septembre 2012

(Gheorghe Leahu: Popa Nan - Original source) La multi ani, Bucuresti! Today sees 553 years since Bucharest first appeared in a written document dated 1459. 553 years.... An old lady in some ways and a young one in others, depending on your comparisons I suppose. Bucharest became Romania's capital in 1862. This, from Wikipedia: "Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and Art Deco), Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city's elegant architecture and... [Lire la suite]

(Photo: Alexandru Mitache) The (once) beautiful villa, casa Solacolu, on the corner of bd. Lascar Catargiu and str. Visarion is no more... It has stood waiting for the 'coup de grace' since 2001 and managed to remain as upright as it possibly could despite the appalling, willful neglect causing at least half of its illegal disintegration, the constant theft of just about everything in it (no one has ever been charged) and two terrible fires (no one was ever charged for those either, funnily enough...) in as many days. Today,... [Lire la suite]

My month in Romania came to an end far too quickly and I am back at base having emptied the last dregs of my suitcase, feeling rather forlorn. To my CDs I scrambled for some audio-therapy and found this lovely (and amusing) old folksong, Mă dusei să trec la Olt sung by Maria Tanase, which took me straight back to the country of my heart in the wink of an eye and three wonderful days spent in Moieciu de Sus, Transylvania. One of my dear friends sings in a band. He has a great voice and a huge repertoire, amongst which is this one he... [Lire la suite]