Day o' Flowers and Churches

Romania. Welcome to the European Union! To inform visitors that this really IS part of the EU, they have a sign posted. Pretty clever, I thought.I am here visiting my friend, Diane. Remember when I went to Cambodia a few years back? Diane was the one who worked with girls rescued out of prostitution and ran a hospice for those with AIDS. She recently moved to Iasi to lead a team that works among the Romanian youth and orphans. It is a much different culture, climate and language (obviously). The theme (a theme!) of my first day in Romania was flowers and churches. We started the day in search of sunflowers for their photogenic nature. We didn't have to go far. Sunflowers are a major crop here. They are used for their seeds and oil. I was reminded of the last sunflower field I walked in, which was next to our house in Minnesota over 25 years ago. We then popped by Flora Holland, a nursery with an amazing selection of cut flowers in a gigantic refrigerator. It felt wonderful to get out of the 98 degree heat. Plus, it reminded me of my last weekend spent in Amsterdam, where these flowers came from.Some typical Romanian scenes included: horse-drawn wagons, . . .older Romanian ladies wearing scarves (who reminded me of my dear Romanian residents at Covenant Manor: Constantina who insisted on speaking Romanian to everyone, Verginia who was the resident photographer, Lina who called me Draga and Lucy who claimed God is power), . . .. . . and, of course, gypsies.
Orthodoxy is the prevalent religion in Romania. 85 to 90 percent of the population are Orthodox, the 2nd largest percentage in the Orthodox religion (1st is Russia). Going to church is an integral part of the culture. People come to the church to cross themselves (they do it the opposite way from the Catholics, left to right), kiss the relics of the saints, confess, pray and pay to receive a blessing from the priest.
In fact, every time they pass a church, they are supposed to cross themselves. They must practice A LOT because of the large number of Orthodox churches. We visited just a small handful. They are quite ornate and beautiful, with frescoes painted on the interior and exterior.This 17th century church is currently under renovation. It reminded me of the Italian churches (Catholic, of course) that I saw over a month ago. Speaking of which, I still need to tell you about THOSE adventures. . .

Next door to the Orthodox churches are the old and new Catholic churches.

And down the road is the former palace and current cultural center of Iasi.I guess today could also be themed "Day o' Reflection" because of all the reminders I keep talking about. As previously mentioned, I'm in the throes of processing my trip and thinking about heading back to the States. One of the nice ladies I met asked me about what I will do when I return. The fact that the answer to that question is still unclear causes me to change the subject. I'm just living the present moment, knowing that the answer to that question will come.