A very clever piece of street art by the French artist Étien.
The turtle looks rather different from another angle.
Author: admin
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Oradea – Eva Heyman Memorial
Eva Heyman is one of the key iconic people from the tragedy that unfolded for the Jews in Oradea during the Second World War. Heyman was born on 13 February 1931 and she kept a diary during the Nazi occupation of the area, detailing how Jews were treated.
Eva was sent to Auschwitz on 2 June 1944 and accounts suggest that she remained strong and didn’t lose her willpower. Unfortunately she was in pain from her wounds and she was found by Mengele, who ensured that she was killed. She died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz on 17 October 1944.
Her mother wrote:
“A good-hearted female doctor was trying to hide my child, but Mengele found her without effort. Eva’s feet were full of sore wounds. ‘Now look at you’, Mengele shouted, ‘you frog, your feet are foul, reeking with pus! Up with you on the truck!’ He transported his human material to the crematorium on yellow-coloured trucks. Eyewitnesses told me that he himself had pushed her on to the truck.”
Eva’s last diary entry was:
“It has to be terrible in the wagon, and now no one says that we are going, they all say they deport us. A gendarme patrols in front of our house, yesterday was in the Rhedely Gardens, because from here they start the trains with the Jews, not from the station, so that they do not see the town says Grandpa. There were about 80 people in a wagon and so many people gave them a single bucket of water, and it is even more terrible that they have cracked the wagons.
The gendarme said he could not understand the Jews, they did not even cry to the children, they all moved like sleepwalkers, they did not even live, they jumped into hard cars without a word. Although I, My Little Diary, do not want to die, I want to live, even if only the whole sector I can stay here, I would wait for the end of the war in a cellar, or in the attic or in any hole, My little Diary, I would also kiss the gendarme who looked crucified and took our flour, only to kill me, only to let me live. “
The diary was recovered after the end of the Second World War and was published in 1948.
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Oradea – KFC
In between my visiting other more locally run restaurants in Oradea, I felt the need to visit to KFC as well. I didn’t want to go for myself of course, but just so that I could tell Dylan and Leon about it in case they asked.
In case anyone is interested, which I admit is highly unlikely, the chicken strips in Romania are similar to others KFC outlets in eastern Europe, thinner and tastier. The staff member was very friendly, and with his Romanian and my English we struggled through. Primarily because the staff member had a greater knowledge of English than I had of Romanian if I’m being fair….
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Oradea – Rhédey Mausoleum
This mausoleum is located within the grounds of Oradea Zoo and for a while it was used to keep the animals in, which isn’t perhaps ideal in terms of historic integrity and respect for the dead.
Before the site was used as a zoo, it was a public garden and the mausoleum was constructed in 1804. The site fell into disrepair at a couple of times, being vandalised in 1830 (just before the tomb was completed and brought into use, primarily as the person to be buried there wasn’t dead yet) and in 1912 the mausoleum was broken into with items stolen and the bones scattered.
After a period of the zoo’s collection of deer using the mausoleum as their winter quarters, it was decided that the site should be cleaned up and treated more respectfully. It was repaired in 2012 and is now not used by any of the zoo’s animals…..
The tomb is of Rhédey Lajos, who stated in his will that he wanted to be laid to rest in Oradea. Oradea was formerly part of Hungary and Lajos was a nobleman and politician from the country who lived between 1761 and 1831.
There’s an information board outside the mausoleum, but unfortunately the information on it is only in Romanian and Hungarian.
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Oradea – Oradea Zoo
Oradea Zoo isn’t particularly large in size, but it’s clean and well presented. There were only three people, including me, at the zoo when I visited in October 2017, so it wasn’t exactly what one might call busy. The zoo feels dated in terms of the amount of space given to animals, but it is located within the city centre and there isn’t any obvious way that they could expand their footprint. Perhaps in time an entirely new zoo will be constructed outside of the city centre, although I’m not sure that the visitor numbers would justify such a project.
There’s plenty of information in English around the site and it’s all easy to navigate. It’s possible to buy some food, which varies by species, to feed the animals with, although I’m not sure that this is the best of ideas. Zoo animals should really in my non zoological opinion by fed by their keepers, so they know what they’re being fed and when.
Anyway, below are some photos of my visit:
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Oradea – Rivo
Rivo, which takes its name from the riverside location by the Crişul Repede, is one of the more expensive restaurants in Oradea. However, they had a business lunch meal at a reasonable price, although the location was probably still a little upmarket for my normal tastes. The restaurant is quite large and it must be a challenge to get a lunch trade here, but their offer was tempting.
Modern decor and all very comfortable. Service was efficient other than no-one noticed me enter and so I was standing looking confused for a longer time that I’d have ideally liked. After that though the service was entirely satisfactory.
Ursus Black is a Romanian dark beer and in a country where these aren’t particularly easy to find, this was a decent drink. Tastes of coffee and a rich flavour, although it’s 6% so that’s not unsurprising.
The fish and chips was neat in its presentation, although I’m personally a little sceptical about these smears, I’d rather just have a heap. Fish was perch, perfectly well cooked and the coating had some crunch and texture to it.
The chocolate fondant with a cherry compote, along with some random fruit. Beautifully presented and although this isn’t a dish that I’d usually order, I’m glad that I did on this occasion. The fondant leaked beautifully when I cut into it, the compote was rich and the fruit added some texture to the whole arrangement. The ice cream probably wasn’t needed, but it complemented the fondant well and so this pleased me.
The meal was a little expensive by Romanian terms, coming in at around £10 for the two courses and the drink. Given the quality of the experience and the comfortable nature of the surroundings, this entirely met my expectations. The staff members spoke perfect English and the service was welcoming throughout, or at least, it was after they saw that I was waiting.
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Oradea – Pizzeria Due Fratelli
The best pizza in Oradea was meant to be at Pizzeria Due Fratelli (and they’ve apparently now prepared one million of them), so, off I went. I suspect that the photo alone will be enough for people I know to suspect what I thought of the beer selection, but this was a back street fast food location and there were also some decent wines to choose from.
This is the Diavola pizza with its toppings of salami, onion and garlic oil. It wasn’t exceptional, but it was perfectly sufficient and it cost around £4 which made it all rather agreeable. I thought that the edges needed a little more crisping up, but the amount of toppings was generous and the ingredients were of a good quality.
The tiramisu, which was around £2, was again of a decent quality and had a pleasant flavour of coffee.
The service throughout was helpful and fortunately the staff spoke sufficient English to make the transaction somewhat easier. The menu was though only in Romanian, although I had the assistance of Google Translate to get me past that little problem. The pizzeria is cash only, but the environment is comfortable and there’s an external seating area for those who either like to smoke or can tolerate others smoking.
So, all rather friendly, and the value for money was excellent.
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King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Carved Screen)
This carved wooden chancel screen was originally made in 1584 and it’s another one of those marvels of history that it’s still here, although not in its original location within the church. I can’t find any actual evidence of this, but I assume that the chancel screen was built to replace the rood screen which would have been destroyed during the reformation.
The screen was “beautified” in 1621 and although its age is apparent from the design, it’s still in excellent condition.
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King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (West Facade)
The west facade of King’s Lynn Minster, with the tide clock visible on the top right and the flood markers by the main entrance.
And a very helpful illustration to the west front of the building, produced by the church.
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King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Eagle Lectern)
This eagle lectern is made from brass, dates to the fifteenth century and it was once covered in rich jewels. The feathers are apparently slightly later replacements, but this bird is still something of a survivor given its age.
There is a hole in the lectern’s beak which was once used to collect Peter’s Pence, money which was meant to go to the Catholic church although how far it actually went is a different matter. Despite Peter’s Pence being abolished at the time of the reformation, it was still collected in some areas, with it instead being seen as a tax to the church.
