I woke up suddenly & sat bolt upright.I was in a strange room & could hear howling. My eyes were drawn to the side windows,where an eerie glow was illuminating the other side of my bed. There I saw a figure of a sleeping man, bathed in light. The howling continued in the distance. I crept out of bed on the dark side and went to check the source of the light, careful not to wake the sleeping man, snoring rythmically to the disturbing howls.
It was a full moon.
In the distance on the top of a hill stands a white cross, dominating the valley below. I wonder who put it there and why? Am I safe here in this land of mountains, forests, bears and wolves?
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Monday, 30 May 2011
Lilacs and buttercups
Apple blossom has given way to lilacs which bloom in profusion, in gardens and hedgerows, while dandelion flowers have turned into clocks and the yellow in the orchard is mainly buttercup yellow. People really do gather lilacs in the Spring here on Sunday walks.Elderflowers are opening and release a light, fresh scent all along our road and driveway. I am looking forward to the honeysuckle & roses flowering and enhancing the scent, but even more interesting to me are the flowering shrubs in bud that I don't recognize.
There are some great tits in the garden. Richard has brought his binoculars, and he enjoys watching them from the terrace when he gets home from work.There are blackbirds as well, plus magpies,the odd dove ,the ubiquitous sparrow and an exotic looking bird which might be a type of woodpecker. The terrace incidentally goes around the house, so that you can enjoy the sun or stay in the shade, depending on the weather or your mood and it is edged with English Lavendar which is going to flower very soon. There is an outside dining table & chairs which can be accessed from the largest patio door next to the dining room. The house is well designed for the Summer. I will let you know about the winter in due course, but I can tell you that there are a lot of radiators and the windows are double glazed.
Summer gets really hot here, and already in May, the smell of meat barbequeueing is a regular occurance, and people enjoy the fresh air and the outdoor life. Lots of gardens have BBQ's, and there is a cafe society, with people often eating out as a family at reasonably priced restaurants. I have noticed in the early evening, a 'passageata',(not sure of the spelling) as in Italy and Spain, where people take a stroll with the family or friends. There is a pleasant atmosphere, and it feels safe. I look forward to discovering more about Romania and it's people as the weeks go by. I still haven't looked at a guide book even though I have one, because I want to form my own impressions.
Pa pa
There are some great tits in the garden. Richard has brought his binoculars, and he enjoys watching them from the terrace when he gets home from work.There are blackbirds as well, plus magpies,the odd dove ,the ubiquitous sparrow and an exotic looking bird which might be a type of woodpecker. The terrace incidentally goes around the house, so that you can enjoy the sun or stay in the shade, depending on the weather or your mood and it is edged with English Lavendar which is going to flower very soon. There is an outside dining table & chairs which can be accessed from the largest patio door next to the dining room. The house is well designed for the Summer. I will let you know about the winter in due course, but I can tell you that there are a lot of radiators and the windows are double glazed.
Summer gets really hot here, and already in May, the smell of meat barbequeueing is a regular occurance, and people enjoy the fresh air and the outdoor life. Lots of gardens have BBQ's, and there is a cafe society, with people often eating out as a family at reasonably priced restaurants. I have noticed in the early evening, a 'passageata',(not sure of the spelling) as in Italy and Spain, where people take a stroll with the family or friends. There is a pleasant atmosphere, and it feels safe. I look forward to discovering more about Romania and it's people as the weeks go by. I still haven't looked at a guide book even though I have one, because I want to form my own impressions.
Pa pa
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Making myself at home
As we are in Romania for 6 months, I am making myself at home by moving things around including furniture. This is not as hazardous as it sounds as it is mostly made of bamboo or rattan. The bedside tables have lift off trays which are very useful for weekend coffee in bed. I have also put the citrus orange/yellow throws from the beds upstairs onto the settees in the living room which have brightened it up considerably as the lounge is all grey & white. All the beds now have cream throws which I have washed and dried between 2 trees. We have a cream hammock to try out yet, but our last attempt in Miami resulted in ia quick downward exit onto the sand.!
Shopping is quite a challenge as everything is written in Romanian, obviously, and we need a bit of everything except tea, coffee and cereals which we brought with us. Without a car the first week, we had to go shopping regularly to get the basics and carry them home. E.g. bottles of oil and water as well as ingredients for meals. We were advized by the owner to not only drink bottled water, but to cook in it but Rich has asked work colleagues and they say it is fine to cook veg and pasta in the water but that it tastes of chlorine(?) if you drink it.
Bringing shopping home can be hazardous because of the state of the pavements especially after the rain, but Rich told me that he chose Breaza as a place to live cos it HAS pavements, as many places do not e.g. Cornu. A torch is useful at night as the street lights are few and far between and if you haven't memorized the dips and holes beneath you, you could be in trouble. I'll be lucky to get home without broken bones/or memorize the holes in the pavement; one or the other.
Richard worked up a thirst shopping, and tried to buy some bottles of beer but was not allowed to! Imagine that, Richard a connoisseur of ale being denied his favourite drink! And for no good reason! Obviously this had to be addressed. I can now tell you that to buy a 50 ml bottle of beer you have to take an empty bottle to the shop before they will sell you another. But how do you get your first one ? Watch this space. Reminds me of the olden days, taking bottles of pop back to the shop for a penny each!
The fruit and veg in the local supermarket is poor and seasonal, but you can buy religious votive glass candle holders in the hardware aisle. However washing up brushes are impossible to find. It's strange what you get used to. I can remember a time before washing up brushes and we were all happy then. I think that the local market will have better fruit and veg but I have yet to find out.
Pa pa (bye bye) for now
Shopping is quite a challenge as everything is written in Romanian, obviously, and we need a bit of everything except tea, coffee and cereals which we brought with us. Without a car the first week, we had to go shopping regularly to get the basics and carry them home. E.g. bottles of oil and water as well as ingredients for meals. We were advized by the owner to not only drink bottled water, but to cook in it but Rich has asked work colleagues and they say it is fine to cook veg and pasta in the water but that it tastes of chlorine(?) if you drink it.
Bringing shopping home can be hazardous because of the state of the pavements especially after the rain, but Rich told me that he chose Breaza as a place to live cos it HAS pavements, as many places do not e.g. Cornu. A torch is useful at night as the street lights are few and far between and if you haven't memorized the dips and holes beneath you, you could be in trouble. I'll be lucky to get home without broken bones/or memorize the holes in the pavement; one or the other.
Richard worked up a thirst shopping, and tried to buy some bottles of beer but was not allowed to! Imagine that, Richard a connoisseur of ale being denied his favourite drink! And for no good reason! Obviously this had to be addressed. I can now tell you that to buy a 50 ml bottle of beer you have to take an empty bottle to the shop before they will sell you another. But how do you get your first one ? Watch this space. Reminds me of the olden days, taking bottles of pop back to the shop for a penny each!
The fruit and veg in the local supermarket is poor and seasonal, but you can buy religious votive glass candle holders in the hardware aisle. However washing up brushes are impossible to find. It's strange what you get used to. I can remember a time before washing up brushes and we were all happy then. I think that the local market will have better fruit and veg but I have yet to find out.
Pa pa (bye bye) for now
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Photos to go with my previous posts
Some pointy roofed houses
A veg and flower shop that looks like a Russian palace
The Bali Spa Hotel
A well outside someone's garden
A couple of curiosities. A house built like a half timbered church / castle and if you look closely you will see that it is flying the Union Jack. Presumably belongs to some home sick ex-pat or a member of the NF?
Peer closely thru the trellis and yes they even have them here - bloody gnomes - but at least they keep them caged!
Finally, the lovely Balinese dancer.
Bye for now.
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Do you want a woman?
Rich being asked if he wanted a dog was an unusual request, but imagine my surprize when J asked him if he wanted a woman. I was 'talking' to M at the time, a local woman who will put our bin out every week.( Bin day is Tuesday, and sure enough she has put it out this week. ) It soon became clear that J was asking if we wanted a cleaner, and I became much more enthusiastic and encouraged Rich to agree. By this time, I realized that the house & garden are both quite large and I don't want to spend all my time cleaning and gardening when it is not my house. No sign of a cleaner yet, but a gardener has been to mow the orchard which is like a meadow. I thanked him;' multumesc '. There are lots of dandelions as in England, but there are other wild flowers of blue and yellow, plus lots of daisies. The garden is charming and there are lots of gardens which are simply orchards. Thousands of apple trees and no cider industry! Now there's a gap in the market!.
There is an electric garage door, but J said it shut once with him inside and it was like a horror film, so we agreed not to use it. ( It gave me a good idea for a story though! ). J is quite amusing.
The tour of the house included the shower room,the double bath and the very impressive plunge pool which is about 2 1/2 feet deep and has a rainfall shower centrally positioned in the ceiling! There is a bamboo filler tap (naturally) which has a round glass tap which also has a waterfall effect. There are lanterns all around the pool, which seats several people, but to fill it up with warm water apparently takes about 3 hours by which time the water won't be hot? If Rich wants to try the pool out one night after work, he will have to give me 3 hours notice!
Must go food shopping now. Ciao
There is an electric garage door, but J said it shut once with him inside and it was like a horror film, so we agreed not to use it. ( It gave me a good idea for a story though! ). J is quite amusing.
The tour of the house included the shower room,the double bath and the very impressive plunge pool which is about 2 1/2 feet deep and has a rainfall shower centrally positioned in the ceiling! There is a bamboo filler tap (naturally) which has a round glass tap which also has a waterfall effect. There are lanterns all around the pool, which seats several people, but to fill it up with warm water apparently takes about 3 hours by which time the water won't be hot? If Rich wants to try the pool out one night after work, he will have to give me 3 hours notice!
Must go food shopping now. Ciao
Friday, 20 May 2011
Do you want a dog with that?
Hi, my blog is a bit behind as I found some ants and have been exterminating them, then I felt obliged to clean out all the kitchen cupboards and pans, and utensils; something I rarely do at home!
We arrived our temporary home courtesy of the Estate Agent from Bucharest, and met the owner,J, who showed us around and demostrated how things work. This house is not connected to the sewer system so toilet paper has to go in the bin. (They didn't tell us that' til the last minute , and no, the owner didn't actually demonstrate that, but he did show us how to draw the curtains with a long pole).
The house which is detached, like all the others in this area, is set back on a long drive between 2 other houses, so there are 2 sets of gates to open to gain access but it feels very private. There are lilac trees , conifers like Christmas trees and some shrubs aound the entrance, which has a solid dark wooden door. On entering you just can't miss the sunken lounge with a bear rug,(yes,bear!) & what looks like a dog rug but is probably from a curly sheep.The whole place seems to be made of bamboo wherever possible and looks like a set from a 1970's film or a spoof of one.(Mike Myers?)
Beyond the lounge, I can see through the 2 large picture windows into the garden. I say garden, but it looks like a massive orchard and I'm not sure it is ours. I am dying to explore, but we have to do an inventory including many pieces of bamboo scattered throughout the house. My ears prick up when I hear J asking ' do you want a dog?' How strange! We decline and later find a large and a small kennel in the side garden, so I hope we haven't put any dogs out of business.
Have to go now as it's Friday night and I have to get ready to go out as is our tradition(mine and Richard's). Will tell you more soon, Ciao!
We arrived our temporary home courtesy of the Estate Agent from Bucharest, and met the owner,J, who showed us around and demostrated how things work. This house is not connected to the sewer system so toilet paper has to go in the bin. (They didn't tell us that' til the last minute , and no, the owner didn't actually demonstrate that, but he did show us how to draw the curtains with a long pole).
The house which is detached, like all the others in this area, is set back on a long drive between 2 other houses, so there are 2 sets of gates to open to gain access but it feels very private. There are lilac trees , conifers like Christmas trees and some shrubs aound the entrance, which has a solid dark wooden door. On entering you just can't miss the sunken lounge with a bear rug,(yes,bear!) & what looks like a dog rug but is probably from a curly sheep.The whole place seems to be made of bamboo wherever possible and looks like a set from a 1970's film or a spoof of one.(Mike Myers?)
Beyond the lounge, I can see through the 2 large picture windows into the garden. I say garden, but it looks like a massive orchard and I'm not sure it is ours. I am dying to explore, but we have to do an inventory including many pieces of bamboo scattered throughout the house. My ears prick up when I hear J asking ' do you want a dog?' How strange! We decline and later find a large and a small kennel in the side garden, so I hope we haven't put any dogs out of business.
Have to go now as it's Friday night and I have to get ready to go out as is our tradition(mine and Richard's). Will tell you more soon, Ciao!
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Spa hotel in Cornu,Romania
Ascending the first hill for miles,we turn right into the village of Cornu. Most of the gardens have wells & there is one shop which looks a Russian palace. There are trees full of apple blossom everywhere & it is a wonderful sight to behold!
The Bali Spa emerges at the end of a private road (more like a track). We have been given a suite as Rich is a valued customer. (Rich is short for Richard & not the state of his bank a/c!). Later,when I tell the Maitre d' that I miss Rich when he is in Romania, he tells me that they miss him when he is in England!
Leaving the 4 poster bed ,day bed & whirlpool bath behind,we go for a short walk in the hotel orchard before dinner.The day has taken on a surreal quality now & I feel as though I am in an alternative reality after being in Leeds only this morning.
After a very good dinner of aubergine dip & steak in balsamic sauce, both delicious,we sit on an enormous velvet settee, & without warning,a Balinese dancer descended the stairs & performed a traditional dance while dressed in red & gold silk robes. I found the display very moving & found myself wanting to imitate the head,neck & hand movements while seated.( I don't think anyone noticed as all eyes were on the young dancer). I discovered later that the dance is about a girl & a bird & a dance partner is needed. I would volunteer,but I would be Dawn French to her Darcy Bussell, & I don't think I would like the laughter.
I now feel that I am in Bali on holiday what with the cool tiled floors,the dark wood furniture & the dancing. Oh & the lovely sunny evening.
More later AM
The Bali Spa emerges at the end of a private road (more like a track). We have been given a suite as Rich is a valued customer. (Rich is short for Richard & not the state of his bank a/c!). Later,when I tell the Maitre d' that I miss Rich when he is in Romania, he tells me that they miss him when he is in England!
Leaving the 4 poster bed ,day bed & whirlpool bath behind,we go for a short walk in the hotel orchard before dinner.The day has taken on a surreal quality now & I feel as though I am in an alternative reality after being in Leeds only this morning.
After a very good dinner of aubergine dip & steak in balsamic sauce, both delicious,we sit on an enormous velvet settee, & without warning,a Balinese dancer descended the stairs & performed a traditional dance while dressed in red & gold silk robes. I found the display very moving & found myself wanting to imitate the head,neck & hand movements while seated.( I don't think anyone noticed as all eyes were on the young dancer). I discovered later that the dance is about a girl & a bird & a dance partner is needed. I would volunteer,but I would be Dawn French to her Darcy Bussell, & I don't think I would like the laughter.
I now feel that I am in Bali on holiday what with the cool tiled floors,the dark wood furniture & the dancing. Oh & the lovely sunny evening.
More later AM
Monday, 16 May 2011
Why Romania? Some first impressions
After many years in the caring profession, I find myself having a late 'gap year' while my husband Richard works in Romania for a while.
I thought it would be interesting to record my impressions of a country I probably would not have visited, despite the Vampire connection (I love vampire films and books; my favourite film, The Hunger, with David Bowie in the lead and book by Poppy Z Bright set in New Orleans, before the tragedy). Transylvania is not far away, so watch this space!
First impressions; stylish airport in Bucharest (pronounced Buchar'esht') with tilting glass panels which can be adjusted for the weather; quickest baggage reclaim ever, but a tear in one case.
Travelling north with Ploiesti (pronounced 'ployesht') to the west. The landscape is totally flat and a bit boring. I noticed some cafe's, restaurants, a McDonald's ,quite a few small garden centres and fields of produce to the east and west.
The architecture of the houses are in a unique style with lots of pointy rooves, often in the same building. Homes seem to be detached in this area, going north to Cornu, and most have terraces and/or 1st floor balconies.
Nearing Cornu, there are oil wells working away on each side of the road, and there are hills beyond - a welcome sight. We are going to the Bali Spa Hotel to stay tonight. So far so good!
AM
P.S. This blog post is from 9th May as there have been difficulties with the sight and it is in Romanian at my end!
La revedere! (Good-bye!)
I thought it would be interesting to record my impressions of a country I probably would not have visited, despite the Vampire connection (I love vampire films and books; my favourite film, The Hunger, with David Bowie in the lead and book by Poppy Z Bright set in New Orleans, before the tragedy). Transylvania is not far away, so watch this space!
First impressions; stylish airport in Bucharest (pronounced Buchar'esht') with tilting glass panels which can be adjusted for the weather; quickest baggage reclaim ever, but a tear in one case.
Travelling north with Ploiesti (pronounced 'ployesht') to the west. The landscape is totally flat and a bit boring. I noticed some cafe's, restaurants, a McDonald's ,quite a few small garden centres and fields of produce to the east and west.
The architecture of the houses are in a unique style with lots of pointy rooves, often in the same building. Homes seem to be detached in this area, going north to Cornu, and most have terraces and/or 1st floor balconies.
Nearing Cornu, there are oil wells working away on each side of the road, and there are hills beyond - a welcome sight. We are going to the Bali Spa Hotel to stay tonight. So far so good!
AM
P.S. This blog post is from 9th May as there have been difficulties with the sight and it is in Romanian at my end!
La revedere! (Good-bye!)
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