Mission Accomplished - Part I

Yes, today our excursion included a drive to several small villages and towns, including Gherla, my grandmother's hometown. A little north of Cluj, it is a small town bustling with small industries and business. We drove around the streets, with no particular destination, and finally decided to move on to Dej, further north. As we left town we noticed an old cemetary on the left. Ron turned the car around and parked in front of the fence. We found an open gate and began to walk around, Ron taking photos and me thinking of the extreme long-shot of finding any family names.

We continued to scan for "Lazar" and Ron found one - but the dates were very recent. Could be a cousin or some distant relative, so we took photos and moved on. Just as we were about to leave, quite near the main gate, I glanced up and saw the names I've been hoping to see: Eugen and Maria Lazar! Even his title, de Purcaret, was on the monument, along with birth and death dates. A bit of new information seemed evident; another woman's name, Ana Lazar n. Buzdugan, born 1889, and died in 1963! Seems like a second wife, after Maria's death in 1924, would be the reasonable conclusion.

I was so emotional; my dream - to walk where my mother had once walked in Romania - was absolutely reality. She had been here when her grandmother, Maria, died suddenly from a stroke, so she most certainly would have stood at the gravesite, just as I did today. It was quite a day for me. Many more days might bring more information, but unfortunately that time isn't available. I should leave something for my children to search for, right?

Turga Gorge

In our new rental car, Ron and I headed south to the Turga Gorge. What a fantastic adventure this was! We were using a GPS for the first time (thank you, Lis) and it was a real life-saver in this part of the country. The gorge was an easy walk along rushing water, but the immense cliffs along side of us are a popular climbing wall (nothing like the one in gym class) and we got to watch a lone climber making his/her way down the wall. I'm still not sure why anyone does this, but it is amazing to watch!

On the way home we watched a black cloud coming our way; and suddenly we were in the center of a tremendous torrent of rain. For a short while it even forced Ron to pull over to the side. We drove through it for quite a while (seemed like an age to me), until suddenly the blue skies reappeared and the rain stopped. It seems that Europe has been experiencing these torrential storms for weeks, with fatalities and great losses. We have been blessed to have as much sun as we have had.

Tomorrow we head north of Cluj, toward the small villages of Bontida, Sic, Gherla, and Dej. It was somewhere in this area that my great-grandfather's family lived, Eugene Lazar de Purceret, and I have longed to just walk where my mother may have walked as a young woman. This entire trip is in honor of her and the goodness she brought to her children and grandchildren.

Romania, the Beautiful!

Below is a photo of the Hungarian Restaurant we enjoyed a couple nights ago in Budapest. Enchanted by the music, we bought a CD to bring home the memory!

The photo on the right is a view of Cluj from the ruins of the citadel above the city. Quite a view of a lovely small city.

Finally sitting still long enough to bring you all up-to-date. We arrived in Cluj last night after a lovely train ride from Budapest. We had a series of mis-adventures earlier in the day - mostly involving missed trains - but once we came to the beautiful mountain country in Romania, it was all worth it.

Hotel Capitol is a modern, clean and friendly place right in the midst of the university area - which is relatively quiet in the summer! The room is small, but air conditioned and pleasant. As I write, the birds are singing away and life is good.

We walked much of the city today. We passed another time zone, so now we are seven hours earlier here. We didn't know that until breakfast - so I got an to sleep in until 9AM! The breakfast is exceptionally nice here. Several choices and very filling, tasty (and familiar) food. We had an equally great lunch at Hubertus'. It was listed as the city's "most refined dining option" and the bonus was an English menu! The service was exemplary, and the price was very reasonable. Everything was a la carte, but we still had a huge lunch for about $25.00 (72 leu).

We saw the Orthodox Catholic church, where I remembered Mom (my grandmother), and took pictures everywhere, including the remains of a citadel. See a sample above.

Tomorrow we rent a car and drive south to Turga (what a name!) to see an impressive gorge where caves are found in the cliffs which used to hide outlaws! Hopefully it will be our wilderness hike for this trip If this internet connection holds up, I'll report on that venture tomorrow.

Budapest - At Last!

Our flight went well; in fact, we arrived in Germany (to switch planes) about a half hour early - and a good thing. The passport inspection line was really bogged down and we waited there for about 45 minutes before being able to get checked in at our gate.

That was a short flight to Budapest and we arrived in a rather small airport about 9:30. Baggage arrived in quick order, we found an ATM to get forints, and we ordered a shuttle bus to take us to our bed and breakfast. The driver was the tall, silent type, but he got us here in one piece and we rang the bell for Ryan to let us in our 4th floor flat. The building is old and in a quaint neighborhood; they have decorated most attractively and are warm hosts. We have a soft, comfy bed in a tidy room adjacent to a bath which is mostly private! Ryan showed us how the door locks work and after a quick cup of tea/coffee, we were ready to explore our part of town (the "Pest" side of Budapest).

We walked to the Danube (nothing Blue about it!) and then found the famous synagogue here and toured that and the garden - which is actually a cemetary for about 3,000 jewish people who died just at the end of the war here in the ghetto. They have a nice memorial, sponsored by Tony Curtis (Hungarian background).

The time shift confuses me; It is 7 PM here, and 1:00 PM (Sunday) at home. We just had short naps, but other than that we have been up since 8 AM Saturday! I hope we sleep well tonight and get adjusted, as we have full plans for our self-guided tour tomorrow! I promise some photos then.

Countdown!

School is out and these are my two "get-ready" days. I've checked the list twenty times, add, subtract, and add again...surely whatever I forget now will be sold in Hungary or Romania next week! I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to begin this adventure of a lifetime. To return to the countries where my family began is a dream come true. To serve these people, even in the small way that I plan (at the Tutova Clinic), is my way of saying thank you to my maternal heritage for giving me life, and making that life so rich and full. So, here I come!

Just A Week Now!

I can hardly believe that in one week we'll be on our way. We have rough itineraries (to be smoothed out this week) and my blog, Shutterfly, and Skype accounts are raring to go! I've created lists for my lists; now if I could only remember where I put them! Our first challenge will be navigating from the Hungarian airport to the bed and breakfast in Budapest. Thank goodness for the travel-pro, Ron! He knows public transportation systems and has a knack for the city world that is so strange to me. I panic when I cross the bridge into Philadelphia; but, I will learn!