This trip also brought out another realization, which I began to take for granted. We lived in an age of remarkable easy access to information. As the day of departure came closer and closer, I checked the weather of Bucharest from various sources on the Internet. They all predicted wintery weather. I packed my suitcase accordingly.
 |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Terminal 4. |
The first segment of my trip, from Phoenix to Newark, was uneventful. But the flight from Newark to Munich was delayed due to mechanical problem with the air-handling system of the aircraft, followed by a computer glitch which prevented the proper recording of the repair. Consequently, the flight was late arriving in Munich. All passengers with connections to their final destinations missed their next flights. I was lucky. The staff of Lufthansa in Munich was able to rebook me on the next flight to Bucharest. So a quick lunch at the airport was a welcome distraction. The flight to Bucharest from Munich went smoothly.
Bucharest welcomed me with clear mid-afternoon sky, but with freezing temperature. My customer waited patiently for me at the airport and drove me to the hotel. That was very kind of him. I learned he has a daughter who is pursuing a doctorate degree in geology at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Week 1 was spent at work. The frigid evening temperature and the occasional rain prevented me from doing much. Any photographic action had to wait for the weekend. Amazingly, I found myself the recipient of exceptional generosity from my customer and a member of his team. On Saturday, they drove a colleague, who joined me a few days before, and me to Castelul Peleș. The weather was cold, but otherwise perfect.
Castelul Peleș was the castle of Carol I, the first king of an independent Romania. It was more a palace than a castle. We took a fascinating tour of the chateau. In addition to an interesting history, the decor of each of its many rooms had a theme. I just wish I could remember it all.
 |
| Castelul (Castle) Peleș. |
 |
| Castelul Peleș - interior room with Turkish decor. |
After the tour, we crossed over the Carpathian Mountain range to Brașov, a medium size town, the birth place of the Romanian national anthem. This town was also home to the largest Romanian airplane manufacturing plant until the end of World War II. Its economy is now very diverse.
 |
| Biserica Neagrǎ (Black Church) in Brașov, Romania. |
After a very delicious lunch of local dishes, we headed back to Bucharest. The next day, Sunday, my customer took my colleague and me to the Lipscani district and the Muzeul Naţional Cotroceni. As we drove past the largest civilian building of the World, Palatul Parlamentului (Palace of the Parliament), our host recounted the painful history of how his family was forcefully displaced from their home, during the reign of Nicolae Ceaușescu, to make room for this large structure and many boulevards leading to it.
 |
| Caru cu Bere - famous restaurant in the Lipscani district, serving traditional Romanian dishes. |
 | |
| Muzeul Naţional (National Museum) Cotroceni - interior room with the theme of Camelot. |
My second week in Bucharest was taken up by work. It was accentuated by an unusual snow storm. This abnormal chilly weather made venturing out difficult.
 |
| Backyard of my hotel after an overnight snow storm. |
Yet in spite of the unusual wintry weather, my two weeks in Bucharest were wonderful, thanks in great part to the fabulous generosity of my hosts. I am grateful to all the people who worked very hard to bring about this fantastic opportunity. A few more pictures from this trip are at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/130316Romania.
As always, thank you for visiting my blog. I solicit your critiques and comments to improve my photographic and blogging skills.
Enjoy.
Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment