I hadn’t been in Romania long, just a few months, when I first laid eyes on Timişoara. Arriving by train, I walked 15 minutes from the dingy gara, Timişoara Nord station, down nondescript Republicii boulevard and into the city center. I came around a corner, and there she was, Piaţa Victoriei (Victory Square), in all her splendor. I was smitten with her cosmopolitan air, plethora of outdoor cafes, manicured greenery and ornate fountains.