Culture Smart! Romania: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

A land of mountains, hills, and fertile plains, Romania is a tourist destination waiting to be discovered. Despite some unflattering headlines in the Western media, it is a rich and complex country: a place whose cities are home to beautiful parks and vibrant cultural scenes; whose people welcome guests warmly into their homes, sharing the best of whatever they have, and party into the night, suffused by Latin joie de vivre. Since the violent collapse of communism over a quarter of a century ago, Romania has changed dramatically, as its people have embraced freedom, capitalism, and, yes, conspicuous consumption. The horses and carts still trundle the streets, but perhaps now overtaken by an SUV. Small-scale farmers still offer their organic wares, but now may be next to trendy super-clubs. The global economic crisis delivered a reality check, and the Romania emerging from those chastening years puts greater value on stability and civility?encapsulated by the war on corruption and a long-awaited public smoking ban. Buffeted over time between three great powers?the West, Russia, and Turkey?Romania betrays the cultural influences of each, and it can be a difficult place to get a handle on. Culture Smart! Romania provides an indispensable tool for the foreign visitor, digging deep behind the clichés, explaining many of the behavioral quirks of the people, smoothing your path toward better understanding, and outlining the many attractions?cultural, social, and geographical?that await you in this underexplored part of Europe.