La Revedere!

"Leaves are falling all around, It's time I was on my way. Thanks to you, I'm much obliged for such a pleasant stay"

(from "Ramble On" by Led Zeppelin)

Well folks, this is it for Steve J's Running blog. My thanks to all of you Steve J fans (all 2 or 3 of you) who have endured this not-so-frequently updated blog for the last.....wow, 20 months. At least I ended my running on a strong note this weekend.

Saturday's long run

Despite being a bit distracted by this latest life change, I pounded out an 11 miler yesterday. I ran in my two most popular run locations, National Park (Parcul National) and Titan Park (Parcul Titan). Throughout the day Saturday, I was doing some packing and trying to gather up the remainder of our stuff to give to the missionaries on Sunday. My mind was pretty full and the run provided a nice break. It took about 4 miles before I was really focused on running though. The weather in the past two weeks has been nearly perfect for running. Temperatures have been in the 60's and low 70's with little humidity.

The final run (and final photo bonanza)!

I decided today, Sunday morning on Sept 16 would be my last run in Bucharest. The only other possible running day would have been Monday after work, but that's not gonna happen. The landlady is coming by to say farewell and I will also be dropping by the Bucur family apartment for some more goodbyes (or La Reverderes) later. With the final packing to do and not having a washing machine anymore - you get the idea (I'm busy!). Tuesday night will be spent at my coworker Neil's apartment closer to the airport.

Anyway, on with the photo's for my last run in Parcul Titan....

First the familiar sights I pass on almost every run here....

The Kitty den

I'm sure you cat lovers (cough...cough...GRANNY...cough cough) think every park should have one of these. I don't how many are in there. They all run in there when I come running. People are always leaving food and water for them. I hope they are good rat-catchers, since some of these rats are bigger than they are.

The lakeside cafe

Although it's empty this early in the morning, it's usually chock full of Romanians relaxing on nice afternoons and evenings over drinks. For the last 20 months these Romanian's would stare (and occaisonally laugh) at Steve J as he goes by on his 2 mile lake loop.

Fishing for "CRAP!"

I'm sorry, it had to be done. In Romanian, the word we use "carp" is spelled (and sounds like) our word "crap". Hee hee hee, I had to do it. I'll probably get a PG rating slapped on my blog now. Anyway, the carp fishermen are all over the lake on pleasant weekend mornings.

Ok, on to some new things. Improvements have been made all over our section of the city, and Titan Park has seen alot of changes too...

Have a seat

Lots of new sitting area's have been added. This one is nearly finished and will eventually have several arbors. It's located right near the small amphitheatre that I blogged about last year.

Are you ready for some "football"?

A few small soccer courts have been added on the south side of the park, complete with an artificial turf surface. These started getting use immediately, as soccer is easily the most popular sport here in Romania.

B-ball courts

Obviously, basketball is not ready to replace soccer as the sport of choice, but it is getting more popular. Several of this courts have sprung up in Titan Park in the last month. They appear to be permanent, but I'm not sure. I also don't know about the artifical turf surface on a basketball court!

Bike Paths

I finally got around to getting you a shot of these bike lanes which are being installed all over Bucharest. The Romanian government is trying to encourage cycling to help with the traffic and pollution problems. Also, Romanians are getting fatter (wanting to be like us Americans I guess) and cycling is one of several health initiatives being promoted. I still think anyone who rides a bike on the streets of Bucharest has a death wish, but at least they have some lanes now.

Of course, the more things change...the more they stay the same.

Try to run on these sidewalks

Despite all the new parking spaces being added, its still a free-for-all in most neighborhoods, including mine as you can see.

Ah, those lovely strays

What would a final run be without a stray dog incident. This guy was sleeping near a parked car when I came by and startled it. He came out after me barking and I tried to get my camera ready as I turn and faced him down (my best strategy). I was hoping I could get you guys a good action photo and possibly another good "bite shot", but he started backing down by the time the camera was ready. Sorry folks.

So, I guess that's it. Thanks for running along with me. And a special shout out to my bud Ashley who convinced me to blog this experience. It will be fun to look back on it after a few years.

Steve