March 2010 in Cluj

The most recent pictures of Cluj were snow covered and that was about 20 days ago. Everyone kept saying that the 30-36 degrees that we were experiencing was colder than normal. Last Thursday it was high of 36. This Thursday is the second sunny day with a high of 68! The birds have arrived, the trees are budding and the people are out!


There are small strips of park with playground equipment every couple of blocks. Everywhere we walk, we see multi-generational groups (men and women) pushing babies on swings. Preschoolers are wearing jackets and pants for spring weather, but they ALL have knit caps covering their heads and ears.

We were invited to a presentation for the international students and staff of Babes-Bolyai U. All we knew was that it was to tell us about the Romanian Orthodox Easter and some of the traditions surrounding it. The presentation began at 5 and was to include dinner. It lasted 3 hours and 25 minutes!!! We learned about the Orthodox Easter, some of the art representing the holiday, listened to the university choir sing traditional songs and watched very talented classic dancers perform traditional folk dances to Romanian folk music. The performances were top notch, and the dinner gave us a good taste of typical Romanian. Although the evening was too long, it was a great learning experience. The University takes its international exchange with students and professors very seriously.