New Year's Eve started off as a replay of Christmas Eve - ie. we went out and bought cigarettes, alcohol, food (and toilet roll, this time - live and learn). This evening's plans are multiple and varied. Initially we plan to spend this evening and (at least part of) tomorrow in Club A: they have a party which starts today and will run until Wednesday (the 2nd is a public holiday in Romania, as in Scotland and New Zealand). A good plus to this plan is that Club A will include food in the entrance fee. The weather report tells us that Bucharest will be at +1 degrees (that was EuroNews), ie. much warmer than expected, so we modify our plan. We'll go out to Piata Revolutei, the big square at the library/Atheneum/Royal Palace, join the street party there and watch the fireworks at midnight: after that we'll move onto Fire (another, cheaper club - no point doing Club A if we're not there for midnight). All the TV stations seem to be sponsoring different street parties in the various piatas across Bucharest, and ProTV's in Piata Revolutei looks like the biggest.
The temperature starts plummeting mid-evening, however, and by nine o'clock (when Milena starts colouring her hair (?)), it's snowing heavily. We run late, as ever, and by the time we've grabbed something to eat we're probably too late to get to any street party for midnight (even though there's a tram service running). Instead, we climb out onto the terrace (there's about 8cm of snow lying already, and it's still coming down out the sky), pop open a bottle of champagne, and see in the New Year looking across the skyline of Bucharest. People have been letting off fireworks since early evening (Milla wouldn't let me buy any), some from the ground and some just firing them out the windows of their flats: at midnight they go mental. We also have a good view of the larger fireworks being let off from the various Piatas. The sound and light show eventually starts tailing off, and we spend the next half-hour throwing snowballs from the roof, trying to hit passing trams and cars (there's a trickle of cars, and the trams seem to be running a special late service - they normally stop at midnight). Finally we build a snowman, "Charlie", just outside the kitchen window (it's still snowing) and then go inside to watch Big Ben from London (on BBC Bews) and, disappointingly no coverage from Edinburgh. Instead of Edinburgh we get footage of Dublin, apparently because it's taking the Euro.
On that subject, I don't know what the coverage at home was like, but on the European cable/satellite channels the whole New Year celebration was hijacked by euro propaganda. National finance ministers and figures from the ECB are at all the big parties, and there's euro-related celebrations. At one point, some commented that a million happy, drunk Germans celebrating New Year on the streets on Berlin was a "ringing endorsement" of the euro (!!!!). Presumably, all the New Year parties in countries not taking the euro (UK, Brazil, etc.) were ringing condemnations of the new currency?
By the time we've had (another) something to eat, we can't be arsed going out and just crash out in the early hours of New Year's Day. On the rest of New Year's Day, once we finally get up, we don't really do anything except watch TV. A quiet New Year this time, then (perhaps I'm getting old), but pretty good.
On the Wednesday, we start to seriously think about moving on from Bucharest: making up lists of things that still need done, discussing route options and so on. Some weight checks reveal that the amount of paper I'm carrying (guide- and phrase-books and timetables and notebooks) has reduced from 4.5kg to 3.5: it should be about 2kg by the time I hit Istanbul, and 1.2kg by the time I hit Africa - so the whole trip is getting easier and easier! We also visit Milena's mother, bearing New Year's gifts and photos from Christmas, and are fed in return. Tina has been better during our last few visits, since the anti-inflammatory shots - still clearly not well, but not in such a worrying and immediate way as before. Just as we leave, Milena and her mother have another falling out - this time I feel they'll be hard-pressed to make up before we set off. Early next week is looking likely.
Thursday, the third day of 2002: the ECB is proudly declaring that "nothing has gone wrong" with the distribution of their new currency - I wonder what could have gone wrong that would have shown up in the first two days? Either way, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on some of the notes once I get to Germany - I need more cash to carry with me, and I figure the euro will probably strengthen against the dollar during this year. As far as currency is concerned, meanwhile, our day is hugely expensive. Getting Milla's passport is Kafkaesque and involves stops (and queues) at at least three different office (each of which wants money): the final queue is over two hours long, and I'm ashamed to say I wandered off to do some internet stuff and collected her later. It's early afternoon before she's done (we started early). The rest of the day we spend shopping for the frighteningly long list of items we still need to get: biggest expenditure is a good pair of hiking/walking boots.
Friday is the same as Thursday (except later, as it were) - up early and shopping (a rucksack is today's major spend): actually, I spend the morning arranging photos on the website while Milla visits a clinic for X-rays (good news - her unshakeable cough isn't serious, just a nuisance).
Saturday's the last major shopping day before we leave, and it's also fucking cold (-15 overnight in Bucharest: apparently -29 in the mountains). Our target destination is Europa, another sprawling open air market, specialising in clothing, dominated by Chinese vendors selling Chinese (and Turkish) products. Cheap goods of poor to average quality of the type you rarely see these days in Western Europe. I have no idea how these products get here: by ship, or overland by train or road (along the old Silk Road, perhaps, which would be ironic) - I also have no idea how presumably large consignments get broken down to individual traders selling two or three of everything. Europa is just past the end of the 21 tram route, along Colentina: the tram south sees two boardings by teams of inspectors - Milla passes me everything each time, in case we get separated (I have a ticket), but there is no need. The inspectors have a policy of escorting offenders off at the next stop, as a team: the first team found three offenders before even reaching us. The second team only found one, and the guy covering our part of the tram didn't seem to care that Milla didn't have a ticket (let her off with a caution, as it were). The people furthest from the doors never got asked at all - so the secret is only to board trams packed full of people, and then stand behind masses of fellow travellers - they'll never get to you. Final comment on Europa - the most amusing imitation label I saw was "Peedok", with the familiar Reebok logo.
I go into hypercold shutdown (can't feel my hands, can't feel my feet, just want to die), as we return through Bucur Obor to pick up small bits and pieces and lots of cigarettes (the price is about to go up, for the second time since I got to Romania). In the evening, once I've recovered from my freezing fit, Milena visits her Uncle Liviu (to drink palinka, or to plink dralinca, or whatever: and to leave him a set of keys to the flat). I spend my time discovering that Laurel and Hardy are Stan si Bran in Romania - "Stan" I understand, but "Bran"? Ah well: perhaps they think Dracula stayed there . . . We go to bed remarkably early, just after midnight.
On Sunday morning, Milla wakes up with "friendly eyes" but no hangover. What should be our last full day in Bucharest for a while is spent washing clothes and hair, etc., packing and organising stuff and (in my case) writing. I've started a new Six book - those who want the secret of accessing the online draft version will have to email me. Only previous readers need bother applying.
Finally of note, Sunday marks the second £1000 spent on the road since leaving Scotland: this time it took me 69 days, though expenditure was somewhat skewed by the fact that I had no accommodation costs for 52 days of that 69. Despite that, accommodation still came to £97 and specific Milla expenditure (which could be considered the flipside of my reduced accommodation) came to £168. Other major areas of expenditure were food (about £390); my replacement glasses in Greece (£75); transportation costs (£68); cigarettes (£61); films and processing (£49); internet time (£48); and entrance fees fell to £18.
