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Hi folks!

Greetings from Budapest. I know I said that I probably wouldn't do another blog entry before I returned to the States but I felt that I would forget some stuff by that point so here ya go. And here are some pics for you:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8870546@N03/collections/

I finally got around to organizing my pics by country - enjoy! After Bulgaria, I made my way through Romania visiting Bucharest, Sinaia, Braşov, Bran, Sibiu, Sighişoara, and Cluj-Napoca. In the last post, you may recall that I said that I might not use any more "words" to describe my experiences but I simply couldn't resist using this particular "word" for Romania - I'm sorry, I'm addicted to words! I realize that I've sold these "words" kind of hard in the past so I will try to take it easy with this one. Try, mind you, try. So my word for Romania is "beauty". Now you can see why I couldn't resist using it. You're thinking "that's about as good as 'words' can get." I know, check it out.

Romania is certainly one of the most beautiful countries I've been in.....the mountain landscape in Transylvania is breathtaking, not to mention all the wonderful medieval castles, churches, and cities. And what of the Romanian language?.....as far as I'm concerned only Italian rivals it as far as beauty goes. And is it possible that Romania has the most beautiful women in Europe? And that Cluj-Napoca has the most beautiful women in Romania? You're like Cluj-Na-what-a? How can that city have the most beautiful women in Europe and I've never even heard of it? All I can say is go there and you will see.......you will see! An aside is that I met a Chinese guy in Cluj who was convinced that the Ukraine had the most beautiful women in Europe. I was like "The Ukraine? You mean like the one next to Russia?" Apparently, every other woman is a supermodel. But really, don't all white people look alike?

And then of course, there's the internal beauty of the Romanian people. I found most of them to be quite friendly. Two of the people I met were trip favorites - okay, one was not Romanian but he at least *lives* in Romania. I was introduced to Razvan (a Romanian who lives in Bucharest) by my friend Wendy and to Emmett (a New Jerseyite that hails from Mountainside - right next to Westfield - where my dad grew up and where my mom, sis', nephew, and brother-in-law currently live. Emmett lives in Cluj) by my buddy K.C. Thanks again Wendy and K.C. for introducing me to these guys. Razvan and Emmett were exceptionally nice people that went out of their ways to show me around their respective towns. Both were extremely knowledgeable and just all-around good people to hang out with.

And is Romania a bit like a beautiful woman that has to fend off unwanted attention from men? Look at its history.....it's been coveted by the Romans, the Hungarians, the Turks, the Russians, etc. Rare was the instance that Romania was run by Romanians. These conquerors probably weren't interested in Romania for its natural beauty but definitely for its strategic location and for its natural resources. And think about the Black Church (great name for a metal band btw) in Braşov - the church was built by Bulgarians who were hired by Saxons (Germans) who were brought over by Hungarians to protect Transylvania from the Turks. And keep in mind that most of the people in Transylvania were and are ethnic Romanians. And that today the Black Church contains a wonderful collection of Anatolian rugs. Like Turkey and Egypt, Romania is indeed a crossroads.

By the way, does relative isolation allow a society to become successful? I mean think about Western Europe (Rome, France, Britain, Spain, etc.), the United States, China, etc. Part of Romania's problem has been that it was blessed by its resources and cursed by its location, right? Perhaps Romania never truly got on its feet because it was always overrun by other empires. Are societies that get just enough (but not too much) foreign influence (i.e. - not caught up with fending people off all the time) particularly able to become dominant?

Perhaps this was reflected in my first stop in Romania, Bucharest. You may recall that I mentioned that Nuweiba, Egypt had "hit the skids" whereas I'd say that it seems like Bucharest has yet to get *off the skids* - stray dogs, communist architecture, bullet-riddled and/or rundown buildings, etc. At first I wasn't too fond of the city but I really grew to like it. Bucharest has several good to great museums - I went to the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant (a great collection of artifacts - showed *how* the peasants lived), and the National Village Museum (an open-air museum with over 100 houses, churches, etc. - really showed *where* the peasants lived). The Museum of the Romanian Peasant was one of the top 5 museums I've visited on my trip. You're like "Really? the Romanian Peasant?" I know, if ever there was a dark horse in history and in the race for the top museum in the world, it's the Romanian Peasant but I assure you, this museum is awesome - it really painted a picture of peasant life. It had just the right amount of explanatory information and a great narrative flow. So many museum curators don't seem to think about this sort of thing - if you can't make sense of your collection, how do you expect the general public to? More is not necessarily more. Please do some self-editing! And why can't explanatory information be humorous? The explanatory info at the Peasant Museum was funny, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and insightful - well worth the trip. I should be a consultant.

And of course there is the Parliament Building built by Ceauşescu. It's the world's second largest building after the Pentagon....and the world's *heaviest* building (because of all the marble). There is some beautiful decor inside but at what cost did this beauty come? Several neighborhoods were leveled and is it possible that these resources could have been used in such a way to benefit average Romanians? In many ways it reminded me of Versailles and Marie Antoinette - leaders who are just completely out of touch with their people. Which leaders in the world today are similar? And did you know that Ceauşescu literally sold people to other countries? Namely Saxons to Germany and Jews to Israel?

After Bucharest, I went to Sinaia (named after the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt). Sinaia is beautiful - nestled in the mountains and a lot of the fall foliage was covered with a layer of newly fallen snow. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go inside the royal palace (or on the gondala for that matter) as I went through on a Monday and everything was closed - doh! I know, I'm a terrible tourist.

After Sinaia was Braşov. Braşov, like a lot of other places in Transylvania, had a large population of Saxons:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transylvanian_Saxons

I actually met one of these guys in Sibiu. His family had immigrated back to Germany during Ceauşescu's regime (after about 8 centuries). He said that one of the Saxon dialects is similar to Luxembourgish since a lot of the Saxons came from the area of Germany near Luxembourg - pretty cool, huh? Apparently and for a variety of reasons it seems, Saxons have continued to emigrate from Romania - their population about 10% of what it used to be.

Their legacy is still intact though. As I mentioned, the Hungarians brought them over to defend against the Turks. The Saxons constructed fortified churches, citadels, etc. - the Saxons were organized into guilds and oftentimes these guilds were responsible for building and defending particular watchtowers, walls, etc. Braşov is one such town. The Black Church, the Braşov Historical Museum, and the Weavers Bastion Museum are worth a look and give good insight into the Saxon/Transylvanian lifestyle. Did you know that for a while ethnic Romanians were banned from entering the fortified city of Braşov? Check it out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasov

Braşov also has some really nice hiking trails just outside the city - highly recommended + a few kitschy sights - the Braşov "Hollywood"-style sign above the town (Raşnov also has one of these signs) and Europe's "narrowest street". I actually liked the former but I thought the latter was a bit of a stretch.....I mean, Europe's narrowest street? Isn't this like trying to create something to see where there is essentially nothing to see? - no offense to Lombard Street. Besides a street in England is actually narrower. Saxon churches, yes, narrow streets, no!

Sibiu was next and it might be one of the most picturesque towns in Romania. The Sibiu museums (Art, History, and yes, Pharmaceutical) are interesting. And check out the cloud formations in my pics - I was thinking "Now this is Transylvania!" - forbidding clouds, Gothic cathedrals, and leaf-covered graveyards (actually the cemetaries were in Braşov and Sighişoara but most places I went in Transylvania were at least reasonably spooky). It would be cool to go to Transylvania in the summer but is there really anywhere better right around Halloween?

And what can I say about vampires, Dracula, and such? Well, I did go check out "Dracula's Castle" in Bran (Vlad Tepes never really lived there) and I did go to Sighişoara, Vlad the Impaler's birthplace (Sighişoara has some nice churches and is worth a few hours time) but I can't say definitively that Vlad the Impaler was a vampire:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_impaler
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Dragon

And did I see any vampires? Well no, but I have to confess that I was carrying garlic around with me the entire time. Do I believe in vampires? Not necessarily but when in Transylvania, why chance it!

After Sibiu and Sighişoara, I made my way to Cluj-Napoca (a big university town), or as I like to refer to it - "Picturesque Cluj" (remember the beautiful women - well, Cluj also has some beautiful buildings and surrounding countryside). This is where I hooked up with Emmett - it was so cool getting Emmett's perspective on starting a business and the differences between the U.S. and Romania. And his wife and 4-year-old son were absolutely pleasant to be around as well. Oh, and the food - I'm definitely going back!

I visited St. Michael's Church, the National History Museum of Transylvania, the Orthodox Cathedral (cool mosaics), and the National Art Museum - all are worth a trip. I even went to a Hungarian party with that Chinese guy I mentioned earlier. A lot of parts of Transylvania have a significant Hungarian minority.....a few areas even have a Hungarian majority. And Hungary still claims Transylvania - a point of dispute between the two countries.

And then of course there are the Romani. Both the Romani and the Hungarians have been the victims of discrimination over the years - check out this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gheorghe_Funar

And the Romani were actually enslaved in Wallachia and Moldavia for about 500 years. Does this prejudice/xenophobia stem from the fact that Romania was constantly overrun by foreign powers? Does it have to do with the fact that Romania was completely isolated while the communists were in power? The Romani are known colloquially as gypsies (this term is similar to the English word "Dutch" - people from the Netherlands are not German and gypsies are not from E*gyp*t....as many people thought back in the day). They're actually from India:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

Romani were not included in any of the museums I visited. And most Romanians I spoke to did not have many good things to say about the Romani. Most people seemed to think that they were beggars and thieves and that they didn't want to be assimilated. And most Romanians wanted to point out that Romani are everywhere ("Why are they our problem?" they seemed to be saying). This is true but Romania more than likely has the largest Romani population in the world. Most of the Romani that I saw were indeed poor (a few have made money as tinsmiths - mostly working on roofs) - and many were begging in the street for money. There is a very small minority of Romani that still lead the traditional nomadic lifestyle. Is it possible that many would like to become a part of Romanian society if they were given the chance? How is Romania going to deal with these people at the very bottom of the economic ladder as they open up to more foreign investment, become more fully incorporated into the E.U., and modernize their infrastructure? Do people always need a scapegoat?

And what of my fellow foreigners? I actually ran into several Americans in Romania. Most were volunteering - one guy with the Peace Corp, one guy at an orphanage, and one guy as a missionary. Is Romania just different enough to make it a destination for these people? Emmett told me that 1/2 the Americans living in Romania are missionaries - I suppose the thinking is that it's easier to convert a Christian to your particular brand of Christianity than a non-Christian. Emmett also said that perhaps less than 2% of the people that visit Romania are American - is it just too far east?

I can say that Romania is fairly inexpensive and a very interesting and fun travel destination. Several people complained about the infrastructure but I found it to be a very easy place to travel in. There are many things to like about Romania - convoluted history, nice people, castles, museums, and mountains. I think 3-4 weeks would have been more like it. Another thing is that you'd better go soon because it'll all be over when they switch to the Euro.

And here are some random thoughts for you:

1. Did you know that Romanian has 4 words for bribe? - all of them derived from Turkish - think about why that is and get back to me.
2. Does art/architecture use religion (and vice versa) to justify power structure? Was this the intention of the prophets? Why is religion the opiate of the masses?
3. Was communism completely flawed? Was it a severe over-correction? Was it inevitable that people would fight back to such oppression? Will bad ideas eventually be found out?
4. My language skills have almost certainly devolved. A few Americans thought I was German at first. Let me know if I start inadvertently saying things like "10 minutes by walk" or "I will bring you".
5. I also have some suggestions for guesthouses/hostels - provide breakfast, don't charge for petty stuff, let people take a shower the day they leave, keep the place clean, have hangers in the bathroom and a world map. Oh, and be nice!
6. Who kicks more ass? Liam Neeson in "Taken" or Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible II"? When in doubt, don't go with the Scientologist.
7. It's good to have discussions but aren't people petty sometimes? Would anything make Naomi Klein happy? Do corporations sometimes do good? Can we really compare the United States government to communist dictatorships? Are two parties better than one?
8. Isn't moderation important? Don't people often over-correct? Are people most successful when they are moderate and are able to see both sides?
9. Revolution - Is it better not to think of things we can do today? Is waiting for the revolution not a self-fulfilling prophecy?
10. Should we keep realizations to ourselves? Are we in an in-between phase until greater acceptance?
11. Should all cafes have cushy chairs?
12. Do humans have a great capacity for xenophobia and compassion? Which will serve us better in the future? Do we need to evolve past violence? The world bends toward justice, right? What does this say about our treatment of the environment?
13. Are people afraid to acknowledge they enjoy certain people more than others?
14. The more you understand us all, the more you understand yourself - is this true?
15. Did you know that the alpen horn was used in Romania to fend off predators and communicate?
16. Are "western-style" mattresses indeed more comfortable?
17. Is Romania still struggling because it didn't get rid of the old guard like Poland? Is Poland the shining star of Eastern Europe? Romania doesn't have the mafia like the Ukraine or Russia - is this because the crooks are still running the show?
18. Is that which attracts tourists to Romania (simple peasant lifestyle) also that which Romanians are trying to get away from?
19. Does Romanian art reflect larger trends?
20. Did you know that Romanians get 2 years of maternity leave? Who wants to have a baby?

Alright folks, so I head to Vienna in a few days. And as I mentioned in the last post, I head home on the 14th of December. I will likely do posts about Budapest/Vienna and Italy upon arrival in New Jersey. And yes, I plan on doing a New Jersey post too (theoretically I'll still be traveling). And could I leave out Jersey? - no way!

Until then, all the best, my friends!

b

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