To evoke culture shock, it would be hard to find a pithier image than a vampiric Elena Ceausescu singing the John Denver hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads." In Romanian. Absurdism earns its keep in ...

It was extended so Ceausescu's parents and in-laws could move in. Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu were shot dead during the December 1989 revolt. The palace, decorated with marble and gilded features ...