Romania

That looks like Redcar High Street, Ken!
Do you remember the ‘drinking club’ Tip’ls? It looked a bit like that but was nowhere near as classy!!

The Soviets knackered up Romania more than any other Eastern European country I`ve visited.
Before the revolution , they were in the throws of tearing down the beautiful old buildings and replacing them with dreadful,characterless utilitarian ones.
This is a typical scene with the lovely old typical Romanian,red-roof building in the forefront,another partially hidden by the billboards and behind the big ugly block built by the Soviets.Ken

I far like the red roofed building, it has character, beautiful instead the monstrosity behind it.

Yes. Me too. Have you any more of the nice ones ?
Michelle

Yes. Here`s one of the lovely buildings they hadn`t yet got round to “altering”. Its the Parliamentary Building:-

Only 3 pics on Romania Ken ?

Oops. Sorry — forgot about this one. I`ll dig a couple more out when time.Ken.

Romania is a country of contrasts. The Soviets were in the throes of ruining it with their ugly utilitarian establishments :-Ken.

Fortunately when the soviets went bankrupt & were kicked out of Eastern Europe, the Romanian government stopped the rot.
Work ceased on buildings like the above ( most have been dismantled now) but lovely old buildings like this were restored :-Ken.

Thats a really pretty picture Ken. what a shame they ruined a lot …….. Pleased all the horrible buildings were stopped or scrapped. I always think when looking at some Eastern Europeans they look a little miserable now i know why!!!

Its a pity they dont do the same over here …. restore the nice old buildings and put more thought into the appearance of new ones.
Any more here Ken?

Yes. I`ll dig out a couple more before putting this one to bed.Ken.

The Steaua Bucharest ground was incredibly basic for such a big team.The seats were just long concrete benches. There was only 2 portaloos to serve 30,000 people but fortunately the ground was surrounded by scrub and bushes within the perimeter fences. It was just a question of finding a vacant bush !Ken.

It was not so much the Soviets that knackered up Romania Ken, but more specifically Ceaucescu. He was a truly unpleasant man in a cast of horrible people in Eastern Europe in the late 1980′s.His policy on orphanages was particularly nasty.It’s the anniversary of his death by firing squad tomorrow, Christmas Day 1989.We should all raise a glass, and curse his ghost.

Lovely to see more of your photos Ken,I really miss them when you are too busy to post. I think most of us do understand, and sympathise, about how ‘the other half’ have to live, but some of us can help more in our own little corner of the world…..and we do, both people and animals are all living feeling beings.
Happy Christmas
Katt 

Douglas wrote:It was not so much the Soviets that knackered up Romania

No Doug, the Soviets were lovely people, they certainly knew how to run a country.

Benny wrote:

Douglas wrote:It was not so much the Soviets that knackered up Romania

No Doug, the Soviets were lovely people, they certainly knew how to run a country.

My point, Benwell, was that of all the Warsaw Pact countries, Romania was probably the least Pro-Moscow state of the lot. Ceaucescu was an inherently nasty man, whose policies killed many hundreds of thousands of his own people, as did the other Eastern Bloc nations.

Oh, ok. Sorry.

Ken wrote:There was only 2 portaloos to serve 30,000 people but fortunately the ground was surrounded by scrub and bushes within the perimeter fences. It was just a question of finding a vacant bush !Ken.

What a way to spend a leu !
Michelle

Any more Romanian ones ?
Michelle