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Sarah in Romania
25 août 2008

Iasi

P8210156Dear Everybody,

Sorry this is late, but what with that Toad article, I rather lost my rhythm... Back from Iasi in Moldavia now for a full day and I'm glad to be back in my Bucharest once again. I really do love this city. It's home, it's where I belong. I am fully aware that it's polluted, full of some of the most cretinous individuals on Roumanian soil, has dire traffic problems and could do with a really good clean, but...it's my city.

I was so glad to visit Iasi at last. After so long with it on my agenda, finally getting there and exploring was such fun despite the searing heat. The monasteries and churches are breathtaking and there are some really superb buildings to gawp at, not least the Palace of Culture and the Town Hall.

Iasi's ascendancy, says my Rough Guide, dates from the 16th century when the Moldavian princes gave up the practice of maintaining courts in several towns and settled for good in Iasi. This coincided with Moldavia's gradual slide into a Turkish satellite ruled by despots who endowed the city with the afore-mentioned churches and monasteries to flout their earthly glory and assure their eternal salvation. Basil the Wolf (Vasile Lupu 1634-53) declared a penal code where rapists were raped and arsonists burnt at the stake (sounds good to me - bring it back!); he also founded a printing press and school which gave way to the blossoming of Moldavian literature during the brief reign (1710-11...see, I said it was brief) of Dimitrie Cantemir. After he kicked the bucket (that bit's dedicated - you know who you are!!xox) Moldavia fell under Greek Phanariot rule, originally from the Phanar district of Constantinople, who administered the region for the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, as their power weakened, this dismal part of Moldavian history was interrupted by the surprise election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza (quite a character - more on him later) who clinched the unification between Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 with the support of France. In this new Roumania, Cuza founded universities in Iasi and Bucharest, introduced compulsory schooling and secularised monastic property which then accounted for a whole fifth of Moldavia. Finally, his emancipation of the serfs so enraged landowners that in 1866 he was overthrown, the status quo ante was restored, but the union was kept.

Parenthese: The rather comic tale of Cuza's downfall makes for a little giggle. Bursting into his bedroom, soldiers found Cuza in a compromising position with the King of Serbia's daughter-in-law; when pressed to sign a decree of abdication, he objected, 'But I haven't a pen'. 'We have thought of that', they said, producing a pen and ink, whereupon Cuza complained of the lack of a table. 'I will offer myself', said a colonel, presenting his back to forestall further faffing around...and so Cuza signed and went into exile. He died in Heidelberg in 1873.

The last part of the 19th century was full of intellectual life in Iasi, where the literary circles (eg. Junimea) attracted such talents as Eminescu and Creanga, who, like historian Nicholae Iorga, became national figures.

P8220201Most of the sights in Iasi can be found radiating off the central Pta Unirii (left), whilst the beautiful monasteries in the Nicolina district are rather further afield. I cannot begin to possibly describe everything to you, as Mihai and I walked our socks off and saw so much in three days that it's all become a bit of a blur of beautiful coupoles and spires, murals and friezes, wall paintings and frescoes, but I'll try...I liked IasiP8210137 very much, though it was hard to try to 'faire abstraction' from the blocks which have sprung up absolutely everywhere, and I'm really not kidding. They are unsightly, badly kempt and destroy much of the beauty of what was evidently, a very beautiful city. Almost every church we wanted to visit as well as the Palace of Culture (1905-1926) was closed due to restoration and renovation. Restoring the churches is wonderful, but closing the Palace of Culture entirely and shutting people out of the Metropolitan Cathedral (1761 - a major pilgrimage site - right) seems nothing short of financial suicide for the city, losing it a whole season of takings.

P8210151However, there were other lovely places on which to feast our eyes and take refuge from the extreme heat outside. The Casa Dosoftei (left) is home today to the Museum of Old Moldavian Literature - some lovely old books that I wish I could have smelled for I do so love that musty perfume trapped between the pages. It once housed the press that spread the words and teachings of the cleric and scholar Metropolitan Dosoftei. Next door, we fell upon he beautiful Courtly Church of St. Nicholas, the oldest building in Iasi, erected by S. Cel Mare (well, of course) in 1491 but pulled down and rebuilt by Lecompte de Noüy 1885-97.

We finally found the Barnovschi Monastery open having passed it many times - Mihai was very keen to get inside for a look. Founded by Prince Barnovschi in 1627,  it's now a buff little church witha shingled porch and a spire that looks a bit like a jelly fish and flanked by a guard tower. The Barboi monastery is quite gorgeous. Housed in a walled garden with a tall Byzantine gate-tower, it was built in the 1840's by Dimitrie Sturza, who's buried there.

P8210075A peaceful haven in the heart of Iasi although undergoing renovation, is the quiet and serene monastery of Golia whose monks enjoy a rose garden dotted with shrines. Founded in the 1560's by Ion Golia, it was rebuilt and fortified by Basil the Wolf. A pretty colonaded house stands opposite the new Church of the Ascension within its grounds, where Ion Creanga lived as a priest before he was defrocked (I'm dying to find out what he did wrong!).

The Junimea literary society (1863-1885) held its weekly meetings at the Casa Pogor, the house belonging to Vasile Pogor, a co-founder. It's now a museum to Roumanian Literature. What a charming house with its pretty garden, set back from the quiet side road at the foot of the hill leading to the Copou district.

P8210180Not far up the road, one of my very favourite buildings in Iasi, the Cuza University (left), an Empire-style edifice built by Louis Blanc in the 1890's and today houses 26 faculties and 8 research institutes of the Roumanian Academy. If you keep walking,P8210171 you come across Copou Gardens with its obelisk to victims of WW1 and its musical lions (right - each pair with loud speakers shoved between their tails and belting pop music - why?!?), an alley of busts of the notables who once frequented the park (Porumbescu, Veronica Micle...), as well as a statue of Eminescu in front of his famous linden tree which seems to have trouble remaining upright for it is supported by belts and crutches and looked sadly imprisoned to me. There's also an exhibition centre dedicating most of its space to Eminescu.

P8210095The southern monasteries are what remain the clearest in my minds eye, for they were awe-inspiring and so, so beautiful. The first, Galata (left), is entered by a fortified gate. The monastery's church was built in 1579-84 to a typically Moldavian style plan, with its enclosed porch and 'narthex preceding the nave'. But it was closed. Unable to see what a narthex is exactly!

The second monastery made me swoon, and it was nothing to do with the heat. CetatuiaP8210102 seems so remote and distant from anyone and everything. Its high walls hide a gorgeous ensemble of white stone buildings with rakish black roofs, interspersed by dwarf pines and centred on a church rather like the Three Hierarchs (that we didn't visit because it was 5 ron to get in and I refuse to pay to enter a church even if it is a lovely one) in town but less richly carved outside.

P8210117The third and final monastery was Frumoasa (meaning 'beautiful') is on a lower hill and surrounded by ruined walls. It has been restored and fair lives up to its name. This monastery, built by Grigore II Ghica in 1726-33, was restored largely in neo-classical in the early 19th century so looks rather different from the other two. When we arrived, the church was locked, but we located a nice sister who let us in to wander, gaze and admire. Outside, lovely statues, a small cemetery to unknown heroes, vegetable gardens and benches for dreaming the day away.

The memorial houses were fun to visit: Otelia Cazemir, M. Kogalniceanu and Ion Creanga.P8210088P8210091 The latter had the most marvellous little house, restored lovingly and beautifully in the early '80's. Its grounds house a summer outdoor theatre rather like an amphitheatre, a museum and a very pretty garden aflame with wild flowers and a charming water fountain. We had a guided tour of the little house and stared at the spot where this wonderful man had written his stories for children that touched the hearts of so many.

The people of Iasi are very warm and friendly - true Moldavian hospitality - ready to help, stop for a chat, offer information (even if incorrect and clearly they had no idea what on earth they were talking about!) or just smile and wish you a good day. They drive like thugs however and the roads, even in the centre, are dangerous places to be!

P8230250My highlight was meeting Anca, a friend of Nicole's, architect and working at the closed and rather inactive Palace of Culture. What a sweetheart. We spent Saturday morning together sipping cold beer under an umbrella near the National Theatre and putting the world to rights. A connection of minds and hearts. Anca is a very talented photographer amongst a list of other equally exceptional talents, and gave me some lovely pictures she had taken and transformed into postcards along with a lovely silver ring with a pusscat on that looks a bit like Dudley dozing in the afternoon sunshine. I was so touched by such warmth and kindness and her immediate show of friendship. Keep in touch, Anca!

We returned to Bucharest by train on the intercity via Bacau. The trips are less fun in long carriages ratherP8210083 than compartments. People keep themselves to themselves, there's less eye contact, less chatter... back at Gara de Nord, Lucia and George were waiting for us. Mihai was such a charming travel companion, full of ideas, information both historical and architectural. He never moaned when I had to stop due to backache, never got fed up with hanging around an old pavée, and didn't mind when I was too tired to do anything vaguely connected with nightlife but collapse and watch Midsummer Murders on Hallmark and scratch my mozzie bites! It was nice to have this time to get to know him better. Thanks Mihai!

Next trip Wednesday: Sighet with Aura and Aylin via Sibiu, Sebes and Alba Iulia.

Watch this space!

Love, Sarah

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