Photo by Gareth Johnson.
LGBT global news 24-7
An unexpected romance with Romania
GSN feels the fireworks in the Romanian mountains
After a fairly manic family Christmas I barely had time to re-pack my bags before boarding a flight to Bucharest to celebrate New Year’s Eve with my friend Liviu.
While I’d met Liviu when he was living in London, he now lives in the Romanian town of Dabuleni.
‘There’s nothing to do in Dabuleni’ Liviu had declared, so we’d arranged to meet in Bucharest - a four hour bus ride for him and a short flight from London for me.
I was on a late flight from Heathrow, so Liviu met me at the airport and we took a taxi into town to the Radisson Blu hotel where we’d booked to stay our first night.
Liviu likes a sleep-in, so it was a slow start to the day but eventually we went for a walk around the old town of Bucharest - architecturally it’s an interesting combination between grand, imposing buildings and Communist-era constructions.
We walked past a stern looking woman having a loud conversation on her phone - Liviu looked a little perturbed as he translated what she was saying: 'She said "did you kill her or just beat her?"' We walked quickly on.
Asking for directions in Romanian seems to be a long drawn out process. You first have to say ‘don't be upset’, then the person you are asking will normally reply ‘I won't be upset’ or ‘go on and ask me’, then there's a lot of discussion and hand-waving. Each time Liviu went off to ask for directions it seemed to take at least five minutes of animated conversation before he would come back and point: ‘It's that way...’
I don’t imagine Bucharest would be a particularly easy city in which to be gay - I never felt threatened or in danger in any way, but public displays of affection would definitely have been out of place.
That night we caught the train to Busteni, a mountain resort town, where we would be spending a few days and celebrating the New Year. It was a two hour train ride through the dark of the early evening, so it was difficult to get any sense of the countryside that we were speeding through.
We checked into our hotel then walked into town for dinner at local restaurant Casa Ancutei - we ordered the traditional Romanian dish Tochitura Romaneasca (pork stew, served with polenta, egg, and cheese) and drank local wine Murfatlar Cabernet Sauvignon. I had my eye on some spectacular desserts that were being dished out - Papanasi.
‘Is that a traditional Romanian dessert?’ I asked Liviu (as I would have had to try it on that basis).
‘No, it's just donuts’ he replied matter-of-factly. Disappointed, I settled for a coffee.
The brilliant sunshine of the winter’s morning revealed the most spectacular views from the balcony of our hotel room. The soaring Caraiman mountain dominated the skyline - at night the illuminated cross at its peak a beacon for the region.
Breakfast at the hotel each morning was surprisingly good - the friendly young guys running the kitchen were dishing up really good omelets. Liviu opted for the traditional Romanian breakfast platter - bread, cheese, peppers, raw onion, pig fat, and two types of pork offal sausages. I won't lie to you, not my choice for a delicious way to start the day, but Liviu was very happy.
This region is a popular holiday destination for Romanians - Busteni was busy with families and groups of friends making the most of the festive break. There is a small amount of skiing here, but it mainly seems to be more a place to just hang out and enjoy the snow and the mountains. We took the tele-cabin from Busteni to explore the peak of the Bucegi mountain - a good excuse for some mulled wine.
The following day was New Year’s Eve, we caught the train from Busteni to Sinaia - just nine minutes away by train. Sinaia is another mountain holiday town, slightly larger than Busteni. The highlight was the Peleș castle - built in the late 1800s, this is one of the most famous and beautiful Romanian castles.
Apparently it’s a Romanian custom to touch a lamb at New Year’s for good luck in the year ahead - this explained the numerous children wandering around the streets holding bewildered looking young lambs in their arms, imploring us to touch for just a small amount of money. It’s also good luck to wear red on New Year’s Eve - not normally a color that’s in my wardrobe, fortunately I was able to share the pair of red socks that Liviu had packed for the occasion.
There were a range of New Year's parties on offer, but we opted for a quiet dinner in Busteni and then drinks back in our hotel room, dancing to Romanian MTV which plays a good combination of international hits and local artists. My favorite Romanian hits were Asif Avidan with ‘One Day’, and Loredana with ‘Apa’ (Liviu described her as the Romanian Madonna).
As we counted down to midnight the shooting rockets began to illuminate the sky - there’s something magical about watching fireworks with someone who adores you.
After a slow start to the first day of 2013, we caught the train to nearby Brasov (one hour away on a slow train). It's a big city but has a pretty old town - predictably though, most things were closed for the holiday. It was such a cold day we alternated between short bursts of exploring and long stints in cafes warming ourselves with coffee and mulled wine.
Before we knew it our Romanian mini-break was over and we headed back to Bucharest to go our separate ways. It’s only a couple of weeks until we catch up again - this time in London. I’m thinking of getting some fireworks in.
You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.
Comments
With discounts and discount codes from Rabattweb get discounts when you shop in famous online stores...Rabattkoder
Improve Your Article Writing & Marketing Skills To Acquire Massive Amounts of Qualified Traffic Back To Your Website...Article Marketing
Commenting on blogs offers a fantastic opportunity to build your online presence. It can be used to build your credibility by demonstrating your ...Blog Commenting
There is a small amount of skiing here, but it mainly seems to be more a place to just hang out and enjoy the snow and the mountains. free cell phone spy software
cell phone spyware
Hi there admin, I basically required to actually give a swift note to actually express that I favored your posting. Thanks!. boxer puppies
I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post puppies for sale
Its a great pleasure reading your post.Its full of information I am looking for and I love to post a comment that "The content of your post is awesome" Great work! stella and chewys
cheap ray ban sunglasses
oakley sunglasses discount
cheap oakley sunglasses
cheap oakley sunglasses
oakley holbrook
oakley asian fit
cheap sunglasses
cheap oakley sunglasses
cheap ray ban sunglasses
oakleys sunglasses
ray ban glasses
oakley sunglasses discount
wholesale mlb jerseys
wholesale nfl jerseys
wholesale nba jerseys
wholesale nhl jerseys
wholesale jerseys
Jerseys From China
wholesale ncaa jerseys
Cheap Oakley Sunglasses
Ray ban Sunglasses
Cheap sunglasses
oakleys sunglasses
ray ban glasses
Cheap Oakley Aviator Sunglasses
Custom baseball jerseys
Custom basketball jerseys
cheap oakleys
oakleys sunglasses
cheap oakley sunglasses
discount oakley sunglasses
oakley sunglasses outlet
oakley sunglasses sale
Oakley Antix Sunglasses
Oakley Asian Fit
Oakley Batwolf Sunglasses
Oakley C Six Sunglasses
Oakley Commit Sunglasses
Oakley Crankcase Sunglass
Oakley EK Signature Eyewear
Oakley Eyepatch 2
Oakley Flak Jacket
Oakley Frogskin
Oakley Fuel Cell
Oakley Gascan Sunglasses
Oakley Half Jacket
Oakley Half Straight
Oakley Holbrook
Oakley Jawbone
Oakley Juliet Sunglasses
Oakley Jupiter Squared
Oakley M Frame
Oakley Monster Dog
Oakley Multilens
Oakley New Arrivals
Oakley Oil Rig Sunglasses
Oakley Polarized
Oakley Radar Range
Oakley Scalpel Sunglasses
Excellent Blog! I would like to thank for the efforts you have made in writing this post. I am hoping the same best work from you in the future as well. I wanted to thank you for this websites! Thanks for sharing. Great websites!
yourgoldencasino
Thats really a nice and worthy post, this Stiglitz topic is very interesting. Keep it up with the good work, thanks for sharing this article
casinocheapchips
You do not want your collars to obtain twisted in anyway and these metallic training collar stays assures the same.When you are preparing to buy, the spending budget as nicely as the value
onlinecasinostrends
See double down Casino Hi………….. This is a great site.
seedoubledowncasino
Really impressed! Everything is very open and very clear clarification of issues.
nondepositcasino
Your website is very chatty. It will be useful for all of us. You have done a work. I will come here again to inspect new updates. Thanks for posting.
mybestcasinocity
Great blog article about this topic,I have been lately in your blog once or twice now.I just wanted to say hi and show my thanks for the information provided….
Cools Cats Casino
I agree with your Blog and I will be back to inspect it more in the future so please keep up your act.
The Casino Supplies
It's late finding this act. At least, it's a thing to be familiar with that there are such events exist.
palacescasinoplay
Thanks for such a great post and the review, I am totally impressed! Keep stuff like this coming.
casinocardsgames
Wonderful post. This article affects many urgent challenges in our society. We can not be untouched to these issues. Your post gives good ideas and concepts.
These kind of post are always inspiring and I prefer to read quality content so I happy to find many good point here in the post. women s health
Sometimes it is very hard to find good content on this topic. But your blog is my way to desired information, my problem is solved now. Thanks for posting something worth reading. unlockedpoker
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it, you will be a great author.I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will come back in the foreseeable future. I want to encourage that you continue your great job, have a nice weekend! mainegamblinglaws
At that point, memory foam was just too expensive to be used for mattresses and the off-gassing wouldn't have been acceptable either. 5 lb to 5 lb per cubic foot. The Memory Foam Mattress has become the fastest growing segment in the mattress industry.
I thought it was going to be some boring old post, but it really compensated for my time. I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will locate that extremely useful bulldog puppies for sale
Of course, the first comment about paying with coins is kind of genius too! For more of my wisdom here:
kktc ilan - Chat - film izle - izmir escort - bayan escort izmir - eskişehir emlak - Thanks for this blog, we are enlightened.
I was searching the code which is used professionally. Then I saw your blog. I want to congratulate you on such a wonderful blog. child abuse stories
Most of the time I don’t make comments on websites, but I’d like to say that this article really forced me to do so. Really nice post! stella and chewys
It really is good to possess the capacity to examine a great high quality article with practical specifics on topics that plenty are interested on. The stage that the information indicated are all first hand on reside experiences even guide a lot more. Proceed performing what you do as we really like reading. how to get rid of cellulite on legs
very first speak to your physician with this respect. This is the way you will produce a few good outcomes on the run. The actual achievement price associated with abortion tablet is all about ninety five % and for
Coach Outlet Online Store
that reason you can't totally depend on this. Unsuccessful try may cause lots of difficulties towards the making it through unborn infant. You will possibly not have the ability to provide the
method of terminating your own being pregnant however you should know much more relating to this technique in advance. Study this short article very carefully with regard to more information about this subject. It may be
Coach Outlet Online
associated with excellent assist as well as assistance for you. Be sure you consider the best tablet whilst opting for a good abortion. This really is an essential point to do.
assured inside it because your own bathing suit is
Coach Bags Outlet
going to be free fitted. Additionally, should you select one which is actually as well little for you personally it will likely be unpleasant in order to put on. It will likewise not really perform rights for your determine as with a few places it will likely be as well restricted. Consequently, getting the actual mug dimension as well as how big your own sides is actually very important whenever you purchase
feasible via a couple of herbal treatments; it takes assortment of couple of herbal treatments within correct dosages as well as mixture. To obtain all of the
Coach Outlet
herbal treatments within correct mixture as well as dosages demands heavy understanding as well as knowing regarding qualities as well as potencies from the herbal treatments, that is difficult to have an regular lady. To solve this issue Large B-36
your woman favors in order to put on on her behalf wedding ceremony evening. Undesirable pregnancy tend to be usually difficult to take care of for just about
Coach Factory
any lady. There are many elements that may convince the girl to visit with regard to abortion. Abortion via medicine is usually thought to be the very best approach to terminating being pregnant. However there are several unwanted effects as well as
the one which suits a person precisely whenever you select this kind of clothing. You will find types that may cause you to appear attractive as
Coach Factory Online
well as beautiful. Whenever you search for bathing suits you also might locate a custom kind of 1 if you want to appear exceptional when you are for any drop within the swimming pool. They may be chosen through a variety of styles
Your website is very chatty. It will be useful for all of us. You have done a work. I will come here again to inspect new updates. Thanks for posting. bestforexhere.com
Birthday Gifts are not always about cake and flowers. Reinventing your gifts is a must if you are looking for variety. You can try one of these Wedding Gifts ideas to make a your special mark on the occassion: Flowers were used to express what words sometimes could not. That tradition continues today.
Whether we wish to express congratulations, offer sympathy, good wishes, or express our love to others, Anniversary Gifts speak for us when we can't find the words we wish to say. No other gift conveys the meaning from the heart like sending Soap Flowers
Suitable for cleaning hand, face, bath and etc. simply toss a handful of bath confetti under running water and allow the Gift Ideas Easy to carry. Applicable in home, trip, hotel, office and etc.
Helping others in an altruistic fashion provides one with a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that runs deeper than anything one may accomplishment with the intent of receiving recognition. segmenters.com
Thank you for writing this. I love the internet because you can learn something new every day. I'll share this with my friends, thank you! Usahawan Kecil
Are you looking for more information on how to start your own blog, or do you just have some general questions on blogging? You can get free advice and lots of information from this great new site, hcg diet drops
Great blog. All posts have something to learn. Your work is very good and I appreciate you and hopping for some more informative posts. Bathmate
This is quite interesting. The article touches many urgent problems in our society. It is impossible to be indifferent to these challenges. Your post gives the light in which we can watch our life. Well done. lamisil in children
This is quite interesting. The article touches many urgent problems in our society. It is impossible to be indifferent to these challenges. Your post gives the light in which we can watch our life. Well done. lamisil in children
Awesome blog post. Your post affects a lot of urgent problems in our minds. We can not be untouched to these challenges. Your post gives the light in which we may observe the reality. Well done. lamisil resistance
Awesome blog post. Your post affects a lot of urgent problems in our minds. We can not be untouched to these challenges. Your post gives the light in which we may observe the reality. Well done. lamisil resistance
Awesome blog post. Your post affects a lot of urgent issues in our society. We can not be indifferent to these problems. This article gives the light in which we can observe our reality. Well done. lamisil cream
I truly appreciate this post.The design of the home is very beautiful. I am very lucky to be able to come to see your weblog.Keep up the good work. www.outlooksignin.info
never knew what does fiction-nonfiction means, until I read your post. I think you have done an amazing job in explaining the concept. Thanks a lot for the information. Thanks! how to get ex back
After reading your post, I thought your thoughts were very naive but as I kept reading on, I do see you have a point. Keep on writing, I will keep on coming by to read your new content. hcg drops
I have been coming to your site for a long time. They have done such a great job with it. You cannot go wrong at all. Keep up the good work. Electric cigarette