juillet 2012

There are few things more soothing than shutting one's eyes and drifting off, bewitched by the spells of Enescu, Dimitrescu, Porumbescu and Negrea, to the swirling mist-enveloped mountain peaks, endlessly rolling hills, babbling brooks, joyous waterfalls, villages trapped in time.... Of course, the most famous piece known by everybody (even those who don't like the classics) must surely be George Enescu's lovely Rapsodia Romana (op.11 in A major), Nr.1. Enescu wrote two Romanian Rhapsodies (HERE'S the second) which are probably his... [Lire la suite]

"Destiny is the excuse of the weak and the work of the strong." ~ Nicolae Titulescu on democracy (Photo source) Nicolae Titulescu was born in Craiova in 1882 to a family of lawyers. On graduating with honours in 1900 from the Carol I High School in Craiova, he went to study law himself in Paris from 1900 until 1904 when he returned to Romania and published his first works subsequently going on to write more than 30 published papers in Romanian, French, English, German and Italian on problems of common and international law as well... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) This post has nothing whatsoever to do with Romania, but I was fascinated by the story of The Little Dancer and since Edgar Degas was born today in 1834, here goes... Marie was a fourteen-year-old ballet student (un petit rat) at the Paris Opéra, where Degas (see VIDEO) often drew and painted. The figure was nude to begin with, but he later dressed her in clothing made of real fabric - cream-coloured silk for the bodice, tulle and gauze for the tutu, and silk slippers. It was first shown in the sixth Impressionist... [Lire la suite]

(Image source) It causes chagrin when one can no longer speak one's mind... The general Romanian atmosphere, particularly on Facebook at the moment, makes that very difficult. Today, I have seen a friend of mine totally slammed for having opinions that dared go against those of someone else. That 'someone else' named her publically on a very aggressive status as a vehicle of pro-Basescu propaganda. You get the gist, I'm sure.... What is it about the average Romanian and his incapacity to listen, debate and discuss without insulting,... [Lire la suite]

(Photo source) Last night, I was invited to the Romanian Embassy, otherwise known as the Hôtel de Béhague in rue St Dominique, Paris 7ème for a conference, followed by some great jazz and a very sociable cocktail afterwards. It was the first time I had ever set foot in the Embassy itself although I know the ICR just next door fairly well. Tucked behind a high wall with heavy, unpenetratable street doors leading into a paved court-yard, it is a stunning palace with an incredibly eclectic mix of styles from Versailles staircases, French... [Lire la suite]