Just when we thought Easter was over, our air tickets from Bucharest set months ago, we found that the rites continue through Tuesday. Today is the traditional sprinkl
ing of the females, no right of spring or shade of fertility acknowledged: 'it's just the tradition'. The boys and some men take aerosols of cologne (replacing the traditional pail of perfumed water) go from house to house Halloween fashion,
singling out the waiting girls, and reciting a verse, roughly 'Here is a flower that needs watering, which I am happy to do, if only I am given some recompense'. The squirt is administered to shoulder or head, and the giggling boys
are given pastries and cash. No one seems to be immune, but Kinga's daughter had had enough by mid afternoon, disappearing (not without concern from her mother who finally found her gathering flowers in the field next door). I don't think it was the little ritual itself, although she did look a bit wistful after handing out a small bundle of bills, but the sitting around waiting for the next bunch of boys. With sad hearts, we hopped into Csaba's company car and departed Homoroszentpetr, leaving the church, it's bell tower, and, to the right, the old meeting room, for many years confiscated by the state and used as a tavern,
now restored for meetings and religious education. The large wood pile speaks of the previous mild winter, though the families hot water still required the stoking of the wood furnace in the basement of the parsonage.
Here is our last view of the Carpathians from the road along the Homorod, though it took hours of train ride before they were out of sight. On our way to the train in Signisoara, we saw several castles built during a time Saxons were invited to share the land in exchange for defense technology.
This was the most dramatically located. We overnighted in Budapest, somehow making the 8:30 AM flight to London without incident. The Budapest airport was quite small, new and very pleasant. The next castle we saw was this, the London Tower, which I had always imagined as a Rapunzel like edifice with maybe a moat or wall at the bottom. The four central towers were built originally by the Normans, shortly after 1066, and served as the king's residence and seat of government for over 700 years, enjoying three major expansions. Today part of it still is one of the Royal residences. We only knew what the plaque at the subway station said at this point however. More to come.
Just when we thought Easter was over, our air tickets from Bucharest set months ago, we found that the rites continue through Tuesday. Today is the traditional sprinkl
ing of the females, no right of spring or shade of fertility acknowledged: 'it's just the tradition'. The boys and some men take aerosols of cologne (replacing the traditional pail of perfumed water) go from house to house Halloween fashion, 
singling out the waiting girls, and reciting a verse, roughly 'Here is a flower that needs watering, which I am happy to do, if only I am given some recompense'. The squirt is administered to shoulder or head, and the giggling boys
are given pastries and cash. No one seems to be immune, but Kinga's daughter had had enough by mid afternoon, disappearing (not without concern from her mother who finally found her gathering flowers in the field next door). I don't think it was the little ritual itself, although she did look a bit wistful after handing out a small bundle of bills, but the sitting around waiting for the next bunch of boys. With sad hearts, we hopped into Csaba's company car and departed Homoroszentpetr, leaving the church, it's bell tower, and, to the right, the old meeting room, for many years confiscated by the state and used as a tavern,
This was the most dramatically located. We overnighted in Budapest, somehow making the 8:30 AM flight to London without incident. The Budapest airport was quite small, new and very pleasant. The next castle we saw was this, the London Tower, which I had always imagined as a Rapunzel like edifice with maybe a moat or wall at the bottom. The four central towers were built originally by the Normans, shortly after 1066, and served as the king's residence and seat of government for over 700 years, enjoying three major expansions. Today part of it still is one of the Royal residences. We only knew what the plaque at the subway station said at this point however. More to come. 
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