January 2010

Romanian Schools: First Semester Report

by Craig Turp January 29, 2010 Bucharest

 With number one son today celebrating the last day of his first semester at school, we present – for the benefit of nobody – our first impressions of the Romanian education system (or at least, our impressions of the school our son attends). As our regular reader – a Mrs. Trellis of North Wales – [...]

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Built to last

by Craig Turp January 28, 2010 Romania

 Snapshots taken during Bucharest Life’s winter holiday in Bansko, Bulgaria. Besides offering decent skiing, Bansko also has a great little mountain railway that runs from Septembri up to Dobrinishte: it is one of the most picturesque runs in the country. And the sturdy locomotive that serves the route three times a day? Made in Romania.

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Romania & Moldova by a man who knows

by Craig Turp January 28, 2010 Bucharest

 The author (or one of them, at least) of the Romania & Moldova edition of Lonely Planet, Leif Pettersen (a regular contributor to Bucharest Life, too), yesterday relaunched his rather good travel guide to the two countries, which contains bags of stuff he couldn’t fit in the book. Do take a look when you get [...]

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Great Books in English about Romania No. 1: Romania, by Lucian Boia

by Craig Turp January 26, 2010 Books

 Romania: Borderland of Europe By Lucian Boia Or, Everything You Thought You Knew About Romania Is Wrong. For this is a book that smashes down every cliché, exposes every myth and just about turns the Romania we thought we knew on its head. An iconoclastic work – Lucian Boia appears to take much pleasure in [...]

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Hagi, The Guardian & Pisspoor Journalism

by Craig Turp January 23, 2010 Bucharest

  As we understand things, times are tough at Realitatea, Romania’s ‘top’ TV news channel: reports that the media firm’s bank accounts were blocked for non-payment of taxes certainly suggest as much. That’s none of our business. Pointing out crap journalism is something we consider our business, however, especially if it involves a little iconclasm. [...]

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Urban skiing in Bucharest

by Craig Turp January 21, 2010 Bucharest

 We really ought to try this, though something tells us we never will…

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Empty blocks set to dominate Bucharest skyline for years to come

by Craig Turp January 20, 2010 Bucharest

 This headline popped up on the Mediafax wire this morning: One-third of 6,000 Bucharest apartments finished in 2009 still for sale. One-third? As anyone who has passed by any of these new developments will tell you, they look like ghost cities: almost empty. The idea that two-thirds have been sold strikes us as overly optimistic. [...]

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