Tags: Sibiu, interview, Romania, fieldwork, Bucharest, weather, Sighisoara, food
Date: 18 July 2007 19:53:49
Thank you Ian, I am definitely not undead. At least, I wasn't last time I looked.
Dracula's birthplace (aka Sighisoara) was fantastic, it hadn't been McDonaldised (being a UNESCO World Heritage Site probably helped in that regard) though it had been somewhat taken over by cheap souvenir sellers all over the place. I got some good photos, but forgot to bring my memory stick to the internet cafe tonight, so I'll have to put them on the blog tomorrow.
After getting back on Sunday HD was going to cook, but most of the veg was either uninspiring, mouldy or both, so we ate out instead at my favourite restaurant here. Oh well, such is life - it's tough but someone has to do it.
Then Monday we got the bus to Bucharest, where it was very very very hot. Bleurgh. I did say to him I'm really looking forward to Greenbelt, I'm not expecting temperatures in the high 30s there so it means we will be able to have a cuddle without sticking to each other (I know, it's a lovely image - probably best not to dwell on it). When there we went to a wonderful Lebanese restaurant not far from the hotel - I really don't like Bucharest much, but one thing it really has got much more sussed than anywhere else in Romania is eating out. Apart from this Lebanese meal, we've basically had either pizza or pasta (but mostly pizza) every time we've eaten out anywhere else, and I'd say that was pretty typical for just about every town and city I know here.
Yesterday we had a quick walk round Herastrau Park (probably my favourite place in Bucharest - much calmer and greener than the rest of it), including an amusing incident near the Arc de Triomf (yes Bucharest has one too - it's smaller than Paris's but bigger than Chisinau's) where some passing Roma tried to ask HD about his camera. We'd had a bit of attention from Roma in Sighisoara too, and I think it was mainly because of his hat (which is somewhat like the hats that Roma men wear, and nothing like the hats Romanian men wear), plus as he pointed out pretty much the only men with any facial hair here are Roma, most men are clean-shaven, so I'm pretty sure they thought he was Roma. The Roma in Sighisoara looked at us as we passed and made a comment about "gadji" which I'm pretty sure is the Roma word for "non-gypsy" - I think they were commenting on me (far too blonde to be Roma) holding hands with this hairy hatted guy (I mean he's hairy and had a hat, not that he had a hairy hat).
Anyway, after that, we got on a (very very very very very hot) bus and went to the airport, where I only cried a little bit (unlike when I left in May when I howled), and then he flew off to Wales (which according to the TV was 20 degrees cooler than Bucharest yesterday) and I caught the bus (with less than 10 minutes to spare!) back to Sibiu. It feels very strange not having him here - I did often go out to do interviews or observations or whatnot and leave him in the flat (he had work with him too, he wasn't just twiddling his thumbs), and it was great that he was here to come back to. Fortunately I've had a very very busy day today, including a good interview with an even Bigger Cheese than the last Big Cheese, so at least I've had things to distract me. And it's still boiling here. Tomorrow, according to the paper, temperatures in Transylvania will be hitting 39. Oh joy (but at least the washing will dry).
Photos to follow (of Sighisoara, not of washing!).
I can't believe I only have a week left in Sibiu! It's gone so quickly. After that I have 3 nights back in Cluj, and then I'm off to Moldova for 2 months (with a Greenbelt break in the middle). The adventure continues. Eek.