Residency and medical issues.

Last week I went to the foreigners police and picked up my new residency card, valid for five years. I am amazed at how easy this was. I was also pleasantly surprised that the same prescription which would cost me at least $15.00 copay in the States was completely covered by my insurance. I am faring far better here than I would back in the States, yet some people still wonder why I want to stay here. It is pretty obvious actually, the people are wonderful, the country is beautiful and I don't have to pay an arm and a leg for my much needed diabetic supplies.

Oradea

Last week, inspired by an article he saw in Adevarul-Sporturi , Cristi had the "crazy idea" to go to Oradea for some sightseeing combined with watching two matches of the Len water polo tournament. Getting there required taking two trains with a change in Arad. We were frustrated at first because we just missed the first train we needed by seconds. Had the train actually stopped the customary three minutes at the stop we would have been fine but these "Personal" trains will practically blow through the station if they see that no one is getting on or off. It reminds me of what we used to call a "Coca Cola stop" when I was a kid (pausing briefly at a stop without coming to a complete stop). So we ended up taking a "poshier" train about an hour later (at a higher price).

When we arrived in Arad, we went to the Hotel Parc. Which was a two-star hotel downtown. It was a fascinating place actually. The building was a 17th century palace which was converted to a hotel at the turn of the 20th century. It's magnificence has been dulled by time but you can see that it was once quite wonderful, lots of fascinating mo

lding on the walls and ceilings. It was somewhat of a labyrinth which hearkens back to its origins as a princely palace.

Across the street from the hotel was St. Anne's Catholic Church (which I liked because I was

baptized at St. Anne's in Augusta, MI) It was a very small church, very nice inside. We couldn't go all the way in because the grill was closed which only allowed us into the back of the church.

We spent Friday roaming around the the Center of the town where there were many Art-Nouveau styled buildings. Fascinating architecture compared to what I am used to seeing in Michigan where nothing is much older than 100 years old.

The Neologue Synagogue in Oradea, seen from across the Crişul Repede (Swift Criş)river. The

neologues are a movement within Judaism that originated in Transylvania in the 19-th century, in opposition to Hassidism. They strived for a modernistic Judaism, with looser observance, more adapt to the times and the dominant culture. In Transylvania and Hungary they built separate synagogues in some places;the one in Oradea was dedicated in 1878 and is one of the biggest synagogues in Romania.

The Rimanóczy Palace in Oradea(1905), built in the Art Nouveau style, so named after the famous architect Kálmán
Rimanóczy Sr (1840-1908)

The parliamentary office of the MP for the Slovaks&Czechs in Romania, located inside Oradea's mediaeval citadel. Cristi tells me that in the Romanian democratic system, those ethnic minorities that cannot secure a seat in Parliament by popular vote(in fact, the only minority who can are the Hungarians) are guaranteed a seat in the Lower Chamber.There are 18 ethnic groups in this situation. So this is the place where this MP meets with his constituancy, in this case all the Slovaks and Czechs in Romania.

This photo&the next:the "Mihai Eminescu"National College in Oradea. A high school in Romania can use the name "National College" if given this right by the Prime Minister of Romania, generally after its 75-th anniversary. This one is the most elitist high school in Oradea, where students are given intensive training in Humanities.