Beautiful photos by Sebastian Marcovici:
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
A Salt Mine on the Road to Celebrity
There is a rumor that Slănic salt mine will be featured in the next Batman movie as Batman's cave. By it's official name "Salina Unirea", the mine is quite impressive and spacious, having 54 meter high "rooms". It was started in 1938 and closed in 1970, the temperature is a constant 12 degrees Celsius, it's 208 meters below ground and the work was mostly done with inmates. After being shut down it has become a therapy center for respiratory diseases. If you move there you won't catch a cold ever again. The descent is done via a creepy and ancient elevator, there are also stairs but those look even creepier - I wonder how they got the Batmobil down there, if required, anyway. Probably disassembled.
The only problem is that the location is not on a very circulated corridor, you have to make a small detour from the main roads to find Slănic, but it's worth the trouble.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Short stop in Timişoara
I've recently made a business trip to Timişoara, the biggest city in the west part of Romania. Besides work, I enjoyed a nice evening on a terrace in the center square of the town, Piaţa Unirii. Probably one of the last warm days of this year, you could sit outside until midnight. I will get back with more impressions from Timişoara, for now I just want to mention the uniqueness of this square: each side represents a different culture - Romanian, Serbian, Hungarian and Germanic.
A few ugly pictures made with the phone:
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
A Britishwoman on a Romanian Tank
BBC had an entertaining episode of the "World's Toughest Driving Tests" programme that was filmed in Romania. A female presenter and an actor spent one week training with the Romanian army and learnt how to drive a tank. Enjoy:
The full episode here:
http://www.peteava.ro/id-488713/bbc-se-intoarce-in-romania-cu-tancurile-la-pitesti
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
No Reservations
Highly controversial upon its release in our media, maybe you can find something useful in this episode of "No Reservations" about Romania:
Monday, October 3, 2011
Churches of Transylvania
The most consistent part of our Saxon heritage are the fortified churches that you can find overall in Sibiu, Mureş and Braşov county. Some of them I've visited myself and these are:
Biertan - the most famous one, we already have a post about it here:
Moşna - unfortunately this one was closed so I had to admire it only from outside:
Stejăriş - small but neat, it currently undergoes a massive restoration process:
Richiş - not fortified, but full of history, you can learn here about the misterious Green Man:
There is an excellent website dedicated to these monuments:
Monday, September 26, 2011
Brunch at Stejărişu
I've lived all my life in Sibiu county but there are so many remote little villages forgotten by time and townsmen in a 100 km radius that once in a while is nice to leave the city life behind and take the opportunity to enjoy a day on the country side. The last Transilvania Brunch of the year and the first one I've attended was held Saturday in Stejărişu, a village located near Agnita, around 80 km from Sibiu, also know by its German name of Probstdorf.
Each warm month of the year, a group of people involved in tourism around Transylvania organize a brunch in a village situated in the region between Sibiu, Mediaş, Sighişoara and Braşov. The event is targeted mostly at the Romanian townsmen but tourists are welcomed and the reason behind this gathering of joy, good food and local music is to present a chance of discovering less known communities, landmarks and traditions.
The villagers cook their traditional meals and drinks, everything is fresh and made from the fruits of the land. All the money collected from the entry tax (around 10 euro per person) go the countrymen and a normal event has between 100 and 350 participants.
Besides eating all the delicious food, the brunch at Stejărişu was accompanied by the music of the local brass band, a visit to the old fortified church and the herbs garden, a musical moment held by the village kids and a tasting of local liqueurs.Blessed with an excellent weather the whole day was very enjoyable and I intend to repeat the experience next year, when they resume the programme.
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| The food stands |
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| The brass band |
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| Children in traditional clothes |
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| Everybody's enjoying the meals and music |
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| The liqueur stand |
Essential links:
Friday, September 23, 2011
An Eye for a Tulip
- permanent ban on Rudolph the Finnish reindeer;
- no wood export to Holland - and let's see you do your traditional wooden clogs with cardboard!
- whoever wears orange will be whipped in public - I have my doubts about that and not only because of Orange, though the French deserve it as they opposed our Schengen space entry in the beginning too;
- all the Dutch people caught will be sent to concentration camps where they will have to learn the song "aşa-i românul (când se veseleşte)";
- we'll bring all our women from the Red Light District back home - except the fat ones;
- Heineken will be prohibited and its factories sold to SAB/Ursus, Finlandia will be allowed to sell tea only;
- Golden Tulip hotels will be de-rated to -1 stars.
I think the most hated word for the soon-to-be Romanian brides is "Schengen". Instead of their desired flower arrangements they will have to make-do with local roses and carnations. Long live the EU brotherhood!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Essential Romanian Phrases
Searching the web i've stumbled on this page that teaches you some basic Romanian words and phrases.
I recommend to learn the following sayings too, they might come handy:
- rupe-i făşul - tear his foil -- when you assist to a sports event, as an encouragement for your favorite player;
- dă-i carbid - give it carbide -- step on it!
- trăi-ţi-ar franţuzoaica - may your French woman live long -- when you want to complement a buddy for the quality of his woman;
- plimbă ursul că rugineşte lanţul - walk the bear 'cos the chain is rusting -- it's a nice and polite way to say to the police officer that you don't posses any illegal goods.
to be continued
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Cisnădioara
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| The church |
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| View from the church, including the defense wall |
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| Guest house in the center of the village |
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| The church, view from affar |
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| Apple trees hill |
Friday, September 9, 2011
Four Essential Romanian spots
As you will see below Adela is in love with her country. For good reasons. One thing she forgot in her guest post: that we also have nice men not only world-class women.
Sure, we were gifted. Seaside, mountains, delta, green fields, wide and narrow valleys – you name it, we have it. Picturesque gypsies, too, as you might have heard of. Blonds, brunettes, redheads, long-legged ladies – all are part of intern folklore about the beautiful, unspoiled Romania.
Well, folks, the truth is – and that might come as a shock to you – Romania is truly beautiful. If you know where to look.
I have four hints – and if you take my advice, but don’t enjoy the experience, feel free to leave the complaint at the front desk. Oh, we don’t have a front desk. Guess why: there are no complaints!
1. Medieval towns – so well preserved, that one would easily believe we still hang people in the main squares. Well, we do, except it’s just for the show. And yes, please beware at dawn for the wolves, even the ones locked up in the zoo. Sometimes, when there is a full moon for example, they tend to become werewolves and ferociously kill all living things. Of course, when there are living things left, after the attacks of the vampires. Because the medieval towns that I recommend lie in the heart of Transylvania.
Sibiu, my hometown, is one of them. That’s why I began with it. And also because it has medieval towers, bridges, squares, houses, statues – everything you love about the Dark Ages. A lot of pubs and open cafes, too, so you can wait comfortably for the werewolves.
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| Sighisoara. Copyright: Wikipedia |
Also, don’t miss Sighișoara. The functional middle-ages town will take your breath away (the vampires again), especially if you go there by the end of the July, when the Medieval Festival takes place. But if it is too crowded for you, any other time would be ok.
You can add Brașov to your list, with its beautiful Black Church – and since you got there, knock at the gates of the Bran Castle, which is not only the home of the head of the vampires – honestly, don’t believe that bullshit –, but also the marvelous perfectly preserved castle of a true queen.
2. The Danube Delta – by far, my favorite destination in Romania. You have never seen anything like the Danube Delta, which is on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It is a land in itself, a land that although belongs administratively to Romania, it has its own laws, the laws of nature. It is a paradise for odd birds, monstrous fish and weird cows that take a bath in the sea. You can take a bath with them if you go to Sfântu Gheorghe, a village with no cars whatsoever, because it is a village that has no roads at all. In this place, where the Danube embraces the sea, all the streets are covered in sand. There you will find one of the last beaches in the world that are totally unspoiled by man – no cafes, no sunbeds, just you and the sea. To reach it, you have to take a 15 minute walk towards a sandy road, accompanied by frogs, birds, water lilies, lavender and some noisy mosquitoes, which you have to learn to live with. The locals cook delicious fish courses and almost all of them have motorized boats, so you must take a trip to the heart of the Danube “jungle”. Breathtaking (or have I used that expression already?)!
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| Danube Delta. Copyright: Wikipedia |
3. High up in the mountains – if you are not that type of the „mountain-freak” who can’t wait for the week-end to leave for the clouds, well, you haven’t been trekking our mountains yet. I will only tell you that whether you choose Bucegi Mountains (the holy Kogaion for the ancient Dacians), Făgăraș Mountains (the highest in Romania, with the peak Moldoveanu, 2544 m, holding the reccord), Piatra Craiului Mountains or Retezat Mountains (both natural reservations), you are surely to find glacial lakes, fairytale peaks and valleys, dark caves and crystal clear water springs. No wonder they have caused so many legends about fairies, dragons and creatures beyond imagination. Other creatures, such as the Carpathian bare and the marmot, still wonder about the narrow paths of the mountains. Chances of meeting them? Well, let’s say a 9, on a 10 grade scale.
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| Fagaras Mountains. Copyright: Wikipedia |
4. Maramureș – a place who forgot about the ages. Villages from the past, where the most kind Romanians will treat you as if you were part of the family. You’d better visit this part of Romania in winter, when horse-carried slays slither on the snow-covered roads, children sing tradional carrols, and yes, pigs are slaughtered, but for a noble cause: a feast of traditional meal that will convince you not to ever eat chicken again. Trust me, it is that good!
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| Maramures county. Copyright: Wikipedia |
Despite of the accute self-ironic sense of the Romanians, despite of the propaganda about poor roads and violent thiefs, despite even of the werewolves (have I told you about the werewolves yet?), trust me, Romania is THAT good!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Motorcycling around Sibiu
For the softer tourists Sibiu has an International Theater Festival but for those who like a bit of action the Red Bull Romaniacs motorcycle rally is a must. It's considered one of the toughest races in the world and it has quite a reputation in the circles of enduro fans. Besides that we constantly have groups of moto enthusiasts who pay good money to ride their bikes on our steep hills and mountains.
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| Romaniacs: prologue in the city |
You can do this wandering on your own, self-managed, or in a more organized manner, with support helicopter and medical personnel. If you're doing it on your own you may want to know a few facts, I'm not a rider but they will still come handy:
- ask the experts, you can easily find somebody with great knowledge in our city, there are a few bike groups that know their business, I've heard countless stories of broken bones;
- don't take shortcuts through farmers' crops. You may find an angry peasant that has seen one too many bikers crossing his land and the scythe is still a popular tool around here;
- on the other hand if you're friendly and polite a farmer will help you when in need. If you get lost in the mountains you can find shelter in the cottage of a shepherd, they don't see many people and will like the company. You can get something to eat and a stinky sheepskin to cover. Also, don't have too much tuica with the sheperd, Brokeback Mountain might not be inspired from real facts but it isn't purely fictional either. If you're a woman you better sleep in the woods with the wolfs - kidding;
- if you see a sheperd's dog and you're on the motorbike: accelerate, they are dangerous. If you're on foot: stand still, pray and yell for the sheperd - you might want to do them simultaneously. Don't try to pet or scare the dog, it's used to fighting bears, you're no match. If you're wondering: it doesn't have a brandy barrel around his neck, more likely spikes;
- bears are quite friendly if you don't disturb the cubs, just give them some food and they will stay for a photoshooting, or so I've heard from the ones that survived the encounter;
- werewolf, Dracula - just myths, you have bigger things to be scared of, but let's not take all the fun out of it and divulge everything, shall we?
- last but not least: read some proper material, this was supposed to be funny.
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| Romanics: let's not forget about why you became a biker, we also have cheap beer |
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Transalpina
The lofty guest post from tonight comes from Mari:
She is blonde, she is sexy and she gets along with the president of Romania (even better than his wife does, malicious tongues would say). And she invites everybody to "Explore the Carpathian garden", the official Romanian tourism slogan which was launched last year. If you're a guest in our country and came across this blog by chance (or not), you probably don't have a clue whom I'm talking about. Well, folks, there is a name you all should keep in mind: Elena Udrea, Romania's controversial minister of tourism (I'm kidding, ok?? I'm not a fan of her, I don't even know for sure what her role in the ministry and the well-being of our country is). Actually, this is all I know about her. Oh, I also know that she is married to a wealthy man and that she is fond of brand name handbags and high-heeled shoes which she wears irrespective of the weather conditions, place or occasion.
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| Copyright: Wikipedia |
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| Copyright: Wikipedia |
I wouldn't have mentioned her if I hadn't had this trip in the Parang Mountains last Sunday, which reminded me of the famous slogan. Because I'm sure there are plenty of places in Romania which are worth exploring but are not promoted enough. Such is the case with Transalpina, located in the Parang Mountains, which is considered one of the best and most spectacular roads of Romania, crossing the mountains from Oltenia to Transylvania. It is 148 km long and its maximum heights are reached at Urdele Pass, 2.145 m above sea level. The view is magnificent, you just have to go and see it! And, if you're a lazy bum or a cold hater, you don't even have to stop and get out of the car to take pictures; you can do this out of the side window of your moving car, provided that you sit in the right seat and your camera has an image stabilization function.
If you ask me, I haven't seen a better road in Romania and seriously doubt it that a better one will be built here in the next 10 years. Allow me to play the pessimistic role! :)
Monday, September 5, 2011
The Cuc that Tweets
Every year on the first September weekend the potters' fair is held in the center of Sibiu. Do we like it? Sure. Well, correction, actually it depends. If you're a hausfrau and you need a new pot to make sarmale* or chicken in the oven you might go and find something useful. If you have a guest house and you want to decorate it traditionally then you're also bound to find something suitable. If you're a redneck then it's probably the closest to heaven you'll ever gonna get. If you're into "paisanesque" stuff then you can find an authentic carpet or a cuc** that tweets. If you're a pick pocket then it's like the Medieval Festival reloaded - a crowd of people not paying attention to their mobile phones and wallets.
Speaking of the Medieval Festival, that's something else I don't quite get - only because we have an ancient city and town walls well preserved we should dress with capes, look at silly sword fights and listen to medieval music? Same music every year, they don't compose songs for mandolin like they used to...
For me, the movie Ghost was the only time pottery made sense - and I was quite young back then. Now, when I see all those pots aligned on the ground I wish I had a bowling ball and a pile of cash without a cause.
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*sarmale = sarmale :)
**cuc = cuckoo
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Biertan
Today's guest post comes from Cristina and it makes you wonder...
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| Copyright: Cristina Voicu |
No doubt about it, Biertan has one of my favorite fortified churches in Transylvania. It was the Evangelic Episcopal Seat for 300 years (1572 – 1867), and the religious center for the Saxons in Transylvania. In 1993 it was included in the UNESCO world patrimony.
I first saw it while being in the university, maybe in 1996, to show it to some French friends that visited me. The first comparison that came to mind when seen from the distance was that it looked like Mont Saint Michel. I absolutely loved it and the stories discovered there with the help of the local guide. Especially the one of the Prison Tower, where they locked the couples that wanted to divorce, with one spoon, one plate, one chair, one of everything, till the subjects became "one" again. If I understood right, the solution was very efficient, they didn't succeed in putting back together but one couple in 300 years. Then, they have this absolutely ingenious locking system for the door of the vestry, which has 19 bolts and was awarded at the World Exhibition of Paris in 1900.
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| Copyright: Cristina Voicu |
My story today will be about my second visit to Biertan, an epic one. You take one car (relatively small one - Mitsubishi Colt) with two adults in front (my husband and Gianfranco, our italian friend), in the back seats, two adults (me and my mother) one child and an infant, plus the upper part of the baby's pram. I guess you can picture us stuffed in there. Plus a hot summer day, plus a car without air conditioning. And, the most important: plus... a stubborn-thought to be geographically orientated person aka myself! Instead of taking the main road to Sighişoara and then turn right from Saroş pe Târnave, I was so sure that I knew a shortcut... through Buia. So, I convinced the rest of the expedition to take that road... I don't remember if we had a map or not, the truth is we kind of got lost after Buia. The roads became more and more impracticable, the indications we got from the locals were confusing, the last kilometers were on an earth-carriage-road, boiling in the afternoon sun, baby included! Guess, after all, he was the most fortunate one since he had food and drink supplies at hand... or should I say, mouth? I was still breastfeeding him at that time so, at least he was lucky! The trip took us three long hours, from 12:00 to 15:00, the best hours to enjoy the heat! The good part of this "discover your county" journey was that I still had the power to appreciate the rough beauty of the small, almost deserted villages in the region. I don't know if I am crazy or not but I loved the image of the poverty, it has its poetry that speaks to me!
Eight years later, I look back and think it was the right thing to take the wrong way and I encourage you to take the time and discover the small roads, I guess they must be better by now!
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| Copyright: Cristina Voicu |
Friday, September 2, 2011
Danube Delta
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| (Source: Wikipedia) |
I've never been to Danube Delta. It's supposed to be magnificent. And full of mosquitos, especially at sunset. Until somebody with actual knowledge of the place writes here, I'll share some hearsay.
Danube Delta is a giant natural reservation where many foreigner come for bird watching or fishing. We don't actually care much for those birds as we do our bird watching in clubs. Needles to say, the inventive locals and Romanian tourists use the miracle place they were gifted with for other purposes: illegal fishing of endangered species with electrical power, sport boat races on channels to see how quick the damn pelicans take off or ripping water lilies for souvenirs. All these really happened in the past and we can only hope that stricter rules will enforce some good behavior.
If you go there on a trip you must know that the most effective currency is "rachiul" - a local brandy - and everything will taste like fish (including fish itself, of course). Even pork tastes like fish, because that's what it's fed with. Try the fish soup, it's... fishy!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Oltenia
Today we have a guest post by Gabriela. She forgot to tell you about two important words from her region: zaibar and praz. Maybe next time.
Brief historical info about Oltenia: it all starts with the “dacs that came from the tracs”. Then it continues with the Romans. I guess they didn’t like us much coz we ended up with the Ottomans. I do hope you know who the Ottomans were! Tough luck! They lost us in favor of the Habsburg Monarchy which we thought it was great back then but then we realized that the administration imposed by the Austrians was too rigid for our free spirits. Later, for some reason, the region became the promoter of some revolutions (check out Tudor Vladimirescu’s revolution! How cool is that??). And, finally, the “olteni” crossed the mountains in Transylvania and saved the Transylvanian people. Otherwise, nowadays the Transylvanian people would have had their capital in Vienna or even Budapest. And that would have made a lot of citizens, including Calin, so (un)happy.
The oltenians…oh my God…this is not even a word! Microsoft Word corrected me and made me choose from a bunch of other words including ‘ottomans’. I’ll be darn!! I guess even Word knows our story!!! But anyway, the oltenians are very fine people. Just look at me and you’ll see!
To be continued.
Sibiu
Sibiu is fashionably hip and covered in the newspapers around the globe. We were European Capital of Culture in 2007, a year that will be remembered dearly for centuries to come since nothing big will happen soon. If you come here you will hear stories about 2007 from the moment you step in your first taxi until you reach your destination and you are surprised by how big the fare was. Small town but not cheap, at least if you take a "pirate" taxi.
We were featured in the famous Michelin guide and got 3 stars. We also got 5 stars on the website of Michelin tires. Speaking of stars, we have very nice hotels: Ibis, Golden Tulip, Ramada, Hilton, there is something for each budget and you will find accommodation during the whole year, especially if there is no religious convention, rally, enduro race, hard rock festival, theater festival, jazz festival, medieval festival, porn convention (we wish) in town.
Being so fond of our germanic origin we elected in year 2000 a mayor of saxonic descent to make the city run like clockwork and we kept him since. Some say that he transformed Sibiu in the nicest place in Romania, others like to remember the old tender Romanian saying that saxons are of four types: with glasses, with backpack, with bicycle or plain stupid. I just know that I've never seen him with glasses or backpacking, but on occasion he rides a bike.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Welcome!
Or wellcome, how our locals like to greet foreigners when they pretend to know English. This is a blog about Romania, well, mostly Sibiu, because I live there. The goal is to make you like and understand my country but also to have some fun reading my stories. The facts here are based on reality - loosely and with a twist.
Let's begin with a comprehensive primer about Romania: it is situated in Central-Eastern Europe and has around 22 million people. The currency is Leu/Lion, who doesn't actually bite anything, he gets kicked in the ass most of the time and we had to cut four zeros from its tail to make it look decent. You have a funny story right there: a country that has and always had lions only at zoo defines its currency in a flamboyantly stupid manner. It could have been called zebra, apache or quasihemidemisemiquaver for the same logical reasons. But, to make the situation even more funny, we could trade names with Botswana because we have plenty of its national currency and they have plenty of lions.
If you've traveled to Italy or Spain, chances are that you've already met some Romanians there, some statistics say that we have around 2 million compatriots living in each of these countries. If you misplaced, lost or got your property stolen it might have ended up here, in Romania. Heck, for all I know my iPod could be yours, especially if your name is Travis. Also, do you remember that online transaction for that cheap, cheap Mustang you made a while ago? Yep, that was us, you never got your car but somebody here bought a nice BMW with your money. Thanks, bro!
You may have heard of Dracula and Transylvania, one of our provinces. Yes, Transylvania is in Romania, I'm positive, certain and firm about this, even if you think of Pennsylvania, they are neither related nor bordering.
That's all for today, the only hour when we have electric power is about to expire and I have to go back to my cave. One more time: Bienvenue en Roumanie! Yeah, we have Latin ancestors and we like to brag about it. I'll tell you the story about the dacs that came from the tracs later.
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