So, went to Romania and Germany the last couple of weeks and well, here are the photos of the trip.
We were there for a relatively short amount of time...got to Romania on a Thursday and left on a Tuesday while visiting two cities and trying to adjust to whole 9 hour time difference.
Anyway...lots of food (only gained like 2 lbs! Kind of amazing considering I ate everything in sight ), some partying, some spending time with family and pretty tiring in the end. Germany (the second part of the trip) was a lot more relaxing...that'll be a separate thread though.
Taking off from Phoenix about 7:00am.
Had a 4 hour layover in D.C. and found this little gem at the airport...Potbelly's! Why don't we have these in AZ? Shit was delicious!
Waiting around at the airport, found an available wall outlet and parked myself. Traveled in sweat pants like a lazy American.
Got lucky and ended up in an Economy Plus seat for the flight from D.C. to Frankfurt...that extra 5" of legroom was awesome on a 7.5 hour flight.
I always look forward to airplane food for some reason...I get all excited to see what they're going to surprise us with.
Love flying over clouds...I still find flying/airplanes as one of the most amazing things ever. How the fuck does this thing that weighs over 100 tons stay in the air and take so much abuse?! (I know how, just saying.)
Coming in over Frankfurt.
Got into Frankfurt airport and was greeted with a couple gifts, very nice of them.
Had a 3 hour layover here so had to get some food going, German style.
Couple hours later, made it to Romania and baggage claim was a damn mess. Everything made it ok though.
Pulling up to the hotel, Marriott Grand Hotel Bucharest...shit is pimp!
After settling in a bit, we went out to get some food. It was cold, but not too bad and foggy...felt "wintery".
Good traditional Romanian cuisine restaurant in the heart of the "Old Center"...restaurant was the home of some rich dude back in the day, built 1883.
What shall we get...
Wife got the beans and smoked pork in a bread bowl...
I went with the smoked pork shoulder with polenta and a baked sauerkraut sort of dish.
And a little desert (demo tray obviously).
Afterwards, hit up the streets around the Old Center looking for a pub...took this photo which I'm very proud of.
Ended up at Bordello's...where apparently sometimes love is worth paying for.
My buddy and I got a beer, my wife got a hot wine with apples and cinnamon. My buddy's girlfriend doesn't drink, but smoked like a fucking chimney.
Next day driving around Bucharest. They've started to rehab a lot of the Communist area apartment blocs...they look as decent as you could hope for I guess.
Some random pictures around Bucharest...
Traffic? No problem! Just climb up on the light rail tracks and follow the train around!
They do a decent job of decorating the city up at night, festive!
More "artistic" shots.
Later on that night, hit up Club Bamboo around 12:00am...got there a little early as most everyone showed up around 1:00am.
My buddy's girlfriend and my wife...
My buddy and his girlfriend.
Next morning, worke up around 11am (after coming back to the hotel around 5am) to a rainy day and had to pack up and head over to the next city.
A few random shots heading out of the city...
How do you get TWO christmas trees home? Like this! BTW, why are Christsmas trees so scrawny and pathetic looking in Europe?
They really need to bury their damn electric wires...
Unrehabbed Commie blocs...
Finally out of Bucharest and heading to Ramnicu Valcea where my grandparents and buddy live...about a 2 hour drive over a mountain and through some fog and smoke.
Me, my grandpa and their dog.
Dog like to chill like this a lot of the time...
Traditional Romanian breakfast...you've got bread, eggplant spread, bell pepper spread, ham, feta cheese, olives and pork skin (pork skin is only eaten around Christmas, you'll see why soon...)
And here is why...people slaughter pigs for Christmas. My buddy doing his thing...his girlfriend's mother is in awe of him.
They have gotten more humane about it and it's now law that you have to shoot the pig vs slashing his throat like back in the day.
Tasty huh?
Mmm pork skin...I'm pretty sure you had to have grown up with it to like it. :laugh1:
Later on that day, went to a local pizza place...the place was like walking into an ash tray, fuck I'm glad more civilized countries don't allow smoking inside anymore, shit was horrible.
My wife and my buddy's girlfriend playing some iPad backgammon. Backgammon is pretty big over there.
Next day...hit up a "cofeterie"...basically a pastry shop...why don't we have these in the US (or at least here on the west coast?)
I was the only one that got something.
Next day rolled around...time to leave...had a bomb ass pretzel, stopped by an outlet mall on the way into Bucharest toward the airport and snapped a couple more pictures around the city. Next stop...Germany!
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