Romanian McDonald's Trip

     This morning, my goal was to go to Craiova and sample the Romanian McDonalds!  I left Deveselu on the shuttle, it was just me and the driver this time.  We talked on the way to Craiova and I told him my mission.  The day was rather bleak with fog, drizzle, sometimes rain, and chilly.  Since I was the only passenger, the driver said he would drive me to the McDonalds and wait for me while I ate.  I told him I would treat him to lunch.  So we enjoyed our American-style lunch together.

From outside, the McDonalds looked like any other McDonalds in the US.

Surprisingly, the inside seemed very familiar.

But wait, what's this?  Pastries and desserts the like of which we never see in a McDonalds!

This may be worth sampling after I eat.

     I go up to the counter and in my worst Romanian, which is a lot like my English, I order two Big Mac meals.  My driver says no meal for him, just the sandwich and a water.  Hmm, the best part of McDonalds to me is still the fries.  Oh well, his choice.

     And here it is, my McDonalds Big Mac meal - Romanian style.  After eating the meal, I thought to myself, "This is very much like a Big Mac in the States.  Now I know if I need a USA fix, I can simply come to Craiova and comfort myself with a Big Mac."

Hey Ryan, they're hiring part-time here!

     I didn't get a chance to try out the desserts, I'll save that for my next visit.  By the time I finished, I was stuffed (my eating habits have changed considerably).  In the past I could polish off a GIANT MAC and still want more fries, but not today.

     It was off the the mall again to get some things I can't get on base.  While I'm there, I'll take a look at the INSPIRE Theater in the mall and see what movies are coming to town.

     A lot of the same movies playing now in the States are playing here (Captain Marvel, Shazam, Dumbo) as well as a bunch we'll never see.  The movies are in English with Romanian subtitles, except those made here in Europe.  The cost of the movies is 20 lei, about $5.  The same with the popcorn and a drink.  So, for $10 I can come to the movies - that's a bargain!

     I got what I needed and headed back out to the shuttle for the 45 minute ride back to the base.  I wanted to share one thing I see, every time I come here - the gypsy houses.  Here in Romanian my driver tells me, gypsies make up about 5% of the population or about 1 million people.  Gypsies build very distinctive homes when compared to regular Romanians.  I'll share this one example (I've seen many), they all look similar with the very ornate styling on the roof and as I travel around more, I'll share more.  They look very expensive to me but any Romanian you talk to has the same opinion of gypsies - they are the dregs of their countries society.

     Another fun day under my belt.  Tomorrow I will have been here for a month and it seems like just a day.  If everything continues to be as much fun, time will fly here and before I know it, it'll be time to come home.  In the meantime though, there's a lot of work to do; a lot to see; the family's coming over in December for Christmas and then again next summer for some sightseeing.  I'm excited about sharing the time with them and I can't wait to see them.  Next weekend, I think it might be Bucharest - for work and for play.  We'll see what this week brings.