Pictures from Dec. 7

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Sunday, I decided to take some pictures of Parcul Tineretului (ie Tineretului Park). It was raining when I woke up, of course. So I waited and waited, and finally the sun came out.

I grabbed my camera and took a stroll. It is a beautiful, good sized park. It is completely surrounded by apartment blocks on all sides... an urban oasis, if you will. Actually, I think Bucharest has some of the nicest parks in the world. I mean, English parks are just fields with 3 trees and other places just have round-abouts where you can take your dog to the bathroom. Sure, New York has its Central Park...but that's just one park. Bucharest has loads of them and they're meant to be strolled and explored. And graffitied?

One of the things I noticed has changed, among others, is the sheer amount of graffiti. You know it made the album.

Another issues I must address is park deforestation. There are a lot less trees in the park than there used to be. There is a restaturant that just opened on the water and everyone knows they are illegally cutting down tress to burn in the fireplace. I mean, convenient, right? As I passed the park authority, there was a clear smell in the air. Yes, burning wood. I also noticed a big stack of tree branches in a corner of their lot. You can come to your own conclusion and its a disheartening one.

The season being what it is, there wasn't much in the way of beautiful vegetation. Also, after I was outside for maybe an hour and a half, it started to cloud over and rain, so that was the end of that. Bad weather blowing in from Russia.

So, enjoy a pictorial stroll through the park with me. We'll see where I'll take you next week.

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Photos

Bumper Cars
The beginning of the park has an instalment of funfair activites, including bumper cars.

Characters
A stage was also set up for concerts in preparation for Christmas. In the mornings there are shows for kids. I guess these characters took a break to flirt.

Follow the stairs
The park is divided into several levels, I started from the top.

Inside the Rabbit Hole
Sometimes, when you see those manholes, you wonder what's inside...

Apartments to the front
As you can see, the area is very busy.

Looking down
That is the main path of the park.

Winter fog
Bare trees in December.

Graffiti 1
Once you're at the hightest level of the park, a wall and houses border the ends of the park. A perfect spot for? Graffiti? Yeah.

Graffiti cont.
It was the second pannel of the first graffiti.

Graffiti 3
I can't figure out if they mispelled "Now" or its some cryptic gang.

Graffiti 4
You can see the edgs of the park.

Trees
Its a park. There are going to be a lot of tree shots.

The Lake through the trees
You can see the edge of the lake through the trees.

Green benches
Some nice symmetry.

Lake
The lake, with the city behind it.

Chalk writing
"Love"

Chalk writing con't
Next to "Love" was this message:
"It doesn't brag
It is full of goodness
It laughs a long time"
and the rest of it was fading because of the rain. Good to know people are meditating on love without the aid of spray paint.

Skateboarders anonymous
These are definitely a new addition. Every park needs a skate park, right?