bucharest again...the way i see it and the way i don't

hmm so i had to go to bucharest again. and i realized (again) that i've never even been there as a tourist, ever. i.e. not only that i don't know bucharest-the-city properly, i haven't even seen it in a structured way, that would cover...aspects. nevermind living there. (though i suppose living is ...breathing, just, it doesn't have to involve knowledge. yes, but it does involve thousands of commonplace details. hmmm)

yeah i could totally live in bucharest. i could like it. i tend to like biggish cities and not be disturbed by noise/pollution, excessive traffic too much (unless it kills me). i could learn and appreciate its history and various neighbourhoods. the irritating part is that it just seems it's not going to happen, because why?  i don't have enough reasons to become a fan, or time or opportunity.  it's always hostel, hotel, location, embassy, clinic 1, clinic 2. bucharest is like the cool person you see at a boring function and wonder for a second what would happen if you put in the effort. but you know you're not gonna. and it's annoying til you forget - til next time. 

i don't even go enough to NOT have a moment every visit where i'm completely lost, hesitating at corners. i don't think i've ever been afraid of the size and chaos of it, though, or resentful, or envious either. it's just that everything i see feels out of context, and like i can't arrange my experiences of bucharest in a unitary way, that would make sense or go with my previous memories.

a lot of things are like that to me...new encounter, same but a bit different shock.

tulip time even in romania.

one of the beautiful old houses that are slowly turning into ruins, taken over by squatters etc. i'm never sure whether it angers me, or saddens me more

haunted by time - tick-tock in cismigiu

i kept trying to spot this girl on other walls too...obviously i don't travel far....but i refuse to believe she's alone

really now? exterior staircases? since when?!

gah don't i know or assume it's not hip to just walk around lipscani on one's only afternoon in bucharest? did i have a better idea? nope. 

i swear i thought it was "niste fii si domni" - i guess i'd never seen the actual sign after all

this is more for the chain than the chair - though, nice chair!

yeah, new stuff. see how i feel worldly, being all "this wasn't here last summer!"

fill in the blanks

fill in the blanks 2 (this might be in russian...)

classic

proof of the arab-russian connection, if any more was needed

"was there or wasn't there?" - a version thereof

plain silly (inside joke)

the view from the table where i had lunch outside

life is good

life is good 2

until i see something like this again...(i.e. if i see it so much, it must mean it's damn obvious)

and a final take of art complete with garbage

oh you, big cities. 

p.s. on my way back  i shared a sleeping car with three people returning from a pilgrimage to jerusalem. the stories i heard. the number of times i heard them.

c.