Two of my very favorite things about traveling are: Experiencing new food, and PEOPLE!!!
When we arrived in Romania, I was greeted with a welcome basket full of Romanian goodies. One of the things that Paul made sure he included was a small bucket of "Crap". Apparently it is a vegetable spread for Crackers and the like. I laughed so hard at the name! Unfortunately, it contains onions, and I am allergic, so I could not eat it, but how hilarious is that?!!
My very favorite thing about Romania is a snack that is made in small stands on certain streets. It is a Hungarian treat called "Kurtos" (Pronounced Ker-tosh). OH MY GOODNESS....It is delicious! Stacey and I went to get some and they did not have enough of our favorite kind, so they made one right as we waited. They wrap dough around a wooden spindle. They put the spindle on a rotating gear that rolls the dough over hot coals to cook it. Then, the spread it with something to make it sticky and sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and crushed walnuts on it. We ate an entire roll on the way home between Stacey, Troy, Paul and I. It's even better warm peeps!! :) Here is a picture of the ladies in action making the Kurtos.
"Lost in Translation" is a term that becomes familiar after a few trips overseas. There are some expressions that simply don't translate well. There are some words that we use that are normal to us that are the absolute WORST cuss word you could ever say in another country. For example, if you say "my foot" in English you are clearly referring to the part of your body that keeps you balanced and able to get from point A to point B. In Romania, those words are highly offensive. In turn they have expressions that sound exactly like our most eye popping vulgar terms. Discussing the usages can be quite entertaining. Troy's reaction to the use of the Romanian equivalent to "I will" turned in to a half an hour of uncontrolled laughter around Paul's birthday dinner table.
Following Dinner for Paul's 33rd birthday, we joined many of his friends at a local bowling alley to celebrate his birthday. We bowled and shot pool and had lots and lots of Romanian cakes. Thanks for being born Paul!!! :)
At the birthday celebration we were joined by some of our dear campers from the Crossover Camps here in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. DeDe had a career ending injury last year and she brought us gifts that were especially significant to her career in Basketball. She gave Troy a bear that she had taken to every game she ever played. She gave us her first basketball jersey to give to another Crossover player who was significant to he
r in the camps, and she gave me a championship medal that she won in 2008 during one of her greatest seasons.
We also got to visit with Cristi and Sorin who are dear friends from the Crossover Camps. These guys are awesome!!!
Me with DeDe
Troy and I with Cristi Bulucz (Paul's younger brother)
Troy and Sorin
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