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A Star-Bound House: The Astronomical Observatory Admiral “Vasile Urseanu”

Ilinca Stroe

Feb 27, 2019
3 min

A Star-Bound House: The Astronomical Observatory Admiral “Vasile Urseanu”

Out of a love of sea a star-bound house was born: the Astronomical Observatory in Bucharest. It was 1908 when Admiral Vasile Urseanu was elected the President of the “Camille Flammarion” Romanian Astronomical Society (founded by Victor Anestin), and the new President pledged to finance the construction of a headquarters for the Society. The Admiral (1848-1926) was a man of his word. A graduate of the “Sfântul Sava” high school in Bucharest, he completed his military studies a

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Veronica Negru

Jan 23, 2019
2 min

Piatra Mică Peak 1,816m

The Piatra Craiului Mountains are the most beloved and at the same time feared mountains in Romania. The mixed feelings they give make people want to explore them. But few know that they have a “smaller sister”: Piatra Mică :) where you can practice before you set out to climb the giants. The trail on the ridge is similar to the one on the Piatra Craiului: rocky narrow ridge, juniper and deep ravines to the left and to the right. After climbing the southern ridge of Piatra C

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A People’s Masterpiece: Atheneul Român (the Romanian Athenaeum)

Ilinca Stroe

Jan 23, 2019
4 min

A People’s Masterpiece: Atheneul Român (the Romanian Athenaeum)

As you walk past the elegant statue of national poet Mihai Eminescu, located in the little park in front of it, as you climb up the flight of stairs, cross the peristyle with its six Ionic columns and five fine mosaic medallions depicting great Romanian rulers, as you enter the monumental ground floor circular lobby, with its 12 columns and four spiral staircases made of pink Carrara marble, and head towards the richly decorated concert hall on the first floor, you wouldn’t g

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Veronica Negru

Nov 2, 2018
2 min

Hiking in autumn

I`ve always loved autumn… Maybe because I was born in October, or simply because of its beauty: all those colors, blending together to spoil and delight our eyes, turning our surroundings into a sensational huge painting. There are so many reasons to love autumn: misty mornings, cozy days, longer nights and beautiful hikes in the Carpathian Mountains. Of course, there is a plethora of places to go and take in the beauty of fall, but I will mention only four destinations: the

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I ❤ Apuseni - Day 4 – Galbenei Gorges and Canyon

Veronica Negru

Oct 26, 2018
2 min

I ❤ Apuseni - Day 4 – Galbenei Gorges and Canyon

The more you discover of the Apuseni mountains, the more you want to explore because they offer many possibilities: hiking, climbing, canoeing, camping, speleological exploration, etc. For the last day we saved the longest hike: Galbenei Gorges and Canyon. This is a circuit which should be done in about 9 or 10 hours from Padiș, because the road to Glăvoi is only accessible for high guard cars. Very early in the morning, passing by the green house we started our last hike in

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Ilinca Stroe

Oct 25, 2018
23 min

Romania’s Treasures: the Artists

There is little doubt that modern Romanian cultivated painting stemmed from religious painting done around and for monasteries by artists known as “masters” who were, oftentimes, either anonymous or little known. For example, a master painter Dobromir is recorded to have carried out the fresco painting work of the 16th-century Argeş Monastery in Wallachia, while master Toma of Suceava apparently made the frescoes of Moldavian monasteries Humor and Moldoviţa. But apart from th

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Veronica Negru

Oct 18, 2018
2 min

I ❤ Apuseni - Day 3 – Fortress of Ponor

This area called Padiș is very interesting. It is a magic combination between a quiet surface and a mysterious underground network. Padiș is the place where you can see a river disappear underground and come out to the surface again, farther on, as another spring. The underground is full of caves, huge rock halls, hidden lakes and waterfalls. Here you can find the most amazing karst shapes in Romania: the Fortress of Ponor (Cetățile Ponorului). It is the place where you feel

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Veronica Negru

Oct 12, 2018
1 min

I ❤ Apuseni - Day 2 – Bulbuci Waterfall

The weather in summer is difficult, and because rain had been forecast, we decided to spend the second day at home. But when your feet don`t want to get lazy you have to go. We chose to walk through Boga, a holiday village located at the foot of the Bihor Mountains, between forests and cold springs, offering a relaxed atmosphere, but we ended up on a forest road heading to the Bulbuci Waterfall. :) The trail goes on the forest road, crosses the Bulbuci Valley and after 100 me

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Veronica Negru

Oct 5, 2018
2 min

I ❤ Apuseni - Day 1 - The Lost World

I have longed for spending a few days in the Apuseni Mountains for too long. Last year we visited this area called Boga – Padiș and were really impressed by the numerous hiking trails that exist there. We said that it is a real paradise for hikers! :) The area is really impressive, the largest karst surface in the country. In Padiș you can find everything for your taste: from caves, gorges, canyons, rock walls to large silent meadows, isolated glades, cold springs and old for

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Peaceful Weekend Getaways: Three Monasteries

Ilinca Stroe

Jul 18, 2018
4 min

Peaceful Weekend Getaways: Three Monasteries

Personally, I love visiting cathedrals. Integrated into the urban landscape and yet cutting out a section of it which is emotionally special, a bridge to the everlasting past, historic cathedrals, with their high vaults, allow your spirit to straighten up and rise like the sound of a flute towards the high ceiling - liberated for a while from the inconveniences of here and now. And should pipe organ music accompany the spiritual mini-tour, access to some sort of “higher level

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Dead Funny Up North: Săpânţa’s Unique Cemetery

Ilinca Stroe

Jul 4, 2018
3 min

Dead Funny Up North: Săpânţa’s Unique Cemetery

It probably takes comedian Hugh Laurie’s straight face to be able to announce serenely, “This lovely summer we warmly recommend that you go to the cemetery.” The Merry Cemetery. “Downtown” the village of Săpânţa, a little settlement perched up north in Maramureş County, close to Romania’s border with Ukraine, the Merry Cemetery is final home to around 800 deceased villagers, and a UNESCO heritage site which has made it repeatedly in the top 10 of world’s best funerary destina

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Veronica Negru

Jun 15, 2018
2 min

Comana Natural Park

Only 40 kilometres away from Bucharest there’s a fairytale place called Comana - ideal to escape the crowded, suffocating city. At Comana you’ll find everything you need to relax, breathe some fresh air, eat well and do some sports. The Comana Natural Reserve includes an adventure park, a garden of herbs and spices, a delta, lots of green areas, a monastery founded by Vlad Ţepeş (“Dracula”) in 1462, and an impressive manor full of history since Ţepeş times. The adventure park

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Ilinca Stroe

May 16, 2018
4 min

Romania’s Treasures: the Musicians

There can be little doubt that Romania’s contribution to the World’s music is fairly substantial, as well as wide-ranging, for an otherwise medium-sized European nation. Examples abound: “the greatest musical phenomenon since Mozart”, aka Romania’s master composer George Enescu; brilliant Roma musicians, from the Royal Family’s favourite lăutar Cristache Ciolac, who “turned your heart inside out” in belle époque Romania [1], to contemporary Taraf de Haïdouks, seemingly Johnny

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Today’s a Little Time Machine: What Romania Makes of Its Communist Past

Ilinca Stroe

Apr 26, 2018
3 min

Today’s a Little Time Machine: What Romania Makes of Its Communist Past

Weekend holidaymakers and locals strolling on Bucharest’s Calea Victoriei on 1 April 2018 experienced the thrill of losing their way right into turbulent 1945 Romania. Streams of angered workers in navy overalls, suburban housewives with worried eyes under their grey scarves, young intellectual rebels sporting the ringlet curls of the trendy ‘40s, and bourgeois men in smartly tailored three-piece suits – all, swelling into the Palace Square. For handsome 24-year-old King Mich

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A Fairytale Destination: Romania’s Sohodol Gorges (Cheile Sohodolului)

Veronica Negru

Mar 15, 2018
2 min

A Fairytale Destination: Romania’s Sohodol Gorges (Cheile Sohodolului)

Set in a less touristy part of Romania (i.e. Gorj county, which has lots of treasures in store for tourists), the Sohodol Gorges are a 20-minute drive from Târgu Jiu and they make for a fairytale destination with breathtaking scenery! It’s the Vulcan Mountains that harbour this hidden holiday treasure, the ravine carved into rock which, no matter where you’re coming from, won’t fall short of impressing you. Particularly in summertime, the area is really crowded with tourists

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Veronica Negru

Mar 8, 2018
2 min

Brâncuşi’s Hometown: The Museum City

At the foot of the Parâng Mountains, in the southern sub-Carpathians, almost 300 km away from Bucharest, lies one of the most beautiful cities in Romania. No matter why you are in the country, while you’re here you’ve simply got to visit the hometown of Constantin Brâncuşi (1876-1957), the world-famous modernist sculptor: Târgu-Jiu. It is the museum city of Romania, where art at its best, Brâncuşi’s works, stand right in the city centre. So let me explain in more detail why I

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Veronica Negru

Jan 2, 2018
3 min

Adventure weekend

It`s been a while since my last visit to Făgăraș: more exactly two years. It was actually an attempt to reach the Moldoveanu Peak, the highest of the Romanian Carpathians, 2,544 meters (8,346 feet). It all started from the idea of spending three days in the Făgăraș Mountains, only the two of us in a tent. Tempting, right? So, we backpacked our things and went on our adventure. We left Bucharest really early on Friday morning, very excited and enthusiastic about it, heading fo

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Veronica Negru

Dec 11, 2017
1 min

Why you should go hiking in winter

Is there anything more breathtaking than the visual feast of a snow-clad mountain? All those places once teeming with people taking selfies are now less crowded, shelters are empty, and there are no bugs, no bears, no rain or thunders. It is so quiet, you can actually hear the silence! Winter is the ideal time to take advantage of the beautiful snow-covered trails. Just go out there for a short hike and enjoy the solitude. It is a good opportunity for reflection. Snow changes

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Veronica Negru

Nov 10, 2017
2 min

Ciucaș kissed by autumn

As I said before, the first time I went hiking in the Ciucaș Mountains it was in February 2014 and since that moment on, I`ve always wanted to go there in autumn: to see that view kissed by autumn`s colors. The Ciucaș Mountains, part of the Eastern Carpathians, are best known for their unusual karst formations, shaped over time by weathering. The most impressive are: Tigăile Mari and Tigăile Mici (the Large/Small Pans), Turnul lui Goliat (Goliath’s Tower), Babele la Sfat (the

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Veronica Negru

Oct 31, 2017
2 min

Dracula`s Legend

Vlad Tepeș (Vlad the Impaler), by his real name Vlad Dracula, born in 1431 in the fortress city of Sighișoara, was Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia various times between 1448 and 1476. His father, Vlad II Dracul, was a member of the Order of the Dragon (the Latin word for dragon is draco), a semi-military and religious organization founded in 1387 in Rome - Hence the name/ title Dracul, which in Romanian means “Devil”, Dracula being the diminutive and meaning “the son of the

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