Here’s an odd one for the books. This weekend I visited my original host family in Risnov. This trip entailed traveling through the Brasov train station. The Brasov train station is the epitomy of Communist-style architecture. It is big, and while it ought to thus be airy, it has the feel of a bunker. It is ugly from the outside, and even more depressing on the inside. As is typical with Romania in general, what’s inside is a total mixed bag, some modern technology and some ancient and broken holdovers. So, although I don’t like it, I’ve gotten used to the place – it is a well traveled hub.

This first picture shows a particular angle of the interior of the station. Note the three advertisements on the wall.

Okay, an ugly wall and some billboards, simple.

Yesterday THIS is there:

I’ve pointed out the outlines of the three billboards from the previous shot. As you can see, the outline of the middle billboard does not completely cover this portrait. Thus, it would seem that if this portrait had been there the entire time, the top would have been sticking out. Based on the original black and white, this does not seem to be the case, although I can’t be sure without more evidence.

Off frame there was some scaffolding, as it appeared that workers were in the process of replacing the ads. This only leaves me wondering where the Ceausescu portrait came from, and why in the world it was up there for all the world to see? I would think that to have the smiling countanance of the country’s infamous dictator and wife on dislplay like that would be an outrage to the average Romanian citizen, but nobody seemed to notice. As they say, “asa e Romanul.”

Drum Bun