One advert on the bus once said that Cluj is a “sleepless city.” Fortunately, we do sometimes get sleep. I suppose they meant there are sometimes things to do after dark, and even in the holidays.
There are a few holidays when everything is closed, like Orthodox Easter. Cinema Victoria will close on Good Friday for about a week, many kiosks and small shops will also close. That doesn’t mean there will be no traffic, people will come from all over Europe to visit their families in Cluj, and they will travel all over Cluj to attend services or just hang out with friends and family on the other side of the city.
(That said, buses operate, so you don’t have to drive. As they should say in New Jersey, “Drive safely, or don’t drive at all.”)
It does mean that a lot of things, from museums and cinemas to even restaurants and shops, will be closed for a long weekend, as people finally take a few days off.
But one place that is open most days is the Botanical Gardens of Cluj (Gradina botanica UBB). It is owned by the largest university, UBB, but it seems to mostly operate independently.
It is open from 9am to 7pm most days. Not all of it, the greenhouses close at least an hour earlier, and as Easter includes more public holidays, expect the museum inside it to be closed.
One sign of spring is the flowers that are planted. Many have not bloomed yet, but we do see tulips (okay, those from Eastern Romania or Holland or Belgium, you might not see the same big tulip parade here, but there are very nice tulips in Cluj.)
The biggest sign, however, is that the drinking water fountains are working. They are closed during the winter, perhaps to stop them from freezing over.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Charlton Heston’s “Greatest Story Ever Told” will be screened in two parts at Cinema Victoria. That is a very brave thing for cinema Victoria to do, screen a film over two days, but it is also quite nice, reminding us of the old days when films (and novels, among other things) were released in parts, as serials.
Not everywhere will be closed for the entire holiday. Many places will be closed on Easter Day, or closed part days. But expect official buildings, banks, and most institutions to be closed or partially operating. If there is anything you need for the easter weekend, get it on Wednesday the 8th of April (or whatever Wednesday comes before Orthodox Easter that year.) Sure, places might be open Thursday as well, but they are likely to be crowded then.
Some nice spring words in Romanian (and other languages) (dynamic list)
RomanianFrenchGermanHungarianEstonianWelsh
| R teatrul | F le théâtre | G | H | E | W |
| R opera | F l’opera | G | H | E | W |
| R cinematograful | F le cinéma | G | H | E | W |
| R circul | F le cirque | G | H | E | W |
| R fântâna, izvorul | F la fountaine | G | H | E | W |
| R belvederea | F le bélvèdere | G | H | E | W |
| R meterezul, valul | F les remparts | G | H | E | W |
| R monumentul | F le monument | G | H | E | W |
| R grădina botanică | F le jardin botanique | G | H | E | W |
| R ghețarul | F le glacier | G | H | E | W |
| R restaurantul | F le restaurant | G | H | E | W |
| R plaja | F la plage | G | H | E | W |
| R centrul orașului | F le centre ville | G | H | E | W |
| R | F | G | H | E | W |
| R | F | G | H | E | W |
How do you say happy Easter in Romanian? Technically, it is “Paște fericit” but we don’t hear that much. It is more like the Lutheran tradition in German communities:
Hristos a înviat. (Christ has risen. Christ est ressuscité.)
Adevărat a înviat. (He has risen, indeed. Il est vraiment ressuscité.)
Happy Easter.