HOW NOT TO TREAT VISITORS

8Wow! From the ancient times of the Persian Empire which conquered here through the 1970s when I was here last, Istanbul has had a reputation as a place welcoming to foreigners. No more. Donna and I experienced the new Istanbul at the airport and it is an ugly sight!  Our ride to the Bucharest airport was lovely, thanks to our landlord who drove us there. A long wait in the airport (marred only by US$8 for an expresso in a paper cup and no currency exchange that would convert our Romanian Lei to Turkish Lira (Romania is - maybe - 75 miles away) and our Pegasus 737-800 left right on time. We flew into beautiful Istanbul and landed right on time. Then "the wheels fell off" of the lost Turkish welcome. We had 1:10 to transfer from Pegasus to Pegasus. How hard could that be?  This hard only after several dozen PhDs in how to screw things up designed the system.

Expedia had told me we didn't need a visa for this trip I booked through them. I called after my online booking. In Bucharest, Pegasus told us to get a visa in Izmir. Pegasus could not issue a boarding pass for the second leg of our flight with them - "computer problems" (one of those PhDs in screwupology).  So when we exited we faced a line of 150 people or so needing a boarding pass. I called out to an agent who hustled us around the line. (No PhD involved).  Next: passport control line of 200+ people used up 40 of our precious minutes. We spoke to a Danish woman who lives in Istanbul. She assured me that the flight would wait on us - even 45 minutes!  What a business model: let's fly whenever everyone arrives!  At the head of the line the passport control guy - who didn't speak English, French or Spanish (and no doubt had a PhD) refused to let us through. We had to go buy a visa!  With 10 minutes left we turned to find the visa cashier. No signs. Found the same non-PhD Pegasus agent who took us to the visa line. We were #3.  #1 had US$.  No good for visa - so they missed their flight. #2 had Turkish Lira - the currency here;  no good. Euros only. (PhDs abound). They missed their flight. This is exactly the attitude that persuaded me that I don't want to return to Italy. Let's hope it improves.

We happen to have €50 ($67) to buy visas and our non-PhD Pegasus agent is waiting to hustle us through the "flight crew" line.   Once through the PhDs had removed all directional signs but we found our way to another security line. This time (but not in Bucharest) the PhDs had decided my wine opener was a problem. We tossed it and raced to the gate. We needed to  get Lira from an ATM but the 30 or so on the way to the gate had - you guessed it - long lines. We were late - but they were waiting for us and a hundred or so in front of us and 40-50 behind us in another line. All the while the signs say the flight has left and the PA system announces last call. We got on the plane and left the gate a half hour late.

The pilots' announcements are at 100db and the crew won't let me wear my noise-cancelling headphones. In the terminal we find an ATM. Then taxi to hotel. Sleep!

Sincudashia Bucharesti

In addition to no signs - in any language on any subject- on the trams, trains, and busses (so there is no way to know - as a first time tourist what the next stop is), not even ads; and in addition to a high unemployment rate while public parks aren't mowed and packs of dogs run wild; another disconcerting aspect of Bucharest is "sincudashia".  I have no idea how it's spelled - that's phonetic.  Getting on the metro, there is a recording played inside the train and not outside the train: "attencia sincudashia" BANG. The "BANG" are the doors slamming shut as - not after - "...shia" is pronounced. If you hear ...shia as you are getting on the train - you are caught in the doors!  As happened to us twice.

We've enjoyed our trip here, more because it's interesting than anything else. It needs lots of basic maintenance - but the city is filled with ongoing construction and re-modeling. But it's time to go.

There is a time in each of our trips, usually 3/4ths of the way through or so, when we miss our kids and our home and our friends more than the excitement of the next day. We planned for that this time: we move on to another city. We are nearing the end of our time in Bucharest and again we are there. The good news for me is the highlight place is later today: Ephesus!  Paul wrote to the Ephesians: "For we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to His Will".  I know that to be true. Today I asked Donna if she has a magic wand and could go back in her life and change things, what would she change?  She asked me. I said "nothing.  The battles I fought brought me here. God carried me through. I can't imagine better than now."

So, my longing for our kids and our house and friends is shoved aside. I'm going to see where Paul and John lived. Where John was when he wrote his most beautiful gospel.

Bucharest has been interesting. Not "interesting" as in "I'd like to spend more time here" kind of interesting. More like a composted pile of old leaves and cut grass from years ago with new life emerging from the corruption of death.  Cecescu - the communist dictator until 1989 - tore down most of the 200+ year old buildings and replaced them with big, grey, standard concrete tombs. I saw some of these in Sofia and Belgrade and Budapest in 1973 but we didn't bother to go to Romania which was both a police state and Europe's poorest country. But in those other cities, the old and the concrete tombs stood together. Here, death won out and only now is life returning.

There are so many beautiful places in the world - more beautiful with equally friendly people.

Bucharest: sincudashia.

Relaxing in our "room with a view"

[Photo]. Like our handy-dandy tram in Praha (22?) that took us everywhere, our Bucharest tram 1 takes us to the huge Obor market going one way and the huge mall going the other. For US 33¢ per trip!  

ThIs is our favorite apartment so far: rooms are large and bright and well-equipped and with nice views of the city from this 7th floor of an old, renovated, communist apartment building from the USSR years. 

The large building in the middle of the photo in the distance is the palace that the last communist dictator here had built.  When built, it was the largest building in Europe: the size of the Pentagon!   

Bucharest's buildings are 10% restored, whereas Praha's are close to 90%.  At the fall of the USSR Romania was the Haiti of Europe: financially ruined. Momentum is building, people are staying. 10 years: watch out for Romania!  [apt photos]

So, now for more luxury: we are headed to a spa - our 1st this trip - which has salt baths, steam baths, swimming pool, and a one hour massage each plus champagne all for US$110.  I've never done this in the US: costs upward of $500!

PS We survived!  It took 30 minutes to check i. They demonstrated the locker lock in the men's locker room and gave me an electronic bracelet. They did neither for Donna. You will have to read her blog for her adventure. So we arrived in our couples' massage room wearing our heavy cotton robes and little tiny paper shoes.  We were each handed a tiny plastic envelope about the size of a Splenda sprinkle. I opened it and a micro-hair net fell out. [Photo]. We were getting foot, head and hand massages so I was puzzled by this tiny hair net. The massage staff began to laugh and say "no, no" when I realized we were supposed to take off our robes and bathing suits and puton these G-strings. Well, we all had a great laugh because like the tiny shoes, these were made for really small people. But, as I said, we survived. 

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Except for... wow!

Time for a movie date!  So tonight (Thursday April 24, 2014) Donna and I headed out to go to a movie. We got on our Line 1 and headed 6 stops to a point where we were to change lines.  We found ourselves quickly going thru a very clean, very upscale, modern city and when we got to stop 6 in our rickety tram, we were in front of a giant mall. It's "only" 30% of the size of the largest mall in Georgia, but its wide aisles, indoor ice rink, laser tag arena, 10 giant movie theaters, new IMAX, and "Tequila Bowling make it seem larger and 21st. Century USA. Everything is in English too. Wow!

Romancing Romania

We lucked out. Yesterday, when we arrived, I was skeptical about Romania. It is crowded, noisy, dirty, and hot. I was tired from 20 hours on a 1982 East German (ie USSR) train with poor toilet (singular, for 30+ people), nasty shower (ditto), and tiny quarters. But mostly I was tired from the heat and from hauling 20 lbs of cooking items plus 40 lbs of backpack a half mile+ in the noise and crowds and dirt and confusion. What a difference a day makes. First, I've figured out the unnecessarily complex public transport system, our apartment is spacious, comfortable, full and equipped kitchen, elevator, ultra-fast internet. And I slept 8 solid hours in the cool of an air conditioned apartment. Today when we went out it was cool and misty. About 50F. What a delightful change!!  We went to what we were told was a huge farmer's market. I was not impressed: I love these markets and have been to the biggest and best in North Africa, the Far East, Europe, and South America. So, I was prepared to be disappointed. I was wrong. HUGE. That's the word. Canton and Hasty - imagine an enclosed football field packed to the ceiling with every kind of item with just room to walk through. Then triple it. Then put a second story on a third of it with a more Western European market there. Wow!  The prices are a bit less than the US markets (maybe even 40% less), everything is fresh.  I took a photo of one tiny corner of one section of fish market because the aisles were wider for a better photo.  Unfortunately, it's a bit blurry. I also photographed the money. It's spelled Lei and is pronounced "lay".  Each one is worth 33¢ so R10 = US$3.33

And I photographed a bottle of Romanian Merlot. 2 liters (2.5 quarts) which cost R21.50. Like I had experienced in Spain 41 years ago, you can bring your own bottle or - as here - you can buy one from them. Amazingly, they also have the same system for un-pasteurized milk - right out of the cow!  Donna took a photo for her blog. I bought 1L of milk in the grocery this morning for R6. The raw milk in the market for 1L - when you bring your own bottle - is R.5. Yep US 17¢ for 1.2 QTS. 

Continuing in the internet-free zone

The 5 hour train from Salzburg to Budapest had limited WiFi: we could send and receive text and email. That was very nice even though we could not access the web.  I have pondered how strange this is compared to 41 years ago where - even in France and Spain - placing an international call was a multi+ hour proposition. I contacted my parents every other Wednesday.

So we are now on a "first class" sleeper car going to Bucharest from Budapest. The trip was scheduled to be 16 hours plus losing an hour to an eastern time zone.  But we were running an hour late and then there was a 2 hour strike so our eta is now departure +20. I tried to call our landlord to postpone our 1p meeting to 4p but - no internet so no Skype.  My UK phone has plenty of £ left on it but it doesn't Roam in Roamania. So our conductor called on his phone and we postponed the meeting time.

The morning ride into the heart of Romania has been very interesting. One of the interesting and common sights I have been unable to photo because of the proximity to our 60mph train: small herds of sheep grazing on the borderlands between either woods or plowed fields and the train tracks. Each flock of sheep has a shepherd with a long stick. I have read that there still are wolves and bears here. But I did take some photos. As always, if and when we find internet, I will post this along with the others backed up in queue.

Racing to just miss T & E

My son Trevor and his wife Eleanor live in Warsaw. I visited with them there a few weeks ago. I have a traveling family. Next month Donna and son James will be changing planes from different continents, to different continents, for 3 hours in Frankfurt Germany. Today Trevor and Eleanor have just left Budapest Hungary. Donna and I are arriving shortly. We missed each other by a few hours!