Romania Trip

Othe plane, flying back from Bucharest.
we stayed with Mariana and Ghica Bota, the contractor for the Lucaci project. 110 Lucaci was the apartment owned by DAvid. who died on November 12, 2007. He gave me the apartment, although we never executed the transfer. there was a problem with my owning real land and so we dragged our feet, until he died. Since we were in the throes of construction, we decided not to do a will transfer since it would slow down the project. Since nearly everything had to be done with permits, we had to think and rethink how to proceed. In the meantime we hired Cristian Darie to do the citizenship. Several things happened in the course of this trip, he told us that he had filed the recently requested papers which included sometype of police clearance both from the US and from ROmania, and expected to hear from the authorities in 2 months, hopefully with a final determination. The apartment is splendid, in the heart of bucharest (Not the best quarter) but in the center. Billie put his heart and soul into the project and produced a lovely environment. The blue tiles in the bathroom, the jacuzzi bath, the gorgeous floors throughout, the windows and doors, the kitchen, the terrace, the stairs, every detail perfect. In stark contrast the Bota apartment seemed like post Communist squalor. HOw these people lived! small, tight apartments, terrible building clustered together, around dirty courtyards, an occasional spindly tree, a few blades of grass, fighting the asphalt, cars piled up on top of each other, the sooth stained concrete flailing, one wonders at the need for the balconies originally included in the design, all now enclosed by thermopane windows, no need to look out on a nonexistent view, all the buildings the same, the same sad dark dank hallways, tight fitting elevators, moving up and down against logic, the terrible smell everywhere. the common spaces irrelevant. Inside, the family squeezes to fit the space. The Stefan Nicolae family, who had us over the last time we were in bucharest together, lived 4 together, somehow managing the space. The Botas likewise, draw a curtain to separate their bedroom from the livingroom, which although small, has a table, chairs, credenza, and TV and serves as living, dining room. the small kitchen has a makeshift sink, a 4 legged table, a credenza, and an easy chair. all the cooking happens there, and in the back, in rooms the size of closets, lives the grandmother. Yet, they fit us in, and magically, it became home to us. It was really good to come back there after a long day shopping for supplies, fighting the Bucharest traffic. Billie introduced me to all his Bricko stores. We bought a ballustrade, and an umbrella for the terrace, and a refrigirator, and looked at kitchens at Ikea and at Briko and at Gallxy, and so on. And we did contract for a kitchen and drove to some unforsaken place for an interrcome system, and got TV and cable, and internet service. We tried to deal with Mihai, the crazy guy behind us who threw stones in our windows. We drove to Nicoleta's office to meet her accountant, and saw her and tht was nice. it was her birthday. Nicoleta Rusu is a young attorney in Bucharest, who is Irina's cousin. she is lovely. We went to Iulian's office, and saw Iulian, who is impressive, the son of the Bota's. His mother told me Iulian stories. We met his uncle George Iacob and his aunt Viorica Iacob. He is a painter, sculptor from the 40's. NOw in his 80's, he was getting ready for a show in Bucharest. He showed us lovely water colors, and then some old paintings. We bought one. It was interesting being around them. We were told by Iulian and the Botas that he was famous, that both his and his wifes work was commissioned by the government as gift to dignitaries. Whatever their fame, clearly they lived the lives of artists. He is Mariana's uncle. VIorica got pregnant early in their marriage, and aborted the child. they were too poor at the time. She had complications from the abortion and could not have more children. they live the life of asthetes. a Beautiful building, all windows on one side, built in the 60's. a large room with enormous ceilings forms the studio downstairs, then a second studio upstairs, in the back private quarters. VIorica is a weaver. SHe told me that she found that weaving best allowed her to reproduce the furrows in the land which she most loved. We also visited their house at Malul Spart (the broken shore). Beautiful old house, attached to their studio, again a large room with wall to ceiling windows. Each room in the house, already set up for touring...each item carefully chosen, collections of peasant pottery, and other beautiful objects, lovely gardens, essentially a good life. We spent a weekend at Malul spart, doing very litle other than eating and walking down to the river. Next door to the Bota property lived a gypsy family. They had chickens with chicks, ducklings, gooslings and dogs and horses in their yard. Also they were the iron forgers for the area. So from begining of morning until late at night, he was forging metal, plows, shoeing horses, etc. The sound of the gavel was constant. They were nice and eager to have their pictures taken, and to show off their skill at shoing horses. One of the horses was a racing horse, and this was the first time he was going to be shoed. He scrpaed off hoof material (which he called nails)..a man pulled his cart and horse into their yard. The cart looked like a gypsy cart. Mariana, the neighbor was eager to point out to me that the man was not a gypsy, he was a merchant selling lie to the neighborhood. She told us he cooks the limestone down to reduce it to white chunks, which when mixed with water dissolves, giving off steam and heat, and yielding a white paste, which is then used to pain tress and fences and house. He goes house to house selling the stuff. This too is a living. Apparently he merely sleeps at Mariana's house when he is off selling his lie. WE continued our walk to the river, and saw a wagon, its horses grazing quietly nearby. In fact, only some of the animals were horses and some asses. There was a group of gypsies, sitting in the grass, small children playing in their laps, and as soon as they saw us they came to beg. We were walking with Simnona, a doctor, friend of the Bota's who had come on Saturday from Bucharest to have lunch with us. She urged the gyspies to stay put, that we would bring them food. I appreciated her care for them. she confessed that she was actually afraid of them, but also that she always gives them food. Later I gave them 10 lei for the children. Mariana told me not to give them money, because they were rich gypsies, they had one of those gypsy palaces in Bucharest and had only come to the country for the weekend. I guess it was their camping trip. I told her that it was OK to give them some money even if they were rich. When i admired the gypsy woman's litle girl's skirt (the only thing she was wearing) she told me that it came from Italy, that they had family in Italy who sent it to them. Later on the news there was a story on TV about the problems iwth the Romanian gypsies in Italy. Probably the relatives. IT was interesting that Mariana, the forger's wife, wanted to point out to me that she was not a gypsy, yet she knew so much about the gypsies. And she further told me that she had gone to Bucharest when the bulibasha of the gyspies had died.They kept him in a tent for a week.She told me "thats how they are, they just like their tents". I asked the gypsies what they were doing, they said they were from Bucharest and that they were traveling, when i pressed to find out where they were traveling to they said they were just coming here, meaning that they would go back to Bucharest. So strange. and yet so cool. the following weekend, they did not come to Malul Spart, we looked for them. the plateau looked sadder without them, although the poplars stood impressively impassive.
I remembered Mironescu frequently througout the trip. MIronescu was my gyspy client who was granted asylum, and then as a result of an effort by the Romanian government to extradite him, he spent 3 years in jail in NOrth Carolina, while his public defender fought valiantly for his freedom. In Sighet, Billie and I met a lawyer (brajan) from Baia Mare, our age, who told me that Mironescu's story of being forcefully
moved from the Iasi area when he was 11 years old, living in a gypsy tent community of about 900 families, when the romanian army came and set fire to the tents, creating panic in the people, forcing them to flee, and as they separated, the military would grab them and force them into army trucks, and then move them to separate corners of hte country, give them birth certificates, Romanian names, fictitious birthdates, to try to integrate them into society.
Sighet was magical (as always). The drive to Sighet, was unbearably long for Billie, who was in excruciating pain. Ferry directed us to Buti's hotel which was a bust. Billie didnt even eat anything and went driectly to bed. I stayed around, humoring Buti. I asked if anyone had calle Toni, and was told yes. I finally went to sleep, determined to move us to another hotel in the am. BIllie felt better in the morning. We had a sad breakfast. Buti who knew why we were in Sighet, insisted on having us meet his attorney who was the best. The guy was sharp. I understood from Buti that he himself was involved in some land disputes. this is the common them in Sighet. All those Jews driven from their homes, first to the death chambers of Auschwitz (35000 of them) and then to Israel, etc. now grabbed by others. Buti told me he was suing for a property which his uncle allegedly purchased from a Jew from California who was now dead. The deal was merely recorded on paper, and alhtough Buti already proved that the paper is authentic, (30 years old) he needed another verification (and asked me to give him a notarized statement from the now deceased fellow, verifying that he had indeed sold the property to Buti's uncle). I had alreayd decided that none could be trusted, and proapbly unfairly thought the whole thing a scam. Later we met VIctor Markus who took us to the Eli Wiesel house, which is a nice litle museum at the end of my street. WE never got to the Synagogue, but we did attempt to climb Solovanul, saw the famous SIghet jail. We moved to the Perla, which was fortuitous. The owner loved us and wined and dined us.She also took to back to Sapinta (where we had already been with Victor to see the cemetery) where we met the Priest and his wife. The Priest had us in his house, which was wonderful, huge rooms, with 20' ceilings, impecably cleaned, very traditional, large library. The kitchen cabinets painted by his wife. Here and there we could see smitherings of her work. WE finally met her in their small house (where they actually seem to live). This was buitl traditionally, carved wood framing everthing.The remarkable thing about the area, is that everyone appreciates the local art, and seeks to preserve it. We had lunch with our lawyer in Sighet Dana at a restaurant behind the Eli Wiesel house. You went into the Courtyard, and everything was again carved out of the oak/wlanut, tables, chairs, tablecloths and dishes, and menu all traditional. the following day we went with Dona again to a restaurant in Iad, which was out in a field. You crossed a small bridge and came upon a lovely traditional house, and we ate in a barn, which was festively decorated with plates along the rafters, the bench covered by wool rugs of local design and color, a pitcher of Tuica started a traditional meal of slanina, and other cold cuts, beautifully presented, then some type of lamb shank and lima beans...and cake and more tuica. gorgeous, great. Dana, the owner of Perla took us Brasila monestary, which was a cluster of buildings all made of wood, with wooden steeples reaching into the sky. The Mother Superior showed us around personally, and gave us fresh bread and tea made from herbs. SHe told us her story how she had come to this beautiful hill overlooking a wonderful vista and started buidling and was buidling and buidling. NOw they were frequrently visited by tourists and had a hotel at the bottom, and had a group of French people. In their small museum we saw samples of the nuns' work, we loved the weavings and ordered two rugs. The grounds were beautiful. A litle old man was using a hoe to cut the grass.Billie couldnt bear watching him work. The mother superior Vilovefa said that they had lawn mowers, but it was easier around the flower beds. ONe of the buildings consisted of a series of terraces. they told us that this is where they have special events. They were having a big celebration in JUne with 5000 people, 450 guests were going to eat there. WOw.
I saw toni only for 5 minutes at his clinic but heard heart breaking stories about his colleagues stealing the money and credit for his fund raising for the hospital. A doctor from Satu Mare visiting Sighet gave Billie a shot. We was Bobbi Marthe ckus and learned about the Jewish Federation and its relationship to Jewish properties, I was going to learn more in Bucharest.
We drove the BMW to Sighet. This was a major decision. Billie was not feelng good, and did not want to drive. but at last he conceded. we did not stop in Sighisoara as i had hoped. we drove relentlessly straight through; ghica had mentioned that we needed air in the tires but i had forgotten. We stopped for air to find the fron passanger tire badly damaged. there was no hope of acquiring a tire, the mechanic suggested, he repair the tire, move it to the back, and move the good rear tire to the front. In 15 minutes as promised we were on our way. We ate the cheese sandwiches on the road. that was it.
Now we had to go back to BUcharest. There was no flying out of Baia Mare on Saturday or Sunday. WE finally agreed to take the train, leave the car in Baia Mare adn have Edie pick it up. The train was wonderful with its sleeping cart. Dona from Perla had arranged with the owner of HOtel Carpati to allow us to leave our car there.They saved a space and were expecting us. On the way out of Sighet, we saw 5 horses with riders, fully decorated, the horsed even had garlands on their feet, the men in full peasant costumes, it was a wedding they were picking up the bride. Gorgeous. Later Dana told me it was the wedding at Perla, she herself had not seen such a traditional peasant wedding.
In Buchrest, Ghica picked us up and took us to Lacul Spart...and came back to vote. the country was having its municipal, county and regional elections and was up at arms. Being with PDS folks was difficult.They hate Barsanu, which liberals consider the fisrrst good hope for Romania. They want Iliescu back,and athe old order. A tight firm grip on government is what is needed to wipe out corruption, of course no corruption amongst the PDS.

Monday was our last day. From early in the morning we were engaged in the apratment. We even got to a briko store and bought a refrigirator, saw Manu and his lvoely family, and gave them their dolls. Gave Stefan a bracelet for his wife, to make amends, hoping he was workign for us with Mihai as to the windows. We had made no progress with him. He then mischievously told me David had another house somewhere, that he had been visited by the Mucnicipal police who told him that they caught the people who stole from him and that they had built ahouse with the proceeds adn that he found another house. I suspected this to be false, as David would not have had a reason to keep this form me. HOwever,t o be prudent I called Chirstian and asked him to follow up.Witnin an hour Cristian called back to say that David did not have another house, (he had spoken to the policeman) but that there were goods,maybe valuable, and that he told the polcie that David was dead (this in spite of my telling him to keep it secret).
We decided on a kitchen, counters, etc. I did not get my Lancier bag (which I loved) but did get salam de sibiu and gerovitlal cream and a Pavel stratan cd...and this morning on the way to the airport we stopped at an artizanat and bought gifts. We also bought two wonderful paintings by the priets' wife (on glass) which billie packed. and left money for the Iacob painting we bought, and bought a Maramures rug for Mariana and one for us, and so on. Edie should be back from Baia Mare with our car, he will give us his mufflers. We will probably keep the car. I lost my glasses. ghica was finishing with the gas installation today.
dana in Sighet filed a suit against the owners of the property and for the return of the illigally sold land and a restraining order. She will have a hearing at end of JUne. I wand my house back. I am clearly from one of the most beautiful places in the world. I always loved where I was from, i did not realize it was so rich.

We will land in NY soon. I hope that Arleziana and the boys and their families will be in Romania soon. I know we will be.