During the pandemic, I am reposting previous blogs if they have more relevance now than when I first posted them. This current blog is originally from June 24, 2016. I am, sadly, reposting it today. Beloved friend and exercise master Cécile Dumetrier passed away yesterday – September 11, 2020 –... read more
Welcome back, Rose Vane! Her blog today on Nosferatu is her third on Romanian mythology. We hope this series sparks the imaginations of creative writers of all types. So, let’s get to it! I don’t want to wait until Halloween for this juicy topic. Rose Vane writes: Nosferatu: But First,... read more
Rose Vane is once again our guest blogger. In this period of global pandemic, adventuresome travel is less available for many of us. So I’m reaching out to fellow writers and friends who live in wonderfully interesting places. Today we’re going to armchair travel to Romania and learn about iele.... read more
I’m delighted to have guest blogger Rose Vane share her timely meditation of the role of Fates and Fairies during this period of global pandemic. JTA Title Image: A Golden Thread by John Strudwick, 1885, property of the Tate Museum, London The Fates: Some Origins In the last few months... read more
Oina is the traditional national sport of Romania. I’d heard of it but I didn’t understand it until last week, when my Romanian teacher gave me a reading about it. Then all sorts of things started clicking. The title image of the vintage Romanian postage stamp is a big huge... read more
Acasă din nou în Bucureşti – Back Home in Bucharest. Note: acasă = ‘at home’ I’m in the fourth month of my around-the-world Adventures with a longish stay in Romania until the end of August. I’ve owned a condo in Bucharest since 2006. My current one is near Piaţa Dorobanţi.... read more
Title image: Doha, Qatar skyline seen from the balcony of my hotel room across the bay. Why Doha? From Myanmar I aimed for Romania for the rest of the summer. I figured I could fit in one more stop on my around-the-world ticket. Qatar Airways offered an easy flight from... read more
Today I’m leaving Bucharest. The title image is the International Departures board today at the Henri Coandă (Otopeni) Airport in Bucharest. I’m waiting for my Check-in counter to be posted. Leaving Bucharest First stop: London where I’ll spend the night and the next day. I bought my business class ticket... read more
This blog is on Bucharest churches. However, the title image is a work from Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi with an image of Casa Poporului ‘The House of the People’ in the background and the legend ‘A Small Population With Such a Large House’ (1995). It is from the Post R... read more
I’ve done Famous Romanians and Illustrious Romanians. Now it’s time for Infamous Romanians. The inspiration for this blog came from a court ruling earlier this week in Alba Iulia, Romania. For the title image I chose Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler). He was the model for Dracula. This mural is... read more
