uceava itself was pretty gloomy while I was there, with a thick dark gray overcast sky being reinforced by some spewing smokestacks. Actually, not all the factories in Suceava are running now. The synthetic fiber factory--one of the biggest employers but also the biggest polluter and health risk--was shut down a couple of years ago, but the planned conversion to pharmaceutical production never took place due to a lack of foreign development funds. The machine factory has had its workforce trimmed from 3000 to 300 in the past five years. The paper mill, however, is actually turning a profit: it exports industrial paper sacks (for cement, etc.) to the U.S.

here were a couple of heavy snowfalls, so I didn't do much wandering outside Suceava or try to visit the painted monasteries--that will have to wait for spring. Instead I did a lot of talking with the geographers about my research (as I will do in every city) and looked at a few references and statistical sources.

he weather for my trip from Suceava to Cluj on Thanksgiving Day (the 23rd) was sunny and clear, but cold. The route meandered through the Eastern Carpathians, passing the towns of Gura Humorului, Campulung Moldovenesc, and Vatra Dornei. This part of Moldavia is generally known as Bucovina (or Bukovina). From 1775 to 1918 it was under the control of the Austrian Empire. It is also the early heart of Moldavia. The medieval princes had their citadels and fortresses in Siret, Radauti, and Suceava centuries before Iasi became the Moldavian capital.

oth the natural and the human aspects of Bucovina are distinctive. Suceava county is the most forested in Romania (the only county with more than 50% of its surface area under forest). Bucovina was also the area of Romania least affected by industrialization, either before or during communism. Many of the inhabitants remained small farmers working their own land. They were not resettled extensively in agricultural communes or 'systematized' villages. In general, they continue to live in private houses which are noticeable for their appearance and for their wide spacing. Many of the houses are completely made of wood and have elaborately painted outside trim, and picket or wood post fences enclosing large yards. Many of them also have wooden unpainted barns next to them.

fter the grand Carpathian vistas of forest green and snow white came the descent into the Transylvanian Basin via the Ilva and Big Somes (Somesul Mare) river valleys. The landscape was dominated by brown grassy hills with bare deciduous trees, with the occasional shepherd, sheepdog, and flock of sheep here and there. Most of the hills were bare of snow. I thought to myself, "Yeah, this could pass for Thanksgiving. Maybe there's even a wild turkey or two running around in the trees."

s the train pulled into the station at Nasaud, I noticed the platform was packed with people, many wearing the black sheepskin hats common among countryfolk. Many of them had bags bulging full of 'stuff' so I assumed it was a big market day in Nasaud and that they were waiting for the 'cursa' train back to their villages. The houses in this area were lower to the ground, with only one story but a VERY large roof.

he train approached Cluj in late afternoon, following the Little Somes (Somesul Mic) river valley upstream from Dej. Here there was no snow to speak of, and some farmers were burning the stubble in their fields.

luj is a Habsburg city, as are Prague, Bratislava, Zagreb, Ljubljana, and Trieste. Regardless of what country these cities are in now, they were under Vienna's sway (as was Budapest!) for a considerable stretch of time. The result is a visible Central European 'look' to the buildings and the streets, and a less tangible but equally durable Central European 'feel' in the behavior and attitudes of the people.

s a Habsburg city, Cluj is (and has been for a long time) multinational. It is known in Romanian officially as Cluj-Napoca (adding the old Dacian name for the site), in Hungarian as Koloszvar, and in German as Klausenberg. Given the length of Hungarian and German settlement in Transylvania (several hundred years at the minimum) and the urban nature of much of that settlement, it is understandable that Cluj and other Transylvanian cities such as Sighisoara and Brasov are multinational, cosmopolitan cities.

luj is perhaps the nexus of interaction between the Romanian and Hungarian cultures (Tirgu Mures 1990 being an isolated abberation rather than the rule). Any 'historical reconciliation' between the two countries --should it come about (negotiations will be starting soon)--will have a deep impact on the people of Transylvania and on Cluj in particular. Such a reconciliation will require the understanding and cooperation of the respective political leaders, including Cluj's major Gheorghe Funar. For his part, Funar has seemingly been more interested in recent years in demonstrating Romanian political sovereignty rather than reaching an 'understanding' with Hungarian cultural or historical concerns. The most visible evidence is the removal of the word 'Hungariae' from the base of the statue of Matthias Corvinus (Hunyadi Matyas in Hungarian, Matei Corvin in Romanian), the Cluj native who became King of Hungary in the latter half of the 15th century.

o, enough about political tensions. What did I do in Cluj, you ask? Well, I arrived just in time to attend a Thanksgiving dinner with about fifty other Americans and some Romanian-Americans. There was turkey with all the trimmin's (stuffing and gravy are musts!), ham, beef, potatoes, salad, potato salad, breaded cheese balls (?), Coke, Ursus (the Cluj beer), and for dessert, pumpkin or pecan pie. Yum yum...

actually got some research done too. In fact I actually spent the better part of Friday hitting the books. But I also got to see 'Madame Butterfly' at the Opera, and I saw 'U' Cluj beat 'Sportul' Studentesc 1-0 Saturday afternoon--although it was VERY cold. I also strolled through Cluj's Central Park (yes, there is one!), which has tree lined walks and a pond/skating rink; the shopping boutiques on Blvd. Eroilor; and past the Tailor's Bastion and the remnant of the medieval city walls.