Romania

I'm in Romania with old friends, Jo and Chuck Copeland. Jo and I have been friends since grade school,and we lived a block from each other. They have been coming here since 1995 when they started volunteering in orphanages. Now they return to see friends; I feel very lucky that I am able to meet their friends and am welcomed with wonderful hospitality by all. People are very friendly here. Romanian is a romance language so there are traces of Spanish.

Unfortunately it's cold and rainy at the moment - it's unseasonably cold, only in the 40's. We're staying with friends who have a B&B in a small village in the northeast of the country. It's green and hilly farm country with cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, corn fields, and haystacks. Some people use horse and wagons to get around, but not nearly as many as before, I'm told. Houses are mostly made of concrete, but some of wood. Roofs are often bright red or blue metal or shining silver with lots of ornamentation.

Romania became part of the EU this year, and there has been a great deal of growth and development. There is lots of building going on, and many of the houses being built are very large for the extended family. Cars are plentiful and in quite good condition. Traffic in Bucharest is terrible. It took us at least an hour to get out of town. They still use their own currency and there are ATMs in every small town. There are still many drab concrete blocks of apartments in every city left over from the communist era. They are often very shabby; sidewalks are also in terrible condition in many places. Shopping centers, supermarkets, and large stores like Sam's are in many places. It's definitely a country on the move with things changing rapidly.

We're being very well taken care of and eating very well. The food is natural and delicious: fresh cheese, butter, vegetables, good white bread, homemade jams and preserves, cold cuts and sausages. Huge red peppers are plentiful in the markets at the moment. We are served homemade desserts every day too. Wine is good and we have been served many strong homemade types of liquors.

The main attraction in this area is the Eastern Orthodox monasteries from the 14 and 1500's with beautiful frescoes on both the insides and the outsides of the structures. There are pictures illustrating biblical stories and saints. The colors are amazingly bright and well-preserved. Around the walled monasteries are beautiful rose gardens. We went to three different monasteries on Sunday where there were services being conducted.

I'm enjoying my stay, but would like to see the sunshine. After Romania I'm going to Copenhagen to see old friends, but I'm finding that I'm wearing all my warm clothes already. So far the people that we're staying with have all had Internet connections. (Cornel in Bucharest says he pays about $35 a month for high speed Internet, telephone, and cable TV; they also provide him with a free cell phone because he's such a good customer)!