What it's like carrying 11 kilogram gold bars. An article from Romania's best guarded safe

Gandul presents in great detail the place where Romania's treasure is kept, part of the 100 tons of gold of the Romanian state which is safeguarded by the National Bank of Romania. "You know what we say when they bring in some more gold? «The potatoes are here»".

Next to the wide open door sits a middle-aged woman, somebody you could imagine running into in the subway or at a supermarket. There's nothing about her that really attracts your attention. Almost nothing. She is one of the few persons who have a key to the safe that guards part of the 100 tons of gold treasure which until recently has only been visited by a few Romanian or foreign officials, and us, a few journalists.

After 15 years of looking at and touching tons of precious metal, the lady and her colleagues say they've contracted sort of an aversion to gold: "look at my jewelry; I only wear silver and a few stones", says the same lady that makes fun saying "the potatoes are here".

Gandul