CHAPTER 5. EASTERN EUROPE, CONT.

From Debrecen we go into Romania, taking about an hour to cross the border. There is flat land at first, getting poorer, then hills and almost mountains. We walk thru one small village; all along the way we see embroidery for sale, but none is cheap. In villages and towns all houses have large vegetable gardens with onions, garlic, potatoes, chard, peas, lettuce, and most have grape arbors. In Cluj the hotel is modern, but lacks in cleanliness, the streets are full of people and poorly lighted.

We see the Pharmacy Museum and Natural History Museum in Cluj, and find the Pharmacy one to be most interesting. A very nice woman there leads us two blocks away to an ice cream cone shop, after Betty’s nonverbal communication of pretending to lick her thumb tells her what we want.

On to Sovata, with a stop in Tirgu Mures to see the stained glass in the Culture museum. The country is hilly and green, with some terraces to the top of the hills, and hoe gangs in the fields. The hotel room in Sovata is in a chalet, and has a private W.C., somewhat a rarity.