Timisoara is small (about 300,000 population) that lies on the vast floodplain of the Danube river in the west of Romania about 90 kilometers from the border with Serbia. Like all major towns in Romania, it seems to be in a state of urban renewal. Unfortunately, it is is dire need. It's hard to decide whether to celebrate the progress, or despair over what remains to be done. The most obvious problem is the decaying plaster facades on just about all of the buildings, old, and new alike. I also was not sure if the state of the roads was due to rebuilding or neglect. Certainly there were lots of materials around to suggest road reconstruction, but I did actually witness any work being done on any street.

I arrived on a hot, sticky night that was a prelude to 5 days of cold, rainy, weather. So, my photos are quite limited. I couldn't bring myself to hike a kilometer from my hotel to the historic district to take photos in the rain. However, I did take my camera out on the day a met a group of archaeologists from the US, who were just finished with a survey done in some remote village of East Jesus. I had gone to the town's sole McDonalds for a salad, and they were there for ice cream.

Fountain in the main historic pedestrian mall.

Exfoliating plaster, the bane of Romania's older and newer buildings alike.