Sa bea

So this was probably clear to you all before it was clear to me but this is most likely going to be an every other day blog. I hope you have been enjoying the first few posts and keep checking back throughout the summer but there probably won’t be something every day. Today however as I promised there will be pictures.

Now on to the first weekend in Cluj… First Friday afternoon one of the biggest rain storms in Cluj happened. I luckily had already gotten home from work, but my roommate Lindsay was still at the center and had to catch a taxi with water up to her knees and cars just wadding through. We had plans to go to this party with music that I love, when I saw on the facebook invite that the music would include The Smiths, Of Montreal, and MGMT I was sold; but, the club where the party was to be is underground (like most bars here) and got flooded during the rain. So instead some of the interns from the center went to Janis la stuf (a different bar) and I learned some things that will come in useful for the rest of the trip.

1. Ursus is the local beer in Romania and it is pretty good. Dad I don’t know if you can find this at home, try it and give me your opinion.

2. Sa bea means let’s drink and it is their form of cheers!

3. Don’t try to predict the next song that will come on because you will be wrong. The songs in this club went from Euro techno to Avril Lavigne’s Skaterboy to Lady Gaga’s “Born this way” (yes Meg I have finally heard it) and then to Nickelback (unfortunately) in less than an hour.

Saturday we first slept in. I am on Romanian time now but just a little tired from all the transitioning this week. Then we just went to explore some of Cluj. We were successful in finding a restaurant that was not Italian or Indian, but still no luck on Romanian food, what we found was Mediterranean. It was a fun little café in an alleyway and the meal was great as you can see here.

Then we walked around the plaza in the city center, people watched a bit and looked through some second hand clothing shops.  The picture below is me in the plaza with the large Catholic Church behind me.

Saturday night one of the doctors from the center, Dr. Coman took Lindsay and I and a visiting professor from Iowa, Anne Wallis, to his sister-in-law’s band’s concert. Let me tell you, I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a concert so much. The band was formed about two months ago but you would never know it. They have another concert here in Cluj in a couple weeks before heading to the Netherlands for a set of concerts and I will definitely be going to see them again. I will get the band’s name up when I remember it because Emily Jarman you would love this girl’s voice so much. The picture below indeed shows a man playing a guitar while standing on a bass while the bass player is still playing.

Today we decided to give into Western pressure and go see a movie. We saw Bridesmaids (great recommendation Mary Beth) and it was only 12 lei. Conversion $4. At that price I may be seeing numerous movies here. Now it is off to dinner, tonight is sushi night. I hold out hope that I will eat Romanian food before I leave.

For now ciao,

Kaitlin