And for that matter, where is Romania you may ask?

So maybe, I should have started with the bigger picture: Where in the world is Romania, you may ask? Romania is in Southeastern Europe, surrounded by Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine and borders the Black Sea. Cluj is on the Northwest part, about 2 hrs from the border with Hungary. Cluj lies vertically north of Athens ( a small town in Greece), and at the latitude of Geneva

Population is about 22 Millions . There are many sites that can give you lots of info about this country. Try the official turism office: http://www.romaniatourism.com/

For a bit of history (tanks to the CIA!)
” The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.”

Offical language is Romanian (Duhh!). Quick: what are the five Roman languages? For those of us from French or Italian ascent, the following sign is a piece of gateau:

This weekend, I'll post pictures.

Ciao!