Allison Thurman

old, new, fancy, and plain: Bucharest

Bucharest is not on the Danube, but it’s where everyone flies in for this particular cruise. Given that the cruise company manages your experience from day one they did provide a 4 hour coach bus tour of the city with an excellent local guide. What follows are my jet-lagged memories bolstered by notes I scribbled that night and furious Googling. All photos my own except where noted:

Bucharest is often called “Little Paris” due to the influential French architecture built during the 19th and 20th centuries. The level of restoration is mixed: restored/maintained buildings are often right next to dilapidated husks. While stateside this disrepair might suggest incomplete gentrification (or decline) in Bucharest it’s a just part of the landscape, not isolated to any one part of the city as far as I could tell.

older building with scarred brickwork, blown out windows, rusted gate on balcony — Not an unusual sight. Old Town, Bucharest

It’s also normal to find these ornate banks and hotels across the street from stark communist-era cement apartment blocks or modern glass skyscrapers. The juxtaposition is odd to bleary American eyes but I imagine quite normal in any city as old as Bucharest.

ornate baroque building with arched doorway and round towers in front of modern glass skyscraper — Also not an unusual sight: the CEC Palace (CEC Bank) with glass skyscraper in background

Some of the most modern-looking architecture is at Revolution Square, renamed after the 1989 revolution.

photo of blackened stone sculpture of a man on horseback — Not the most modern art-looking piece in Revolution Square, but this statue of the first Romanian King, Carol I, is a powerful Romanian symbol. It’s a 2015 re-creation of a statue torn down by the Communists in 1947.

Sad to say I don’t know as much as I’d like about the history of the fall of communism. I’m old enough to remember coverage on television but didn’t have the context to grasp the broader picture. From what I could learn from our guide, the Romanian revolution was the bloodiest of all the revolutions of 1989, and almost 30 years afterwards the Ceaușescu regime appears to be viewed with a mix of disdain, embarrassment, and dark humor.

Indeed, Ceaușescu is hard to escape if only because the Palace of Parliament he started before his execution (but did not complete) casts such a (literally) huge shadow. Built with forced labor and displacing almost 50,000 Bucharest residents, it has over a thousand(!) rooms, all in a bombastic “totalitarian kitsch” style with towers of marble, velvet rugs and curtains, and gilded everything else. It’s oversized, overdone, and overwhelming, but despite this and its association with Ceaușescu I get why it’s still in use. It’s got every conference and performance amenity a city twice Bucharest’s size could ever need.

long, high arched gallery lit by multiple chandeliers, with large marble pillars and gilt molding on the ceiling — Authoritarian glam all the way back: one of the long (*long*) galleries in the Palace of the Parliament.

And speaking of long shadows, you can’t talk about Bucharest without mentioning Vlad the Impaler.

Of all the places associated with the inspiration for Dracula, the Old Princely Court is the only site with a documented association as Vlad III built the current structure in the 15th century. The local tourist shops capitalize on the English-speaking world’s fascination with Vlad: you can get Dracula/Bela Lugosi/Vlad the Impaler dressed as Bela Lugosi on just about anything. Which are the only Draculas you’ll see as the Old Court itself is currently closed for renovation and fenced off.

old brick open court with wooden supports and ladders lying about, a white stone pillar in the center upon which is the black stone bust of a man with long hair and ferocious mustache — I managed to get this photo of Vlad’s bust through a small gap in the fencing. How fitting to be posting it on Halloween!

I liked Bucharest, what little I saw of it. I’d like to see more, especially of the historical Old Town. The gaps in my historical knowledge about communism and its aftermath are shameful, so I plan to read up. Any book recommendations are welcome!

After Bucharest the coach departed for the dock in Giurgiu where the boat waited for us on the Romanian side of the Danube. Right across the river is the Bulgarian city of Rousse (Ruse), our next port of call.

I was on a boat!

And I never thought I would be, let alone that I’d enjoy it so.

Man in tux standing on prow of ship: I'm on a boat — Not me, not my boat, but you get the idea.

Some background: my mother and sister have been on several river cruises. Mom discovered a few years back that they’re an excellent way to see a lot of sights while only having to unpack once, all the while letting someone else organize the sightseeing.

Full disclosure: I appreciated my Mom’s love of cruising but was leery of it for myself. Given that the cruise line books all outside excursions and you stay on the boat, not on the physical lands you’re visiting, it always sounded a bit like a “canned” experience to me, sanitized and Americanized. Which isn’t bad but isn’t usually my thing: I prize “authenticity”* and being on the ground, moving among the locals with all the attendant currency, travel, food, and language challenges this implies.

But my Mom wanted to take a cruise with me, my sister, and our best friend for her 80th birthday, so her party, her rules. Besides, even a tightly controlled glimpse of Europe is better than no Europe, especially as I’d never visited any of the countries (Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary) on the itinerary. And given my recent burnout, letting someone else deal with the logistics (my sister with flight/cabin booking, the cruise line with everything else) had a ton of appeal.

Well, I was wrong about cruises.

You see a LOT. Yes, it’s a quick touchdown everywhere, but it’s more than enough to give you an idea of a region or city and if you want to see more, well, that’s an excuse for future travel. All passes and tickets are inclusive, so no waiting in line or figuring out when/if stuff is open/available. Turns out on a cruise you don’t actually spend a lot of time on the boat if you do all the activities offered.

And you see everything from a local perspective. All of our guides were from the country (and often the city) they guided us through and while knowledgable provided personal context beyond names, dates, and photo opportunities.

Mind, if you don’t want to go and do, shipboard life has its own charms. There was a small pool: not big enough for laps but warm as a bathtub which was exactly what my office-stiff and fencing-overworked self needed. The ship also kept a masseuse and hairdresser on board for those who crave a relaxing spa experience. Lounge areas offered books, newspapers, and the opportunity to just watch the world go by.

And then there’s the food.

All the clichés about abundant cruise food are true, but the food was also good and often included local specialties. One glass of wine per dinner, but the glass was constantly refilled by staff that were attentive to the point of near psychic anticipation. Breakfast and lunch were more casual, buffet deals but had just about anything one could want (smoked salmon and mackerel for breakfast! Hold your nose all you like but I love me some seafood and these paired wonderfully with scrambled eggs!)

Saying the views from the deck were “sweet” is a gross understatement.

silhouette of trees beneath an orange sky, sunrise reflected on the river

view of the Danube in daytime - top deck of the boat in the foreground, river and shore to the left

Short version: the river cruise was a wonderful way to visit a lot of places in a short time with maximum physical convenience. I could focus on visiting with family and friends and resting, while sharing beautiful sights and interesting stories. Would I do a cruise again? Sure, if the company is good and there’s plenty to see.

Over the next few weeks my weekly posts will be about the trip, with plenty of pictures and historical context (because I took notes. And yes, for me taking notes IS vacation!)

*”Authenticity” or the lack thereof in the context of travel kicks off a whole separate discussion, which I’m willing to have if there’s sufficient interest. Having said this, everyone has their own travel preferences and standards for “real” so I won’t yuck on your yum if you won’t yuck on mine.

burnout

Sparing personal details, it’s been a rocky summer. Illness and money/day job-related stresses marred fun social and creative activities. Even writing and fencing became habits, and I grew (and remain) frustrated with both because I can’t get out of my own spiraling head to do them as well as I have in the past.

I’ve recovered physically and the money and day job stressors are resolving themselves but the pile-on was the mental equivalent of a broken leg, and like a broken limb the brain doesn’t just bounce back either.

I can’t remember the last time I had a proper vacation. Wait, yeah, I do: the Puerto Rico trip that inspired my vejigante post. A week of doing nothing save fencing, reading, and sightseeing.

That was over two years ago.

No wonder I’m feeling burnt out.

car spinning its tires until smoke comes out the engine — Via.

But there’s a cure.

Ten days in sunny (?) Bucharest through Budapest on a family river cruise down (up?) the Danube. I didn’t plan this (thank doG, because I can’t plan effectively at my best) but it comes along at the perfect time. Also, I don’t know much about any of the places I’m visiting, so I don’t have any expectations to be dashed. What is certain is that 1) I don’t have to plan much beyond “be on the boat by this time” and 2) I won’t be bored.

As such this blog will go silent for a couple of weeks. My social media likely will as well because most of my traveling companions don’t Tweet or Facebook. Watch this space on October 24th for tales of my trip.

biweekly links 9-26-2018 – the party edition

Glamping goes Tudor: historians to remake Henry VIII’s opulent tent: as an Elizabethan history nerd I’ve read all the stories of the Field of the Cloth of Gold; now UK’s Historic Royal Palaces are going to re-create one of these enormous structures. No photos as yet but I’ll keep looking.

animated painting of 17th century woman dancing with a skeleton. — The only remotely early modern thing that showed up under “party” on Giphy. Bluff King Hal and Co’s parties were not this morbid. Via.

Renaissance Festival Books: not modern renn faire but actual festivals that took place during the Renaissance. Festival books served as both records of the festival and promotion of the image the festival-throwers wanted to cultivate. In this sense they’re not unlike the many books about Burning Man or Woodstock.

Examples of Masque Costume in the late 16th & Early 17th Centuries: what, you didn’t think they partied in their everyday duds, did you? Mind, these aren’t exactly Halloween costumes; you see a lot more mythological heroes and pagan deities than superheroes and monsters. More on what goes into a masque costume plus a beautiful re-creation from ElizabethanCostume.Net (one of the earliest and best resources for 16th century costumers).

organization

I have crap organizational skills.

Oh, I can do it when I have to, of course, but it’s always an aggravating extra step. I’m not a natural list maker. My clean laundry can stay on the guest bed for weeks. But some jobs are so large that the imposition of a defined order is required. And it’s maddening.

black and white animated gif of disheveled-looking man looking at papers and screaming — Via.

As a newbie writer I’m still working out the best way to collect all critique/beta reader feedback in one place so I can easily refer to it while editing the current* draft.

Some is digital and some is paper. I’ve tried volleying back and forth between 3 hard copies (so far) and multiple Word windows and it’s too confusing.

I’ve handwritten everything on my own printed version and while I have everything in one place I still have to drag a phone-book sized binder around with my laptop. The only places big enough to spread everything are my dining room table and the public library.

So as a last resort I’m going to try adding it all to the current Word** draft as comments. Best of both digital and print.

I hope.

*I hesitate to say “third”. Some parts have had more drafts/are more “done” than others.

**The last draft was restructuring, and Scrivener’s “index cards” functionality was great for moving scenes around easily. Now that I’ve solidified the sequence I want to view it as a whole. That, and a single Word doc is just easier to send to people.

biweekly links 9-12-2018

Madrid’s Prado Museum Will Spotlight Pioneering Duo of Female Renaissance Artists: Oooh, I wish I could go! I’m familiar with Fontana and Anguissola mostly through costuming because their portraits work as excellent visual sources, but both were truly revolutionary in their time: Fontana the first professional woman artist; Anguissola the court painter to Philip II.

Photo of renaissance woman in red velvet gown with split sleeves, a starched ruff, and white silk embroidered sleeves — See what I mean about the costume detail? “Portrait of a Young Lady” ca. 1580, Sofonisba Anguissola [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The 20 Strangest Things Revealed in Declassified CIA Documents: old news but new to me, the countdown includes some things you’d expect (UFOs, spies) but some things I certainly didn’t (Dr. Zhivago smuggled into Soviet Union, poltergeists*).

Purdue and Delaware State professors unravel century-old mystery: Yet another Voynich Manuscript theory! A new book posits a sixteenth century Mexican origin based on illustrations of supposedly New World plants. The folks at Ciphermysteries ripped this theory to shreds a couple of years back for complex cryptological reasons. I’m not a cryptographer or botanist so I’m not sure what to think, though if I remember correctly the vellum is made from the skin of a European species of cow (double-check me – I couldn’t get to a public version of the paper).

*I’m too paranoid to link directly to the CIA site but if you Google “CIA poltergeist” I promise you’ll find them.

Book review: The Secret Token

The Secret Token: Myth, Obsession, and the Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke by Andrew Lawler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My sister knows me well. About a month ago she sent me a news article about the possibility that at least one of the controversial Dare stones might be real. If so it would solve one of the oldest mysteries of American history: what became of the famed Lost Colonists?

Lawler’s book is the clearinghouse for all of the recent Roanoke Colony research and lore, including the most recent archaeological efforts and the discovery of a hidden inland fort on one of the 16th century maps of the region. He also doesn’t shy away from the more controversial items like the Dare stones.

I learned some new things as well, most intriguingly that in addition to the famous 115 colonists (possibly) lost to Croatoan, another wave of inadvertent colonists may have been lost as well. After a 1585 raid on the Spanish colony of Cartagena, Sir Francis Drake made for the new Roanoke colony with African, South American, and Ottoman Turkish captives. The Turks were likely repatriated but it’s suspected that the Africans and South Americans were simply left to fend for themselves in what became North Carolina. The origins of immigration to what became the United States were evidently multicultural from the beginning.

Which is where the most interesting part of Lawler’s book comes in: modern fascination with the fate of the lost colonists (and which colonists count as “lost” and why) speaks to the very definition of who we think of as “American”. Highly recommended.

View all my reviews

biweekly links 8-29-2018

Book review: ‘Shakespeare and the Resistance’ is a tale of a real-life Elizabethan plot: until I read this review about another linking of Shakespeare to covert politics I’d never heard of Clare Asquith. I gather from sniffing around the web that her previous book on Shakespeare’s coded commentaries on Elizabeth I’s regime is lauded in some circles and virulently ridiculed in others. I don’t know enough to judge either way, so I just present this as “interesting” in the same spirit as Shakespeare’s mooted connections to Dee and Kelley’s possible spying in Bohemia.

Not-So-Silent Cinema presents “Häxan”, Witchcraft Through the Ages: if you can get to the Mütter Museum for Halloween, this looks like a fun way to spend it (depending on your definition of “fun”. I’d be all in).

Spellbound: Magic, Ritual and Witchcraft: if you’re in Oxford UK between now and January you might want to check this out at the Ashmolean Museum. The rest of us will have to make do with the website photos, including one of John Dee’s famous shewstones.

newbie not newbie: my history with horror

I never thought of myself as a horror fan.

I grew up with “horror” meaning either 1) gore, like the projectile vomit in “The Exorcist” or bleeding walls in “The Amityville Horror, or 2) something so terrifying it kept me awake. I particularly remember one sleepless week after finishing Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary” (I know, but I was fourteen and lived with a big black cat at the time, after reading that book he was terrifying!)

Then I read through NPR’s 100 best horror stories and realized not only have I read and enjoyed about half the list but that my definition of horror was incredibly narrow.

I’ve read du Maurier’s “Rebecca” and Jackson’s “Haunting of Hill House” multiple times to savor the wrongness creeping in. I didn’t know “psychological horror” was a genre and now I find myself writing it.

Dracula, Carmilla, Lestat and Louis… well, I never found vampires scary. Quite the contrary. Being “the things that others fear” sounded like a good deal to my insecure teenage self. Many years post-goth and I still love vampires.

Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer giving the 2 finger salute — Except for the sparkly kind. Via.

The inclusion of Strieber’s “Communion” tickles me because while as non-fiction it’s controversial to say the least, it’s compulsive reading if you take it as fiction, with an “extraordinary intruding on ordinary” vibe that still gives me the chills.

So I’m going through this list with my library card (tangential: I forgot how much I loved the library! Online renewal and automatic download of e-books makes them even better!) because it turns out I am something of a horror fan.

An 11 year old Kirsten Dunst as child vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire: I want more

What’s a genre you never thought you would (or did) enjoy, until you did?

The Aztec Gold, Diamond Dogs, and Political Witchcraft Surrounding Watergate: are conspiracy theories symptoms or causes of fractious times? Arguably both, but forty-five years on this tale connecting Watergate, David Bowie, hidden treasure and (of course) JFK seems more a snapshot of the various mental gymnastics people employed to make sense of the year immediately before Nixon’s impeachment than anything that has (much) basis in fact. Plus cheezy 1970s print ads, including an early incarnation of The Gap.

Play about Elizabeth Bathory at Minnesota Fringe Fest: my Google alerts find me the oddest goodies. Also of relevance to readers of this blog, the article also summarizes shows built around “NaNoWriMo naughty bits” and “spells cast through dance and storytelling.”

More theater: Back to the Tudors as six wives and Queen Liz rock Edinburgh: this time from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The Tudor period is well-trod territory for drama but these are contemporary musical designed “to challenge the US smash hit Hamilton.” Think they can take on Lin-Manuel Miranda?

Detectorist thought Elizabethan gold ring ‘was ring-pull’: my grandfather used to take his metal detector every year to the beach, but he never found anything like this! The signet ring is expected to sell for £7,500 to £10,000.

weathered brass ring with engraved eagle on the oval face — Brass, not gold, this is Elizabethan poet/playwright William Strachey’s ring, found at Historic Jamestowne. Via, and more source/credit information at the link.