Bucharest, Romania

[ilan]

I'm going there now for 4 days, Wed-Sun, for work. Anything to see? Bass/guitar stores? This looks borderline interesting, especially the "manky guitars" part. I'll try to visit:

http://www.inyourpocket.com/romania/bucharest/shopping/music/Muzica_14611v

[uwe]

Make sure you take one of the many guided castle tours on offer there, Ilan:



Not to mention indigenous dishes:



And if totalitarian architecture doesn't make you nauseous, then have a look at Ceausescu's old hideout:



These days it's supposed to be worse for wear though and a derelict ruin.

But whatever you do: Don't pet those skinny "shepherd dogs"



which frequent the Romanian capital at night and in the weewee hours of the morning searching the urban garbage (without raising any panic with the natives, the wolf is regarded as a mythical figure in Romanian lore and as a bringer of good luck, attacks on people have not been reported).

[ilan]

Damn that's a big house. Maybe he had a large guitar kollekshun and needed all that space.

Hardly any coffee shops in center town, which is weird, and no ketchup at McDonald's, which is even more weird. Pizza Hut closed at 11 and I really had a crave for pizza. Stray dogs bark all night. I was told that in the communist era private houses (whose owners all kept dogs in the yard) were brought down to build cheap housing projects, and the dogs were sent off to the streets. I didn't see any cats, by the way.

Went to a casino and now my hair smells like an ashtray.

On Saturday I'll go looking for guitars.

[uwe]

"Went to a casino and now my hair smells like an ashtray."



Yes, with no smoking prevalent everywhere these days, you just aren't used anymore to that signature smell you would pick up even as a non-smoker if you went anywhere in the seventies !

[dadagoboi]

Yes, with no smoking prevalent everywhere these days, you just aren't used anymore to that signature smell you would pick up even as a non-smoker if you went anywhere in the seventies !
[/quote]

IIRC, as recently as 6 years ago they still had cigarette machines and ashtrays in the exhibition halls at KoelnMesse.

[Barklessdog]

Hardly any coffee shops in center town, which is weird, and no ketchup at McDonald's, which is even more weird. Pizza Hut closed at 11 and I really had a crave for pizza.

I guess we have poisoned the whole world with our fine cuisine, much like the spread of Starlings & Raccoons.

[ilan]

[Chaser001]

A trip to Romania sounds like an adventure.  Just the language itself is unique.

[ilan]

It sounds like Italian spoken in a slightly weird accent.

[Dave W]

I'm anxiously waiting to find out what a manky guitar is.

[Chaser001]

It sounds like Italian spoken in a slightly weird accent.

I've only heard it a few times, but to me it sounded like Italian with a mild mixture of a Slavic language. 

[Highlander]

Nice backdrop Ilan...

I'm still trying to find out who Manny Moore is, seems to be on loads of compilation albums...

A question... I wonder how many smokers we have here and how many ex-smokers...? I'm an ex of 18 years now... well, sort of... fell off the wagon for a couple of months about a decade or so back... used to be 40 a day or so when I was driving a lot...

[dadagoboi]

I've only heard it a few times, but to me it sounded like Italian with a mild mixture of a Slavic language. 

It's a Romance language, same roots as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French

[Chaser001]

It's a Romance language, same roots as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and French

It's a Romance language, but the Slavic influence on it noticeable.  I suppose this could be comparable to the Arabic influence on Spanish, although I doubt if the Arabic influence on Spanish is as great.  I'm not really sure.

[dadagoboi]

There's lot of Arabic influence on Spanish, a long occupation will do that.  Also on the Sicilian language and to a lesser extent Italian.