Beautiful Bucharest

 Most days I can take photos all afternoon of the wonderful things I see around Bucharest. Even on a stormy day, there is beauty all around us.

On Saturday we went for a long walk. Above is a Clematis virginiana or Virgin's Bower and it smells delightful.

Although long-stemmed roses are common in yards, more often we see fences and pergolas covered in climbing roses. Sometimes they are rope-trained, but often they are happily running by themselves.

Honeysuckle seems so lonely without a population of hummingbirds. One of Katie's missionary companions from Europe didn't believe hummingbirds existed. They would love this area.

Paul spotted this out the window later in the day. We have been varying wildly from super hot days to cool misty ones. Sometimes the clouds produce heavy rain and sometimes we are left completely dry.

This beautiful planting area by the road is surrounded by roses just starting to bloom. The Euonymus in the center is evergreen, but I nice spark of gold to anchor the bed.

I Know My Heavenly Father Loves Me

Senior Missionary Conference

We had the pleasure to visit Sebeș for a conference this week. It is always a delight to spend time with fellow senior missionaries and share our adventures. I love to hear about their families and their testimonies. We brought Lisa Wilson who was visiting from Budapest. She serves as the mission nurse for both Hungary and Romania Missions. Our hotel in town had the cutest little garden next door.

Paul and I walked up and down the city to see the churches, second hand thrift shops, and grocery stores. I was able to buy 3 shirts for $9 and some ice cream novelties.

The town was an important medieval settlement and was founded in the 12th century by German settlers. It's now an industrial town with leather, textile, and wood industries. We enjoyed some training on Friday morning and then set out to visit nearby Alba Iulia.

Alba Iulia is historically important for Romanians, Hungarians, and Transylvanian Saxons. In December 1918, Alba Iulia was officially declared Capital of the Great Union of Romania. The walled city was built in the early 1700s. There exists now an inner wall and an outer wall which we explored.

I had never seen a brick wall so tall. We walked around the entire star and then went inside to join the other missionaries for lunch at Pub 13.

We wandered into a beautiful garden with all my favorite trees and flowers.

Inside we found many statues, unification memorials and buildings with many uses.

In the afternoon we drove downtown to wander around an outdoor shopping mall where there were 6 different thrift stores. We completed the evening back in Sebeș having dinner with everyone.

Exploring Brașov

We had a few days to travel around Brașov to discover its beauties, and boy did we! Thursday was the only day forecast to be sunny, so we began the day with a hike up Mount Tampa to the Brașov sign.

It took us about an hour in perfect spring weather. There is a cable car service, but it was being maintained while we were visiting.

Its elevation is 3150', over 1300' above the city. I loved the tile roofs, old castles, and watch towers.

Hiking higher up the mountain we passed through an excavated site from the 1400s.

We hiked down the mountain and walked toward downtown around the Black Church, one of the few Lutheran Churches in the country.

The Black Church stands on the site of an older Romanesque church from the 13th century, destroyed in the great Tatar invasion of 1241. The current construction began in 1383, when Brașov was in a period of strong cultural and economic development.

In the mid-16th century, the Protestant Reformation entered Transylvania and spread largely thanks to Johannes Honterus (1498-1549). In 1542, the first Evangelical-Lutheran service was celebrated in the Black Church, and during the same movement, the secondary altars were also removed.

The Black Church is the largest Gothic religious building in southeastern Europe, measuring 89 meters long and 38 meters wide. This church can accommodate about 5,000 people. Here is a view from the hiking trail.

District Conference

On Wednesday we had the pleasure to bring the patriarch to Brașov for District Conference. Because Romania has only branches, we do not have a stake yet. However, we had at least 200 members join us for conference. Our traveling patriarch is from Croatia and is about 6'7". 

Tibi was translated for him during his Sunday talk. Here we are singing along to the hymn.

Vasile Doru, Patriarch Ostarcevic, and District President Radu Stoica enjoyed a photo together. These men are incredible examples of service in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When we took the patriarch back to Bucharest on Sunday, he shared with us many stories about his life and service in Utah and Croatia. He is currently a sealer in the Freiburg Temple. He said that so far he has seen 4 tribes represented in Romania.

The primary sang Gethsemane and sounded amazing. Their pianist was a very young man who recently joined the Church. I love the youth of this new generation.

Sweet Treats

We found a well-reviewed pizzeria within walking distance of our hotel that was as good as Rome. What a fabulous pizza! Paul always orders Diavola which is spicy, but I always get Quattro Stagioni

The decorations in Pizzeria della Nonna are so charming. I loved looking at all their furniture and felt that this was more like a home than a restaurant.

On Saturday afternoon we stopped by a Patisserie near the hotel and picked up an apple strudel and cinnamon bun. With so much competition, each little bakery has incredible bites.

Afterward, I stopped by a fabric store named Hibiscus. She had loads of fabrics, but also a few racks of second hand clothes. These were the nicest clothes and the nicest brands I'd ever seen together. I found myself wishing it was my closet. I picked up a about 6 cotton half meters and will start sewing when I get back to Bucharest.

Saturday Visiting

With the opportunity of being in Brasov, we traveled with the Roseboroughs and Br. Parnau to a Roma village outside the city. There is a school with land for a medical clinic. So we did some touring and exploring in the rain.

It's difficult for the Roma to get medical care, so we hope we can develop a project to help them. In the evening we attended the adult session of District Conference. Elder Posnanski from France was there to speak and we had quite a few members attend. I was with the primary and youth so we could play while the adults were busy.

Walking in the Spring

Most of the plant life here is easy to identify. There are euphorbias, berberis, lavender, wisteria, lilac, honeysuckle, peonies, roses, and sumac. But there are a few things that have surprised me. Since my phone will look them up for me, I stop often on my walk and take a shot.

Viper's bugloss or blueweed comes from the borage family Boraginaceae. There are tiny red stems poking out of each little flower.

This Empress Tree is growing downtown right next to the largest Orthodox Church in the world. It is also known as a princess tree, which is definitely native to Asia.

The dog rose or Rosa Canina grows wild in fields of Romania. This one is about 12' across and 10' tall. They require no maintenance and bloom effusively in May.

Of course, a happy poppy will cheer you up on any day of the week.

I think this is a species of acacia. It's climbing through a fence on top of everything around it.

This giant dandelion seed head would be fun to blow apart, but not today.

Thistle is one of my favorites, perhaps because I'm Scottish. Some are dainty like this one, and some are warningly enormous. You'd hate to be chasing a frisbee into either one.

Sadly, some plants don't make it. You can water, feed, and support, but they just wither away and die. This tree makes me sad every time I walk by.

This little guy froze as we walked by. Even after taking his portrait he still didn't move. So Paul encouraged him with his foot to scamper into the tall grass.