Outdoor Life

Canis aureus

2011-08-27T11:36:00.000+02:00

Over 160 individuals of Canis Aureus were identified recently in Buzau mountains. Canis aureus is one of protected species in Romania.

Brown Bear Photo Safari

2011-08-16T00:22:00.000+02:00

Recently Skyscanner, the known ticketing site, ranked Zarnesti as the first place to go for a photo-safari in Europe.

Imagine a World Without Romania

2010-10-29T19:39:00.001+02:00

...or without Romanians, like:

Petrache Poenaru - inventor of the ink pen (fountain pen)

Ştefan Odobleja - the father of cybernetics

Nicolae Paulescu - the true inventor of insulin

Henri Coanda - creator of the jet plane

Nadia Comăneci - who got the first perfect 10 in gymnastics, at the Olympic Games in Montreal, 1976. She won three Olympic gold medals in Montreal and two gold medals in 1980 Olympics

Vlad Dracula - the legend that probably inspired Bram Stoker for his novel "Dracula"

Mircea Eliade - Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago

Constantin Brâncuşi - world renowned sculpto, precursor of modernism.

Helmut Duckadam - the first man to defend four penalty strikes in a row, in Champion's Cup final in 1986, won by Steaua Bucharest

or places like the merry cemetery in Săpânţa, the wooden gates in Maramureş area, Voroneţ monastery famous for it's unique blue, the Brâncovenesc architecture.

Well, this clip doesn't mention the rich wildlife or natural beauties of Romania, like the Danube Delta, Apuseni Mountains, Făgăraş Mountains. For for this, you have to come to Romania and admire them live.

HRH the Prince of Wales, endorsing Transylvania

2010-10-22T11:26:00.000+02:00

HRH, Prince Charles of Wales promotes Transylvania considering it "a place of extraordinary natural beauty and cultural richness". He mentions the efforts that The Mihai Eminescu Trust puts in conserving the natural beauty and the villages of Transylvania. the main focus is preserving the Saxon villages and the ancient way of life, where people is tightly linked to the nature and the landscape

Narrow gauge railroad Sighisoara - Sibiu

2010-10-20T15:29:00.002+02:00

Few weeks ago a handful of enthusiasts managed to fix the locomotive and narrow gauge railway connecting Sibiu to Sighişoara, via Agnita. It'll run between 11.00 and 15.00 and for children there will be a cyclo-trolley on a secondary lane.

Mihai Blotor , a web-designer from Agnita set up the foundation "Friends of the narrow gauge railway" and manage to obtain the money for the project, celebrating 100 years of Sibiu, Agnita şi Sighişoara narrow gauge. He tells the story explaining that , in 2007, when the renovation project started, there was nothing more than the railway and the stations. More people (engineers, architects, historians or MDs) joined the project in time. They started with an inventary of the 50 km railway left. A list of things to do has been put together and more volunteers joined over time.

View Larger Map

In 2007 Mihai managed to obtain the narrow gauge classification on the list of Romania's national monuments and in 2008 with the help of the town hall of Agnita they obtained the concession of the railway to a group of town halls

Rebuilding stations and water towers, weed cutting and vegetation removing, saving from scrap and fixing carriages, and three and a half years later we have, for the beginning, two km or railway and the train working again.

The narrow-gauge railway is running on one of Romania's most beautiful places, central and south Transylvania and among some of the most interesting castles and fortifications in Romania.

Congratulations to the entire team and we're looking forward to get in touch and help the narrow gauge railway !

Marginimea Sibiului

2010-10-06T15:55:00.000+02:00

Mărginimea Sibiului cannot be translated in English. We could translate as Sibiu's Outskirts or Sibiu County or Sibiu Area. But none of them is exactly correct either from the geographical point of view or from what we feel about the area. Who spent some time strolling on the streets of Sibiu or just admiring the endless hills rolling towards the horizon at sunset knows what I mean.

So, sorry my friends but I'll use "Mărginimea Sibiului" as for the beautiful area around the city of Sibiu, full of magnificent landscapes and middle-age fortified churches. But let's see what one can visit in that area.

1. First, I would refer to the fortified churches. During the 13th century Transylvania was not a peaceful piece of land. Villagers from this area had to build strongholds and to fortify the most important buildings which were the churches. I already mentioned Cisnădioara, my favorite fortification, with thick walls and a very simple architecture. The church in Valea Viilor or the fortified church in Biertan are part of UNESCO World heritage.

2. the icons museum in Sibiel is the only one of it's kind in the world, shelters over 700 glass icons. The Museum was founded by the priest Zosim Oancea, with the help of the inhabitants of Sibiel and other donors. The entry ticket is 4 lei (1 Euro)

3. Răşinari is the village that gave Romania 7 members of the Academy. Emil Cioran, Octavian Goga were born here.

4. Astra Museum of traditional civilization is a must stop when visiting the area. Households from allover Romania are brought together in Europe's largest open air museum.

5. Ocna Sibiului spa was recently renovated and is prepared to offer quality services.

6. Cindrel National Park is pretty easy to hike and unspoilt, a little bit in the shade of big Făgăraş mountains.

10 Reasons to Visit Romania in Low Season

2010-09-28T12:30:00.000+02:00

I was thinking about the holidays in low season and I came up with the idea of writing a post about visiting Romania in low season. While you can find out about the advantages of traveling in low tourist season on other websites, this post is focus on Romania.

To start, I should probably define what low-season means here in Romania. Well, is the period between February or march until the beginning of June and then the fall, from September to late November.

Definitely fewer tourists. While I do like tourists, there are moments when I look for a more peaceful environment. Take Sighişoara, for example. Our last tour going to Sighişoara took place in September and it was already much less crowded than it'd have been in July or August

Sighişoara - the clock tower
Migration of birds in Danube Delta. The spring and fall migrations take place in May and September-October. For birds lovers this is a spectacle that shouldn't be missed

More pleasant temperatures, both in the mountains and in the towns. While some mountains, like Făgăraş Mountains can be too cold or too dangerous for the non-experimented tourist (in which case I strongly recommend the services of a specialized mountain guide), other mountains are just as fine in the extra-season. Examples of such mountains are Baiului, Ciucas, Apuseni Mts.

Mountain biking in Baiului Mountains
Better prices for accommodation, that many times translate in better rates for tours of adventure travel companies.
While there is a less requested period, you have better chances to find places in your tours at the active travel companies. Not only to find availabilities, but also to choose the desired date of departure.
Better traffic. Traffic in Romania can be quite a problem. Going to the seaside or to Prahova Valley during the week-end can be a real challenge. Well, if you travel in a time-frame outside of children's holidays, the traffic already gets better. And with it possibilities for cycling increase. Of course, many of the organized cycling tours, at least the ones arranged by Outdoor Holidays, take place in remote areas, not on the main streets, but there are situations where few kilometers on a bigger road are necessary, in order to cross from one side to the other.

Cycling in Romania countryside
Some activities are definitely better. Take river-rafting for example. during the spring and autumn, there are better chances to find good water conditions.

River rafting in North of Romania
Foliage - the Carpathians might not be as high as the Alps, but they definitely offer nice forests. Unlike the Alps, where many times you start hiking at or above 2000 meters above sea level, in Romania's Carpathians you hike many times between 800 m and 2000 m. That's the area where the alpine forests lies, and the colors of a deciduous forest are just great.

Colors of autumn in Romania
Better chances to find accommodation without booking in advance. Well, Romania has many guest-houses spread throughout the country (mainly in the tourist areas, is true) and sometimes if you like an area you can just drop-in to some of those, asking for accommodation. During summer months, they are most of the times full, but you have better chances outside the season.
Last, but not least, if you like spooky experiences you can spend a Halloween in Transylvania. Go to Dracula related places at the end of October, for the real deal :).

Transylvania top 10

2010-09-24T14:00:00.029+02:00

I noticed many people ask about things to see in Transylvania. While Transylvania is a rich piece of land, both from historic point of view and from that of the natural landscape, I will try to shortly describe the most interesting places in Transylvania. Here would be my top 10 :

1) Sighişoara - first attested in documents in 1291, Castrum Seg or Castrum Sex how it was called at that time (meaning the town on the hill) is Europe's only medieval fortress continuously inhabited until now. At the same time it is, in my opinion, Romania's most representative place to go if you're keen about middle-ages. OK, and it is Vlad III Dracula's birth place, but not only for this it deserves a visit. Did I mention that the Historic Centre of Sighişoara is part of UNESCO World heritage ?

2) Apuseni Mountains - a world apart. A world of caves and rocky formations, of glaciers in caves and unique plants. Here we can find the "Arnica montana", medicinal plant frequently used by professional athletes.

The natural park of Apuseni shelters Romania's biggest glacier, Scărişoara, but also an ancient lifestyle. Interesting places in Apuseni include Cetăţile Ponorului, Galbena Gorge, Glavoi, Râmeţi Gorge.

3) Sibiu old town - Sibiu was one of the important towns even since the middle ages, due to it's position in the center of Transylvania. Nowadays the tows was heavily restored for being European Capital of Culture in 2007.

4) Astra Museum in Sibiu - the museum of traditional civilization is, according to my knowledge, Europe's biggest open air museum. It shelters traditional households from all parts of the country and people is very polite, explaining the tools and the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Allow one full day to visit it.

5) Wooden churches in Maramureş. Included in UNESCO world heritage as outstanding example of vernacular architecture the churches are not only a worth visit for themselves but also for admiring Maramureş county, with its lifestyle, costumes and traditions.

6) Râşnov Fortress. Build on top of a heavily accessible hill, Râşnov is one of the best preserved medieval fortifications in central Europe. By the time I took this picture (April 2010) the fortress was not open to public due to a conflict between the Italian guy who took it under concession and the municipality of Râşnov, upon some restoration work done. Now the fortress is again open for visits. Although in a top of castles and fortifications in Romania I placed it second after Cisnădioara, I must admit that Cisnădioara is just a

7) Făgăraş Mountains. They offer impressive views and a real alpine landscape. Hiking Făgăraş mountains is an experience that takes place most of the time higher than 2000 m above sea level, and is an experience that can include moody weather, so I recommend caution. During winter it becomes really tough and dangerous, go during summer time for a relaxing holiday. The effort is fully rewarded by the landscapes encountered.

8) Bran Castle. Strongly perceived as Dracula Castle, Bran is just a border castle erected in XIII-th century. It belonged to inhabitants of Braşov and used for defending. Vlad III Dracula eventually only spent one night here, while attacking the people of Braşov for sheltering a political rival.

9) Braşov old town.Braşov is now a modern city in center of Romania, but it used to play an important role in Transylvania, since late middle ages.

10) Hunedoara Castle. Very well preserved and very impressive, Corvin Castle (as it is also known) was first belonging Voice of Hunedoara, as a donation from Hungarian King. Than it was the castle of Iancu of Hunedoara (a.k.a. John Huniady) (between 1419 and 1456).

Palace of Parliament, Bucharest

2010-09-22T10:43:00.000+02:00

The daily news show that Palace of Parliament, Bucharest welcomes an average of 403 visitors per day, half of what the Parliament in Budapest gets.

Since the start of the year there were 98.158 tourists visiting "People's House" (as Romanians used to call it), 7% less than last year. The price of a ticket is 25 Lei (6 Euro).

Cantacuzino Palace, Busteni

2010-09-20T16:02:00.000+02:00

According to todays' newspapers, Cantacuzino castle, in Buşteni (in between Bucegi and Baiului Mountains) is again open for tourist visits. Built by Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino in 1911, the palace was renovated and will be the central point of a tourist complex.

This comes few years after the castle was given back by the state to descendants of Cantacuzino family. They sold the castle, together with a terrain of 1.000 hectares, to a group of investors, who is building there a 5* hotel, an aqua-parc and a ski slope.

The building was erected by Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino (Romania's prime minister between 23.041899 - 19.07.1900 and 4.01.1906 - 24.031907.) when he was 79, two years before his death.

While the idea of a new accommodation place is not bad in itself, I think an aquaparc would not exactly fit the profile of a mountain resort, as Buşteni is.

The Carpathians Garden

2010-08-06T19:42:00.000+02:00

I think this set of pictures does more for Romania and looks 100 times better than "the Carpathian Garden" project.

Carpathians garden

2010-08-05T10:13:00.004+02:00

Well, there is a fuss these days in Romania about Romania's new travel brand. 890 000 EUR (public money) where spent to get a new country brand or travel brand or whatever it is. "Carpathian garden" is the new slogan promoted everywhere, together with a very controversial logo:

While everybody (including me) is concerned about the way the money is spent, I am more concerned about the number of brands we had during last years:

"Eternal and Fascinating Romania"
"Romania - always surprising ”
"Romania - simply amazing"
“Romania, land of choice"
"Carpathian garden"

OK, I'm not a specialist in branding, but I am interested in marketing in tourism, due to running a business in travel industry. But here I am asking the branding experts: Isn't it too much to change the slogan almost every year ? Apparently not, when you want public money to go in some pockets.

OK, let's not enter into the scandal of the leaf, but just have a look at the website associated with the whole campaign: explorecarpathiangarden.com
What can I say ? C'mon, people, is this a kind of joke or what is it ?

The documentation presented by the big companies THR & TNS include image stolen from other websites. Does it look to you that the image from slide 14 of the documentation resembles a lot the image from this hiking tour in Făgăraş Mountains. Or maybe a crop of few pixels from the bottom of the image solves the copyright problem ?

So, to conclude:
- a logo made in few minutes with an image bought from a stock photography website for under 1 USD,
- a logo made with the above mentioned image, used without the right to do this
- images stolen from the websites of Romanian tour operators. Not only in the documentation presented by the ministry of tourism, but also in the documentation presented by THR (please have a look on page 25 of the this document and on this hiking and wildlife tour)
- cheap and crappy websites, made on the template offered by blogger.com, without at least any customization.
- a website using Google Adsense, to get few eurocents per day, and again infringing the AdSense policy that says pretty clear that you are not allowed to use more than three blocks of ads per page.
- the case

That not only looks very cheap stinks, really bad.

Presentation of Romania

2010-03-17T01:22:00.003+01:00

Just found a nice presentation of Romania. The caves, the mountains, mainly Bucegi Mountains, river-rafting, skiing.

Promoting Romania's History

2010-02-28T16:03:00.004+01:00

Officials from the The Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism announced that , together with the European Commission, the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism will promote two cultural routes in Romania. One in Transylvania, aiming to present the fortified citadels of south-eastern and central Transylvania , the other in Bucovina, presenting the painted monasteries of XVI-th century, part of UNESCO World Heritage.

While we definitely the initiative is welcome, this should have been done 20 years ago. Many Romanian tour-operators try to promote the cultural heritage, offering very interesting tours, but the roads infrastructure and a bad advertising or no advertising at all make thinks difficult for local operators. One such tour, featuring both Sighişoara and the UNESCO monasteries of Bucovina is the "Culture and Hiking in Romania"

Birding in Romania

2009-10-21T15:55:00.002+02:00

During the last week-end, the Outdoor Holidays "crew" went to Predeal, in the center of Romania, for team-building, relax, making plans for the 2009/10 season and keeping active. Predeal is mainly known as a ski resort, but during summertime it also offers a good departure base from a lot of hiking trips in Piatra Mare Mountains, Bucegi Mountains, Baiului Mountains or Postăvaru Mts.

The snow had just covered the whole area few hours before our arrival, however this didn't stop us from having a short, but nice and rich birding trip. Andrei, our birding expert was present so we learned a lot of birds. We counted 19 different species of birds in only few hours. More details, as well as some pictures are here.

Visited cities

2009-10-02T21:17:00.001+02:00

Just added some visited towns on the TripAdvisor map :

Vienna, Austria

Saint-Malo, France

Mont-St-Michel, France

Sighisoara, Romania

Limone sul Garda, Italy

Venice, Italy

Winchester, UK

Kitzbuhel, Austria

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Apuseni Nature Park - European Destinations of Excellence

2009-09-30T18:21:00.000+02:00

On October, 8th, in Brussels, Apuseni Nature Park will be one of the 22 places in Europe that will receive the award of "European Destinations of Excellence". A 3 minutes presentation movie, sponsored by the European Commission, will be presented at the Brussels awards. The movie will be presented on www.edenineurope.eu and will be used by the National Park for advertising activities. Of course, Apuseni Mountains will have a page on edenineurope.eu website and will be included in the European Destinations of Excellence network.

In 2008, Romania's European Destinations of Excellence was Horezu, a place famous for its pottery You can see the presentation movie here

Apuseni Nature Park, situated in the Central-North-Western part of Apuseni Mountains, covers a big part of Bihor Mts (South) and Vlădeasa Massif (North).
the main beauty of this area is the karstic formations, with caves, gorges, defiles or karstic plateaus. Outstanding are Scărişoara Glacier, the biggest underground glacier in Romania, Ponor Fortress (Cetaţile Ponorului) or Coiba Mare cave.

Still a lot has to be done for nature protection here, wood traffic has to be stopped and local authorities would better do something about illegal building in Padiş area. Fines are way to small for illegal building and many seem to prefer paying the fines or bribing "the right guys" in order to be able to build. And so we have monstrous buildings in many national parks in Romania, although it is forbidden by law.
One of the problems is legislation that allowed entire forests being given back to old owners (before 1947) and cut down by those. For trying to sell 90 meters of wood (estimated to a market price of about 2200 Eur) owner of a guest-house was fined ...50 Euro.

I hope including Apuseni Nature Park in the list of destinations of excellence will also bring some strict regulations and a surveiilance from European Commission's side.

Multi-activity short tour

2009-09-23T20:12:00.021+02:00

Few days ago, Andrei was the guide in a multi-activity tour in Bucovina. It was a short version of the multi-activity tour we propose on Outdoor Holidays' website. I prefer to let the pictures talk

The activities took place near Vatra Dornei, known as a ski resort, but also a summer holidays destination for tourist visiting the north of Romania.
The area is well known for the mineral springs, for the spa facilities and the clean air. The oak and fir-tree forests contribute to a great climate.

The hills surrounding Vatra Dornei are a great place for hiking, walking or other outdoor activities. Do not forget you can drink sparkling mineral water directly from the spring.

Also, the resort is a good starting point for cultural tours.

Accommodation in the area is diverse and one can choose from a wide range, varying from pitching the tents to four stars hotels. For our young, active guests we chose accommodation in camping, a good balance between confort and price. the camping is decent, well placed and a chalet is also available for people aiming at higher comfort.

The forest is just few steps away from the camping.

Due to low water level in this period of year, this tour didn't include river-rafting on Bistriţa River. However, we organized a zip-line (a.k.a. Tyrolean crossing), which was really appreciated, as well as other activities specific to an adventure park.

As Andrei, our guide is a bird watching expert, always happy to share his knowledge with others, our guests had the opportunity to learn a little about the birds. This jay (Garrulus Glandarius) was just one of the birds seen during the trip. Well, as usual, the birds are hard to spot, unless you have a trained eye and good knowledge about them. That's why we offer some basic birding guidance in our tours, even if is not a bird-watching tour.

The day after the adventure park was the horse-riding tour. Getting to know the horses, the riding technique and the safety instructions is what a horseback riding trip starts with.

The horse riding trip took place in a fairy tale forest on the hills of Bucovina.

A view over Suhard Mts.

Travelling to Romania

2009-06-04T15:06:00.005+02:00

Today I noticed a post about travelling to Romania which was giving good hints but some of the information was inexact or obsolete.

Here is my reply, I'm posting it also here hoping it might help someone thinking to travel to Romania:

While big part of the information is correct, some is old or inexact. While I won't comment about the information that is correct, I'll try to update the rest of the info.

"Buses are dead cheap and dead slow" - the mini-buses that one can use for travelling between towns are not that cheap anymore. They are slow in some parts of the country, due to the road conditions or heavy traffic. However, the drivers go quite fast, and many times is better to rely on the bus than train. Also trains in some areas simply don't exist anymore, due to economic reasons.

Trains in Romania are not travelling with the doors open. It might happen that someone jumps off the train while the train is still moving, or going very slow, but that's not a normal thing that you'll see while travelling by train.
Seat reservations are obligatory, but by seat reservation it means they make you pay the seat (and of course you'll be sure to have the seat sure), but you don't have to reserve/book the ticket in advance. 99.9% of the travellers just go to the railway station and buiy the ticket before the train leaves.

Horse-drawn cart are piled up with hay, especially in the fall, 'cause people having lands on the hills and bringing the hay home. However, I've never seen cows or pigs in a cart. Cows are sometimes used to pull the cart, while pigs...well, we carry them by car and some pigs drive very expensive cars.

Cycling in Romania is easy and nice in some area, but painful in other areas If you want to cycle, is better to buy a guided tour from a local operator, that is supposed to know the areas, the roads, the people.

Boat is the only way of getting around much of the Danube Delta if by boat you mean also a light boat like a canoe of kayak. While driving is not possible, a kayaking tour is the best way to explore hidden areas and observe birds (With over 325 species of birds, Danube Delta is a point of reference for worldwide birding passionates).

Mountain Biking in Carpathians

2009-05-28T01:41:00.007+02:00

Few days ago, part of the Outdoor Holidays' team went mountain-biking in Baiului Mountains, South of Romanian Carpathians, only 100 km away from Bucharest. Going on the ridge of Baiului Mountains can be done either by the ski lift or by pushing the bikes uphill for about one - one and a half hours. This time, due to time limitations, our team preferred the easy way. The path is an easy one, suitable for beginning mountain-biking.

Here are some pictures:

Baiului Mountains have a king of large path on and just under the ridge, so for an easy Mountain-Biking this is just perfect . The weather was just perfect, and the few clouds that we can see are just great to make pictures nicer :)

Cornel, on the ridge of Baiului Mountains. Hitchhiking ?I'm afraid nobody will stop :)

Bucegi Mountains (Coştila and Moraru Massifs) seen from the nearby Baiului

Andrei, trying to impress ? Well done, anyway.

Everybody enjoyed the mountain biking and descent safe in Secăria Village in the South-most point of Baiului. From here the alternatives are going to Prahova Valley and picking the car or taking the train, either to Teleajen Valley and continue the tour or take a bus.

And a very short movie:

Top Castles and Fortifications in Romania

2009-05-06T19:16:00.006+02:00

I'm very interested in history and especially middle ages. Therefore, I thought it would be of interest to present some of the proofs of the restless history that the Romanian countries had, the medieval fortifications.

Let's start:
1) Cisnădioara
Location: Cisnădioara village, few kilometers away from Sibiu City. The fortification of Cisnădioara is my favorite for it's simplicity and minimalist architecture. Thick walls shelter inner stairs allowing to go to the upper level.

2) Râşnov
Location: Râşnov Town, south-eastern Transylvania.
10 years ago, when it got under the administration of an Italian guy, this 14th century fortification was renovated, with the intention of making "the most beautiful fortification in Eastern Europe" out of it. It's hard to tell if it is the most beautiful, but for sure it looks really nice now, and the renovation preserved the original buildings inside quite well.

3) Hărman
Location: Hărman village, Transylvania. Located 10 km East of Braşov, South-Eastern Transylvania, the fortress is well conserved and easily reachable by tourist visiting Braşov.

4) Biertan fortification
Location Biertan village, Transylavania
This is considered the most highlight of the XIII-XIVth century fortification in Tranylvania.

5) Bran Castle
Location: Bran village, near the city of Braşov. Better known for the Dracula story, this borderline castle of the XIII-th century Bran Castle has not much to do with the bloody ruler. Might be that Vlad III stayed in Bran when he attacked Braşov, but there's nothing sure about this.

7) Corvin Castle
Location: Hunedoara, Transylvania.
Very well preserved, it would deserve the title "Dracula's Castle" much more than Bran, as Vlad III Dracula was imprisoned here for many years.

8) Poienari Fortress. Today only ruins, the fortress was built by Vlad III Dracula to defend from enemies attacking Târgovişte.
It's building probably started during Vlad Dracul, but it was finished by Vlad III in by the middle XV-th century. More information about Poienari (sometimes refered as Poenari) here.

9) Cetatea Neamţului (Neamţ stronghold)
Location: Piatra Neamţ, Moldova
Built probably during Petru I Muşat (1375-1391), in the late XIV-th century, during a period of economic development seen by Moldova. The citadel was never conquered.If you visit the fortress keep in mind that it's walls were twice as tall as they are nowadays. The hypothesis of the stronghold being built by Teuton knights or by Saxon population are not valid. The coins found in the citadel and the fact that the fortress is a defending one eliminate the Teuton knights . the saxon community in the nearbz town was too small, had no economic or political power to sustain a military building of this proportions.
Guided visits take about 45 minutes

10) Făgăraş Fortress
First attested in documents in 1455, it's construction started by the end of the XIV-th century. The fortress was replacing a XII-th century fortification. In the late XVI-th century the stronghold was transformed in a fortified castle. Today the castle can be visited and it shelters the Museum of Făgăraş county. A visit takes about one hour.

11) Sighişoara. I let the best for the end. First attested in documents in 1291 under the name Castrum Sex / Castrum Seg (=the town on the hill), Sighişoara is part of UNESCO World Heritage. Read more about Sighişoara medieval town here

Face of the first European

2009-05-04T22:00:00.004+02:00

Two years ago I mentioned in this post that the most ancient modern human was discovered in Carpathian Mountains, Romania, dated about 34.000 – 36.000 years ago.

Now, we can also see how it looked. Is, as the Independent states: the face of the first European If you're interested in the history of the human beings, stay tuned for "The Incredible Human Journey" that BBC2 is preparing.

Top 10 Things To Do in Romania

2009-03-04T23:15:00.004+01:00

After a post with the interesting places to see in Romania, here are the things to do. And by "things to do" I mean a more active way of traveling, outdoor activities or even adventure tours.

Here is the top:

1. Photo-tour at the Fortified Citadels in Transylvania. The guys at dordeduca.ro realized a nice photo raid in Transylvania. They aim of emphasizing Romania's the natural rich cultural heritage. Back in 2003 and 2004 I offered a similar tour to American photographers Otis Gibbs and Todd Fox

2. Cycling among the painted monasteries in Bucovina

The best way to discover the traditional life and the hidden villages, as well as the painted monasteries in Moldova is by biking. Unlike from the rush of a car, you'll travel less but you'll see more and you'll definitely understand much more. The painted monasteries from XVth century are part of UNESCO World Heritage.

3. River-rafting in Apuseni Mountains
Apuseni Mountains have recently been declared tourist objective by excellence. Indeed, the area is fabulous, from all points of view: a pristine nature with rocks, rivers and gorges, caves sheltering microclimats but also misteries, traditions and an ancient lifestyle. River raftingis possible on two or even three of the rivers. The other area for river-rafting in Romania are Bucovina and Gorj

4. Enjoy a music concert in Romanian Athenaeum
Built partly by public subscription and opened in 1888 , the Romanian Atheneum is not only one the house of good music, but also a masterpiece of architecture and interior design.

5. Hiking in Piatra Craiului Mountains;
Piatra Craiului is easily accessible from Bucharest, either by train , bus or car. Many Romanian nature lovers consider it the most beautiful mountain in the country, and I kinda aggree with them. is hard to say if it really is the most beautiful but it definitely has the highest concentration of breathtaking sceneries...steep alpine valleys, limestone, woods an meadows, caves and grotes

6. Bird-watching in Danube Delta
Danube delta is famous among birders in Europe. 325 species of birds find here permanent of temporary shelter. Even if you are an expert bird watcher, I would recommend hiring a guide. At the end, you'd like to spend time watching birds not trying to find a boat or trying to find your way out of a narrow channel

6. Wildlife watching (in Piatra Craiului, Bucegi or Fagaras)
A group of enthusiasts are protecting the large carnivores in Piatra Craiului (mainly wolfs), but you can also find the chamois (Rupicapra Rupicapra Carpatica) in Bucegi, Fagaras or Rodnei. Don't forget that Romania has two thids of Europe's population of bears and wolfs .

7. Mountain-bike in the South Mountains
The Carpathians might not as height as the Alps, but this means also they are better suited for mountain-biking. Wild areas, good slopes and impressive landscapes.

8. Follow Dracula's trace
Even if people know Dracula from Bram Stoker's novel, the romanian ruler of Wallachia is nonetheless famous. Personally I am not a fan of the commercial waves around Stoker's Count Dracula , but I do like history and I think visiting Dracula-related places provive a good opportunity to understand a piece of late middle-ages in Eastern Europe. But you'll check out one of Europe's most beautiful medieval towns Sighişoara, the center of Braşov, a X-Files-like monastery on the island on Snagov Lake.

9. Caving in Apuseni Mountains
There are two ways to do it:
- do it by yourself. There are many caves that one can visit, but you need patience to find them, good gear and knowledge about the area
- either buy a caving tour that will also take you to the most interesting cultural spots along the way, you'll be given caving jump-course, equipment and the possibility to visit some remote caves, some of them closed for general public.

10. Canoeing or kayaking in Danube Delta.
Danube Delta Nature Reserve was, until 2009, the only Delta in the world to be part of UNESCO World Heritage. Europe's newest lands is famous not only for the birds, but there are also over 45 freshwater fish species, numerous lakes and marshes, a rich wildlife (varying from the wild horses in Letea Forest to foxes and boars) and world's biggest compact formations of reed. The place is great for a padlling beginner, but experts can also find challenging routes, taking advantage of the Danube flowing into the lakes, paddling on the Danube itself or even going out ont he shores of the Black Sea.

Top 10 interesting places in Romania

2009-02-28T00:28:00.020+01:00

I decided to do a small top of the places to see in Romania, after some friends asked me what's cool about Romania. This came few days after buying the book "1000 places to see before you die". Well, the book is very subjective, and sometimes it gives no real reason for seeing that place.

My top is subjective too, but I'll try to give a short reason for each place. Also, I while that book presents mainly hotels or well-known tourist places, I try to address all kind of places, from natural landscapes to middle-ages history, from life-style to modern age. While, for example, speleology is definitely a place Romania is very suitable for, I'll stick with the places that are easily accessible without special equipment or permissions.

10) Sibiu City - the old town. European Capital of culture in 2007, Sibiu inherited a diversity of culture (Romanians, Germans and Hungarians have been living here together for a long time). Interesting buildings and middle-age atmosphere.
If you go in the area, don't miss Astra Museum of Traditional Technique - open all summer and presenting households from allover Romania - Europe's largest open-air museum.

9) Parliament House in Bucharest. Ceauşescu's project was finished after the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Second largest administrative building in the World, after the pentagon, third by volume. One million cube meters of marble, 1400 rooms (offices, big halls). Romania's Parliament is occupying one part of the building. Guided visits daily. Someone might argue about including this in a top of places to see in Romania, but is part of Romania's modern history and we just cannot ignore it.
If you go to Bucharest, also visit the Village museum. A small village in the middle of Bucharest, with houses brought here at the beginning of the last century.

7) Râmeţi Gorge in Western Carpathians. This wild, narrow gorge, with tall walls and interesting rocks can be seen in a one day hiking trip. Be prepared to pass through the river because in some places this is the only to go on. That's why when the waters are very high, like April, it cannot be done.
If you go in the area, also visit Cetaţile Ponorului, a citadel sculpted in stone by the Nature itself.

6) Maramureş County - the wooden churches, of which some are build in the XII-th century are still used today for religious ceremony. They are the tallest wooden buildings in Europe. I also recommend Maramureş for its rich lifestyle, that you can still observe nowadays. People dressed in old costumes, going to the church on Sunday is a normal thing here.
If you go in the area, visit Săpânţa Merry Cemetery, unique in the world, with fully colored funeral crosses and small satiric poems about the defunct life.

5) Muddy Volcanoes in Buzău County.

Unique phenomena, the muddy volcanoes are a nature curiosity that you won't see in many places of the word. With a moon-like landscape, this geological and botanical reservation is a great place for photography. Gas coming from 3000 m deep push up water together with soil, forming the "boiling mud".
If you go in the area, go also visit the living fire in Lopătari. Natural gas emerge from the underground, so it ignites during the summer and fires can be seen on the hill. Photo by bitsofreality

5) Sighişoara Medieval Town.

The town has been continuously inhabited since its first attestation in 1291, under the name Castrum Sex or Castrum Seg (meaning the town on the hill). the historic center being part of UNESCO world heritage, the houses cannot be modified by current owners, so they still conserve the atmosphere of the late middle-ages. Go there during the week and, if possible off the tourist season, when it is less crowded and you'll still see the kids going to the school on the hill, climbing the covered snow that was intended to protect them from heavy snow and rain. (OK, Sighişoara is the birth place of Vlad III Dracula, the Walachia’s ruler that was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. But that's not the main interesting things about Sighişoara).
If you go in the area go visit the fortified citadel in Biertan.

4) Fortified Churches in South-Eastern Transylvania.

As you probably know, Transylvania has a rich history, with a lot of events going on since the XII-th century until the end of WW I. In the middle ages, people was building defending fortifications in each village in order to protect themselves, the families and the goods from the invaders. The majority of the fortifications are built in the XII-th - XIV-th century and are well preserved.
If you go in the area, try not to miss Râşnov citadel, that has recently been restored and is one of the most beautiful in South-Eastern Europe.

3) The wild Carpathian Mountains.

Unlike some other mountains in Europe, the Carpathians have many spots where men still didn't reach. Or meadows where only shepherds with a flock of ships wander around all summer. But as one cannot visit all the Carpathians range, I'll chose one place for this top: Făgăraş Mountains - Romania's highest mountains, with one of Europe's longest continuous ridge over 2000 m. Caution should be taken due to unstable weather over 2000 m. Hey, but wait, that's just mountain weather, isn't it ?

2) Painted Monasteries in Moldova - The Voroneţ Blue, for example is famous worldwide. It seldom happens that a place gives a name to a color. But here in Bucovina, the blue is not a normal one. What makes the painted monasteries part of UNESCO World Heritage is the exterior painting kept intact since the XV-th Century. Piece of mind, relax, learn a lot of history, that's why I would go there anytime.Moldoviţa, Suceviţa or Gura Humorului definitely deserve a visit.
If you go in the area, you might consider a rafting and horse-riding trip in Rodnei and Bistriţa Mountains.

1) Danube Delta - UNESCO reservation of biosphere, it's the Europe's newest

land and the biggest delta in Europe, except Volga's one. Over 315 species of birds, some of them very rare, like the Dalmatian Pelican or the red crested duck, a fantastic landscape of reed and water, an unique lifestyle based of fishing and a great opportunity for outdoor sports, that’s why I choose it as the number one place. While you can go by yourself, presence of a specialised guide is highly recommended, to help you travel on the channels (eventually in a canoe or kayak), show you the birds, animals and plants.
If you go in the area, don't split your time going elsewhere, spend quality time in the Danube Delta. OK, Ok :) ... you might consider the full Dobrudja, with a rich history, like the Christian martyrs of the 4-th century and Măcin Mountains, part of the very old hercinic mt. range and preserving a very rich biodiversity.

As mentioned, this top only reflects my personal opinion, my preference based on the way I like to travel, the things I'm interested in (nature, history, architecture). If you disagree with the presence in top 10 of some places, if you have something to add or would like other places to be included (but then I would have to declassify some of the a.m. places so let us know also which one you'd drop out), if you have something to ask or just something to comment, please don't hesitate to do this.

1000 Places To See Before You Die - Romania

2009-02-25T09:15:00.009+01:00

I bought "1000 Places To See Before You Die" by Patricia Schultz.

The title is catchy and, while I'm not the kind of traveller checking the places in the book with a red cross or marking on the map the places I've been to, I was very interested in seeing what she considers worthy. And I think it gives nice hints for some places. But, in the meantime, lots of interesting stuff is let outside while a lot of hotels and restaurants are included.

As many of the reviews on the Internet, I think the author considers some hotels way to worthy and I wonder what is the reason behind recommending so many expensive hotels. I don't want to make any assumptions, I just wonder.

Let's take Romania for example: the only things mentioned are the Painted Monasteries in Bucovina and what she calls "Count Dracula's Castle".

While I think the painted monasteries definitely deserve a place in the book, if she were to choose only two places from Romania, why Bran Castle (that's what she presents as Dracula's Castle). After shortly presenting the castle she mentions that there's no proof that Vlad the Impaler did live in the castle. So why does she call it Count Dracula's Castle, when there is no evident connection between Vlad III Dracula and Bran Castle ? Not to mention there was no count Dracula apart from Bram Stoker's book or some movies.
More than that, it don't look at all like it used to in the XIV-th century when it was built.

Why not the unique natural reserve of Danube Delta, part of UNESCO World Heritage ?
Why not the wooden churches in Maramureş ? Or the medieval town of Sighişoara, continuously inhabited since middle ages.

I think natural beauty of this Planet is not given too much of importance in Patricia's book, neither off the beaten path places. In my opinion , these are not "The 1000 most important/interesting/amazing things to see" but just 1000 places to see, without any ordering criteria.

Here is an interview with Patricia Schultz: http://www.newyorktimesbestsellerlist.org/archives/79

Well I'm not going to go to a place just before it's in the book, but I might do some research on the places from the book, here is where it might help: giving some ideas to research for.

Happy travelling !