Honey Hunting in Dambovicioara, Romania

Honey hunting in the hills of Romania came about as the result of a breakfast one morning while a bunch of us were staying at a small village Pensione. The hostess served a small dish of honey with our generous country-style breakfast and everyone liked it so much we decided to head out and find the source. We were given rough directions (a finger pointed towards the hills) and a description of a house. The locals were friendly and the finger pointing continued..."a little higher," "around the next bend," etc. and onward we marched. As we climbed higher, it started to "spit" and farm dogs barked at our "intrusion"but we were not to be deterred. Farm fresh "Miere" was the goal and damned if we would give up. The last slog was the highest and steepest but we could sense we were almost there...sure enough we spied a rustic apiary...isn't that what a bee farm is called? A few shouts from us and a very small woman appeared on the door step of a miniature house. She called for her husband and the jars of clear, golden sweetness were soon in our hands and for a country bargain: 18 Ron a hefty jar or about $6 Canadian. I'll take two and a couple of photos for the memory. I've been spreading it on my morning toast, dropping it by heaping spoonfulls into my tea and generally loving the smooth, sticky goodness of something worth hunting for.

It's Just Different Here.

After living just over a year here in Bucharest, I can properly say things in this city are different. It may not be the most attractive city I've ever lived in and it certainly doesn't win any points for the purest air or the cleanest streets, but it has something special and that might just be related to it's rough edges, hidden attractions and idiosyncrasies.

Some of the things I've noticed about life in Bucharest include the following: Cars park on the sidewalks and the concept of poop and scoop has not arrived yet; there are loads of inexpensive taxis everywhere; you can smoke pretty much anywhere, and people do; fur hats and coats are ubiquitous so if you feel strongly about PETA you probably don't want to come here; yes, there is a stray dog problem and they do open the garbage bags left out on the street; there are lots of beautiful parks; the Romanians love their meat and potatoes and their Ciorbas or soups, but the Turks have a strong influence here and there are Kebab and Shaorma places on almost every corner. All the food is cheap and delicious. I have found the Romanians to be very friendly especially if you make an effort to learn the language or offer up a smile when involved in a transaction. The street names are virtually impossible to pronounce; the area known as Lipscani is a treasure loaded with great little cafes, shops, clubs and restaurants. They have a number of very impressive and modern malls, if that's your thing, and IKEA is here, of course. The more I get to know the city the more I realize all the great things it has to offer. It will never be everyone's cup of tea, but if you are intrepid, and willing to take the good with the bad and the ugly, then you will probably enjoy this developing chip off the Eastern Bloc. Noroc!