Piping up

Postboxes in the apartment building where I'm staying.

A lot of the infrastructure in Romanian towns is untouched in decades. Hot water used to be supplied centrally, which involved huge pressurised pipes alongside roads - clearly a nightmare for insulation and efficiency. Yellow gas pipes were also constructed above ground for ease of maintenance, and routed along fences and arched above driveway entrances. Strange configurations to ensure each building was supplied. When Romania transitioned to allow more market competition and supply and payment for centralised utilities dwindled away I imagine it caused various DIY scrambles and botch jobs that left some old crones shivering through winter.

Monday evening was sugar free apple pie at Razvan and Ina's apartment. Razvan works with us and Ina is a translator in Deva, having had a previous career seeing the world, working the bars on cruise ships. Good company.