Bloodsuckers

Feeling a little feeble, my time in Bucharest has been on the quiet side. I didn't even make it to Transylvania. I didn't need to go out of Bucharest to see how the vampiric urge has been displaced.

Isn't there something noted in passing in Dracula about the Count's money being invested in the financial markets? And to think, this time last year, I was teaching Drac, 'nineteenth century with a vengeance' to first year students at Sydney.

Given that I had not yet found the reserves of pluck which did Mina so well in Stoker's book, I thought a cup of English tea might soothe my ills and restore my gumption. I realised I was wrong when this arrived.

Ah, Bucharest. The English language listings guide to the city, celebrating eight years of publication, makes the following back-handed assessment of the city: More than seven years since we began publishing out half-decent guide to what was then unquestionably Europe's worst city, we have watched and commented as Bucharest has developed into, well, questionably not Europe's worst city.

Questionably not Europe's worst city. What can I add? There's a supermarket chain called Angst, a chocolate bar called Laura, and a beer called Burger.

All aboard for Istanbul!