My flight was uneventful, which is exactly how flights should go. Lots of turbulence, but not the scary kind. The most exciting part was that the seat next to mine broke, so it wouldn’t sit back up. it has to sit back up for us to land. We had to get out of the way while a flight attendant took it apart and reassembled like MacGyver. Our row got extra chocolate for the inconvenience, so all in all a win.
Amsterdam was a little bumpy. My connecting flight was operated by KLM, not Delta – which is pretty normal for international flights. In Amsterdam, I was supposed to go to a KLM kiosk and check in. Except the kiosk I found was out of order. So I wandered a bit, and found another set of kiosks. Also out of order. I found a directory, and located a help desk…as did about 1,000 people in front of me. I decided to gamble (a mix of confidence and exhaustion?), found a sign with my gate information, and just headed there. It was a solid plan, except no one was at the gate desk. Someone eventually showed up, and it all worked out, and the flight to Bucharest was an easy one.
My cab driver to the hotel was lovely, Costantine. He served in the Romanian military (it was a requirement, after the fall of communism, but just for the men), and also in the French Foreign Legion as a paratrooper. He’s visited Texas – he has some friends from the service that live there – and his favorite restaurant here is an Italian one. That was a bit disappointing for me, but the rest of the conversation was very interesting – over this past year, he has done 9 trips to Odessa, helping bring children to safety, and once to take NATO officers there.
The hotel room is clean and comfortable. The only way you could really tell it wasn’t an American hotel room is the giant red string in the bathroom, which you pull in case of emergencies. I kind of want to pull it, just to see what happens. Maybe on my last morning here.
I basically have had no idea what time it is. (That’s not true. I have a watch, and it works in Romania, and even automatically updated. There is an eight hour time difference between Minneapolis and Bucharest, reducing to a seven hour time difference once I leave Romania.)
While I was sitting today, I decided to type up what I had read (and watched) in preparation for the trip. I like to read stories that take place in advance of the places I’m about to visit, because I am a nerd.
Romania:
- Dracula, Bram Stoker. This is a little complicated, as Transylvania actually used to be a part of Hungary, and is still disputed by some. I’m not choosing sides – and if I were, I’d pick whichever one the vampires want me to pick.
- The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos. This book starts around 1941 in Bucharest; it takes you through the impact of the war first, which includes being bombed by the Allies, and then life under communism.
- The Ballad of Whiskey Robber: A true Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein. This takes place in the 90s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain. It’s fun and lighthearted and crazy and also really sad, and helps shed light on how complicated it was to be a Hungarian Transylvanian.
Hungary:
- The Grand Budapest Hotel. This is a movie, that then within the movie, becomes a book. But then it is also published as a book, which I read years ago, and didn’t re-read, but did re-watch. The movie is directed by Wes Anderson, and not actually IN Budapest…I watched it again, just for fun. It’s actually more relevant to Prague, but it has Budapest in the name, so…Anyway. It is inspired by the writings of Stefan Zweig, and is about a famous European hotel, wars, and a lobby boy.
- Goodbye to Budapest: A Novel of the Hungarian Uprising by Margarita Morris. This one takes place after the end of WWII, but is just as horrific. It starts in Hungary in 1952, and takes you through life under communism (spoiler: it isn’t good) and then the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 (spoiler: it doesn’t end well). The book does a beautiful job of helping you see people’s strength to survive, fight, love and forgive.
Czechia:
- The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I first read this in high school, and it has one of the most famous opening lines in literature: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” Who amongst us can’t relate?!? Kafka was born and lived most of his life in Prague.
- Franci’s War: A Woman’s Story of Survival by Franci Rabinek Epstein. This story, a memoir, takes place over a handful of years. Franci, living in Prague and not religious, but with Jewish grandparents, is taken to Terezin (a concentration camp and ghetto about 40 miles from Prague) in 1942, and then is moved to a number of other camps; the book also touches on life after the Holocaust, for the survivors.
- Anthropoid (Movie) – It’s based on the true story of Operation Anthropoid. The real life mission was to assassinate SS General Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich was third in command in the Nazi regime, behind Hitler and Himmler. Heydrich created and implemented the “Final Solution” plan – which was the complete elimination of European Jews. The mission was carried out by resistance operatives, under the guidance of the exiled Czechoslovak government. It’s harsh, horrifying, and inspiring all at once.
Poland:
- The Midwife of Auschwitz, by Anna Stuart. This is a story of a widwife who winds up in Auschwitz, in case you didn’t get that from the title. It’s written in a very soft way, and is fully of horrific things. The SS tear babies away from their mothers – and that’s actually better, since initially they were just killing the babies outright. The book is inspired by a true story, which makes it all the more heartbreaking.
- Night, by Elie Wiesel. This is an autobiographical account of the experiences in Auschwitz, a Concentration Camp near Krakow Poland, and Buchenwald, in Germany. It’s a book that has haunted me since I read it at 17. I think I cried even more this time, reading it again.
Germany:
- Cabaret – This is a movie, but based on a book…but I haven’t read the book. It is directed by Bob Fosse. The movie is a musical (with Liza Minnelli). It’s a very fun live musical too, if you ever have the chance to go to a show. Let’s call it a complicated love story, set in 1931 in Berlin.
- The Bourne Supremacy (Movie). Ok, so maybe this isn’t super deep, but a bunch of it takes place in Berlin and it is fun for me to see places in movies and then seem them in real life, and this is my list, my blog, and my trip, so I’ll watch what I want to watch.
- Bridge of Spies (Movie) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Based on a true story, it stars Tom Hanks. Good movie, and part of it takes place in Berlin.
- Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall, by Anna Funder. This is non fiction, but feels like a crazy fictional story. It is about life under the Stasi, German’s Secret Police – including those that resist, and those that cooperate.
What About Slovakia Books and Movies?
Listen. I work a lot of hours, and the vacation plan kept evolving. There was only so much media I could consume in between work, family, and actually planning this trip. I did my best.
WHO CARES ABOUT BOOKS?
OK, yes, that’s fair. But guess what? My first stop after checking into my hotel was a BOOKSTORE. So there. This is Cărturești Carusel Bookstore.
The building was built in 1903 by a wealthy family of Greek bankers, then stolen by the Communists in the ‘50s. It was turned into a general store and later abandoned as Communism collapsed. It took 24 years in court, but the grandson of the original owner got the property back in 2007 and with an incredible amount of work, created the Cărturești Carusel (“Carousel of Light”) bookstore. I regret not bringing a larger suitcase, there were so many books that wanted to come home with me.
I wandered around a bit more, and then headed to dinner. The area I’m staying in, Old Town, is gorgeous. The streets are full of vibrant sidewalk cafes, amazing buildings, and lots of street musicians. It is really active and fun (and Constantine assured me, very safe).
I had made a dinner reservation in advance, at a restaurant called Caru’ cu bere – which calls itself the “soul of Bucharest.” The EARLIEST reservation they ever have for dinner is 21:00. I am normally in bed by 21:00, falling asleep to Murder She Wrote – but when in Rom(ania)…
It is a popular historical restaurant that is known for quality authentic Romanian food, though when making the reservation, I still didn’t really know what that meant. The restaurant has been in existence since 1899, and was started by one of three brothers that had moved from Transylvania to Bucharest to work at a brewery, La Carul cu Bere.
Dinner was great. I had venison, and it was perfect.
I also had my first taste of palinka. And a taste was all I could handle – I drank about half of it, which I believe is the equivalent of 27 beers.
AND THEN THERE WAS DANCING. They came out once an hour to dance for about 15 minutes, with live music. Honestly, it was like a movie, it was so magical.
I wandered back to the hotel, and am now headed to bed. I turned on the TV, not knowing what to expect. Whatever I would have guessed, it would not have been the A Team.
Noapte bună (good night) from me and Mr. T.