Week-end in Vama Veche

DSC_5183One of my favorite things ever is to sit on the beach with a cup of coffee, a good book and good music. As a welcome gift for returning to Vama Veche after two years I got an hour full of  Led Zeppelin which couldn’t have been better. I also like going to the seaside at the end of Summer just because it’s not as crowded, it’s not too hot and, I have to say it, it’s less expensive. And the way the sun shines is absolutely beautiful.

DSC_5166So after a week of work and half a night of freezing somewhere at a beach bar, day 1 started in the most pleasant way: the best omelet sandwich ever, a hot cup of coffee and the so very amazing atmosphere created by Led Zeppelin. Add to that a bright sunny day with clouds in the most creative shapes ever, a very angry and beautiful sea and great friends to have around. Other favorite things to listen to on the beach: The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Cranberries and lots of jazz. Chilling has never been done in a better way.

DSC_5190Vama Veche is not exactly what it has been a few years ago, but it’s a nice village-resort and you can still catch a glimpse of its charm if you know when to go there (June, end of August, September), where to eat (Soni, Cherhana, Bibi or right on the beach), what beach bars to visit (Stuff, Expirat, lots of other options) and what places to avoid (everything sophisticated and some dark corners). I strongly recommend going there but if this happens for the first time go with someone who knows what is what. As bohemian as it can sometimes be (though hippies and rockers are a rare sight these days, unfortunately),  it’s possible to get into trouble as well.

IMG-20140831-WA0001And if you get there and you need a break from sitting on the beach, to be understood you get hungry, try eating at a place where you can play with your feet in the sand, watch the sea while waiting for your food and try the fish caught and cooked by the fishermen themselves. IMG-20140831-WA0002And the wine, the grilled veggies, the Bulgarian peach nectar and eventually, if the waiter forgets to bill you for something, please pay him anyway, like we did when he forgot to put the nectar on our bill. Then walk slowly back to the beach and enjoy the sun.

IMG-20140902-WA0076In the evening you can choose from several beach bars where you can dance on the sand, sit and chat over a beer, or even better sit on the sunbeds on the beach, enjoy a glass of wine and watch the shooting stars. We were a bit lucky this year and, except the first night when it was really cold, the rest of the nights were quite warm and sitting on the beach was fun. And when you head back to your room do not forget to stop and grab a pancake with rum, stuffed in half a cantaloup.

And when it’s time to go home promise yourself that you are going to return there soon.

 

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Mystery Case File

I like my country, don’t get me wrong but in this moment right now I wish I moved on the other side of the planet!!! So, for the record, I live and work in Bucharest, a different city than what is stated as my home in my papers,  and I had what is called a temporary change of residence, and will get one again soon, mainly to be able to have medical services where I live and not to travel  400 km to my home town if I need a prescription.

I’ve been back at work for over two months now and I still can’t visit a doctor without paying lots of money because, even though I pay my taxes which include medical services, I am listed as uninsured. So I pay for some services I can’t benefit from. I kept talking to all institutions (my company where I work, health services and taxes) and they all keep blaming someone else and give me the impression that this someone else is me. My employee has included me in the list of tax-paying persons but health services doesn’t see me in their data base because something got blocked at the financial institution.

Health services said: we can fix this, fill in a form, get a refusal of treatment from your doctor and prove that you have been insured in the last 5 years and we fix it in 48 hours. For that you need to pay a fee at the financial institution here in Bucharest.

The financial institution in Bucharest said I can only pay if my permanent residence is here, otherwise…

The financial institution at home says: it is illegal to pay your health tax in another city than where you have your ID address. Then they changed their mind and said that if I have temporary residence somewhere else I can have a doctor somewhere else as well…

But no one told me where I can pay the fee to get my rights back because well… No one knows. If I pay at home the money goes to an account that doesn’t help, cause my doctor is in Bucharest so I have to pay in Bucharest but I can’t cause it is not possible.

How to solve this problem seems to be a real mystery.

 

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Swedish Music Part 2

I think I promised this post quite a while ago so here it is: Swedish music that I came across while in Sweden. Before getting there I already knew some Swedish bands and some of them were and still are a regular in my playlist. I am not going to take things chronologically because that would mean I’d have to write a lengthy review for some bands/albums that are now a constant in my listening habits, but before doing that I have to improve my Swedish a bit more… or find the very well hidden lyrics.

So I am going to go to a very important event that I was a part of: IF Stockholm Open. During this very wonderful (OMG can’t believe I’ve been there, so happy, thank you all again) event I cam across SHM – One (Your Name) mostly because it was the opening track for some matches. Catchy tune and the excitement of the tennis and here is one song that got stuck in my head.

The same event got me listening to Zara Larsson’s “Uncover”. I still have no idea if this track made it across borders all the way to Romania but it sure made its way on my iPod for quite a lengthy while. And it brings back some really nice memories. While listening to it at the event I had no idea who played it, nor did it ever struck me to ask but my habit of listening to the radio soon solved this mystery so here is another catchy tune to check out:

The road from Eriksövägen till Garnisonen was not counted in minutes but in tracks. Also, the time slipping away from the first Swedish lesson to the first exam was also measured in red… or better said in Kent’s “Röd”. Tipped on Kent by a very nice miss, I came across this album randomly choosing it from Youtube and it was love at first audition. There isn’t a song on it that doesn’t remind me of a sunset in the woods, a busy street, a subway station or Swedish grammar. The preparation for the exam in October was soundtracked by this band… which I would have loved to see live but missed my chance… for now. I guess each song on the album was obsessing me at a certain point and even now when I am listening to them on my way to work I still discover something new every now and then. Of course Kent are not the only Swedish band that helped me study for my Swedish exams but that is another story. There’s more to write about Swedish music than this but for now I’ll stop right here. Give these tracks a chance, they are worth it!

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Dream Theater Rocked!

I heard about Dream Theater for the first time in 2001 during my Summer camp in Costinesti. Next to the place where we were living there were some kids listening to “Hollow Years” ten times every day, maybe even more. I really have no idea how I figured out the name of the band but I remember coming back home and questioning my brother about them. Soon after, I got a tape with more songs from various artists, tape that had “Hollow Years” on it.

In 2002, when they first played in Romania, I was too young and too far away to come and see them. The only contact I had with them was on VH1 and unfortunately they didn’t play their songs on TV too often.

I kept hearing from my brother and other people that they sound amazing live so I began wanting to see them live more and more. Of course when I heard that they were going to play in Romania this Summer I put their concert on my “to see” list. I am not the kind of person who constantly listens to their songs but I can honestly say that if I have the opportunity to see them live again tomorrow, I will be there for sure.

I was more than impressed about the fact that the concert started at 8 pm sharp but then I looked around and started asking myself: where is everybody? There were not a lot of persons around me and the ones that were there were more interested in socializing over a glass of beer than paying attention to what was happening on stage. Because of their chatty mood I had to change places a few times because they were just babbling annoyingly in my ears. Half an hour later more and more people appeared around but even so I was thinking that this band deserved a larger audience. The tickets were not really that expensive, especially if you didn’t want to stand right in front of the stage, and the 12 years gap between their first concert and this one should have been a good reason for people to show up.

Going back to the concert: it was hypnotizing! They sounded so good and I liked it so much! I simply refused to check my phone and just paid attention to what was happening on stage, both the playing and the clips showed in the background. I have no idea when it was time for the break. After it I tried to take some pictures but sorry, my phone’s camera simply refused to focus. After 10 minutes I gave up trying simply because I was spending more time looking at my phone than at the stage. The second part of the concert, though it was supposed to be longer, passed in a flash, and I soon found myself walking towards the tram with a huge smile on my face and hopping happily. That was an amazing way to spend an evening, I want to do it again!

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What’s Up These Days

In the area of exciting things some stuff happened. After a very nice Thirty Seconds to Mars concert and a perfect Summer week spent watching tennis at BRD Bucharest Open it is now time to get ready for Dream Theater. It is also time to start spending some time by the pool because the Summer heat will go up to 36 in the shade which means that a nice after-work swim will be more than amazing. Just have to find a pool that is still open after 7 pm. Why 7 pm? Because I will hopefully get out of work at 6:30 pm.

My health problems are still there in my head, even so I still want to get them checked. Every joint in my body hurts stating with my ankles and ending with my fingers. I would calm down faster if I had the possibility to see my doctor but I don’t. On short, in order to avoid paying a lot of money for my visit to the physician and benefit from the basic health care program, I have to visit my doctor and get recommendations for any specialty I need. I am entitled to this program because I am employed and I pay taxes the only problem is that the system currently labels me as uninsured because my employer didn’t report me as an employee… I mean I have only been working for a month and a half… therefore I have to postpone getting my yearly blood tests and a visit to the rheumatologist. So besides being stuck with this annoying pain that is probably caused by lack of minerals and trying to control my paranoia I am also battling the system. How on world can I figure as uninsured when I am an employee? All this story got me so angry that last Wednesday I needed serious focusing in order to just chill.

On the “I must remain calm” side of the story I still find it useless to force the red light and run after the tram just to get to work 5 minutes earlier every morning. So far my plan seems to work and I can enjoy my morning ride to the office accompanied by a good book. One of the annoying parts of public transportation happened last Saturday when I was going home at around 11 in the evening: while waiting for the trolly some really nice guys from the neighborhood thought it was cool and smart to scream out loud every obscene word they knew in all possible combinations and to every passer by. They went as far as placing themselves in the doorway of the trolly and screaming some more at the passengers. Disgusting and scary and, even more, frighting because while they were doing this, their friends, girls among, were amusing themselves terribly because probably in their opinion, these guys were doing something really, really cool.

But to end the story in a more happy tune, in case you don’t know or if you knew but you forgot, Romania has amazing water melons and the production is at its peak right now. So kick back, relax and enjoy, from the fridge they go amazingly well on hot… extremely hot Summer days.

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