Photos

This year it will be 20 years since Romania freed itself from communism. This may seem like a long time, but practically it was not, when I think how much still has to be done. A lot.

Sometimes it seems that nothing has changed, that the communist ideals still rule. Like here, on this photo, taken when I visited with some other foreigners the forests around Suceava to see how people harvest and work there. It was like before 1989, when the communist leaders came in a visit.

Imagine: a convoi of cars entering the forest on a newly paved forest road, the workers standing straight and saluting like at the army, a brandnew, never before used tractor and six decorated horses pulling logs out of the forest, everything has fresh paint on it, the chairs, the tables. The entire forest cleaned of anything that could disturb the eye, some nice people offering boiled schnaps against the cold, and some delicious cakes, even the soil covered with brushwood that our shoes would not get dirty. And on top of it all deer that would not run away, but actually came towards us so that we could pet them. So much work, so much care invested into the preparation of this visit, and it all came out wrong.

Disneyland forest.