Romania, Moldova, Transnistria, Ukraine. June 2019

          Romania
Bucharest: Biggest park in Europe, so many really big fountains, Greek restaurant next to one with Kokopeli as the logo. Had a blood test, all good.
  Tulcea: Cruise on the Danube Delta! Finally. Olympic rowers sourced from here as they grow up rowing heavy wooden boats. Then they are fast as the wind in the competition boats. Someone was clever.  Settled by Orthodox running from Peter The Great. How great was he if his people ran away?
         Moldova: 
  Comrat: Capital of Gagauzia least visited area of least visited country. Lunch in a village-so much meat.
  Chisinau: More meat and lots of wine. Have I mentioned the cigarettes? Lots..  not really small shops to get water etc. 
Polenta served at every meal. I like polenta, its lost in all the meat dishes. Too bad, just polenta and butter would make me happy.  Wine? Toured Milestii Mici wine cellar, 200 kilometers of passages, holding 2 million bottles. Internationale people have a locked cubby for private stash. They have to get  there to open with their key.
   Transnistria:
 "Independent" country from Moldova. Wants Soviet back, Lenin statue stands, Soviet tanks, big fort, hour boat ride on Dniester river. Sidewalks in better shape than neighbor countries. No graffiti, all ship shape.
  Odessa: Opera house contender of La Scala. Jaw dropping and the performance was excellent. Good vibe.
  Overnight train: Old Soviet style. 
  Kiev:  Shinny gold topped churches. More opera, second part of performance was a full  ballet  company dancing to Bolero. Imagine, symphony orchestra and that music! Fantastic.
  Chernobyl and Pripyat: Amazing.  Didn't imagine we could go inside the buildings in Pripyat. Surreal. 50,000 people evacuated in a day.  Wore a counter and was tested upon leaving,  twice. Actually get more radiation flying, I do lots of that. 
    Having rest days in a suburban area of Kiev. Its a huge complex, difference from Soviet and Chinas dense living buildings is that they are painted pastels. Addresses same as Soviet. Feel like I'm in prison, screaming kids, barking dogs, workmen drilling. 
That's all folks.
Next?
   

The rest of Bulgaria May-June 2019

Dobrinishte:
  Home of narrow gauge old train that originates here, so, off I went to find it.  It was very old, the equipment in the office was probably from the 40,s.
Train too. Ladies boarded dressed like the babushkas  of my childhood.
Then..the compartment filled with a school of children about 7-8. Screamed in every tunnel, there were many.
Forgot toilet paper. 
   Huge spa/pool complex in town, the waters are popular all around this part of the world. 
   Lovely mountains to look at. 
  Plovdiv: trout were used to test the water for poison, not today.
Its the oldest lived in city in Europe.
The Roman ruins are many and in good shape. Stadium, theatre, mosaics in situ, forum!
   Lovely Airbnb hosts, watched the series-Chernobyl. Appropriate as I was going there. Learned to make 
, Tarator, yummy cucumber soup.
 Veliko Tarnovo: Medieval capital, built up the sides of a  valley with a river down the bottom. Artisinal street keeps crafts alive. 
   Rusé: Border town on the Danube.   Nope, no lunch or dinner cruise here. Its an opportunity. 
   Sheets fit like a small  tablecloth.
   Bum bags everywhere, plain and fancy. and, men carry a bag.
  Sidewalks are an obstacle course. Cement squares all jumbled.
Lions are the symbol of the country, there aren't any, just like them because they are strong. 
   
   

Sofia, Bulgaria May 2019

Ahhh, Sofia-means Wisdom.
   Its the second oldest city after Athens.
The Bulgarian government foiled Hitler by using diversionary tactics to save their Jews from being sent away. Clever.
How clever are Bulgarians, when I was in Antarctica, they were the ones that discovered the hole in the Ozone layer.
  In the center of town, all the religions
had a place of worship in an area close to each other. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, and now McDonalds for the latest worship $$.
   Went to the opera and symphony. Super.
  As its a crossroads, it had many invaders: 
 Thraceans- garlic and wine
 Slavic-farmers with bread
 Bulgars-nomadic, meat and dairy
 Romans-spices
 Ottomans-sweets
 Communism- standard menus

Rome May 2019

  While in Rome, I revisited some favorites. 
   Michelangelos Pieta in St. Peters
   Borghese Gallery
  Almost more Bernini sculptures than I could take in.
   On the city walk, I learned:
+ Rome has more pyramids than any other city
+ Vespa started in 1946
+ 5000 gelato opportunities
+ First 100 days of Colleseum opening, thousands of animals and gladiators killed
+ Ferrets were used for pest control
+ Margarita pizza is colors of the flag
+ 3000 Euros a day removed from Trevi Fountain
   Upon arriving, police told me wrong street, trudged up a hill in the rain. Meant I could go downhill when I left.