I'm Asking You Out: 7 Must-See Outdoor Places in Bucharest (Part 1)

                   

    Summer has just arrived, and still the big heat seems not to have arrived yet, and also the seaside season is not yet at its peak. The weather is really nice and it is a pity to stay inside. Now I assume you are in Bucharest, and you are planning to spend a few days here, before you head off to Mamaia, or Vama Veche, according to your own taste and budget. You can't miss one or two open-air strolls while you're in Bucharest. I will give you a fair share of tips, to take your pick. But anyway, keep in mind that Bucharest is quite full of parks, large and small. This is why I selected a few, either the most famous or the most interesting. 

1. Cișmigiu Park

                              

The city's oldest park, Park Cișmigiu is situated in the very center of Bucharest, at a 10 minutes walk from Universitate metro station. Its innauguration took place about halfway through the XIXth century, and it keeps a very strong flavour of times past, visible in its flower arrangements, kiosks, gazebos, benches, alleys and statues.  

                

     On the lake in the middle of it, you can go boat rafting in summer and skating in winter. The park has a lot of older and newer legends associated with it, and it is said to have been one of the favourite places for inspiration of poet Mihai Eminescu. 

                          

                                

     Nowadays, the Cișmigiu also hosts lots of cultural events, such as the Europe Day in May, the Folklore Festival in June, book fairs, and during the past years, also the theatre festival dedicated to playwright Ion Luca Caragiale. If you are hungry, there is a nice restaurant overlooking the lake in the very center (they make great roast duck on cabbage :P ), plus various open air cafes and kiosks serving drinks, ice cream and snacks. 

2. Bucharest Botanic Garden

           

You will find it accross the way from Cotroceni Palace (the President's residence). It may not be as glamorous as other botanic gardens in Europe, but it is one of those spots where tranquillity is at home, as it doesn't have the human traffic and commercial activities of the major parks. 

                              

It is the perfect place to find shadow and oxygen in the middle of summer, and stay and enjoy the colours of the flowers and the calming green of the trees. The entrance costs only 7 lei (less than 1.50 euro), and the spots not to be missed are the flowers alley, starting right at the entrance, the rose garden and the greenhouse. 

3. Carol I Park

                                  

I would say this is the 'monumental' one, standing since the beginning of the XXth century, and marking the celebration of 40 years of reign of King Carol I. It is characterized by the wide and somehow imposing esplanade, but especially the Mausoleum where several historic personalities have been buried, and the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, dedicated to the soldiers who lost their lives in the 1st World War. If you spend more time around, you may even see the change of guards in front of the monument. 

                          

What is also interesting about this park is that even in its surroundings you will find cool spots. For example, on one side you will find a very beautiful castle, also known as the Țepeș Castle, which now belongs to the Army, and, unfortunately I would say, can only be visited a couple of times a year, namely Heroes Day, Army Day and the Night of the Museums. Which is a pity, for such beauty of a castle, and I honestly hope that things will change.

                             

                            

On the other side of the park, you will find Xenofon Street, the only stairway street in Bucharest. This street has been painted a few times with various artistic motifs, and now it's like a waterfall flowing through the woods. The paint is a bit deteriorated now, so we're waiting for some refreshing and some new ideas. ;)

3. The Old Court Museum (Curtea Veche)

                       

An open air museum, for those who are into ruins... ehm, I mean archeology. It is the site of the fortified town from the reign of Vlad the Impaler, who is still there to greet you. ;) The site also has a very nice church by its side. The museum is currently closed for restoration, but you can be sure that I will keep you updated as soon as it opens. 

                                   

         I will be back in the next weeks with Part 2, where I saved the best for last, at least in my opinion. I will let you guess what places we are talking about... ;)

     

”Du... Du hast... Du hast mich...”: 10 Things You Should Know before You Start Learning German

      

   Last summer I started learning German. I had this  great opportunity at work, to sign up for language courses with the company's financial support. It was mainstream languages we were talking about (so, don't think about Chinese and Japanese, at least not yet :P ), but still, guess what. Of the entire offer, I chose the most difficult one: German. Why this choice? Because, as you know, I like a challenge, and because German is a language that is a little bit too difficult to learn by yourself through a self-taught course. Been there, done that, didn't last. :) 

       Two days ago I had my final exam, and I passed. Although I may not miss waking up at 6 every Tuesday morning, I will miss the course, because it was fun. What were my conclusions, and what advice would I give you if you were ever to embark on studying the language of Goethe?

1. Get used to the idea that it's not easy. Some myths I had heard in the past it that if you are a fluent English speaker, it would be easy to learn or understand German as well, or that it has straightforward and predictable rules. First of all, the resemblance with English is almost unperceivable, apart from some grammar rules. And those rules, well, they may be rather straightforward, but, again, they bear no resemblance to other languages.

2. All nouns are written with a capital letter, not only names. It may take a while to get used to it.

3. Reading rules are quite easy. Although you don't read as you write, there are quite a few letters and small groups of letters which are read in particular ways, and which are taught from the beginning. Do your best to remember them.

4. Be prepared for lots of composed words, which take ages to read and write, and the tongue twists that come with them. Or maybe that gets sorted out with a good supply of Jagermeister!

5. Be also prepared for words which, although in most European languages sound similar, in German they sound completely different. And sometimes even harsh. Did you know that surprise/sorpresa/surpriza in German is Uberraschung? And yes, your chocolate egg is a Kinder Uberraschung! :P

6. What almost killed me is the word order in sentences. Sometimes you feel like you play puzzle with words, and there are specific places in the sentence for each word, which must be respected, and afterwards you re-arrange all the words. 

7. Prepositions are also a bit tricky, and change according to context, like time vs. place, or positioning of the object. My favourite one is 'zwischen' (between). Sounds funky! :)

8. Start by reading easy texts, and see how much you understand. Or watch movies when you have the chance, so that you hear the spoken language.

9. Ask your teacher, wherever possible, to tell you about German/Austrian culture and traditions. Or you can search for information yourself, and eventually ask about it in class. It gives heart and personality to the language, and it makes the course more interesting.

10. I saved the most important part for the end. I was told that, when it comes to German, you have to like it, otherwise you won't manage. It's true. And in order to like it, go there prepared to have fun, and be curious and playful. Don't look at it like it is that-burden-of-a-difficult-language, but simply something new to learn, and which in the end you might actually enjoy.

    Am I encouraging you to study German? Yes - not only if you need it for work or school, but if you simply want to set your brain in motion. No - if you believe you're not good with languages, or if you give up when it gets tough. You may make it sound sweet like Romy Schneider in 'Sissi', or cold and calculated like Angela Merkel's political speech, or you may just want to sing Rammstein at the karaoke - but I promise it is worth it. :)

Meet Mărțișor: Spring's Cutest Accessory

      

  

   If you have ever been to Romania, Bulgaria or Moldova at the beginning of March, you have surely seen these small accessories with red and white lace. It is called Mărțișor (or Martinitsa in Bulgarian), and it is offered to all girls and ladies in your family and entourage on the 1st of March, and they will wear it for the entire month. 

           

   The most popular Romanian version is the one worn like a broach, on the chest, consisting in a figurine to which the red and white lace is attached. There is also the bracelet version, but this one arrived later in Romania - actually, the first time I saw one was in Bulgaria in 2011. 

                              

   There are numerous legends circulating about the significance of the colours red and white: red is generally thought to be the symbol of the blood of various supernatural creatures who defeated evil forces, and white is believed to symbolize either the melting snow, or the snowdrop, which is the first flower of spring. As for the figurines accompanying the lace, the 'classical' and more traditional ones are lucky objects, such as four-leafed clover, the ladybird, the horseshoe or the chimney sweeper, obviously meant to bring luck to the receiver. Alternative options include flowers, animals, cartoon characters, from Disney princesses to Minions, and all sort of cutesy stuff. 

                     

     When I was little, I remember I used to bring a big bag of mărțișoare to school, for the teacher and all the girls in class. And afterwards I was returning home with the bag still full, with mărțișoare from all the other kids, and also the teacher. :) Nowadays, we don't receive them, nor wear them as much as in the past, but we still like them. It is another tradition still going on, or, better said, rediscovered. 

      That said, I wish all of you, girls and boys alike, to have a wonderful spring, which should see al your dreams come to life! ;)

Forget Valentine's Day! Did You Know that Romanians Have Their Own Love Celebration?

        

      

      Don't worry, I found out late myself! That is, I was already in my early 20s, around 2004, and I found out from a former workmate who was an expert in Romanian folklore. :) Therefore, today, the 24th of February, we celebrate the Dragobete, the traditional Romanian celebration of love and youth. A celebration from generations way-way past. And yet, all my childhood and adolescence I didn't even know it existed. Wonder why... Most probably, as it was the period of time which immediately followed the Revolution, and characterized by a somehow 'anti-nationalist' cultural trend, my generation was rather concerned with adopting the Valentine's Day from the western world. And the interest and love for the national traditions only arrived later.  

      So, who is Dragobete and what are the customs associated with this celebration? I read some stories and anecdotes about Dragobete, all with the atmosphere of times past. It is said that Dragobete was the son of a wicked old lady, a handsome and romantic young man, who, as legend tells, was joining animals in marriage, and later he extended to humans. On the 24th of February, as spring is almost here, the village's young couples were getting engaged in order for their love to be blessed and to last, other youngsters were joining themselves in symbolic brotherhoods, or were going to pick snowdrops, the flower that symbolizes spring's arrival, or were casting spells in order to attract love in their lives. It was also told that Dragobete was protecting those who celebrated him from illness, and so much more! 
            

       Being a celebration that we rediscovered rather recently, I would like to see it gain popularity, and I think it's getting there. Of course, it is more popular in the country side rather than the city, but here as well, we have lots of themed fairs and events. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd like Dragobete to fall into the other extreme, that of the 'commercial' and cheesy pinky-lovey-dovey associated with V Day. But for the time being, we're enjoying it, whether we are coupled up or not,  and we're happy that it's ours and nobody else's. 

The Culture of Protest and the New Romanians

      

    

As many of you might already know, Romania has been living on the edge in the past almost two weeks. The information has been all around the international press, that hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting accross the country against a decree proposed by the new government, which would have absolved a fair number of politicians who are convicted of corruption and other similar allegations.

       But of course, I'm not exactly here to talk about politics. You might also remember that I often raised the topic of active citizenship, saying that our country is at its first steps in the field, and also that, unfortunately, for older generations, it is something that reminds us of communism.

                     

        However, look at us: we`re learning! We`re al the thrid major event of this kind in less than three years. We had the suspicious organization of the presidential elections in November 2014, the tragedy of the fire of the Colectiv club in November 2015 (which was also the consequence of a chain of events including corrputions and negligence), and now this. And we learned to protest in a peaceful and civil way, and even get creative while at it. Some banners are funnier than others (some of them even naughty, rude or vulgar, but our politicians damn well deserve it :P ). Heck, protesters even danced in the streets. All media accross the world are giving our example, and for something good this time.

          I was there too. And it was worth it. Because it feels like you are fighting for something constructive, together with a huge number of people who think exactly like you. Because it gives you a certain feeling to strutt accross the crowd with a big national flag. Because you can chat up with random people (and yes, I also used to complain that Romanians are not as friendly as I would like), and bump into friends and aquaintances you haven't seen in ages. And so much more!

         I don't like what happened on the political scene, and I hope that thing will work out in favour of honesty and transparency. But what I like is that it looks like we have a generation of new Romanians, and that in the future we will stay this united. Ah, and of course, that we will also be this active when we go voting, in order not to repeat similar episodes in the future! ;)

Do You Celebrate Your National Culture?

 

For my first post of 2017, I have chosen a recently-designated special event in Romanian society. Since 2011, this day was chosen as our National Culture Day. Not by chance, as today we celebrate also the birthday of Romania's most important poet, Mihai Eminescu, born on this day in 1850. 

               

   

   Mihai Eminescu, a romantic poet by excellence, has remained in history for his works of great depth and complexity, touching several themes - love, nature, history and patriotic spirit (most of the time glorifying the country's past as opposed to the present political class - yep, still painfully actual), the mysteries of life and death, and so much more. He also had a tragic destiny, having lost his life at the age of 39 in circumstances which are still being questionned nowadays. Eminescu's works have been translated in various languages, amongst which English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and not only. Therefore, my advice is to find him and become familiar with his poetry - you will not regret. We certainly haven't regretted all the hours we spent studying and analyzing his works when we were at school. :)

        Nevertheless, beyond Eminescu, who definitely deserves us to celebrate our national culture on his birthday, I realized that we actually need to celebrate our national culture all the time, no matter where we are coming from. Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves, and to challenge ourselves with:

        ... Do we know our country well enough? Have we visited the most important or unique parts of it? Do we know the traditions of every region?

          ... Do we speak and spell the language correctly, without silly mistakes?

      ... Are we reading enough of its classical and contemporary literature?

           ... Do we know its history? Can we name as many public figures who made us proud throughout time as we can?

              ... Can we cook at least one traditional dish? (Yes, I know many of my foreign friends expect sarmale from me, but I promise I'm getting there... someday... :P )

             ... Can you organize a party only with your national pop music?

             ... Last but not least... can you stand up for yourself when your country loses its reputation on the international level (this one is for Romanians, but not only).

          I confess I may not be able to answer 100% YES to all questions, but it is something which must be continuously developped with time. Let's all celebrate our national cultures. Do you accept the challenge? ;)

          

Romanian Holiday Spirit: what Should You Expect if You Spend Christmas in Romania?

     

 

   Last time we spoke about St. Nicholas and the presents he leaves in our boots, but now, as a couple of weeks have already passed, Christmas is slowly but surely approaching. Well, as you can imagine, in Romania Christmas is an equally big celebration as in the rest of Europe. However, let's see together what happens, and then you will decide how similar or different it is, compared to your own country. First of all, I have to mention that there are very big differences between Christmas in cities and Christmas in the country side, or differences between various regions of the country. Therefore, now I will talk about Christmas in Bucharest and southern Romania. Well, it might not be as poetic or picturesque, but nevertheless, this is the Christmas I grew up with and which I can tell you about. :) An essential part, which applies to the entire country, is that Christmas is generally spent with the family, immediate and extended, and even close family friends, who are like family anyways. Of course, contexts may vary, but that's the general note. 

Christmas Markets:

Christmas markets have become a part of our lives more in the more recent, post-communist years. Generally, they are located in the cities' central squares, but also in parks or shopping centers. What happens there? Creativity at its best, different from year to year, as far as lights and decorations are concerned. Small shops designed as chalets, selling... pretty much everything. Christmas home decorations, mulled wine and other home-made drinks (alcoholic or not), food of all sorts (including warm food to be eaten on the spot), sweets, handmade clothes and accessories, and other traditional art work from all parts of the country. Moreover, live music is on every evening, especially in bigger Christmas markets.

Home Decorating

  As you can imagine, the main 'hero' is the Christmas tree. Shamefully for the Romanian population (myself including), we still have the tendency to prefer natural trees, because of the scent. That we are not exactly protecting our forests by doing so, it is an unfortunate matter but we are working on it. And that we'll spend the following next months cleaning up every single needle in the carpet, that counts as extra entertainment. :) Of course, apart from the tree, you can also get creative with other kinds of decorations as well: Santa Claus and snowman puppets, Christmas themed table cloths and napkins, pine crowns to be placed on the door, or small branches on the table, as well as suspended threads of lights around the house (the latter were my grandad's speciality). 

The Music

A very typical Romanian practice has to do with singing, playing and listening to 'colinde', which are popular Christmas songs, many of them by anonymous authors, learned from generation to generation. Themes are either religious, with the birth of Christ the saviour, either simply Christmas-y, about winter and snow, and the family being together, and Santa Claus bringing presents. What you may not know is that brave and preferably talented children and youngsters are traditionally walking from house to house on Christmas eve, to sing this kind of songs, and get sweets or money as a reward. This tradition is nowadays practiced more in the country side, but it does happen in the city sometimes as well. Should you trust to open the door to them? Here is a tip: you generally hear them sing when they enter the apartment building. Some of them have good voices and sing really well, and generally are music or theology students. These are those worth letting in and listening to. ;) 

The Presents

Moș Crăciun (Old Man Christmas), a.k.a. Santa Claus comes on the night of the 24th to the 25 of December. And we find the presents when we wake up in the morning. Preferably, they should be a surprise. Which leads to hiding the presents in the most improbable places and packages, as well as snooping around the house in the middle of the night, when the rest of the family is asleep (or so you think), and make sure Santa Claus doesn't get caught. :) Regardless of the budget, Moș Crăciun always gets to be generous one way or another, and no matter how old we are, we are still waiting for him. Eagerly. Very eagerly. :) 

The Food

Did I just save the best for last? :P As I have said numerous times, Romanians don't do 'light' when it comes to food. And when it comes to Christmas, we migh as well call ourselves '50 shades of meat', with occasional appearences from vegetables and other stuff. The more religious of us will go for a few weeks before Christmas without any animal foods (meat, dairy or eggs), but my family never did, or at the very most tried in vain. :) However, on Christmas day, it's time to let loose, and pray that little Jesus saves you liver as well. The main meal, when everybody gathers around the dining room table, is the lunch of the 25th of December, and these are the main heroes: 

- sarmale: 

The main course, but also the most popular. Probably the most famous Romanian dish, although there are variations of it in several Eastern European countries as well. Basically, it is minced meat, normally pork, all rolled up in cabbage leaves, and served with polenta, sour cream and green chilly pepper. Let the holy cholesterol rise! :)

- piftie: 

An appetizer, probably the second in popularity after sarmale. It consists of meat in gelatin, generally pieces of pork legs and ears (the skin is important), adding sometimes pieces of vegetables (which makes it even more tasty).

- sausages:

All kinds, all compositions, all shapes and sizes. 'Nuff said!

- pickles:

Vegetables in spiced brine, sometimes also with vinegar, with added black pepper, celery and dill. These veggies include cucumbers, red pepper, cauliflower, green tomatoes, carrots or yellow beans. 

- cozonac:

The main dessert, which is a baked loaf cake, with fillings varying between walnut cream, cocoa, rahat (the Romanian version of Turkish delight), or raisins.

Of course, Christmas lunch is not only limited to these foods, but they are basically the ones that should not be missing. Otherwise, you only have to get creative and create abundance... for the stomach. :)

Have I convinced you to visit Romania next Christmas? Despite the cold, it's a very warm celebration, and we are all looking forward to it. Next time, we will talk about New Year's Eve. In the meantime, I shall wish you Crăciun Fericit (easy to figure out what that means), and to spend Christmas with those you love the most, and to find joy in every moment.