Returning to Romania

Monday, Aug. 24, 2009--Chisinau (Continued)

Well, the new building was indeed a mall with a creative name considering its location here in the country of Moldova--MallDova! I was really only interested in whether there was a supermarket, but I wandered all the floors just to see what else was there. They have a Debenhams, the British supermarket chain that is expanding across Europe, but it was a small store with no departments other than clothing. I did find a large supermarket downstairs, so I purchased some salami, cheese-flavored potato chips, olives, bread, water, beer, and cookies. I ate dinner back at the apartment and had leftovers for another day.

I finished reading Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart. It's a satire about life in Russia and the former USSR republics following the fall of communism. It's funny somewhat in the style of the writings of Dave Barry. I gave it 3 stars out of 4.

Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009--Chisinau

My breathing went from stuffy to clear and back to stuffy during the night. My eyes are watery, too. I wish I had some allergy tablets to take. Instead, I am hoping that when I return to Romania I will be leaving behind whatever is causing this problem.

I stayed inside the apartment all morning. I read from a new book. I did laundry and put it on the line to dry. I ate a little breakfast using the butter and jam I bought a few days ago and the bread from last night.

After stopping at the cyber cafe, I wanted to find a cafeteria for lunch. I went by two of them. Both were so crowded that it would have created a problem for a "slow" client who had to point and motion rather than just tell them what and how much. Therefore, I returned to the apartment and had some of the leftovers from last night.

I watched TV in the afternoon--a made-for-TV movie that was on the only English-language channel that has anything other than sports or music videos. Then I returned to the supermarket where I got some pickled herring, water, chips, cookies, and baked bagel chips. This should give me enough food to eat at the apartment the rest of the time I am here and enough for me to prepare food to take on the train tomorrow night.

The big news here is that Madonna is performing in Bucharest. Last night, the news had a story about a woman whose apartment balcony overlooks the grounds where the concert is being held and the fact that she is planning a party with her friends to watch the concert from her balcony with her. Tonight, the TV station hellicopter was following the cars as she arrived and was transported to her hotel. From what I could see, I don't think she is staying at the same hotel where I stayed!!

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2009--Chisinau and on the Train

I had an interesting dream last night that I was in a shop looking at old picture post cards. I picked up a folded poster among them which had lots of thumbtack holes in one corner where it had been hung over and over again. On the back was a message which explained why it was in with the old postcards. The surprise was that it had been written to ME many years ago by a friend. I read the message. The shop owner commented that most people wouldn't take the time to read such a long message, since there was nothing humorous in it. I explained that I was the person to whom the post had been sent.

I also had a nightmare this morning. I dreamed that the wheels on my suitcase had given out. I'm so glad it wasn't true--YET! But there's no assurance they will last the rest of the trip. It was about this time last year that I had to start carrying my bag due to worn-out wheels. The soft padding they use to cover the wheels today is so thin compared to that just a couple of years or so ago. To save money, they quit using roller-skate wheels, and the new, thin, cheap wheels just will not hold up to rugged traveling. My suitcase looks great, except I know that the wheels may not have long to last.

I need to return to the apartment now and prepare my lunch and the food for my trip. I will leave there at 15:30 for the train station. I will take the overnight train to Bucharest, arriving there at 6:45. Then I will take a train from there to Brasov at 8:30 and arriving at 11:38. Therefore, it will be a long night and morning of travel. I'll then have 6 days to see Transylvania before returning to Bucharest and taking my flight out to Copenhagen on Sept. 3.