I fully intended...

... to post a tale or two tonight, but I've used up all of my energy trying, and failing, to upload photos. Sorry about that. I can tell you, with full authority, that if you spend an hour being guided through a working, filthy, rank prison, then it is unreasonable to expect the abandoned prison in the foundation of the building will be less filthy or less rank. That prison did have a room full of convicted murderers making shoes, who seemed to be nice enough guys. At least nice enough to be given huge cobbler's needles. I also saw the store where they could buy merchandise with the money earned from cobbling, and had a moment, just before I walked in, where for some reason I fully expected to see a store where they could only buy shoes.

Fortunately, the prisoner's were spared that aggravation, and they were rewarded instead with the approximate contents of a 7-11. The DP with me on this trip claimed that if the prison store sold either Skittles or Dr. Pepper, he'd consider committing a crime just to gain access. I suggested - frankly, it seemed obvious to me - that he should steal the Skittles and the Dr. Pepper, which would really make it a win win scenario for him.

Humor aside, the prisoner's were receiving 30% of their pay themselves, with the other 70% going to the prison. It didn't strike me as a great deal, even for a temp agency, but I suppose they are a captive market.

Other than the 8 hour drive careening through hillside towns at a breakneck pace, nearly killing 3 wizened crones on 2 separate occasions, and nearly killing ourselves on 42,321 separate occasions, the only other thing I did today was spend 2 hours going through another prisoner turned into a musem of the communist era here in Romania. Incredible. If only I could show you the photos.

Goodnight. I'll save up energy for a better story next time.