Thursday, September 23, 2010

Vama Veche Scenes 1

Most of Vama Veche, from the highway approaching from the north; it's probably 
known only to Romanians, and largely because of its hippie/backpacker 
notoriety, even during the Caesescu regime; but we will have spent a week here 
soon, mostly resting, gearing up for Turkey, and so we will have some memories










Our campsite; no water, no electricity, no showers nor
toilets; but the price is right; and it's warm and sunny








Looking north along the beach; there's a Netherlands couple in the trailer; 
and many others in tents on the beach










People arrive day-in, day-out, mostly just to stroll on the  
beach or sunbathe a few hours; a few stay a few days 
(some stay much longer!); I found this young Romanian
family from Simisoara admiring Venus, my venus fly-
trap houseplant (which I keep outside in the sun when 
camped), even photographing it; so I gave it to them;
houseplants are not particularly compatible with our 
nomadic life-style; besides, Venus, to the best of my 
knowledge, despite ample opportunity, in three months 
never trapped a fly; I think she was a vegetarian; she has 
good new home now

















Wednesday we drove up the coast a bit, to 2 Mai, Mangela, then Jupiter, Saturn 
and Venus (no relation to fly-traps); Mangela obviously services the shipyard 
there, but Jupiter, Saturn, etc., were communist-era Black Sea resorts; the season 
is over now, and they are largely deserted; many new hotels, restaurants, 
developments, private enterprise and investment; many deteriorating hulks, too










Outside the Romanian Navy Museum; next time, maybe








Fleet's in; Vicki did not want to take this picture for fear we would be caught and 
accused of being spies









Later, a stroll on the beach, northward, under the cliffs, the most mussel shells 
I have ever seen








Looking back to Vama Veche and our campsite

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Sun Rises, Also

In this amazing sequence, the sun actually rises over the Black Sea, as seen from Vama Veche...




















































































The Restless Wave

"Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,
For those in peril on the sea!"
The Greek registry cargo ship Ian M had been wandering outside the harbor 
entrance north of here for two days at least



I'm not sure there was any peril--it's been breezy, but a calm sea--yesterday 
afternoon, finally, four or five tugs showed up to help her (Ian? him?) in















Enlarge and you can see the line by which the bow tug is actually pulling Ian M








Right outside our window; notice how high she is riding,the bulbous bow clearly 
visible, also the screw aft and rudder; this is a big ship; according to 
vesseltracker.comshe is 292m in length--you can just round that off as
three football fields--couldn't find her displacement









Under way, very slowly; steady as you go...








Finally, safely in the jetty









































































The Black Sea is such an interesting phenomenon, a huge inland sea--about twice the size of all five of the Great Lakes, but partially saline, with both inflow from and outflow to the Aegean and the Mediterranean, and, ultimately, the Atlantic. It is fed by three of the world's great rivers, the Don, the Dnieper, and the Danube, draining much of Europe and Russia. Near the Crimea, it is more than 7,000 feet deep. And its fishing and maritime commerce go back to the earliest human times. Below a couple hundred meters, it is anoxic, which means that wrecks discovered on its bottom are remarkably well preserved. Seeing this big ship is a reminder that the Black Sea is a major body of water, no mere inland lake. And in our times, of course, it has major environmental problems, not the least caused by bilge dumping by big ships like this.

Important PS: some further research has revealed that Ian M is a brand new ship, manufactured by the Daewoo Works in nearby Mangela, and that he/she is undergoing sea trials.

Big ship-building works a few miles north of Vama Veche








There he/she is






























PPS  In addition to becoming a beach-comber I have also become a ship-spotter. So far there has been only the one ship.

Monday, September 20, 2010

On to Vama Veche and the Black Sea

We drove on, across the expanse of the Wallachian plain--from Pitesti almost all the way to the Black Sea--it is absolutely the flattest piece of real estate I have seen. Except for the very occasional factory or town, it is nothing but agriculture, some of the longest rows, disappearing over the horizon, to hoe, I have ever seen. And not very photogenic.
After crossing the Danube some miles from the coast--it swings north quite a 
ways before emptying into the Black Sea--and then crossing the various 
Danube Canal bridges and locks, you begin seeing some of the heavy industry 
around Constanta











In Constanta, a smokestack that literally disappeared into 
the clouds












At length, we reached our destination, the sea-side village of Vama Veche; after 
the usual reconnaissance, we decided to park right on the beach







We figure we were the only Americanskis having left-over cheese fondue and 
red wine on the Black Sea that evening







Vama Veche is/was sort of the hippie beach in Romania and retains some of the, 
um, old ways; lots of people, mostly young, camped on the beach





































































We plan to stay here or in the vicinity a few days, enjoying the warmth and sun, and free camping. And old ways. Then on through Bulgaria, staying by the coast, and into Turkey.

More Bucaresti Miscellany

More Bucharest
We've seen this sort of sign before










And this












And this












But the interior was beautiful












Very old










Certainly the most beautiful restaurant in
town












Temporal affairs (on the cell phone) at the monastery










Beautiful facades on so many buildings,
many crumbling












But they're working on it...








And another street concert, this one sort of Latin, so to
speak







These people had their own box in the balcony







More news folk, more news to report









Joe Bob Briggs, where are you now? In the burbs, north,
past the airport, by our campground, the one and only
drive-in theatre we have seen in Europe








Modest proposal for Home Depot: want to increase
customer visits and increase purchases? Then install full
bars in all your stores, like this Brico-something in the
Bucharest burbs









Sunday morning radio-controlled races in the Ikea parking
lot; these little guys really go, and the sound they make is
just like the big boys







Burning rubber on the Mulsanne Straight; spinning out in
the S's

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Bucaresti Miscellany

Varied scenes...
The venality and malevolence of the feline species














Versus the stupidity and laziness of the canine














Today's wedding is brought to you by...


















So there we are, innocently looking at
the old Odeon Theatre, in Bucharest,
and wham! there is a bust of Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk; I mean, is this prophetic,
or what?! ...what?























Lines...electric lines, scaffolding lines...


















Fresh from their successful concert in
Budapest...can Ozzie What's-His-Name be
far behind?




















Speaking of which, this the first major street
concert of the day, sort of jazz American, dirty sax














Another sleeping dog, in the historical district; have I
mentioned that Romania has somewhere between
200,000 and 2 millon feral dogs? They are everywhere;
vacant lots in cities will harbor a dozen or more; every
rest stop on the highways in the countryside has its
resident feral dog (very territorial); about 9,000 bites
are reported annually; rabies is not uncommon; they
are to Romania what the feral chickens are to Kauai, a
pestilence and a disgrace; only more so















We conjecture that the tag says "certified rabies-free;
OK to be bitten by [date]"; so far as I can tell, these are
"communal" dogs, fed and maintained by the residents;
EU visitors must be appalled; we certainly are

















I wasn't the only one taking pix...local TV




















Power of indoor advertising


















Even the graffiti is interesting...