Views from the morning

Although I don't know why,  I've carried around the erroneous belief that if I could just sleep on the flight to Europe, my jet lag would be eliminated (is this what happens when you ignore science?). 

While it's true we were better rested than had we not flown business class, there is a limit to what an upgrade can do. For example, not only is it incapable of making one look more fashionable, but it also cannot immediately reset the inner clock. 

Which brings me to the first morning after our arrival when I found myself awake before dawn, standing on the front balcony to watch the sunrise. 

Those of you who know me are aware that I have the circadian rhythm of a chicken so I'm generally up to see the sunrise no matter which continent I'm on. But autumn mornings in Romania hold a treasured place in my soul. There's a special kind of pleasure in waking to the scent of woodsmoke on the crisp morning air, to see that particular maturity that only autumn sunlight seems to possess, to hear the roosters and cows stir, the clip-clop of horses hoofs on the street below, and the full-throated laughter of children on their way to school.

Even though it makes my heart feel a bit tender and sore, longing for years past when Pia was alive, the garden was full of vegetables and flowers, the house was full of the sounds of my children and Alexandru, I couldn't resist walking about and taking in all of the sights and smells that transport me back to those days. 

For these reasons, autumn feels like the perfect time to be here with the one notable exception: because we had to change the dates for this trip, Mircea and Madeline weren't able to come. It's possible this is the reason for the exceptional sentimentality that I'm feeling. 

In any case, the following photos are not particularly well-crafted, (they're just shots taken from my phone) but they represent a little bit of the sorts of sights that make me long for this place when I'm far away. 

Yes, I even miss the plastic gnomes and alligators Pia used to love so much. Apparently nostalgia does not have very good taste.

I'm not so nostalgic for the kitchen mess (or the foam Disney decals that Silvia glued to the tiles which I have since removed) but I love the ritual of eating bread, salami, gogoși and mustard around the kitchen table

Soon we're off to Viștea to see the new/old house and spend a few days in Sibiu. It won't be a new city for long-time readers but hopefully the photos will be more interesting for those of you who don't fall into a melancholy puddle over sunrises and pickled food.