He showed me some photos from Bucharest last night. It's hard to know what to make of the city, not having visited it. I gather that it's not as well-preserved as some other European capitals. That may be euphemistic in some cases, judging from some photos. But they are only photos, and Conrad was there for work and, therefore, had a limited perspective on the city.
Rather than post a range of photos that may or may not suggest a city in the midst (perhaps) of renewal, I want to post a handful that caught my attention. first up, grave stones that have been found in excavation work.
Beautiful, and no, I'm hardly a goth or morbid type. Conrad noted a few unfamiliar languages among them, including what appears to be Greek. It would be fascinating to know what the text tells of.
He also took photos of a few pieces of terra cotta that had been excavated. The detail on the pieces hints of how remarkable the whole of them would have been.
I talked to him almost everyday while he was over there. His meals with colleagues were interesting, or so it sounded. Red wines were served colder than he expected. Meals were very meaty. And then there was the day where he sent me the photo below and wanted to know what the heck it was that had appeared at their meal. Something in aspic, I think? Not sure, not having tasted it.
It sounded as though the people at the table were a wee bit afraid of it, and those (including Conrad) who took polite tastes were not big fans. Ah well, different cultures, different dinners....
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