Here is a photo from a blog written by a guy who was a Christian missionary in Romania. You’ll notice that the bottom meter or so of every tree is painted white. All over the country you see this, along side highways, streets and even foot paths. Why? This is not an idle question. People all over the internet have been asking it for years. … Continue reading The Mystery of the White Trees!
In the Communist days, there was a tremendous frenzy to house people in cities in apartment buildings, each one known as a bloc (blawk). There is a classic Romanian film called The Death of Mr. Lazarescu. Totally worth seeing. There’s a line in there that I absolutely love, where Lazarescu’s female neighbor says “totuşi suntem la bloc” which translates to something like “we have to … Continue reading How to Negotiate and Survive the Romanian Bloc
Adapted from an article I wrote two years ago, here for your erudition: When you first come to Romania, you will inevitably be invited to play a game. The invitation will come unannounced and you will have no choice about whether to play unless you are quite prepared. The game’s rules are not enshrined in any rulebook, nor is there any official name, but it … Continue reading Playing the Change Game
From here: The Romanian’s approach to tourism is all wrong. I’m not just referring to expensive and absurd efforts carried out by successive minister’s of tourism (I still remember Spagathon and his palm trees), but even at the local level people don’t seem to understand what is required. And this: Many of these individual “travelers” fall in love with Romania – a fact that is … Continue reading Oh my word… read this!
All Things Romania 