Iasi

Well, first of all, sorry for not updating anything. I know that not having easy access to the interwebs is no excuse so I will not attempt to say anything. Hmmm... writer's dilemma ... should I dish everything out here or should I give it out one thing at a time?! Well... I guess I will go about it as soon as I have pictures to show what I've done. So I'll start with the later part of things, with Marian and I visiting Iasi, a very old and picturesque city, bursting with history and culture (and unfortunately, lacking jobs) Hell, who am I kidding?! It's gorgeous!! We did a blitz krieg visit that encompassed most of the important places in Iasi, from old churches dating from the sixteen hundreds to places to eat (as many as mihai and mariuca could find, being new in town) and amazing for me, to some pastry shops where they sell amazing saraigli (a cousin of the baklava), which is now officially the only sweet thing that I can really eat. To my shame I couldn't take that many churches (hell, I gave up after 3 of them) but I hope I will still get eternal salvation when the shit hits the fan. Lo and behold, the pictures!! Sorry about the horrible quality, but Marian forgot to bring Bobby so these are taken with my phone! Can you imagine, he FORGOT!!!!

1. Books!! If there's anything that I would stay forever in Iasi, then that is the number of book selling places like this one:


2. Contrasts!! The university in the background is called Alexandru Ioan Cuza, but the guy in the statue in front of it is Alexandru Lapusneanu. Minor mishap, I am sure ... Notice the tulips!


3. Statues! Everywhere! It would take me ages to explain everyone!! Writers, rulers, thinkers, teachers, lawyers, you name it, they have it! (Sorry about the phallic obelix)








4. Spring! There is nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing that brings out the beauty of a city than spring (not even everlasting summer like in Singapore). Observe ...







6. Memorial houses! Writers, painters, etc. everybody that ever lived in that city and brought something to this country will have his or hers memorial house. Covered in flowers, of course, because it's spring!! The first one that you see there is covered in lilac.




7. Style! Below is a mural in the University. Yup. There's this hall in the university that has its walls covered in murals by a very very famous painter.


8. Little glitches. Like the statue below. The pedestal says that it belongs to Stefan cel Mare, a famous (and brave) romanian ruler, but the statue itself is that of a polish general. Or the gipsy clan taking one of their own to be baptized. In a church! (may you live a long life little Colea). Or the cleaning mops hanging behind a famous tombstone.






9. Churches. EVERYWHERE! And they are absolutely beautiful and full of history and stories (the way i see it, anybody who was anybody in the old days built a church, a very safe way to redemption i suppose).









10. Last but not least, what good would a beautiful city do if you didn't have good old friends to share it and the c-cold with?