Two Hot Chocolates and then...

Guided by a helpful map we did a morning walking tour of the historic Lipscani district where our wonderful Rembrandt Hotel is located. We visited six Orthodox churches five of which were having Ascension Day services. Their worship is certainly multi-sensual compared with our cerebral Lutheran worship. It was a treat to join the worshippers even though we could not understand the words. We spent over an hour in one service mesmerized by the music as cantor and priest sang antiphonally with an all male choir in the balcony. All the music was acappella(you know, singing without instruments, however you spell it). The wonderful voices would be welcomed by any Lutheran college choir director. Sometimes they sang in four parts and some times in eight. We got incensed by the priest making us feel a part of the worship. Those marvelous voices will reverberate in our memories for time to come.

After we'd feasted on as many architectural sights as we could absorb in one morning we sat at an outdoor cafe and ordered hot chocolate with ice cream. Served in glasses the rich European chocolate made our hot cocoa at home seem insipid. As I sat smugly enjoying my chocolate I glanced up to see an elderly woman surreptitiously take the bread from a basket that the waitress was about to buss away. Unseen by the waitress she quickly added some mustard and with a big smile slipped away with her bounty. She'd been fed with the crumbs from the table and I suddenly did not feel so smug. Reflecting on the worship we'd experienced I thought, "the essence of worship (religion) is action on behalf of others."

And, so, we prepare to take our leave. Tomorrow we will be home but Romania will always have a place in our hearts. Perhaps this is the honeymoon which we never really had, except for a quick weekend in Sioux City. I have to say that Romania is much more romantic than Sioux City. I'm sad to leave but I'm also ready to be home!