Boulevard.
The Romanian Government Headquarters building.
Cantacuzino Palace, "George Enescu" Museum.
Casa Vernescu is one of the architectural masterpieces erected in 1889 by the architect Ion Mincu (1852-1912). Casa Vernescu remains one of the Bucharest's classical restaurants with a long and impressive history. This fame does not come cheap. After dinner just ask for the checkout bill and you will know what I'm talking about.
Casa Vernescu
Biblioteca Centrala Universitara
Casa Centrala A Armatei was completed in 1912
Pasajul Victoria
Bucharest Financial Centre
National History Museum
Romanian Savings Bank - CEC
.jpg){kind=small}
Romanian National Bank, panoramic view
All together I took 765 pictures during the trip. I am posting next just a few, which I regard as amongst the best.
The Peles Castle.
View of the city Brasov and Barsei County.
Downtown Brasov . The central blue dome (left) is the stage erected for the international music
festival "The Golden Stag" 2001 (right).
Bran Castle, inner yard.
Bran Castle (called now Dracula's castle for attracting more tourists, in reality
this was not Vlad The Impaler's castle).
Panoramic Landscape on the road from Brasov to Bran.
Campulung Muscel, Central Plaza. (panoramic).
Mountain Landscape on the road from Brasov to Campulung Muscel.
Curtea de Arges Monastery.
The Parliament Palace, former House of the People, ranks as the second biggest building in the world
after the Pentagon (panoramic)
The Union Hall inside the
Parliament Palace.
The Union Blvd. ("Bulevardul Unirii") as seen from the
Parliament Palace.
Romanian Senate, former Central Comity of the Romanian Communist Party.
Dacia 1300 vehicles, a tribute to Ceausescu's Era are still in operation
in large numbers. Nothing stunning here, only the peculiar look judging by today's standards.
Stray cat on a terrace.
