WINTER TRANSIT IN ROMANIA - Jan 24, 2012

Bucharest, crows at dusk

Already one month since I reached the port without a sea...home. I can't say I badly miss Barcelona, for the time being I enjoy being close to my family and old friends, discovering and rediscovering the good people and interesting and fun places around my beloved city. No matter what, Bucharest is my city. I love the theaters here, some places in the old town, the parks, the 1900-1940 neighbourhoods, some of the old fashion shops and beyond any doubt the best and cheapest street food in the Western world (I guess we belong to it a little since we are part of the EU:) I discovered a great art gallery and new theatre spaces, happy also that some of the old spots like La Scena, hosting theatre, jazz concerts and tango nights in an old classic house, are still there.

It finally snowed by the end of January, and I enjoyed it, with the sun shining bright and the million sparkles all around, covering the grayish parts, the garbage, the dog shit. There is a cold dramatic beauty, made of contrasts, tree branches reaching the up the sky, black and white, crows at dusk, kids with colourful clothes in the white park, with their sledges or walking clumsily around, wrapped up in heavy jackets.

The down part lays in the terrible traffic conditions once the snow has settled, the metro is the only decent way to move in town. And I had to move a lot, running through different offices for my future job and trying to solve administrative problems related to the place I own. A full energy draining programme.

Two weeks of vacation in the French countryside, Rome, Naples and a bit of Tarquinia and Tuscania lessened the weight. I've learned some tricks about keeping the wood fire alive in the fireplace, played with three lovely boys and walked around the frozen pound, trying to laugh when we would wake up in the morning and find out that there is no hot water because the pipes were frozen solid. Roma keeps being the most beautiful city I've ever seen, Naples still has the most impressive bay and sea views (plus MADRE, a fantastic contemporary art museum), the Terme dei Papi were pure bliss in the middle of the snow and, above all, my Italian friends are still the most amazing, warm and hospitable people, God bless them!

Napoli, Posillipo, Palazzo Donn'Anna

P.S. I finally got to leave on Feb. 24, exchanging a gray winter, with icicles threatening to fall, water dripping from every roof around, huge puddles and mounds of dirty snow for a burgeoning bright spring. Fulfilling my dream and start working in cultural management. Feeling extremely lucky and grateful.

Seacily - Into the blue

Pretty Cefalù, dominated by the Norman Duomo

Even if I had any expectations, I have to admit Sicily went far beyond them, like in any other country that sits below a scorching sun, everything there borders the superlative. On the positive and the negative side, true, but exercising an irresistible attraction, maybe also because I have a weakness for ports and islands. We spent nine full days there without seeing a cloud. The sun makes things look brighter, but also blurred, their contours fading in the hot trembling air. A feast of colours and hard to bear heat.

Beautiful sea, deep blue skies, the silhouette of Etna with its 3350m dominating it surroundings, delicious food - arguably the best ice cream on the planet, history, art and creativity beyond the wildest imagination. Who would believe there is such a thing as Arabian - Norman architecture? Or that the poets at Norman kings court in the XII century were Arabs, while the administrative language was still Greek, until the immigrants from the continent finally latinized the island? Sicily is more than a border between continents, it is a gate, an interstitial space where the richness of exchanges crosses over centuries reaching our time.

Its history is as intricate as the Arab and Byzantine mosaics adorning its churches and cathedrals, as inexplicable as the amazing combination of architectural elements coming from all ages of art. An emirate, then a kingdom, or sitting under imperial powers, a pure mixture claiming its own identity of many cultures. Once part of Magna Graecia, now part of the Republic of Italy, still holding some autonomy, having its own legislative assembly. Sicani and Siculi to start with, then Phoenicians, Puns, Greeks, Romans (Archimedes got killed during the siege of Siracusa), Byzantines, Arabs, Normans (Hauteville/Altavilla) dynasty, even Swabians (Hohenstaufen), the French (Anjou/Angiò), the Aragonese, who brought Catalan as the court language, all ruling for not more than two centuries, fighting continuously for the power. When Aragon and Castilla were joined through marriage, Sicily became a feud of the Spanish Crown, for about three centuries and its sumptuous barocco art easily rivals the one of Spain and its other colonies. Even the Savoia and the Habsburg families took hold of this golden island, so Sicily finally chose to unify with the Kingdom of Naples under los Borbones, a family of French descent that got to rule half of Europe.


Detail from La Martorana church

All these different nations left their mark on the food, the architecture, the arts, the lifestyle. So traveling there is like taking a trip with a time machine that's also able to overcome space constrictions. Churches and palaces mixing Arab and Byzantine mosaics and cupulas, Romanesque structure and Baroque paintings and marble intarsia.

For gourmets without prejudices - calf spleen sandwiches - pani ca meusa or roast intestines of sheep or goat - stigghiola. For seafood amateurs like me - all kinds of fish and shrimps, plus sea urchins, oysters, small conchs and a variety of seashells, ranging from well known mussels to razor clams - cannolichi and big clams - fasolari, culminating with the calamari ink pasta, as delicious as unattractive. A lot of almond paste sweets, including marzipan fruits (frutta di Martorana) and the famous cassata, or pastries filled with fig and citrus jams. I had a delicious watermelon thick jelly flavoured with jasmine and sprinkled with pistachio bits.

Pasticceria Scimone in Palermo

The first two evenings we went to a symphonic concert at Palazzo Chiaromonte or Steri, then a jazz concert in the garden of the ruined Santa Maria dello Spasimo in the Kalsa district. We were lucky enough to be there in time Wednesday for the Santa Rosalia day, the patron saint of Palermo, extended sometimes to the whole of the island. Beside a popular music and theatre show in the courtyard of Theatre Ditirammu we admired the whole procession through Via Vittorio Emmanuele, made of about 40 colourful caretti siciliani carried by heavily adorned horses and exposing a beautiful girl dressed in white decorated with red roses, the symbol of the saint. To my great pleasure, with the contribution of the Santuzza, I met twice a young Sicilian actor whom I happened to see just a few weeks before acting in Bucharest: Alessandro Romano,

Around Palermo we have been to Monreale, worth a visit for its panorama of the Conca d'Oro region and the most amazing Cathedral, from 1174. Then Cefalù, a charming medieval town on the shore, with a swarming beach and enchanting atmosphere. Most of the time we swam in Mondello, with crystal clean waters and fine sand, but far too crowded. The picturesque Sferracavallo fishing village attracted us with great seafood. As I was longing for quite a few years to see Etna, a one day trip there and to the touristy Taormina accomplished my desire and confirmed my disgust for programmed group trips. Nevertheless, it is an unforgettable experience to be on top of an active volcano and see old craters, lava courses and wisps of smoke raising into the thin air.



We expected people to be noisy and drive like crazy, so there where very few downsides to the whole experience. One was the shops schedule, including supermarkets, most of them closed daily from 1 to 4pm, on Sunday and Monday mornings. plus the Santa Rosalia celebrations made them close doors for two extra days in the middle of the week. Palermo is not dirtier or noisier than a lot of other cities, including New York for instance, and our bus trips proved very successful. People were very nice, eager to help and answer questions, also curious about where we're coming from and our way of life, willing to share their experiences and knowledge, given that we know Italian.

Summing it up, I will definitely go back to Palermo, also eager to see more of Sicilia, there is plenty to learn and discover. I had the same great time with my mother, both sharing the same interest in combining sightseeing with sea swimming and food and wine tasting. I could say it was a complete vacation from all points of view, overwhelming all my senses with a profusion of smells, colours, music, landscapes and buildings all admirable in their own way. I had to admit to myself that Italy still sits comfortably on top of my preferences and makes me feel welcome and at home, offering so many things to my curiosity about the world's ways.

APRIL 17, 06 - ITALY, THAT'S AMORE

1031 days ago

Had such a nice time this Easter holiday.

Friday - The Via Crucis (Way of the Cross?) with a Catholic worldwide association - Communion and Liberation, founded by an Italian, Don Giussani. Then a trip to a "sugar shack" (traditional Québec food and music, in a wooden house in the forest, where they gather the maple syrup). All in the sun, very enjoyable.

Saturday - there was a ceremony at my church, there were around 10 Romanian priests, all dressed up and the Bishop came, all the way from the USA. He was greeted by some four people dressed traditionally, carying bread and salt, according to the customs. Simply beautiful. Then a short trip on some mountain - St. Hilaire, nearby Montréal. Under a small rain, but still great to spend time outside and breath fresh air, enjoy the landscape, the village alond the Richelieu river. The company was also awsome, all Romanians, 3 girls and 2 guys. One of the guys invited us all for dinner and cooked - so nice of him. We might become closer friends quite soon, I'm not hurrying anywhere though. I'm glad we have a lot in common, but I prefer to take my time.

For the rest of the night I went home with my great friend Saj (Sajani) who lives in Cambridge now and was just visiting. We spent time talking and watching my photos. I realized once again how much I missed her and what a great time we have together.

Sunday - had breakfast and lunch with Saj, then met up for coffee with my friend Marcela from Argentina and her friends. One absolutely gorgeous, stunning. But I would doubt we have much in common. A bit too main stream, I guess. For dinner I met my Italian speaking friends Patrizia and Valérie and we joined again the Communion and Liberation for a great potluck, that ended with songs and merriment. It was a great occasion to meet also my Italian friends, mostly from Milano, who introduced me to the group. Before going home I passed by my new Romanian friend's house and we watched "Mystery Train" by Jim Jarmush together, then he took me home (what did you imagine?).

And tonight I had the pleasure to go to the Marco Calliari concert "Al dente". His parents are from Northern Italy and he's playing mostly Neapolitan music. Bellissimo! Very positive and energetic. So I'm in a great mood!

PHILADELPHIA, DECEMBER 26 - 28, 2005

1130 days ago

When I got to the Philly Central Station, Cristina was not there. I wanted to call - surprise!, local calls were 50 cents. She told me she'll show up in 10 minutes. We were both very excited, after such a long correspondance and mutual understanding, but out of sight for maybe more than 10 years. She kept on inviting me, even her husband wrote me a couple of times.

And there she was, didn't change a bit, maybe assuming herself more, knowing who she is, more feminine and cheerful than when we were 18. I guess the same can be said about me. We care less about what people think or say.

We dropped the luggage home - that looks quite nice, with a big terrace overlooking the city center sky scrapers. I met her in-laws, that drove backt to New York and the bull-terrier Idefix (the dog in the Asterix cartoons) and then we went for a walk. Many nice old buildings, two rivers (Delaware and another one with an impossible name), the residence of Benjamin Franklin, the place where the declaration of independence was signed. The City hall was really impressive. I liked the Old City and the dynamic South Street, the mosaics and mural art. It looked like a fine city to me. We went grocery shopping and I had a fine tuna steak, her and David finished the roastbeef which I was sure of to be delicious, but my eating habits changed dramatically about 10 years ago, excluding meat (with few exceptions, like being courteous, when I don't want to embarass people).

We were looking for something to do Tuesday evening, like jazz, I was very disappointed about my quiet evenings in New York, but the first days of the week are not the best. On Monday night we watched "Melinda&Melinda" by Woody Allen. Not too bad but not as good as his masterpieces I would say.

On Tuesday we went to the Art Museum, a gorgeous imitation of a Greek temple, dominating the city on top of a large stairway.

There was a gorgeous sunny day and the museum was fantastic. My crave for Dutch landscapes was fulfilled by the Ruisdael exhibition, even the sea sights were there. Again Middle Age and Impressionists, but this time I got to visit the Asian art section: India, China, Japan, some items from Persia too. There were two special exhibitions too: Northern Indian drawings illustrating Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita (part of Mahabharata) and monsters and devils from Nepal and Tibet. So many beautiful, gracious, delicate objects. I would drown into the beauty, history, creativity of that continent. Again, there was a whole ambiance, a room from one Indian temple, a Chinese palace, a Japanese Buddhist altar and tea houses.

In the evening we went for Malaysian food, one type I never had before, in Chinatown. Chinese, Thai and Indian influences. The result was as full of flavours and spices as I like food to be. We spent the evening home checking things on Internet, looking through Cristina's books and ended up with "Millions" - a very good Christmas bittersweet English comedy.

Wednesday was picture time day, a few murals, some parts of the city I haven't seen, Cris got me a Bulgari "Blù Notte" for Xmas and I found the "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino for her (one of my big favourites). Accidentally we discovered also the English version of "Nostalgia" by contemporary Romanian author Mircea Cartarescu. He's very fashionable right now. Postmodernist. I like him a lot, but not all his work. Very pleasant lunch in a small Italian café - Hausbrandt, kept by two Milanesi: Max and Nicoletta. Had a panino with prosciutto di Parma and mozzarella and capuccino - delicious!

Then, alas, it was time to take the flight (courtesy of David) back to Montreal. The airport clerk was Romanian Andrei Smilovici. After a few days at about 10C, I landed in the snow again. I spent one night home, 24 hours after I was on my way for one week at Ste Agathe des Monts with a Romanian gang.

September 23, 05 - I remembered...

1238 days ago

...the other things that crossed my mind yesterday, especially under the influence of Quo Vadis, Baby (italian film, originally a book, the title is a quote from The Last Tango in Paris by Bertolucci).

I think I'm esentially a nostalgic, grew up in an old house, beautiful but falling apart, close to the historical ruined center of Bucharest, studied in old schools up to the age of 18 and fell in love with the image of the interbelic Bucharest (basically the 20es and the 30es).

Those were the golden days - beautiful neo-classic and cubist buildings, the emergence of a neo-Romanian style, arts, culture and industry were flourishing. My grand grand grand father immigrated from northern Italy (Veneto area) to Romania looking for a better life.

So looking at that dark movie filmed mostly in the city of Bologna, unknown to me, and showing briefly my beloved Roma, I realised how much I am attached to the beauty of the past - the way it is now, no when it was bright new. I like faded gold, chipped furniture and tiles - things that show they have a past. I like decadence, I feel the fast pace the world has now, all this new shapes in design that make me think about a waiting area in a hospital are isolating me.

It doesn't mean I like gloomy ambiance, I love the big windows and light - I just feel maybe I would have been better off living in a different time, where there was less plastic in the world, when fashion was not changing over night and things were made to last.

Just spoke to one Chinese housekeeper, she was cleaning the toilets - she spent four years in Roma before coming here, so we shared for a few minutes our memories of the Eternal city.