Our next stop was Sighetu Marmației to visit the Victims of Communism Memorial which is housed in the old Sighet prison. Actually, as we were about to have lunch in Sapanta, we passed a HORDE of school kids who were filing into the Merry Cemetery. We weren’t sure if it was a local school attending mass or what, but there had to have been over 50 kids so we really dodged that bullet.

But then afterward, when we arrived in Sighetu Marmetiei and were looking for the communism museum, the same kids were walking in organized clumps down the sidewalk and we had to laugh because they were clearly on a field trip and beat us to this place.

Rather than attempt to go inside at the same time, we popped into a cafe right across the courtyard to give them some time to disperse into the museum.

I got a cappuccino because I didn’t want to screw myself with another thimble of espresso and cappuccinos are cappuccinos, you know(ccino)? Henry got “some lemon thing” that he can’t remember now. He ordered it after saying he didn’t want anything so as usual he was keeping his streak of making baristas hate him.

By the time we finished our drinks, the school kids were well entrenched in the prison walls so we actually walked through the whole thing alone. It was very informative and intense, and there were many times when I just lost my shit and started ranting about how “THIS IS NOT TOO FAR OFF FROM WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE NOW.” The parallels. You don’t have to be a mega history buff to see that.

This was definitely a very somber afternoon.

This place was EXTENSIVE and thorough. You really need at least 2 hours to fully absorb it all.

Henry: “It was very interesting.”

Mmm. Thanks for the words.

It’s just so crazy to me that while the Romanians were revolting and uprising in 1989, I was rollerskating and probably crying because I didn’t get something dumb that I wanted for Christmas, having no idea that the people there were completely cut off from the rest of the world and living in forced economic squalor. And then not learning about this later in school or even overhearing my parents talking about it – DID ANY ADULT IN MY FAMILY CARE/KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING? I am very protective of Romania now and I am upset about this.

I LIT THAT CANDLE. (And teared up while doing it.)

I’ve been seeing comments on anti-Trump posts sharing “Remember Romania 1989” sentiments and I’m like YES. Let’s start a fucking revolution!

Very heavy. It wasn’t a fun way to spend the afternoon but it was important to remember and learn, especially as an American under the rule of a batshit crazy regime who would love to start throwing educated and outspoken citizens into labor camps and prison, I’m sure. Again, the parallels. Fucking scary.

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