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Enigmatic. It doesn't look recent. It might even go several decades back. The band looks like one of those all-wind (+ percussion?) set-ups the French call the harmonie.

The group is made up mostly of retired people and children. Ladies are dancing together, possibly for lack of male partners. Perhaps because it's daytime on a workday. Not enough people are dancing, anyway, for it to be a formal occasion. It looks improvised.

There's a fountain to the left, drops are falling. The place looks public, a park or garden, perhaps of a palace or "stately home". It looks French to me, but there's no clincher.

So. An afternoon concert somewhere in a French public garden attracts older folk for the dancing and mothers with their kids?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 03:50:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Fantastic analysis! Very observant. I will give a few hints because no one will guess otherwise.  It is a Sunday afternoon in 1995.  The park scene is in a city that is the capital of a very small country the nominal language of which is a descendent of Latin. Wine produced there is very good but traditionally not appreciated outside certain areas.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 08:43:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Aha. So this could be in Bucarest?
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 01:23:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Or Lisbon. In fact, I wouldn't call Romania "very small".

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 03:22:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Agreed, but what about the wine?
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 02:44:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What about the wine? I wouldn't put Port (or Sherry) in the wine category really. While an exchange student in the UK, my sister was asked whether in Spain we prefer French or Italian wine. Which means even Spanish wine is little known outside conoisseur circles.

We have met the enemy, and he is us — Pogo
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Mar 3rd, 2008 at 06:01:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Port wine is among the best-known wines in the world, and has been over a longer period than many. Whereas Romania (and the same is true of Moldova, which I didn't think of) has excellent wines (apparently) that are little-known. But no, I didn't think it was a "small country" either.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Mar 3rd, 2008 at 04:06:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I suspect there are such parks all across Europe, from Lisbon to Moscow. Personally, I first thought of a park in Vienna when I saw the photo.

But with your hint, I quickly guessed Moldovan capital Chişinău, and indeed it seems to be a fountain in Pushkin Park:



*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 04:07:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
DoDo gets the prize! Good sleuthing. I honestly didn't think anyone would guess.  We drove from Bucharest to Chisinau and back in 1995. Moldova was kind of grim back then, but I returned years later and things had improved somewhat.  Beautiful country and the wine is wonderful and inexpensive. I think at one time Moldova was the principal supplier of wine within the Soviet Union, maybe still. The quality is very good and I think it could export to the whole world if permitted. I haven't seen Moldovan wine in the US though.



I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 10:32:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I recall something about a wine copyright issue? Will try to look it up.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 12:16:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I found no copyright issue, only tariffs, and a March 2006-October 2007 ban by Russia on Moldovan wine for not meeting health standards (behind which Moldovans suspected a political motive).

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 12:50:26 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Interesting articles.  I really have a lot of sympathy for all of those former Soviet republics that are trying to maintain/improve their economies and maintain independence. Visiting most of them during the mid 90s, I saw a lot of people living in poor conditions and it did not appear as if improvements would come rapidly.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sun Mar 2nd, 2008 at 04:14:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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