So... initially this blog was meant to be a spot I can direct my non-Romanian friends to when they (finally) decide to visit Romania (just in case I am too busy- being a corporate lawyer of course- to show them around).. insider tips for the world traveler:)
Let's start with essentials: arriving in Bucharest. Really nothing that hearty can be written about that, so please, dearest friend, once you decide to go to Romania remind me I left you in the dark about arriving at the airport:)
Arriving in Piata Victoriei (which one could translate as The Victory Square) Bucharest becomes a very nice, architecturally challenging city. You will see for yourself because finding (online) a picture to do it justice proved to be a very difficult task:( Now, that you are here look around, enjoy, get a good breath of Bucharest and go find your hotel. (Once again, dearest traveler, please let me know once you have decided to go to Romania that I should try guiding you a bit with this part of the planning:)
Now you've rested, you are all ready for a Bucharest day (or night) out.
Let's get you started on something to eat. I suggest going to "La Mama". It is a very nice, popular among Bucharest locals, Romanian restaurant (which in translation means "At Mom's Place" - implying of course the good food you eat at home, especially in Romania:)). They have an English menu, I think you can ask the waiter for some tips on the food and I will also post some suggestions: tochitura moldoveneasca (which is like a ton of meat with pollenta and some scrambled eggs, delicious! and very Romanian - from the Moldavian region of the country, not Moldavia the other country), sarmalute (minced meat in rolled in cabage, also best served with pollenta and sour cream) , ciorba de perisoare (which is a sour soup - very specific to Romania, which also the Russians and, if I'm not mistaking the Germans have, but Romanian one is better, trust me on this one:) and ciorba de burta (which is a disgusting thing, also a sour soup, made out of cows' stomachs - very Romanian - hate it or love it! I personally hate it, but hey, if you are a person who wants to try the new - this is a good choice! You might end up loving it:).
For the vegetarian part of my friends: I am sorry! Romania is a country where people eat a lot of meat! Also: if you have something against pork... I'm not as sorry as I am for my vegetarian friends, but still I am sorry, cuz the most traditional dishes include a lot of pork.
For drinking I suggest either the house wine (which comes as white or red) or their lemonade. Oh, and if it happens to be autumn when you go, you have to drink "must" (this is the wine before it becomes wine, it's almost non-alcoholic, and my favorite drink in the whole world. Careful though if you have a fragile stomach:).
Now you have a full stomach (and you are also happy with the quite good deal you made price wise:) you are ready to sink into the adventures that Bucharest is ready to offer you.
vineri, 2 octombrie 2009
joi, 1 octombrie 2009
Broken promises
To myself (first of all) and to my (very few, to none) readers:)) I said I'd try to write a new beautiful thing about Romania every day... I understand not being that strict and not writing every single day... But I haven't done it in exactly 3 months:))
That is so like me... So starting now: no more promises... no more tomorrow I quit smoking and on Monday I start studying... I will just write whenever I feel the urge to do so:) i.e. when I miss home or when my sister gives me inspiration:)
Before writing this I was thinking... maybe I should post twice a day every day for the next three months and, this way, make up for my lapse:) But I am sure that won't work so... Shhhh:))
That is so like me... So starting now: no more promises... no more tomorrow I quit smoking and on Monday I start studying... I will just write whenever I feel the urge to do so:) i.e. when I miss home or when my sister gives me inspiration:)
Before writing this I was thinking... maybe I should post twice a day every day for the next three months and, this way, make up for my lapse:) But I am sure that won't work so... Shhhh:))
First day of school
Copycat poussy as someone would say:)
Yes, that's a bit true... because my sister wrote about this in her latest post... Because today it's the 1st of October... And on the 1st of October the Universities start their year.... But I'm not a copycat... And my sister wrote a bit about the 1st of October, mom and her first day of school (which, by the way, was the 15th of September).
She missed the first day of school today although mom called her early in the morning to rush to school:) I remember the week before the school started was really good. We would always go shopping (my mother and I). And we would buy a nice school-bag (maybe once every other year), a new pen box (latest fashion Barbie dolls at that time of course... no WiFi technologies), 4 notebooks (2 mathematics and 2 that we would call "dictando"), a ruler, some pencils (that daddy would afterward sharpen with a knife... a process that used to fascinate me... and, honestly, still does today... the pencils sharpened by him were the envy of my whole class). And once that was done with... we would buy new white socks... with some pink ribbons if available... maybe new shoes (if it was the time for that)... maybe some skirt.... And then the stress would follow.. inevitably I would cry at least once in that week (I used to be a bit more emotionally challenged when I was 7 then these days... 25 and happy about it:)
My very first day of school...I say my mom didn't come with me... she would argue intensely... actually i think she came, but i was (even at that time) pretty self-sufficient...
There was, I don't know why, something happening in the gym and a woman came to me and asked me if I'd be part of her class for the next year and I told her I'd love to (diplomatic 7 years old:) but I am in Ms. Zdrobis' class.. and, you won't imagine the coincidence, I am Ms. Zdrobis she told me:)) And my mum says she was there... I don't remember...I just remember it was rather embarrassing and, yet, pretty nice what happened then.
Another 12 years of first days followed... and then another 4 of first university days... and then another 2 of first master days.... as many introduction days as almost 3 working days' weeks...
Last one: this very year, even though it was the 20th school day:)) and a ton of university offered booze:) Maybe we become more and more sophisticated with each first day we attend... therefore we need more than just a nice question from the main first grade teacher, or from the school principal or from the police officer... as the time goes we need more and more in order to get us excited enough as to make us get out of the house and give up our precious time for such an activity:) I'm guessing that's why my sister missed her first day... She's a PhD candidate now... and there was no caviar and pate de fois gras on the menu... nor a presidential speech on the activity list... why would she get out of her research lab for that? :)) Plus they don't make white socks with pink ribbons anymore... nor Snow White pen boxes (and she won't settle for a cyborg one in a million years! I would know!!!).
Well... first day of school reminds me of home... so there it is! On my "what i love about my country"!:)
Yes, that's a bit true... because my sister wrote about this in her latest post... Because today it's the 1st of October... And on the 1st of October the Universities start their year.... But I'm not a copycat... And my sister wrote a bit about the 1st of October, mom and her first day of school (which, by the way, was the 15th of September).
She missed the first day of school today although mom called her early in the morning to rush to school:) I remember the week before the school started was really good. We would always go shopping (my mother and I). And we would buy a nice school-bag (maybe once every other year), a new pen box (latest fashion Barbie dolls at that time of course... no WiFi technologies), 4 notebooks (2 mathematics and 2 that we would call "dictando"), a ruler, some pencils (that daddy would afterward sharpen with a knife... a process that used to fascinate me... and, honestly, still does today... the pencils sharpened by him were the envy of my whole class). And once that was done with... we would buy new white socks... with some pink ribbons if available... maybe new shoes (if it was the time for that)... maybe some skirt.... And then the stress would follow.. inevitably I would cry at least once in that week (I used to be a bit more emotionally challenged when I was 7 then these days... 25 and happy about it:)
My very first day of school...I say my mom didn't come with me... she would argue intensely... actually i think she came, but i was (even at that time) pretty self-sufficient...
There was, I don't know why, something happening in the gym and a woman came to me and asked me if I'd be part of her class for the next year and I told her I'd love to (diplomatic 7 years old:) but I am in Ms. Zdrobis' class.. and, you won't imagine the coincidence, I am Ms. Zdrobis she told me:)) And my mum says she was there... I don't remember...I just remember it was rather embarrassing and, yet, pretty nice what happened then.
Another 12 years of first days followed... and then another 4 of first university days... and then another 2 of first master days.... as many introduction days as almost 3 working days' weeks...
Last one: this very year, even though it was the 20th school day:)) and a ton of university offered booze:) Maybe we become more and more sophisticated with each first day we attend... therefore we need more than just a nice question from the main first grade teacher, or from the school principal or from the police officer... as the time goes we need more and more in order to get us excited enough as to make us get out of the house and give up our precious time for such an activity:) I'm guessing that's why my sister missed her first day... She's a PhD candidate now... and there was no caviar and pate de fois gras on the menu... nor a presidential speech on the activity list... why would she get out of her research lab for that? :)) Plus they don't make white socks with pink ribbons anymore... nor Snow White pen boxes (and she won't settle for a cyborg one in a million years! I would know!!!).
Well... first day of school reminds me of home... so there it is! On my "what i love about my country"!:)
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