Tales of Dracula's country: Romania

The old city of Tomis as the Greeks named it, Constanța, is a growing place that changed many things especially since the Americans settled their operations around the international airport, Mihail Kogălniceanu (aka MK Base).  Unfortunately, the services - especially transportation - raised their prices to the point of costing 10% for a one-way trip from the train station to the airport (a distance of 30 min ride - 40 km/ 25 miles) from the overall value of a rental car for three (3) weeks.  Conversations with taxi drivers: Taxi 1: "It will cost you 200 RON ($50)." Taxi 2: "It will cost you 100 RON ($25) but if you want a receipt, it's 70 RON; however, I will still charge you 100 RON." Taxi 3: "I have no vignette to drive outside the city, I would have taken you, I'm sorry." Taxi 4: I apologized but can't drive in this guy's ash tray.  Mom and I headed out back to the train station where we found a decent, non-smoker taxi driver who would n...

This is the city of my childhood. I spent many summer and winter vacations walking the hills, the streets, riding the vintage trains, climbing the trees, working the fields of my relatives, taking the cows out to eat until their bellies were full, playing with frogs and bugs. And the first kiss. Fun memories! Sibiu has a personal flair to many but especially to me; my ancestors lived in this region, and I was pleasantly surprised to find them in the archives of the city. My boss called it "the city with houses that have eyes"; indeed, the architecture is gorgeous, making people believe that there is an ubiquitous eye watching them.  These days the pandemic restrictions killed the spirit of the city but slowly, events organized out in the open air, brought out of the house families and kids, to listen to traditional music offered by the local City Hall. Bonding with others through culture and language cannot be expressed in words; only those who understand the history of each ...