Romania, where are your umbrellas?

Unfortunately for us and by a crazy break of nature, it is supposed to rain almost every day on our entire trip. When I discovered this on the weather forecast, we included our umbrellas, rain jackets and waterproof shoes.  We wanted to be ready to be dry, while tootling.  I figured these were natural steps of any person looking at rain. I figured even one of these items would be a natural selection.  However, I must be wrong.

As we are driving all over Transylvania, there are very few umbrellas, or rain jackets. People just stand in the rain. It is the most bizarre thing.  People standing at the bus stop (no structures, or even signs, like in the US). People walking down the street. People working in their yard. In the field. Herding sheep. Pushing babies. They all look wet. Some have rain boots. But not really on the umbrellas.

Of course, I begin to think of why this could be. Do they not mind being wet? Do they not sell umbrellas in Romania? Maybe umbrellas are too expensive? Maybe they are not culturally “in”? These are mysteries to be solved my friends. MYSTERIES TO BE SOLVED.

We have many days left of rain. Perhaps I will get to the bottom of it before we ship back to the US, where a drop of rain means there is a guy with $5 umbrellas on every street corner in NYC.

In appropriate rain gear