We are on the move once again. Bags out in the morning, breakfast in the bizarre ballroom space that is accessed through one door hidden in a dark alcove that is opened (unlocked) precisely at 6:30, no matter that it says 7:00 on all the materials. As per our usual, we are lined up waiting a little before 6:30, then in seats as soon as the doors open. Yesterday it was a complete zoo review in there, hardly a space to be had by 7:00am, today, crickets! Obviously another large tour group has left and it is us and a few others. Makes it better for the seating, and I guess the food, not that I care, I’m only interested in hot water for my instant coffee.
Breakfasted, showered, bags out and down to the bus, we’re ready to say adios to the Central Plaza – as are quite a few of our travel partners. We’ve had room swaps, people stuck in the stairwell because doors are locked (using the elevators is next to impossible, they only fit 4 people and are slower than molasses going uphill in the winter time), no air, lack of kettles. Suffice it to say, it’s not been our favorite place, so we are ready to move on.
Finally all settled, we head out to Onesti, home of Nadia Comaneci and the first major gymnastic complex in Romania. The ride will take about 2 hours through what is apparently non-descript landscape because there is not a picture to be had of the entire drive – except for the snail and swan sculptures made out of tires at our pit stop.
What we did do for the 2 hour drive though, was learn about how Romania is changing so much, and that folk dancing is a way to keep the kids involved in the culture and off the streets. The parents all support the troupe and encourage the kids to continue on with it. It’s an outcropping from the communist era when children were encouraged to join the Pioneer circles, the entry into the communist party. First graders got a red scarf and there was a big ceremony that made it very special. The kids were all happy and didn’t relate this to politics, but to a competition and getting to the top of the class to get a scarf first. They offered classes after school for gymnastics, modeling, sports, English, Drama – you name it – all for free, so the children took up all sorts of activities. Those same sorts of activities are continuing with the folk dancing, because the cultures survived in the little towns and villages all throughout the communist years – and now it is important to continue to pass it down through the generations.
Of course sports are still important too, but whereas in the 80’s everyone wanted their children to be gymnasts, now they want them to play tennis because of Simona Halep, the Romanian tennis player who won the Wimbledon. The government still runs sports clubs (as a matter of fact, they still run Onesti), and in the communist era, coaches would come to the schools every 2 weeks to select children to join these sports clubs – hoping to develop the next Olympic winner. Winning in global sports competitions is a huge source of pride in Romania, one that still continues today. Nadia Comaneci was the first athlete to really put Romania on the map, but after she defected in 1988, the communist government brushed her achievements aside because they didn’t want people to know about the defection and her new life. She was just the tip of the iceberg though, as Romania went on to wins hundreds of medals in Gymnastics and other sports.
After the fall of the communist party, Nadia has returned to Romania and is involved in helping children enter and excel at sports. She has a foundation that is involved in various events and competitions for children to advance in the sporting world. She is also the chairperson of a sports club sponsored and paid for by the state that is involved in passport for sports, where children come together in Bucharest where coaches for various sports select children based on abilities and then train them for future competitions.
We arrive at the facility in which Nadia trained, in the rain, and walk through a lovely, if not wet, garden plaza with a beautiful statue of two young women doing handstands that memorializes gymnastics. Carefully winding our way though the water soaked courtyard, we are escorted into the training facility, where the instructors have cleared a space for us to stand with our wet shoes, off the exercise mats. On the back wall is a huge mosaic of Nadia and Don Gregor, who was a male gymnastic champion. And on the front wall are huge posters of Nadia today, with the saying “Together we make the future!” Here, surrounded by uneven bars, parallel bars, horses and beams, we listen to Cristina’s translation of the how the Onesti Gymnastics program works. Built in the 1960s, the basic structure has remained the same, albeit with updates. They still train the children in the same fashion, 15 in a group with 3 levels (beginning, intermediate and performance). Children from the program are selected for the national Olympic team and move to larger facilities. For years, though, Onesti was the only training facility for Olympic Gymnasts.
Man, does this place take me back. Deja vu to my Junior High and High School days when my best friend was a gymnast – a damn good one at that – and we used to go to her training sessions and competitions. Weird how certain oddball things can take you back in time so vividly and emotionally. Wow.
At any rate, back to Onesti, which now trains in 6 other sports as well; weight lifting, wrestling, tennis, judo, martial arts and tennis. Children start as young as 5, living here on the campus where they train from 7a to 9a, go to school from 8a to 12 noon, have lunch, do their homework, then come back and train some more. Currently there are 47 children housed here with 2 coaches in gymnastics (with another one in training) 2 for wrestling, 1 for weight lifting.
Next, we are shown into a little hallway near some offices where there is a handsome display of medals and photos from Nadia’s time, as well as others who have won competitions. There is of course, the iconic poster of Nadia on the balance beam (another flash back!) and photos of the famous coaches. It’s a nice little stop (more so for me because of the nostalgia), as well as an intriguing peek into the emotional and patriotic side of Romanian sports and the quest for championship recognition.
Back on the bus, we head out into the Oituz mountains, passing through lovely forested hills with just a hint of fall colors and wisps of fog clinging to the tops of the trees or drifting skyward. It’s idyllic, with little villages scattered here and there, huge stone monasteries and fields of corn and maybe wheat stretching off into the distance. We get another sweet treat to stave off some of our hunger – Rom – a traditional chocolate we’ve seen everywhere, that turns out to have a rum filling. Ick – Ed’s a happy boy, coz he has a double treat now!
After only about 2 hours, we reach the little medieval town of Targu Secuiesc. Originally founded as a market town of the Seclars, this is our lunch stop. I’d scoped out a couple of restaurants on the way, but one said it was a wine bar and we were a little concerned about that. Cristina told us about a Hungarian restaurant down the street, which we figured we’d try. It was further away from the bus drop off, and we thought it might be best to get away from the crowd. It was an adorable outdoor restaurant, where we managed to find a table under the partially covered garden (the exposed areas were wet from the rain) and plopped down to wait for our menus and service. It took forever for a waiter to approach, but we’re getting used to that now, and quickly prepared to order. When he came back, Ed decided upon the Gulash soup, which many people were ordering around us, and I ended up with the chicken with béchamel sauce. A side of thick, crusty, still warm from the oven bread, beer and wine – and we were good as gold. The soup was excellent, and my chicken was one of the best meals I had. Just a simple chicken breast with who knows what spices and béchamel on top, browned to a gooey goodness. Fabulous. A great little lunch break at a bargain price of only $11. And a well timed one at that, as more of our tour companions made their way into the restaurant and were having troubles getting attention to be served.
We still had time to wander about the cute little town, take a few pictures of the adorable village square and imposing white washed church on the corner, before boarding our bus and marveling at the monstrous piece of Tiramisu Pauline, our resident feisty octogenarian had brought onboard with her. She is just one little ball of energy (and by little, I mean teeny – I don’t think she’s over 4 ft 10 inches tall, she’s sprite and active, with an absolutely great sense of humor and outlook) and she has become the inspiration of everyone on the tour. We all hope to have just a fraction of her energy and outlook when we are her age!
PS – she didn’t finish the tiramisu, but only because she had already polished off a dish of ice cream before it!
Next stop: Brasov.
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