Tourist in Romania / 4 – “Pensiunea Carol”

Posted on April 7, 2011 by admin

As we were approaching the end of the first day of our trip we headed to the hotel that we had booked for the next two nights. The location was near the city of Targu Neamt, about 30 kilometers away of Piatra Neamt. Targu Neamt may be the smaller brother of Piatra, but it is more famous to some extent, as it is the place of birth made of the Romanian classic writer Ioan Creanga, has the ruins of a well preserved fortified castle also made famous in a classic piece of historic poetry, and is located in the heart of the Neamt (read Nae-Amtz)  monasteries land – the target of the next day of our trip which I will detail in the upcoming episodes.

a sign in the dark

Finding the place was not easy, although we had some directions and a GPS in our car. This may be one of the problems that the owners of the place will want to improve, as there are no signs from the center of the city, neither a clear explanation on the otherwise nicely designed Web site – http://www.pensiunea-carol.ro/index.php. The rain had stopped and the skies cleared by the time we reached the area, but also the night was falling. Luckily, the sign of the hotel was clearly visible and we eventually made it.

king Carol

We soon discovered that the name of the small hotel (‘pensiune’ designates in Romanian a small family hotel, sometimes not bigger than a B&B, this one is actually larger and growing) was honoring the first of the four crowned kings in the history of Romania. I do not know if the owners are really royalists, but they certainly seem to hold in high esteem king Carol the 1st, who is actually a well respected character in the modern history of the country, having reigned over the progress of Romania in the last third of the 19th century and first years of the 20th century in a period of building of the institutions of the modern state, getting full independence and what can be considered as the first integration of Romania in Europe.

the Carol at daylight

Next day in the morning we could see the hotel and the landscape around. ‘Pensiunea Carol’ is an example of the new style of tourism industry that I hope will be successful in this region and in other parts of Romania. Its owners used some of the European Community help for small businesses and built a small chalet at standards that compare without hesitation with the over the average similar places all over Europe. They had seven rooms by the time we stayed with them, but a few more were already built in a second building and with the extended capacity they were hoping to attract the attention not only of the occasional tourists but also of small groups and businesses looking for a quiet retreat place to meet, and combine work with some tourism and entertainment in a relaxed atmosphere.

Neamt landscape from the balcony

The environment is really charming with the swift slopes of the green hills in the Neamt area.

in the courtyard

The courtyard has enough parking place for the full extended occupancy, and some artifacts of the traditional agriculture and crafts give it a special color.

art on the walls

The interior of the buildings are clean, warm and accommodating. Paintings in a neo-classical style on the walls fit well in the atmosphere …

portrait of a Jew

… including this portrait of an old Jew from a past century.

dining room

The hotel has a good restaurant with a capacity that exceeds the number of guests in the hotel, sign that they plan to attract customers from the city. Actually there were a few also during our stay. Traditional Romanian food dominates the menu, as it does in the majority of the other places we had eaten during the trip. As tourists in Romania we did not ask for anything else but the food we are missing abroad, and Liliana had her first try of ‘mamaligutza cu branza‘ (cheese polenta).

where they full?

The owners took us on a tour of the facilities and the newly built extensions which include a wine cellar and a separate dining place with traditional grill and oven. Overall Pensiunea Carol is a wonderful base for the circuit of the monasteries around, it is well run by enthusiastic folks with entrepreneurial spirit and a touch for the local specificity. I recommend it and I hope that the place will succeed.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gica Manescu – Vacante iesene in copilarie (2)

Posted on April 5, 2011 by admin

Partea a doua a amintirilor lui Gica Manescu se potriveste cu perioada in care ne aflam si ne prilejuieste o comparatie intre sarbatorirea Pesah-ului acum si atunci.
———–

Eram la cateva zile inainte de Pesah. Pasca, achizitionata din timp, se odihnea intr-un cos din paie, ca o lada mare. Astepta  deschiderea. Rezerva de oua era facuta si ouale linistite erau in camera de langa bucatarie, o camara. Se dadeau jos dintr-un dulap vesela si tacamurile pentri zilele  restepective. Bunica (cred ca era in jur de 65 ani) era ajutata de fica ei cea mica, domnisoara care a terminat scoala si astepta sa ia locul surorii ei mai in varsta ca ajutoare in scriptologia magazinului familiei. Bunicul era patronul unui magazin – atelier de moblia importata din Austria si Germania, dar cu un maestru tapiter lucrau si reparau somiere, cu arcuri foarte bune, rezistente si elastice.

Venea seara de Seder. Masa intinsa si cu un adaus, cu cateva scaune imprumutate, aranjata cu tot dichisul si cele necesare, astepta oaspetii. Nu erau decat membri familiei. La ora indicata – bunicul in capul mesei  si eu la un loc de onoare, in stanga lui. Eram acela care trebuia sa puna intrebarile, scrise in suluri vechi, de vreme indelungata. Le stiam pe din afara, caci profesorul de ebraica s-a straduit sa le stim. Nu citite, ca era mult mai dificil, desi alfabetul ebraic fara vocale era  pentru noi dotat cu puncte si liniute.

Moshe Castel - Passover Seder - source christies.com

Cu vocea clara, putin emotionat la “premiera“, dar fara trac, am intrebat cu ce se deosebeste seara respectiva de celelate. Ca mancam numai pasca, nu sedem  pe scaune,  ci putin rezemati (in teorie) si altele, despre obiceiuri si traditii.

Fac o mica paranteza si relatez ce mi s-a intamplat mie aici, in urma cu vreo 10 ani. Vazusem pe o nota de plata pentru reparatia cazanului colector de apa de pe acoperis – DUD, trei litere DVD. Dupa o vreme am citit ceva si n-am inteles ce legatura avea cu cazanul. Erau acelasi trei litere. Am intrebat pe cineva si mi-a explicat ca e vorba de DAVID.  Se scrie DVD. Ignoranta, nu mult imbunatatita. Ramane intre noi.

Revin. Au venit explicatiile, pe care nu le intelegeam ca si altii dintre oaspeti, dar se stia cum decurge seara. Unchii mei aveau si ei carticelele respective si le frunzareau. S-a cantat dupa ce s-a terminat partea religioasa. Niste cantece mici,traditionale. Povestea unui ied.

A inceput partea principala – mancatul, bautul  spriturilor, putini erau  bautori de vin fara adaus de sifon. Copiii au avut si ei dreptul. Nu s-a cherchelit nimeni. Cu burti pline dupa supa cu galuste, peste, carnea cu garnituri, a venit desertul, care era pacat de refuzat. A urmat  goana catorva dintre cei mai tineri, sa gaseasca pasca ascunsa (aficoman) . Si despartirea cu sarutari si urari de bine.

Dar erau si zile ploioase. Ma jucam cu o verisoara de varsta mea (traieste in Holon, langa familia ei ) cu “Diabolo“ si nu aveam dexteritatea. Nu vazusem inca. Este ca un mosor mare, dar facut ca si cum ar fi doua conuri lipite la varfuri. E dintr-o guma tare si prin mijloc trece o sfoara subtire, lunga si cu manere la capete. Se azvarle in sus si se prinde iar. E foarte greu. Am vazut  mult ma tarziu, pe la spectacole de cabaret, jonglerii. Sau ne asezam la masa, la o partida de domino, fara o judecata, ci la potrivit punctele negre. Sau tintar cu boabe de fasole albe si negre,”spanzuratoarea“ joc de complectat cuvinte, “Popa prostul“ cu carti de joc, sau mai citeam din “Dimineata copiiilor”, pataniie lui Haplea si Frosa.  Cum vremea era in  general frumoasa m-am incumetat si mama a fost de acord sa ies pe strada.

Trei Ierarhi - sursa ceasuripentruromania.ro

Drumul era usor, fara pericole. Ieseam imediat la dreapta, treceam pe langa  gradina Teatrului idish –“La pomul verde”, intram in  scuarul din fata Teatrului National, admiram statuia lui Vasile Alecsandri (nu stiam inca de el ) si cu un betisor invarteam un cerc de lemn in  toate directiie. Fugeam dupa el.  Alte ori mergeam la stanga dupa iesirea din bolta, ajungeam in cativa pasi in strada Stefan cel Mare, pe  acelasi trotuar treceam pe langa cladirea impozanta a “Corpului 5 de armata“ ( nu stiam ce e aia si unchi mi-a explicat in cuvinte putine, sa prind esentialul. Nu ma interesa). Vedeam peste drum Mitropolia in care nu intram. De frica? De rusine? Ce sa fac acolo?  Mai incolo, ma opream si vis-a-vis este Biserica Trei Ierarhi, cu ziduri exterioare deosebite. Dar pasii ma duceau la Palatul de Justitie . In piateta mare si la mijloc troneaza impozanta, statuie ecvestra a lui Stefan cel Mare. Tot nu auzisem de el si am primit cateva informatii simple. Daca se intampla sa merg invers pe strada principala, pana in strada Cuza-Voda, ajungeam in “Piata Unirii“, in fata Hotelului Traian, statuia inalta a lui Alexandru Ioan  Cuza.

statuia lui Cuza Voda din Iasi - sursa ro.wikipedia.org

De el stiam cate ceva. Bunicul meu din Focsani, imi povestise intamplari din timpul Unirii si a aceluia care a fost Domnitorul celor doua Principate romane. La Focsani, in Piata Unirii, este un monument in amintirea evenimetului din 1859. Aici s-a cantat si imnul respectiv in timpul dansului horei de infratire.

Mai aveam, o curiozitate. Stiam ca mama invatase la scoala maicilor  catolice “Notre Dame de Sion“ si intr-o zi ne-am dus intr-acolo sa privim  pe din afara. Traversand strada  Cuza Voda, la o incrucisare o statuie impozanta a unui barbat in picioare. Citesc : Miron Costin.

statuia lui Miron Costin din Iasi - sursa okazii.ro

Nu stiam cine este si nici mama nu mi-a putut explica exact. Stia ca e cineva care parca era cronicar. Ne-am limltat la atata. Nu voiam sa stiu ce este un cronicar si ce face. Peste drum era deja scoala. Ziduri inalte ca nu se putea vedea nimic in interior . Am mers de-a lungul ei spre strada Ion Bratianu, am vazut intrarea cu o usa frumoasa si ne-am oprit cateva minute, mama gandind ca poate va iesi una din  maicile inca din  timpul ei, de peste 15 ani. N–a fost sa fie.

Institutul Notre Dame de Sion Iasi - sursa ziaruldeiasi.ro

Ma opresc aici. Cum se apropie sarbatoarea de Pesah, e bine venita, cred eu, relatarea, cum era acum peste 85 ani, cum era si ce se facea, intr-o casa a  unor evrei traditionalisti, de conditii materiale si sociale bune.

Dar ideile nu s-au terminat si amintirile revin in memorie. Daca aveti  rabdare  si dorinta, cum s-a scris, veti mai putea citi.

Gica

Posted in Gica Manescu, memories | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tourist in Romania / 3 – A Tower, a Church and a Museum

Posted on April 4, 2011 by admin

It started to rain in that afternoon of our first day of the trip. After the emotional encounter with my grand-parents house I told about in the previous episode we walked to the center of the city, to an area which I remembered so well. On a small hill stand the landmarks of Piatra Neamt, a clock tower and a church from the late 15th century marking the place were the city (mentioned already in the Russian Chronicles at the end of the 14th century) started.

Stefan the Great's Tower

The area was a part of a ‘Curte Domneasca’ which means a royal residential area built by king Stefan the Great – the most important voievod (king, prince) in the history of Moldavia – between 1468 and 1475. While only some underground cellars and defense walls remain from the original buildings, the church and the clock tower near-by built between 1497 and 1499 still dominate the landscape. The tower is 19 meter high.

St. John the Baptist Church

The Saint John the Baptist church has a devotional inscription that dates the building in the years 1497 and 1498.

Binecinstitorul şi de Hristos iubitorul Io Ştefan voievod, a început şi a zidit şi a săvârşit acest hram în numele Naşterii cinstitului şi slăvitului prooroc Ioan Botezătorul şi Înaintemergătorul, întru rugă sieşi şi doamnei sale Maria şi prea iubitului lor fiu Bogdan voievod, care a început a se zidi în anul 7005 (1497) iulie 15 şi s-a săvârşit în anul 7006 (1498) iar al domniei sale al 40 şi doilea curgător, luna noiembrie, 11 zile.

I. the honest and Christ lover Stefan the King, started and built and completed this donation in the name of the birth of the honest and beloved prophet Saint John the Baptist and the Predecessor, in prayer for himself and lady Maria and their beloved son prince Bogdan, that started the building in the year 7005 (1497) July 15 and completed it in the year 7006 (1498) and the 40th of his reign, eleven days in the month of November.

inside St. John the Baptist Church

The building style of the church is typical for the Moldavian churches, with wide roofs extending well beyond the walls. There is no exterior paintings here, but colored tiles in the wall give life to the rather sober enclosure. An unusual feature of this building is the arched entrance door in a Gothic shape – but we need to remember that Stefan was in the Romanian history what came closer to a prince of the Renaissance, entertaining political, commercial and artistic relations with the powers of Europe of his time.

St. John the Baptist icon

Walking inside the church the visitor immediately immerses in the warm atmosphere of the Romanian orthodox churches.  The churches built between the 14th and the 18th century were not high and imposing as in Western Europe. The relation between the church goer and God is much more familiar, distances between men and priests and icons and symbols are at hand touch.

icons inside the church

There is little natural light in many of these churches including the one in Piatra Neamt, and the light of the candles is all that illuminated the paintings and the altar for centuries. Most of the icons, religious objects and ornamentation in the church today dates from the late 18 and 19th century.

the History and Archeology Cucuteni Museum

It started to rain really heavily when we went out of the church, and we found refuge at the entrance of the beautiful building behind the tower. I was remembering it as a CEC (Saving Accounts Bank) building during my childhood, on the place of the local bank beautifully built in the first half of the 20th century in a style that accommodates well with the historical buildings. It dates from the years 1928-1930, the builder name was Carol Zani and the external ornamentation was made by a sculptor named Vincenzo Puschiasis. The biggest surprise we had was that it had become lately a museum, and not any museum, but a history and archeology museum dedicated to one of the first ancient cultures of Europe – the culture of Cucuteni.

inside the history and archeology museum

The civilization of Cucuteni gets its name from the place near Iasi where in 1884 were made the first significant archeological discoveries of the civilization that is considered the first great culture of Europe, precluding or contemporary with the cultures of Sumer and the early Egyptian civilizations. While the first archeological finds that were discovered date from 5000 BC, the peak of the civilization was reached around 3500BC and by that time it spread on a territory that covers a great part of Moldavia and Ukraine of today. Piatra Neamt is actually at the Southern extremity of the civilization, but many significant remains were discovered in the areas around.

vase from Izvoare

A few months before we had visited Malta and admired the remains of the megalithic civilizations which were conserved on that island (I wrote about them in my Maltese week cycle). What we were now seeing was a splendid museum dedicated to a culture which although did not leave imposing structures as in Malta (or maybe they did not survive) or in the British islands, rivals and exceedes these other civilizations with the extraordinary refinement of its art and crafts. Moreover – these are remains of a civilization which belongs to the continent itself – the first important one in the early history of Europe.

one legged cup from Dealul Ghindaru

We were the only visitors in the museum. As we entered we immediately got a proof of the hospitality which Moldavians extend to their visitors. A curator immediately showed up and she guided us through the two levels of the exhibition, with detailed, competent and informative explanations about the museum, the civilization of Cucuteni and its predecessors represented in the museum, about each object or group of objects that was worth talking about. And much was worth talking about. All was spoken in the sweet language with that accent my grandparents were talking with and which came back to me from memory in a fraction of a moment.

'benocular' vase from Trusesti

The museum was open in 2005 and is also known as the museum of ‘eneolitic art’. It is a branch of the history and archeology museum of Piatra Neamt and I should mention that a museum exists here since the 1930s, created by a local priest named Constantin Matasa who was a personality of the city in that period.

(video source VisitNeamt)

Here is a video on youTube that was filmed in the rooms of the museum.

crown vase from Dealul Ghindaru

In 2009 an exhibition was open at the New York University exposing for the first time the American public to the history and artifacts of the East European early civilizations. Objects from the museum crossed the Atlantic for that exhibition. Here is the New York Times note published at that time – http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01arch.html

the 'Hora' from Frumusica

The exhibits are remarkable. While a few of the most representatives objects of the pre-Cucuteni and Cucuteni civilizations are today exposed in other places and especially in the Museum of National History in Bucharest there is a wide range of objects here that present a very consistent and rich image of the development of the culture, its principal forms and evolution in styles.

anthropomorphic figurine

The explanations helped us to understand also the process of discovery and reconstruction of the pieces. Only if more than 85% of the object is found and authenticated the object is included in the collection. The range of styles varies from big ornate vases to objects of cult of special forms, anthropomorphic and animal representations. The sensation of refinement and artistic vibration is present everywhere.

animal-shaped lamp

This place is really unique in Romania and probably in Europe as well. It was for us a surprise and a revelation, one of the first discoveries in this journey. It is worth being known and visited by anybody who happens to be in the Neamt area, and even worth a special trip. In a Michelin guide I would give it without hesitation a 3 stars grade.

Posted in travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gica Manescu – Vacante iesene in copilarie (1)

Posted on April 3, 2011 by admin

Prietenul Gica Manescu continua sa scotoceasca in sacul cu amintiri si acum ne relateaza despre copilaria sa in Romania dintre cele doua razboaie mondiale.

——-

Cum mama era ieseanca, pleca sa-si viziteze parintii din cand in  cand, sau veneau ei la noi.

Cand implinisem 7 ani si sora mea trecuse de 3 ani, s-a decis sa petrecem Pesah, in vacanta scolara (eram in clasa I-a) la bunicii si familia din Moldova. Plecam cu mama, tata urmand sa vie spre sfarsit cand erau si zilele de Pasti ale crestinilor.

gara din Iasi - sursa buciumul.com

In acceleratul dn Bucuresti spre Iasi care sosea la Focsani cam dupa ora 16 ne urcam intr-un compartiment de clasa II-a, cu bancile acoperite cu o catifea albastra. Prima oprire – statia Marasesti. Sora mea voia sa mearga la WC. Mama ii explica, va merge dupa plecarea trenului. Cand acesta se punea in miscare, mama  ii propunea, dar ea nu mai avea nevoia. Asa  la Tecuci.  Din bagaj se scotea mancarea pentru cina. Era totdeauna friptura de pasare, paine alba proaspata si niste fructe. Din termos, apa rece. Mancam si mititica adormea. Eu ma uitam afara. Pe la 8 seara era pregatirea de coborire, ajungand in statia ultima, a oraseluiui Barnova, renumit prin sanatoriul lui pentru boli pulmonare. Cand treceam de suburbia Nicolina se dadeau bagajele jos, ne imbracam si eram gata, desi era statia terminala si nu  era zor. Pe peron bunicii si inca cineva dn  familie. Mama avea acolo 2 frati si 4 surori. Luminile din strada parca ma orbeau. De fapt nu era o iluminatie “ a giorno “. Trasurile mici, cu un cal, doar pentru doua persoane adulte. Ne cataram in cateva dintre ele si se  pornea la deal, spre strada Marzescu, Nr. 17. Strada centrala, si curioztatea mea era in crestere, mai ales dupa oprire si coborire. Mama a luat-o pe sora mea de mana si eu alaturi, insotiti de cei care ne-au intampinat. Era o intrare cu o bolta de vreo 6-7 metri adancime si destul de inalta. Ca patrunderea intr-un tunel. O curte mare, ca un patrat, cu apartamente putine la parter si lateral, doua scari de lemn  pentru a urca la balcoanele inconjuratoare.

Ma tarziu, dupa 1-2 ani, ca plecam cu regularitate, mi-am dat sema ca cele doua balcoane cu apartamente similare erau  ca doi gemeni. Daca s-ar fi  unit prin alunecare, rezultau cele 4 laturi egale ale poligonului.  Mai tarziu mi-am dat sema ce constructor priceput a fost respectivul la anii de atunci. Un lucru ma deranja. Daca putea fi apa curgatoare in apartament, de ce WC –urile erau in fundul balconului, pe un  perete separat ? Fiecare locatar avea cheile unuia. Rezervorul cu apa si lantul cu maner, erau la indemana. Cand am venit ca student, bunicii se mutasera, mai spre centru.

Mi s-a explicat ca sub noi, e o ceainarie si spatele tipografiei Damsker, in care se tiparea si renumitul ziar iesean “Opinia“.

Pe sora mea au culcat-o dupa ce a mai mancat o prajitura de la bunica. Si eu am primit. Adultii s-au asezat la masa.

Am iesit pe balcon. Aer proaspat de primavara. Era doar aprilie.  Privind in  fata, vedeam, cele doua turnuri ale Mitropoliei , de pe strada Stefan cel Mare. Se vedeau in intunecimea noptii cadranele luminate ale orologiilor care sunau timpul: o bataie de clopot la “si un sfert“, doua la “jumatate” si trei la “fara un  sfert”. Apoi numarul orei respective. Deranjau pe neobisnuiti, dar cei din apropiere parca erau surzi. Stelele  pe cer si linistea noptii ce se instala m-au impresionat. Nu-imi inchipuiam asa “spectacol”.

strada in Iasii interbelici - sursa zilesinopti.ro

O surpriza si o premiera am avut-o a doua zi dupa amiaza. Tot din balcon, priveam in curte si vedeam cum se aduceau mese si scaune in  jurul lor, aranjate de patronul ceainariei. Au inceput sa vina clientii. Era o zi mai calduroasa. S-au asezat cate  2 -3 la mese si li s-a adus ceaiul. Se stia fara vorba sau comanda.

Niste ceainice butucanoase,  fara capac contineau  apa clocotita si peste ele un  ceainic mic in care era esenta concentrata din ceai. O farfurioara cu niste bucati de zahar cubic. In loc  de ceasca sau cana, un  castronel in care se turna ceaiul preparat  si un sfert dintr-un cub de zahar pe limba. Sorbeau, mai vorbeau si se stergeau cu batistele, pe frunte si obraz. Erau transpirati.

Bunica mi-a explicat ca se bea “paruski” – ca rusii- (erau multi basarabeni) si ca prin iesirea apei oamenii se racoresc.

Iesind pe trotuar, langa intrare, era bacania lui domnu Oizer. Maruntel si plinut, cu un  sort, incins la mijlocul burtii. Avea de toate. In fata tejghelei, cativa saci cu fasole alba, faina, orez si o putina cu scrumbii marinate. Pe masa, borcane cu acadele si caramele, stafide,  ciocolate si rulouri de pistil. Acestea erau ca niste foi de caiet din pasta de caise, dulci acrisoare. Un leu una si eu cumparam doua, sa impart  cu sora mea. Uneori trebuia sa astept sa termine cu un client de inainte. Daca vindea scrumbie, apuca cu mana din interiorul putinei si imediat in hartie de ziar. Isi stergea mana pe unul din saci si apoi pe sort. Invelea pistilul tot in hartie de ziar.

Gaseam si acasa, in Focsani, la domnul Spiegelman. Ceva ma bine aranjat si dotat. Pe aici, n-am mai cautat, dar in urma cu ani am gasit in  Ierusalim, in  bazarul arabesc.

Cu trecera anilor trec si poftele. Dar sunt sigur ca as maca pistil, cu placere si amintire.

Pentruca amintirile si “ocupatiile“ mele nu s-au limitat aici, intrerup, sa nu fie relatarea prea lunga si in curand veti cunoaste urmarea. Ca un mic serial.

Am tinut seama de sfaturile lui  Dan, Vic si Pierre. Cei care au amintiri din timpuri mai indepartate noua si majoritatii dintre cititori, sa nu le tina pentru ei. Sa stie si altii, cum traiau bunicii nostri si preocuparile lor, si modul de a le rezolva. Asta incerc sa fac. Reusita o veti aprecia voi, cititorii. Voi avea un  test de a continua sau a pune punct.

Posted in Gica Manescu, memories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gica Manescu – Proverbe vechi, idei noi

Posted on April 2, 2011 by admin

Gica Manescu isi prefateaza singur acest articol:

Nu numai amintiri si povestiri, dar  incerc  si altele. Cum se spune, ca suntem in tema: ”Incercarea moarte n-are”

————–

– Crestinii sarbatoresc Pastele ca a inviat Christos. Evreii, iesirea din Egipt. Dar caii? De ce si cand au Pastile lor ?

– Se spune ca niste gaste au salvat Roma. Ce pasari destepte. Atunci despre  doamna X, femeie stiuta ca proasta, de ce se spune ca are  creer de gasca?

source disney-clipart.com

– Amicul meu mi-a spus sa-l vizitez. Am gasit usa deschisa. Pe el nu l-am vazut in  camera.  Se ascunsese dupa deget.

– Are o foame de lup, alearga ca un cal, bea ca o camila, doarme ca un urs, e incapatanat ca un magar si are o viata de caine. De ce consulta un medic pentru oameni si nu veterinar?

– Stie ca n-are rost sa  caute un nod in  papura, ca nu va gasi. Totusi o face destul de des.

source captainconcierge.com

– Am carpit un sac de panza  cu o bucata de material  plastic. Deci nu e adevarat cum se spune : “ cum  e sacul asa e si petecul “.

– Cred  ca vrabiile sunt pasari aparute mai recent in fauna de pe pamant. Alftel, cum ar putea visa malai, cand stim ca macinatul porumbului nu dateaza din vremurile pre-arhaice.

– Daca nimeni nu-i profet in tara lui, in ce loc, in ce tara, au trait profetii  nostri ?

source biblestudy.pppst.com

– Cutare e cu capul in nori. Atunci cand e senin el e acefal?

-Daca cineva are capul pe umeri, inseamna ca nu are  gat?

– Cum adica “ naravul din fire, n-are lecuire “? M-am interesat la niste tesatorii si nicaeri nu se gaseau tesaturi cu fire de naravuri.

– La Istanbul am baut o limonada la un bar. Am spus vecinului, un localnic, sa plateasca. M-a privit mirat. Eu stiam ca “turcul plateste “.

– Cu rabdare si tacere, se face agurida miere, spun unii. Inarmat cu rabdare si mutenie, am stat vreme indelungatga langa o tava cu agurida. Tot acra a ramas.

– Daca pofta vine mancand, de ce setea se stinge band si nu invers ?

source instant-art.com

– Cum poate ochiul stapanului sa ingrase vaca, daca ea nu mananca ?

– Povestea o vecina ca lui X, desi om tanar, i-a sunat ceasul ieri dimineata. Ei si?  Numai  batranii trebuie sa foloseasca desteptatorul?

_______

Dr . G. Manescu.

Martie 2011

Posted in Gica Manescu | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tourist in Romania / 2 – Back in Time

Posted on March 25, 2011 by admin

As we were drawing near to our first and maybe most important stop for me in this trip the weather started to become gray and rainy. We felt the change in landscape as soon as we entered the judetz (county) of Neamtz. Hills took the place of the dusty landscape that we crossed for about 300 kilometers. Unfortunately the sun chose to hide and clouds were quite low. When we entered the city of Piatra Neamtz, the place were the Romascanu family lived for more than one hundred years, since the mid of the 19th century, the three hills surrounding the city were hidden by clouds.

on the slope of the hill

Frankly speaking I was not sure at all that we will find the place I was looking for. We were looking for the house of my grandparents, the house where my father and my aunt lived as children, the place where I spent every summer vacation until the age of 14, after which my grandparents left the city and moved to Bucharest, to live close to my father. As we where getting closer I was thinking that the chances to find the house still standing were low, as all the area was full of new condos buildings and villas. And then the GPS told us ‘you have reached your destination’ and the house was there! Everything around was new on that side of the street, all but my grandparents house!

grandparents David and Deborah at their wedding - 1920

I had not seen the place for more than 30 years. I had returned to Piatra Neamtz only once since my grandpa and grandma left the city, and this must have been around 1980. Many people describe their experience when getting back to places that were very familiar when they where children in a change of dimensions, a disappointing dwarfing in many cases. That was not at all my impression. The house is imposing, it was renovated and it is well maintained by the people who own it today. It was a well built structure, raised in the 1920s when my grandfather was a wealthy merchant. He owned all the land up to the slopes at the mid of the Cozia hill, where he was growing grapes, apples and prunes. The Communists confiscated all the property excepting the house at the street, and even that house he was obliged to share with another three families. My grandfather worked as an accountant at a local paper factory in order to sustain the house.

35, Petru Rares street

The address was 35, the Petru Rares street. Actually during the Communist rule the name of street was changed to Lenin street (Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia), but I knew the old name of the street and guessed correctly that at the dawn after the Communist night the street gained back the name of the voievod (king) Petru Rares of Moldavia. The windows on the right were of the room which was left to my grandparents, my bed was under these windows during the summer vacations.

the courtyard of my summer holidays

Three more families shared the house. Mr. and Mrs. Moscovici had no connection with Liliana, although sharing the same family name, quite common among the Romanian Jews. Mr. Mihailovici was a pharmacist and was very seldom at home, I think that he worked in another city. Mr. Sherban was an economist and the manager of the local CEC (savings deposit bank). I was sneaking in his room while he was at work to read from the books in his room, as he had what looked to me then an impressive library.

the new (great) synagogue

If the house kept the impressive dimensions that I remembered the streets seemed to have compressed. What I remembered as a long walk to the center of the city was a five minutes walk and the synagogue where my grandfather prayed for more than 40 years was even a shorter walk from the house. The building is impressive, and so is the history of the Jewish community in Piatra Neamtz which extends for more than half of a thousand of years. It’s a relatively new building built in 1839 and reconstructed after a fire in 1904. It is said however that successive synagogues on this place existed since the time of king Stefan the Great – as the St. John church built by him in the second half of the 15th century (one of the landmarks of the city that I will describe in the next episode) is situated less than the 150 stânjeni (about 300 m) distance that were to separate a synagogue from a church according to Moldavian law – so the explanation was that a synagogue was already there by the time the church was built.

the old wooden synagogue

What is certain and attested by documents is that many Jews came to Piatra Neamtz in the 17th century from Poland and Ukraine after the uprising and pogroms of Chmielniki. In the 18th century Jews were not allowed to build synagogues from stone, and this is how the Baal Shem Tov wooden synagogue was built in 1766. This synagogue unique in its style and method of contruction was recently renovated and said to hold wonderful wooden carvings executed in 1835 by Saraga Yitzhak Ben Moshe. Unfortunately despite the fact that the day was not a Shabat or holiday and the time was a reasonable 2 or 3PM the two synagogues were closed and locked, and no sign indicated how and when they can be visited. All that I could do was to take pictures from the street. Luckily Ruth Ellen Gruber – author of a wonderful book of Jewish Heritage Travel also has a Web site where she put some photos of the interior of the wooden synagogue – http://jewish-heritage-travel.blogspot.com/2009/12/romania-piatra-neamt-wooden-synagogue.html

Posted in Romania, travel | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Gica Manescu – Limbi straine

Posted on March 24, 2011 by admin

Prietenul meu doctorul Gica Manescu mi-a permis preluarea pe blog a acestui nou fragment din amintirile sale. De data aceasta este vorba despre limbile straine.

————

Pana in clasa  I–a de liceu, in  afara de romaneste mai auzeam uneori idisul bunicilor. Nu ma interesa, nu  intelegeam. Acasa nu se vorbea. Am dat de franceza. Mi-a placut si mai ales ca mama invatase  la scoala de maici Notre–Dame in Iasi. Ma ajuta si devenisem ca un favorit al profesorului Eram acela, care la o intrebare, ridicam imediat, degetele in  sus.

In studiul medicinii toate tratatele erau in  franceza. Asa ca stiam deja destul de bine.  Am mai invatat si alte limbi, dar unele, mai rare, doar pentru ocazii. Nu o intelegere buna, nu o folosire decat ocazionala.

source adviceforyou.org.uk

In vara lui  1966, cu o “foaie de calatorie“ (nu se dadeau pasapoarte pentru “tarile fratesti”), cu sotia si fiul nostru, ne-am suit  in masina, directia Bulgaria. Aveam “Leva” moneda pe care Banca Nationala o schimba, in locul ”Leilor”.

Frumos, bine, am vizitat multe locuri, mai mult la Varna. La Sofia, am cautat sa facem ceva “shopping“ inainte de plecarea la Tarnovo, o  splendoare de oras.

In  magazine se gaseau mai multe produse decat in Romania, importandu-se in  deosebi din Grecia, tara capitalista. Sotia mea, cauta niste colanti de o calitate mai buna. Am intrat intr-un magazin in care, dupa cele din  vitrina erau articole pentru femei. O vanzatoare tinerica, amabila, vorbitoare de bulgareste. Cum s-o facem sa inteleaga ce cautam ? Atunci mi-a sclipit ideea salvatoare. Cu degetul aratator spre sotie, am ridicat un picior si i-am aratat ciorapul meu. A zambit si ne-a spus pe limba ei : Ciorapi? Am inteles. Am cumparat si multumiti, am plecat cu pachetul.  La Bazargic am vorbit romaneste si mi-am achizitionat o jacheta de iarna care a facut furori acasa. Mai tarziu, nici n-ar fi intrat in discutie. Romaneste am mai vorbit la Balcic, unde dadusem de un  restaurant multumitor. La Varna, prin recomandatie, am locuit la un medic ginecolog – Jacob – care ne-a inchiriat  camerele. Erau vorbitori de franceza. El avea si cabinet particular. Avansul Bulgariei.

source fun-books.com

Intr-o calatorie in Italia, de la Sienna  locuisem in camera prin a  carei ferestra se vedeau firmele a doua magazine:  “Macelleria – Carne” si “Pane“ . Stiam deci, ceva italieneste. In compartimentul trenului spre Roma sedea pe banca de vis-a-vis o pereche, care parca era atenta la ce vorbeam noi. La un moment dat,  doamna intreaba ce “dialetto“ vorbim, ca ei, inteleg  aproape tot.  Ma intrebam: stiau ei romaneste sau noi italiana?

In Israel am dat de o limba grea, nu pe cantar, in totalitate, in care vocale nu exista si alfabetul e cel ebraic. Doar cifrele sunt cele arabe. O etnie inrudita cu noi.

Imi amintesc ca un ziarist cu o nuanta de humor spusese  “Invatati limba ebraica, zambind“. Numai asta ne mai lipsea. Ca si lozinca din Romania, dupa 1945, cand prin ARLUS si alte mijloace de propaganda, eram  sfatuiti cu “Invatati limba rusa, cantand”.

La Bucuresti, cand se infunda o  chiuveta era simplu. Aveam o  pompa de cauciuc ca un clopot, cu o coada mica, din lemn. Prin apasarea de cateva ori pe gaura de scurgere, se absorbeau murdariile. Ni s-a intamplat si aici. Am intrat in magazinul cu de toate, si am cautat sa-i explic vanzatorului ce caut. M-a intrebat: “Pompa?”. Credeam ca stie limba mea materna. Nu. Era a lui.

source yogainmyschool.com

Tot din Romania stiam ca aveam  niste seturi din diverse materiale care inlocuiau fetele de masa. Se pun sub farfurii. Practic si simplu. Cautam, dar cum sa cer? Cum sa explic? In fine, ngustorul a inteles si ne-a indreptat spre alt magazin si sa cerem “individualii “.

Tot simplu ar fi fost, daca stiam,  cand la farmacie, am vrut sa cumpar un irigator, ca tot asa se spune si in  ebraica, sau cand in discutia grea cu un functionar, la o institutie, m-a intrebat: ”Ata rotze informatzia al hasituatzia selha.. ?“ (doresti o informatie asupra situatiei tale?). Ce limba usoara, e ebraica !.

source excelsiorlearningcenter.com

Sunt doar cateva intamplari.

Dar cine n-a trait clipe asemanatoare? Ma refer  la imigranti, nu la cei nascuti si scoliti aici. Dar fiecare isi rezolva poblemele. Daca acum peste 40 ani (fusesem in concediu in 69) oriunde intalneai romani, acum 20 ani pretutindeni rusi, nu stiu ce va fi in viitor. Cu etiopienii,  a fost ceva mai deosebit. Va predomina engleza  sau spaniola ? Veti trai si veti vedea.

­­_______

Dr. G. Manescu

Martie 2011.

Posted in Gica Manescu, memories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

Elizabeth Taylor died today.

source celebritiesfans.com

She was a wonder child actress. She was one of the most beautiful women of the 20th century. She was one of the biggest super-stars in the history of Hollywood. She had a stormy sentimental life with several marriages and well publicized love stories.

(video source asw88)

She was before and most of all a great actress. Here is a homage to her acting career narated by one of her partners on screen – Paul Newman

Let us remember a few of her most famous roles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2x6AT4mr3o

(video source IAmOnlyLove)

Giant (1956) directed by George Stevens is a Texas family and oil industry drama. Taylor partners here with James Dean (in his last great role before his tragic death) and Rock Hudson.

(video source dameelizabethtaylor)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) with Paul Newman was directed by Richard Brooks based on Tennesse Williams’ play that had received the Pulitzer prize in 1955.

(video source classicmovie)

Cleopatra directed by Joseph Mankiewicz released in 1963 occasioned to Taylor probably her most famous role. She had become the best paid actress in Hollywood reaching the one million dollars fee threshold with this role. On the set of this film she started the stormy love story with Richard Burton, which made of them in short time the most famous pair of lovers in the 20th century.

(video source dameelizabethtaylor)

Together with Richard Burton she starred in the 1966 drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf after Edward Albee’s play and directed by Mike Nichols. For this role she received her second Oscar for lead actress.

May her memory be blessed!

Posted in movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

3 exhibitions at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art in Haifa

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

With Japan still in our hearts and minds we went on Saturday morning to visit the exhibitions at the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art in Haifa.

The Tikotin Museum

Beautifully located on the Carmel Mountain this is the best place in Israel to get a taste of the Japanese art and culture.

Felix Tikotin - source haaretz.com

We arrived in time for the guided tour which combined information about the exhibitions and the museum itself. The story of the museum is related to the story of the life of its founder, Felix Tikotin, a German Jew from Dresden, who fought in the German army during the first world war, was a friend of Otto Dix, traveled to Japan and started his art gallery and Far East collection in the post-war Berlin. During the second world war he survived hidden in occupied Holland, lost and regained much of his collection after the war. As his daughter became a Zionist and settled in Israel, he came here and shared part of his time between Israel (Jerusalem and Haifa) and Europe. In 1960 he opened the first museum of Japanese art in the Middle East in Haifa.

Noda Tetsuya - Diary, source http://www.hms.org.il

The principal exhibition in the museum is “50” an exhibition of contemporary Japanese prints created by 50 artists and dedicated to the 50 years of the museum which were celebrated in 2010. The range of styles and techniques represented by the artists in the exhibition is quite extensive, with traditional techniques quite in minority relative to the modern styles synchronized with the modern art in any part of the world. Noda Tetsuya for example combinse photography and woodblock printing, and the two works in the current exhibition at the Tikotin Museum have Israeli themes, as the artist (who is married to an Israeli) travels and created part of his time in Israel.

Tamekane Yoshikatsu - Wing of Fantasy, source http://www.hms.org.il

Tamekane Yoshikatsu has a vision that combines and creates symbols of space and colors in a manner that reminded me the traditional Australian art.

Kokeshi - source http://www.hms.org.il

Another exhibition that I enjoyed most was a collection if kokeshi – traditional wooden dolls. This is one of the older forms of art expressions that can be found in multiple places in Japan, and which have different origins and functions, from bath massage rubs to mystic functions. Most of them have a wooden head and cylindrical body that allows for exquisite paintings.  Although the origins of the kokeshi can be traced back to the 12th century, it is only recently that collectors started to focus on this original form of crafts that became an art under the hands of the different artists in various areas of Japan.

Tanaka Katsuki - Panoraama , source http://www.hms.org.il

The last exhibition included two videos by Tanaka Katsuki, in two different styles. The first Wonder-fall is a tridimensional animation representing human forms in a world of falling objects, with an instability that reminds the recent events and makes the viewer uncertain about the ground he walks on. The second video Pamoraama belongs to the visual drug style which reminds me in forms, color and musical background the psychedelic art at the end of the 60s.

(video source momoCAsweets)

I could not find any of the works on the Internet, but youTube features a few works by Katsuki among which a fragment from ALTOVISION – the work above in the visual drug style.

The three exhibitions are open until June 19. During April another exhibition dedicated to the bonsai art of planting miniature trees will also be open in the museum.

Posted in art, museums | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

6 Nations Rugby 2011

Posted on March 21, 2011 by admin

Rugby is one of my favorite sport disciplines, and watching the 6 Nations Rugby tournament http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/home.php is the major sporting event for me during the months of February and March. The competition was this year as interesting as ever, with a few records broken and a few surprises that made it interesting until the last day. Actually that last day on Saturday was one of the most interesting final days I can remember.

source http://www.rbs6nations.com

The first match in the afternoon faced Scotland and Italy, the last two teams in the table fighting to avoid the undesirable wooden spoon trophy for the last place. Italy came after a sensational victory a week before against France, their first in an official 6 Nations game, and they seemed to continue to ride the wave leading 8-6 at mid-time. Scotland came back strongly however in the second half, and with 15-0 the second half score they ensured a 21-8 victory and avoided the last place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhTkOFFl_1A

(video source comeonmunstertv)

For the second game of the day England went to Dublin with the plans to achieve the Grand Slam – meaning win the championship with a neat five victories balance. They did not take into consideration the ambition Ireland puts in any match against England, doubling their skills. Ireland played the perfect game on Sunday Ireland beating England 24-8.

source http://www.rbs6nations.com

One of the three tries of Ireland in the game belonged to Brian O’Driscoll and made him the Championship’s all time leading try scorer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63IzktEX3WY

(video source stop727)

Suddenly England’s wining of the tournament seemed under threat, as Wales who traveled to Paris for the final game of the day could beat France and sneak into the first place at the last moment. However France who had a very uneven season this year played their best game, while the Welsh seemed to be overwhelmed by the opportunity. Eventually it was France who beat Wales by a comfortable 28-9 handling England the victory in this year’s tournament – a deserved first place as the English team dominated the season with the exception of this last day.

Posted in sports | Tagged , | Leave a comment