Thursday, Dec. 3rd
Lauren and I had the same flight to and from Bucharest, which was nice, I am just glad I didn't have to navigate things on my own for the first time, although if I had to, I think it still would have been okay. The flight was pretty uneventful. The Cluj airport is pretty tiny, and you definitely do not need to arrive very far before your flight. And, there is literally NOTHING in the airport or terminal. Pretty amazing because even the airport on the island of Molokai in Hawaii had a small store, and only a few thousand people live on that whole island! Also, they didn't do much with liquids, so try to get your bottle of water in - no water options once you get through security, I can promise you that.
Lauren wanted to take a taxi into town because she had all of her camera stuff and the luggage was heavy. However, when we got outside, the bus into town was right there, so we did that. It was a pretty good option. The trip took about 1 hour, and it cost only 7 lei (so $2 or so) for two tickets. I can't even imagine how much a taxi would have cost!! Instead of taking the metro when we got into town, we took a cab from the center to the apartment of another fulbrighter (where I was staying that night - Lauren was staying with a friend). Without really thinking, we took a taxi that was 3.50 lei/kilometer, which was completely outrageous. It cost like 40 lei to go about 15 minutes (something that should have cost 10 lei tops!). Unlike places like Cluj where all the taxis cost 1.79/km, all the taxi companies in Bucharest has different prices. And, the ones around the airport, train station, etc (anywhere with tourists or travellers) are all the very expensive ones. It is pretty insane. At least we learned early on to really look at the prices.
As you can tell, I am excited about my bus idea and pleased to have a companion during these explorations while Lauren is rather skeptical of it all :)
After we dropped off our things, we three fulbrighters headed out for a walk. We went to the former's People's Palace - the monstrosity that Ceausescu built in the 1970s-80s after he become obsessed with the North Korean form of communism. The building is completely insane - the second largest building (I think they said in volume) in the world, only after the Pentagon. Today it houses the parliament and things that like. It took about 30 minutes to walk around the outside/perimeter of just 1/2 of it. That should tell you something right there.
Lauren and John (another fulbrighter and my gracious host for that night) walking through a new park on the way to the "people's palace."
And, there she is....
It is just amazing. All this work went into, and then the wall around the place is just crap. Completely falling apart. John tried to blame the pollution, but I refuse to accept anything other than cheap and faulty construction because it is just 25 years old and buildings from the 1800s here are still in great shape!
Ceausescu apparently destroyed a pretty significant part of old Bucharest to build all of this. In front of the palace are these two huge buildings. Kind of the fancy bloc apartments for all the important people in the communist party. Just strange.
And, then even though we are in the middle of Bucharest and behind the center of government, there is this strange abandoned, over-grown lot and crumbled pavement and sidewalks. Apparently the park out front was in the same condition until just about a year ago. Bucharest (and Romania) is a place with lots of contradictions, and I think this really demonstrates that.
We really went there to go to the modern art museum (MNAC). It was a very strange place. Three floors, all with temporary exhibits. Absolutely no permanent collection on display; I am not even sure they have a permanent collection. I am a little curious how they stay open because no other visitors were there, and the museum did not charge for admission or have a gift shop. Again, very strange. Each floor had an exhibit by a different artist. The first two floors actually included some commentary on communism and on the end of communism in Romania. This, so far, is the first and only time I have seen anything on this topic. Interesting since the 20th year anniversary of the fall is coming up this month.
Even though it is attached to the palace, they managed to get a little of the modern feel in there with the facade.
After the museum, we went to a British-styled pub - how fun! I had been sick for a week and just stuck with a shirley temple. I am pretty sure that is the first time I have ordered one - who would have thought it would happen in Romania?! Then, we went to dinner at a place called La Mama's. It was very nice and not too pricey, which is not what you would think from the outside (it looks expensive!). It is in a really neat part of town, at the Universitate metro stop. Especially at night, you might even think you are walking around in London. La Mama's was a neat place. They even gave each person a free shot of tuica (the Romanian plum brandy...aka paint thinner!). The surprised me because this is a country that has you pay for each slice of bread and for each glass of water. And, that this happened in Bucharest was even more shocking since water and soda tended to run at least 6 lei, rather than the 3-4 lei in other cities.
La Mama's - kind of fun, no?
My one, daring shot of the metro :)
First impression: It is an okay city. Seems livable but certainly not friendly. The sidewalks are in completely deplorable condition - wow. Even though I could live here if I had to, I just don't think that I would be very happy there. Kind of like my time in London. I could do it and would have the opportunity to do lots of interesting things, but I am not sure that I would enjoy it very much.
Before moving on, I thought you needed a few pictures of where John is living. In the ever-present bloc apartments. He didn't live in one of the huge, towering monstrosities, but it was still a bloc nonetheless. Enjoy....
Entering the blog, if you can get past the unofficial guard dog.
Lest you think that is the only dog in the neighborhood, just turn around for a few more. Apparently a lot of the dogs are descendants of the commie era when Ceausescu forced people to leave their homes - the dogs were just abandoned. That is what I have heard at least.
And, inside. Depressing, depressing. Maybe for people from other big cities this isn't so bad, but I am not used to big apartment buildings, and it looks just dreadful to me (not in bad shape, just depressing).
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Wow, a side note before I continue - it is totally snowing outside! There were a few flakes earlier, but now it is really snowing. It snowed a little one day back in October, but I would say this is the first really snowfall of the year. After going to a Christmas concert last night and purchasing a Christmas-y candle this morning, it definitely is starting to feel like that time of year!
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Friday, Dec. 4th
After an okay night's sleep (yes, the pack of dogs cruised through the neighborhood at 3 or 4am and woke me up - I was warned of this), I ventured out in the morning to drop my bag at the hotel and go to the IWA's (the international women's group in Bucharest) newcomer's coffee meeting. So, even though I got quite turned around in trying to find the hotel when I got off of the subway, I successfully navigated the subway (metro) system. I was so proud of myself, though admittedly it was pretty easy :) Bucharest has an incredibly nice subway system, which was a pleasant surprise indeed. Apparently, they have guards stationed on each train, so there tend to be very few problems. Unfortunately, all of the public transport stops at 11pm, which seems very early, especially in a big city like Bucharest. Until it stops, though, the trains seemed to come very regularly, about every 5 minutes during the week and every 10 minutes on the weekend.
What is this? A car covered in astroturf?? I love it!
Yes, you might be asking yourself right now why they only tore down half of the building. Who knows....
So, I made it across town, found the hotel, left my bags in my rather strange but still okay room, and navigated my way back on the subway to the IWA meeting. I was excited to attend this (what are the odds that I ended up in Bucharest on the one day a month that they have the newcomer's coffee?!) because the women's group in Cluj has been so great. Through that group, I have met some really wonderful people, had the opportunity to attend some fantastic events, and have been able to travel to a few places (Debrecen, Sibiu, Corund), in the area! Unfortunately, the IWA meeting in Bucharest was just strange. I got there about 30 minutes late because I got so lost trying to find the hotel (let me explain, there are few street signs here so I kept walking the wrong way - and there are even fewer places to cross the busy streets so even when I was going the right way, I still had to backtrack!). When I arrived, someone was in the middle of talking. No one even looked at me or spoke to me for at least 15 minutes. It was the weirdest thing. I have never felt more out of place or more uncomfortable. Maybe I didn't look like someone who wanted to be a member of the group? I am just not sure. I had heard from former members of the group that it is pretty cliquey, but that it works out okay once you find your clique. I guess that was just not my clique. Despite the odd start (and one of the people did seem very nice), the group seems to do a variety of things. Lots of smaller groups within it, like an origami club, english language book club, etc. They also have lots of activities like a Christmas fair, etc, but those events seem to cost so much money, at least two to three times the cost of the ones we do here in Cluj, so I am just not sure I would be able to afford the things that group does.
After that meeting, I walked around a little bit with one of the wives of a fulbright person who is living in Bucharest. She had to leave soon after, but I went on to the National Art Museum, which is in the former palace of the king (before communism), located in the Revolution Square (where the Revolution started in 1989).
Where it all went down. See that tiny, short little balcony just above the flags? That is where Ceausescu gave his last speech and where the fighting began (well, if we don't count Timisoara a few days before).
The Piata Revolutiei today. A few sculptures and installations commemorate the event, but it basically is a parking lot. Strange. I know I use that word a lot for Bucharest, but it seems to be the most appropriate for a lot of situations there.
Some men reading the names of the people killed during the revolution. Only a few hundred died, but it was the last and the bloodiest, by far, of all the revolutions in 1989. And, it is said that those who took over did so not because they were opposed to communism (they were the top communist leaders after Ceausescu) but for access to money. That sure explains a lot about why Romania hasn't developed in the same way as say Hungary or the Czech Republic.
Not sure what this walk represents in terms of the revolution, but it is beautiful and sure makes a good photo.
For a little bit more about Nicolae Ceausescu: http://www.ceausescu.org/. What is really creepy is that you can watch the "trial" of Ceausescu and his wife Elena and even see their execution. This happened on Christmas day of 1989 and was broadcast on national television...something like just three days after his fateful speech at the Piata above.
Because the museum is in a former palace, it is HUGE! Unlike the modern art museum, the national museum had tons of things on display. It was divided into three sections - the European section on the left side, the Romanian section on the right side, and a special exhibit on the first floor of the Romanian section. I decided to go ahead and use my student discount to get tickets to all of the sections. The special exhibit was on Brittany, France, and included paintings, drawings, advertisements, sculptures, and costumes. It was absolutely amazing, and I found so many new artists that I loved and had never heard of. This was a phenomenal exhibit, and anyone in Bucharest should go before it closes in January or February!
Entrance to the art museum.
One furitive shot of the temporary exhibit. Just a great color for the background. And, such good art!!
You can't really see the art here, but you can tell that it is displayed very nicely.
This was an interesting room. Frescos and pieces from an old monastery. Turned into a prison at some point in the mid-20th century, started to be conserved in the 1970s until the government closed that organization, and then destroyed in the 1980s on Ceausescu's demand. This is what was saved.
The third floor was all of Romanian art, from the early years to the modern period (stopping with the start of communism). It didn't look like the redesign had made it to this floor as everything was displayed much more in the traditional, European art museum style. It was fine, but just nothing amazing, unlike the other floors, which really took my breath away. Despite the tepid display, the artwork was quite nice. It really was rather amazing because I haven't heard of any Romanian artists, and this huge floor was packed with oodles of pieces, all from the country. And, much of it was quite good. This museum really helps show how and why Bucharest was known as the Paris of the East in the 1920s and 30s and how communism really destroyed so many great things here.
Since I am assuming you are like me and don't know too much about Romanian artists, I jotted down some of the names of people who seemed to be rather prolific: Gheorghe Bardasare, Constantin Stahl, Gheorghe Tattarescu, Theodor Aman, Sava Hentia, Misu Popp, Mihail Stefanescu, Nicolae Grigorescu (if you have heard of a Romanian artist, this is probably it), Ioan Andreescu, Stefan Luchian (I liked his work!), Kimon Loghi (very interesting), Theodor Pallady (great from a distance), Eustatiu Stoenescu, Gheorghe Petrascu, Iosid Iser, Nicolae Tontiza (I liked him), Stefan Dimitrescu, Francisc Sirato, Samuel Mutzner (a very german name!), Henri Catargi
A few modern artists: Merica Ramniceanu, Corneliu Michailescu, Hans Mattisteutsch, Nina Arbore (omg, a woman!), Marcel Iancu, Victor Brauner (Kandinsky-like), Arthur Segal (Romanian pointalism), Max Herman Maxy (love the name), Irina Codreanu (sculptor and a woman), Constanti Brancusi (you will have heard of him - the kiss), Sabin Popp (religious art - interesting)
A few of the pieces I liked:
Dimitrie Paciurea (sculptor) - great piece called "Chimera of Air" / "Himera Vaiduhului"
Traian Biltiudancus - "La Treierat" / "Threshing Time"
I couldn't find an image of it online.
Iosif Klein - "Peisaj de Iarna Cu Personaje" / "Winter Landscape with People"
Wow, and I cannot seem to find one of this either. Talk about some under-represented artists!
After a few hours in the Romanian section, I made my way to the European section and went through it pretty quickly. It was just average art (no famous pieces or artists, really) and displayed in the older style. For this museum, I would stick with the Romanian side as it really stands out.
Final thoughts: All I have to say is that whoever says that the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu is the best museum in the country, clearly has not been to the National Art Museum or knows nothing about museums. This museum blew the one in Sibiu out of the water, no question. For a little bit more about the museum: http://www.mnar.arts.ro/EN_home.php
After the museum, I wandered around a bit more and found a really neat English-language bookstore. That was kind of fun to poke through. Then, I met up with Lauren for lunch/a snack. We went to a restaurant recommended by her taxi driver (and who said taxis in Bucharest were all mean?!), and it was wonderful! It was such a neat place, with all sorts of weird stuffed animals on the walls (boars, etc) and strange rustic things on the menu (again, boar, etc). It seemed like the perfect place to be for Christmas Eve, listening to old-style Christmas songs and carols. Just low key and fun. And, I had salata vinete, which I adore :)
A political rally for one of the presidential candidates, outside the art museum.
And, I think I was being followed because here is more of the rally group, but now in a slightly different part of town.
The area where the English language bookstore is. Seems very Bucharest-ian to me.
And, finally, the site of lunch. Not a great shot, but I think you can get a sense of the place. Very neat.
Following some food at the rustic Romanian restaurant (how about that little tongue twister of an alliteration?!), we got changed and headed over to the Fulbright reception at the American Embassy's cultural center. Since I hadn't really made the point of this trip clear earlier in this post, let me explain. This weekend was the "holiday" meeting for the Fulbright people here in Romania, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We had a reception on Friday night and then met for some shopping and lunch on Saturday morning/afternoon. Nothing too big, but it was nice to see everyone. So, for the reception, it was a little strange. Since it was at part of the embassy, we were not allowed to bring any cameras with us, which means that none of us actually have pictures of the holiday meeting (kind of odd, don't you think?). We were also only there for about 1 or 2 hours before they kicked everyone else. While it was nice to have something at part of the embassy, it would have been a little nicer to have had a reception like this at a place that would have allowed everyone to talk and mingle for a while longer. Regardless, it was nice to see the Fulbright office staff again, and I had a chance to meet a few new people, including Barbara Nelson who is the former director of the Romanian program and now teaches in the American Studies department at the University of Bucharest. I was still feeling pretty sick, so didn't mingle as much as I probably would have otherwise, but it was great to meet her. I also got to meet a few of the new Fulbright people who either arrived only recently or were not able to attend orientation. It was nice to get a chance to meet them, and I am sure they were glad to meet us as well. I think I would have felt pretty isolated if I had missed that meeting!
After the reception (maybe 7:3opm or so), a group of us went to a neat bar around the corner. It was very laid back, played great music, and had a good atmosphere. Too bad I don't know the name. Everyone (but me since I still felt pretty bad) drank lots and hung out for a really long time. A few of us left at 2:30am, which I was so thankful for. I was definitely ready to leave by around 10pm, but felt like I should stick it out a little longer. Even though I didn't feel up to really engaging in the conversations, it was interesting to just sit and listen to what other people were saying. Picked up some interesting information about Romania, which is always good.
And, I believe that is it for Part 1 of Bucharest.
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