Timișoara in a weekend

Timișoara. It’s like walking into a scene straight from Hollywood. I think I’m going crazy as thematic music plays each time I walk into one of the public squares. But as I look around, I see the men, dressed in their winter coats, playing the violin or strumming the guitar. They’re playing only to a handful of people as it’s winter and the tourist crowds have gone into hibernation.

Roaming the city, I discover the pigeons that guard the landmarks of western Romania’s economic and cultural capital. I devour gastronomic delights without losing an arm and a leg. And I witness the bubbling frustration of anti-corruption protesters as they rally in front of the National Opera.