After a good antipasto, pizza and conversation with Kate and Nancy last night at the Casa Corsarul (Corsair Restaurant), today I learned a whole lot more about the city of Oradea than I had on my several previous passes through. All but one of those were at night, and on all I was consumed with the cares of a traveler bound for Budapest or for Cluj, rather than being a proper visitor to Oradea. So, today I spent some good time out walking the center of the city with life-loving Fulbrighter Nancy Sherman as my guide.Oradea is a Romanian city on the Hungarian border. Like Cluj, it is multicultural. It seemed every time I spoke up, a Romanian overheard and spoke to us in English, and several were middle-aged adults. This is a cosmopolitan place.
As for the pictures, Oradea's Piaţa Unirii (Union Square) was the main shooting location, followed by some shots taken on the drive back east to Cluj.
Hotel Vulturul Negru ****. (Black Eagle Hotel) (Three pics, as well as four stars.)
The statue of Mihai Viteazul, of which one seems to be in every Romanian city. But only this one has Nancy Sherman at his feet!
City Hall.
The Church of the Moon. The yellow circle is synchronized with the Moon's phases. The moon was full last night, I guess. It was too cloudy to tell.
A church across the square as seen from the courtyard at the Church of the Moon. (Double- click the image to see the full-sized picture.)
And Nancy's favorite building on the Piaţa Unirii, which she dubbed "the pink one."
Then, as I drove eastward in the mid-afternoon, the sun came out and provided some great light on buildings and landscapes alike.
A stork's nest means your house will be blessed with good fortune.
A lovely village church, in the valley just west of the Carpathians,
and the "Vegas" Restaurant, where our bus stopped on the ride from Budapest a week back. I ate there again. A late lunch of ciorba ţaraneşca cu carne de porc şi pâine, şi Cola Zero .
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