"Please, Mr. Gandalf, sir, don't hurt me. Don't turn me into anything... unnatural."

As squirrels are to suburbs--trash eating, nearly domesticated, bird food masticating, creatures that are everywhere in abundance--so dogs nearly are to Romania.

At first I was shocked by the amount of dogs that I saw on street corners, fields, and every locale I visited in Romania. All of a sudden I understood the "dog-catcher" references in Disney movies from my childhood. 

"Their trees are strong, my Lord. Their roots go down deep."

Timisoara is the first big Romanian city as one enters from the West and also the birthplace of the Romanian revolution against the communists. The story behind the revolution--beginning with 30 members of a small Reformed church standing guard around their pastor's home as he was sentenced to exile--and the cost to anyone who resisted the political norms imposed by the regime is worth taking the time to understand. 

Walking the through the city, we loved the street art on this wall, especially the first progression.

"I want to see mountains again, mountains, Gandalf!"

Also titled, Dracula, Black Sea Tragedy, and Pandora's Recovery!

From last Wednesday to Sunday we made our way around Romania with Manu, visiting family (of course!) and some of the country's best features.

"A wizard is never late; he always arrives precisely when he means to."

As I mentioned in our last post, part of our trip to Romania has consisted of visiting the many relatives who live in and around Lugoj. These visits have been tiring for sure--usually beginning before lunch and ending around bedtime--but immensely rewarding. Our trip to the village in Tincova is one example.

"What About Second Breakfast?"

It is an interesting phenomenon that in various cultures it is polite to refuse an offering or service, even if one desires that offering, before accepting. Thus, the host knows that he or she will have to offer their gift more than once, maybe several times, before the recipient will feel comfortable to receive.
In Romania, I have found that things are much less complicated. While refusing once may be a sign that the guest feels that the host has been quite generous, it is not impolite to simply accept the gift at once without rebuttal. The reason is simple: it is impossible to refuse a Romanian. Let me explain:

"They're Taking the Hobbits To Isengard!"

After saying goodbye to Emma's family in Chicago on Tuesday, we have finally arrived in Lugoj, Romania for atwo-week stay with her Aunt and Uncle's family, the Olariu's!

Lufthansa is amazing. After seeing the beverage cart go by the first time, I lamented to Emma that we could not afford any "premium" options. Later, we realized that some people were getting wine with their dinner plates and not being charged so we quickly asked the slick German flight assistant if these drinks were free. "Of course they're free, " he replied, surprised and somewhat disturbed by our question. "This isn't like, United, or something."