Treisprezece, un japonez dj, cel mai rău kebab si lingură

Last weekend Daniel and me made a trip in the direction of Moldova.

We started at 5 A.M preparing a backpack and chesse sandwiches, and we went to the bus station. We arrived to Braila at 9 on a cold morning (well, not for Daniel, a true german used to german winters) and we walked at main streets.

Braila has 168,389 inhabitats. The old center of the city has many 19th century buildings, some of them fully restored.
The most important monuments are the Greek Church, erected at 1865, the Sfintii Arhangheli Church,built during the Ottoman rule (until 1831), the 19th century Sfântul Nicolae Church, also from the 19th century, the Maria filotti theatre, the Palace of Culture and its Art Museum, the History Museum, and the old Water Tower. Another important site is the Public Garden, a park situated above the bank of the Danube with a view over the river.

   

We left Braila on afternoon in the direction of Galați. We went to the main road with a big paper with the name of the town and a big smile, waiting for someone generous who wanted to pick us up. Luckily we found Viorel. 

Viorel likes snow. He doesn´t understand why it is not snowing now. All winters he goes with his family to Brasov to ski. He worked in Germany, Moldovia and Holland, so he can speak german but he feels more comfortable speaking english. He was born in Slobozia (coincidence?) but his family moved to Braila when he was 1 year old. 

Viorel picked us up in his big car and he drove to Galați center. He explained to us the interesting places of the town and he left us in the Danube riverside. 
To say us goodbye he told us this sentence:
"Remember that comunism is not in the buildings or places, comunism is in minds, enjoy the town".

Galați has 231,204 residents. Its name means "fortress". Its a cultural city with a lot of palaces, monuments, theaters, museums and universities. In Bram Stoker´s novel Dracula, Galați is the port at which Count dracula disembarked on his way back to Transylvania.

 We walked through the town. We were in a book shop where Daniel bought Alice through the mirror (romanian edition, of course) and we decided to eat in a fast food. We order, like always, one kebab and one vegetarian sanwich ("fara carne"). We ate it watching on tv a romanian dancing program. It was the worst kebab ever. 
We decided to go to watch a play in the Drama Theater at 7, so until this hour we spent time in a bar drinking wine.
In this bar a japanese dj was making a soundcheck for her performance at night, so we could drink the wine enjoying japanese tecno music.
At 7 we went to the theater but unfortunately it was full. When we were walking to the exit so disappointed, a man came to us and he said: okay, there are two seats free that you can use!
So we could watch the play, and for free! The name of the play was Treisprezece (thirteen)and it was about adolescence, this complicated stage.
We didn´t understand mostly of the words but we understood the argument and we really liked it.

After the play we had dinner in a cool underground restaurant and we came back to the bar. The show was starting and we could enjoy the techno party with Ruca Apple, the japanese dj.

As you can see, Daniel was so happy and motivated in the techno party, like a true german.
We left Galati in the morning. On the way to Braila (we walked a few kilometers) we found a little dog so slim and hungry. We gave to her little pieces of cheese and water and she followed us all the way.

You can call her Spoon.
Al :)

Music week

After our theater week with the kids, we made a music week.

 

 This time we made rhythm games, music with everyday objects like cups, music with our body, dancing and singing, crafts to create own instruments, improvisation with real intruments...

Kids love music so it was a funny week and very creative!

Here you can see a video of Vila Raluca kids playing different instruments:

 

Al ;)

About My Swollen Ass (Trip to Călărași & Silistra)

17. - 18.11.2012

I wanted to make a trip by bike, because I really missed the feeling of freedom being on the road by bike. So I asked my romanian friends if they are able to borrow me a bike. Unfortunately romanian people are so proud of their cars, that they are not thinking about using a bike, or painting cycleways on the street. At least I found someone and I was so happy, that I didn't care about the condition of this bike...

 

- a not working gear change, so I just could ride around ten km/h in the first gear

- a broken (and either way uncomfortable) seat

- no front light

I prepared myself with five hours of sleep, a lot of enthusiasm, a few clothes (at least I had to choose my less smelling socks) and a little paper with notes of important street names. So I startet at sunrise, around seven o'clock to leave Slobozia...

 

... and it was really interesting to see another part of the town, the bridge over the river and the houses beyond. Then I saw the big streets at the horizon and I started to think: "What the fuck I'm doing here? Maybe the romanians are right in calling me crazy.", because there were just a big, long, straight street and after one, two hours it was a big, long, straight street with a lot of cars and trucks.And you are on a bike, feeling the wind of the trucks. Later you don't care anymore about it, but in the beginning it was a little bit scary. But therefore I saw a new world.

A new, dismal world of emptiness, greyness and dead (amusingly this part of Romania is also known as the "breadbasket of Romania"):

And here I had my first of five escapes of wild dogs! Later I remembered, that romanian dogs are going crazy when they see bicycles. But let's take another look of our breadbasket:

There are no curves, a lot of crosses for people who lost their lifes on this street (and I mean really a lot, maybe every third kilometre), dead dogs on the side and one dead fox. And with the fog far away it was an enormous atmosphere.

After twelve crossed horizons I lost my curiousity to know what will be after the next horizon. So I searched for motivations and I was successfull: If I wouldn't be here, I would be in Slobozia, in my living room, being bored or watching a movie. If I wouldn't be here, I won't see Călărași and Silistra, which is a city in Bulgaria and sooo exotic (yeah, exotic). And at least if I wouldn't be here, on this damned street, I wouldn't come back next day and feel the great feeling of taking a shower after a trip like this. So I didn't stopped and after 47 kilometres I reached Călărași!

 

As you can see I prepared my bike seat with a blanket (thanks to Dada for not killing me for borrow stuff without asking!), because my butt began to hurt like never before and I wasn't able to sit in a normal way for two days. So great.

And this is Călărași:

Because I was the slowest cyclist of the world it was getting darker and darker, so I didn't spent a lot of time in Călărași. I met a few people for asking for the way to the ferry, because you have to cross the Danube to arrive in Bulgaria. I remember an old gypsy lady who joined my way a bit to led me the way. She asked me if I'm from France, so I answered I would be from Germany. She asked about the religions in Germany, and if I would be protestant or catholic. Because I know that romanians are so faithfull I didn't want to say the truth, so I told here I would be catholic. Fortunately we crossed a orthodox church, so I didn't had to do anything. I met a wise looking guy, too, who stands in the park to look lost in thoughts to the Danube. It was a nice sight and he led me the way in a very calm way. And of course I met crazy dogs...

After leaving Călărași I had to ride another few kilometres in one of the "most beautiful parts of the south". Yeah, maybe that's true, but in this season it was not so spectacular. But you get a nice impression. Let's take a look:

And after this sign I was sooo relieved:

And this is the ferry (not as big as on the sign, but practical), the view of suddenly not exotic Silistra and my sweaty boots:

Silistra and the border (with a funny, german translation - apropos: on my arrival the border was empty so I just had to show my IDcard at the departure one day later):

At first I needed a map of Silistra, so I asked in a Hotel for a map, but for this I needed bulgarian money. I changed my romanian Lei in a little shop for getting Leva. With my map I found my first aim, the tourist information. Fortunately the five young and friendly smiling girls and the lady of the tourist information let me in, because they already closed the house. They really tried to help me, so they called a woman who speaks english with their own mobile phones and gave me maps and informations for free!
With my rare time I just climbed a hill to see the city from above and to visit an old, turkish fortress:

After this little touristic riot I was looking for the cheap hotel the touristic girls told me: Hotel Vienna, and it wasn't easy to find and it was really dark. But a nice woman with her son joined me to show me the hotel, although they went in the opposite direction.
The hotel was great and I was very happy to be there. The hotel stuff speaks german - surprisingly - and after I take a shower and a little rest I decide to ask for a true bulgarian bar. The son of the woman of the reception speaks german, too, and he showed me a cool bar. Unfortunately I lost his datas to find him in the internet. We spent a good time in the bar, I ate a tasty and... interesting Hot Dog and later I slept like a baby in my double hotel room for the price of a single room. This is my adventure table of the hotel (and bulgarian money):

I left the hotel around ten o'clock in the morning and ride directly to the ferry, to go back to Romania, because I wanted to arrive in Slobozia before it's getting dark! Remember, my bike had no light.

Here are some more impressions of Silistra, the border from the other side and the ferry again:

 

Back in Călărași I decide to go back by bus, because my ass didn't cure last night and I couldn't sit on the bike seat. So I spent the waiting time for the bus on the "Bazar Big Călărași" and with buying the most worst Brezel I ever ate from the supermarket Penny:

  

And at least I was on the way back home - at the same long, obscure street like before, but in a bus:

 

It was a great experience and I regret nothing. But I don't want to repeat with the same conditions, really!

- Daniel