“If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.”
-Anatole France
Constanza
My boss casually mentioned that he was headed to Constanza for a brief business meeting, and I practically jumped out of my chair to ask if there was room in the car for me to tag along. After all, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do at the office on my last day of work besides dodging sad goodbyes with my colleagues. But my main reason for wanting to go was simple; to visit the Black Sea.
My boss regaled me with story after story about all the memories of coming to Constanza and the neighboring seaside towns when he was a kid, and then when he brought his wife and kids in later years. During Communist times, people were rarely allowed to leave the country, so during the summer season; the entire population would flock to the sea. Even with Romania now in the EU, it’s common to hear that many families return at least once a year to the coast, if only for nostalgia sake.
Constanza is only a couple of hours away from Bucharest, and I spent most of the day walking up and down the piers and relaxing along the beach. Sadly, I didn’t find much about the city or its architecture to be unique, but just being near the sea was a nice way to spend my last day in Romania.
A famous casino on the Constanza waterfront. Although badly in need of repair now, and the local and national government squabbling about who should do it, the majestic nature of the original building remains.
Braga vs. Kvas
On my last day at work, a co-worker brought in a local drink called braga for the office to share. When I asked what it was made of, no one really knew or had a quick answer. In the end, the collective group decided on “wheat.” This immediately made me wonder if this was Romanian’s version of kvas that I have tasted in Ukraine and Russia.
After one sip, I decided it was. And it’s an acquired taste all the way.
Both products are made from fermented grains, braga from wheat and kvass from rye bread. Romanian braga is really sweet, and most of the kvass I’ve tasted is more starchy than sweet. People say it’s a little like beer, but most of the time I compare it to soggy bread. The braga was similar, perhaps a sweetened version of soggy cereal.
In the future, if the water is suspect for some reason and I’m really thirsty – I’ll drink either one in a heartbeat. How’s that for a recommendation. : )
Rashnov
After leaving Bran Castle and wandering through the village for a while, I decided I had enough time to stop at the Rashnov fortress on my way back to the train station. Again, I didn’t really know where to get off, since I hadn’t seen any signs of that particular village on the way there. However, I didn’t have to worry, because as I scanned the hilltops for anything that looked like a fortress – there it was. A Hollywood-esq sign that proclaimed the village of Rashnov.
Initially, I wasn’t quite sure how to get up to the fortress, as the road led only to the bottom of the hill. As I started to head around to the other side, I caught a glimpse of a set of stairs leading up the hillside. Seeing as adventure was the name of the day, I decided it was as good of chance as any to reach the fortress walls. It turned out to be a good call, as it led to an actual trail with stairs and random metal railings for the rocky/slippery sections. In fact, it led me right to the bottom of this huge Rashnov sign, and I had the fleeting urge to sign “Amanda was here” somewhere on its clear white surface.
The fortress itself was nothing special, but I’m glad I got some exercise outside on a pretty day. According to friends here, the Romanian government has been taking the last two years to renovate the site. I guess with a focus on building tourist shops (there were seven!) instead of providing information or actually building up the walls again, it might take another two years before it’s a must-see.
