*** Sunday, 15 Dec 2002 ***
I was to observe a fact finding meeting in Suceava (part of the Romanian region of Moldova) this Tuesday so Paul suggested that we drive there. Since time was needed to be sure the rooms were appropriate, etc., he proposed that we leave on this morning since it was an eight hour trip. So Simona, Alexandra, myself and Paul found ourselves driving through the snow. We would meet the other member of the team, Adrian, at the hotel. During the trip Paul raised the question of who will translate for me during the session. He said he would try to get the city to recommend one for me.

The road to Suceava had a number of turn-offs. This tree-lined one fascinated me.

We left the office at 11 AM and arrived at the Balada Hotel in Suceava at 6:30 PM. My bathroom contained two pieces of paper that said "dezinfectat"; I got the idea. The hotel had been renovated in the recent past and the comfortable rooms had tiled bathrooms.

The team had already worked together in Iashi (Yash) so they were comfortable with each other and we had an enjoyable dinner together. The food in the hotel restaurant was unusually good and unpretentious. I had mici (pronounced meech), skinless sausage that is a Romanian specialty) for the first time since I came back to Romania and it was superb. Another Modovan specialty on the menu was "tocinei" (or tochina phonetically) which is a delicious potato pancake. The combination of the two was mouth-wateringly good. (I heartily recommend the cuisine of Moldova to everyone who can get there.)

*** Monday, 16 Dec 2002 ***
This hotel has bath towels that are thick and fluffy and really wrap around you but the only desk space is so low to the floor that the only thing you can sit on is a stool lower than most hassocks. Nice looking but not big on comfort for the weak-of-back.

The room had an Ethernet cable but you can only receive email not send it and you can't use a browser at all. A good beginning but they are still unclear on the principle. Ultimately Paul and I found some phone cord downtown and used our modems to connect to our service providers in Bucharest. At least the phones use the standard jack system.

Paul on the left, Alexandra in the middle and Simona on the left in front of the Stephen the Great's fortress -- in a rush.

It was a very cold and gray day. After visits to the County Council and the City Hall, we toured the Cetate (fortress) built by Stephen the Great in the 15th century but it was so cold that we practically ran through it. Nearby was a restaurant that had mulled wine, and very good mulled wine at that. After the cold, the warmth was wonderful and we ate there as well. Later we visited a department store downtown but they had no digital Hi-8 film (though they did have Hi-8 film).

While trying to find the fortress, we drove down an hill and then Paul realized we were headed in the wrong direction so he made a U-turn in the road with a lot of room to spare. As we headed back up the hill a cab honked furiously at us and we looked at it only to realize that the driver was a bearded Orthodox priest who was pointing his forefinger at his temple to indicate his opinion of us and was say things that were very unpriestly. Everyone in our car broke out laughing at the sight of it all.

*** Tuesday, 17 Dec 2002 ***
I had a breakfast of orange Fanta which I was obliged to pay for when I checked out.
I have had one of my funny colds since Sunday in the car when I started sneezing a lot. Now my nose runs during the day and dries up at night allowing me to sleep fairly comfortably. Not much of a cough is involved but my nose tingles a lot especially near cigarette smoke and two of the team members smoke although they are as thoughtful about it as they could be.

I asked if it was always this gray in winter and Alex said "most of the time". So I should stop being surprised by it.

When we got back to the hotel lobby we all headed upstairs as if by rote when Paul said that he was going to have a drink before dinner and Alexandra, Simona and I wheeled to go with him. I decided to quickly drop my bags in my room first and saw Adrian on the way. He remarked, "Young people make a good team."

Paul, Alexandra and Simona walking back to the hotel in Suceava after a pleasant dinner.

Paul, Alexandra, Simona and I had dinner with two representatives of an American-based NGO and we walked through the snow to the Latina restaurant. There was a salami and pepperoni pizza on the menu and I tried to go all the way and ordered a pepperoni and pepperoni pizza and I got it.

The only problem was that the the word pepperoni referred not to our favorite sausage but to a green pepper. Bummer although the pizza itself was very good -- after picking the green stuff off. This, of course, led to a discussion of my dietary habits. During the discussion, a Romanian told me that it was an old saying that "the best vegetable is pork." I agree completely.

*** Wednesday, 18 Dec 2002 ***
The rest of the team was on to Piatra Neamt for another fact finding session. I was up and 6:15 AM for my 8:15 flight home. The hotel called a cab for me and we went to the airport where I was told that both plane flights that day were cancelled due to fog. The cab seemed happy to take me to the train station as an alternative (360,000 lei about $12). I stood in line at the ticket window only to be told that the tickets on the train to Bucharest would not be sold until after 10 AM. It was 8:15. I found a phone and used my phone card to call my realtor to tell her that I would not be at the airport but that I would be at the train station in about 11 hours.

The train station a grim affair of dirty walls and wet floors. Gray dreary light filtered in through moisture-coated windows. On the other hand it was smoke free and heated -- badly heated but heated nonetheless. The Waiting Room seemed to be a popular spot for begging: we were visited by two boys singing horribly, an old man who was the very essence of destitution, and a woman with just a stump for foot which she prominently displayed while she begged her way around the room.

After 10 AM I got a first class ticket for 390,000 lei. Then I had to wait until 1:00 PM for the train.

I got the slow train with lots of long delays (Bacau must have been over 30 min). At one point the corridor was filled with 3 bears, 6 drums, a whistle and a fund raising collection. I gave 10,000 lei just to get rid of them. They looked like they were wearing the skins of real bears: it was a very unreal sight.

Another advance in Romania is that smoking is no longer allowed in train compartments, just in the aisles. There were three other people in my car and the most talkative of them occasionally would open the door and half stand in the compartment while his smoking arm was in the corridor. Still a measure of progress. Years ago we used to buy all the seats in a compartment just to have a non-smoking space. That isn't as needed now.

As we headed south in the failing light, the flat plain looked like the top of a chocolate cake well-sprinkled with sugar. At each stop more people got on than got off but the four of us, me, a white haired man who looked like Spencer Tracy, his son and a garrulous old friend, were undisturbed. The white haired man had a kindness about him that transcended nationality and other differences.

At some stop about three hours from Bucharest, the train was full and several men came into our car and had tickets for our seats. There was a loud discussion accompanied by a repeated display of ticket stubs, then quieter voices and, finally, a compromise. The newly arrived hung their coats in our car and brought in lots of plastic bottles in bags. Was it tswika or kerosene? It can be hard to tell the difference.

Everyone seemed to mellow out and soon our new friends were unwrapping plastic cups and offering wine to the other Romanians. The Tracey look-alike was my advocate. He suggested to the wine bearers that the I should get some. He seemed to say that my status came from the fact that I was an American -- at least "American" was the only word that I could understand.

At long last, around 9 PM, the train pulled into Gara de Nord and I was met my Mihaela of Professional Realty. Was I grateful! I could have kissed her. She took me to my new apartment where I got a great night's sleep.