sick from the smoke...

Overnight I have developed a smoker's cough and I hate smoke and I hate smoking. A few years legislature for a pan-European smoking ban was considered, but followed up only with strong encouragement from the EU for member states to ban smoking in public places. When we were in Italy a few years ago a smoking ban was put into effect (in enclosed and public areas - Steve got ashed on in a club a few weekends later) and several other countries have also taken the step to axe smoke and smokers from public and private places. In favour of the European directive to ban smoking in public places (and much more - more thorough labelling, health warnings, advertising restrictions and more), Romania committed to follow suit in July 2008, with a full ban on smoking in public places coming into effect on January 1st of this year. Romanian legislature also obliges bars, restuarants and nightclubs to mark out smoking and non-smoking areas ("the smoking spaces will not exceed half of the bar’s or restaurant’s area") and ensure that ventillation is installed. Well... upon hearing this news we wondered if (and hoped that) we'd return to a more breathe-easy Romania after Christmas break... ya, right. While most/many restaurants have non-smoking areas, they are definitely NOT proportionate in size to the smoking section, and are only somewhat less smoky than the non-smoking section. Example: last week we went for a drink at a two-story cafe/bar and sat in the non-smoking section... upstairs - still extremely smoky. So anyways, last night after Tammy and Sherisa's team beat a strong third place team 3-0 (yay!), we met up with the rest of their team at a small club near the gym. The place was smoky, but not so smoky that I couldn't stand being in there. By around 2:00 the music was becoming horrible-terrible-unbearable and we decided to leave and check out another establishment for some more dancing and late night/early morning fun... bad decision. Not only was this club so packed that we could barely make our way throught the crowd (the high decibel gutter techno didn't help) but it was so smoky that after less than five minutes we decided to/had to leave; I left feeling as though I'd actually eaten cigarettes, as if I had physically eaten half a pack of smokes - it was so disgusting. I mean so so so super disgusting. And, instead of going home, we went to a all-nighter restaurant to have some food and water and oh! the non-smoking section is full? (who knows if they even had one) So sure we'll take a table upstairs and self-pollute a some more. The most fabulous thing that I could have ordered at that restaurant was an oxygen mask and some clean air - seriously. We came home and the first thing I did (okay second - first all of the clothes went in the washing machine) was shower and wash my hair... I was at the point of smoke-nausea, and haven't felt too hot all day. Smoke-hangover! Blech. I still have the I-just-ate-cigarettes feeling in my throat and I'm coughing. Gross. So, sadly, this new legislature that requires bars and restaurants to have non-smoking and ventilated areas is as empty and unfulfilled as my lungs are (feel) full of tar.

We finally went to Practikker and bought a table! A cheap but do-the-trick table so we don't have to put all of our stuff on the floor anymore. The store is on the other side of town, and I was snapping away, taking pics on our way home. So, voila, some of Constanta just for YOU.

Steve at the wheel
These are all different buildings - they are megalithic... and, ummm, ugly.