Travel Globally » Romania

Skiing in Poiana Brasov

travel globally — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:54:25 +0000

Many European tourists travel to Romania to enjoy the ski resort of Poiana Brasov situated in the Carpathian Mountains. This place was established back in the 50’s and today it is well known for being a beautiful resort that attracts many ski lovers. Poiana Brasov is not only an excellent place for skiing but you’ll also love exploring the place as it has a rich and wonderful culture as well as colorful history and folklore.

Poiana Brasov is excellent for beginners but the more experienced skiers would also find the facilities perfect for learning and developing their skills further. Beginners can hire instructors to help them learn the basics and to try out the slopes for themselves. It’s safe here and the place is well-guarded and well-preserved. Come here during the months of December up to March where it gets good snow coverage.

The terrain is wooded and you’ll love the view of all the pine trees. The view is definitely captivating and breathtaking that many tourists love staying here for several days at a time. There are hotels, bars or night clubs around the resort where tourists enjoy some dancing and dining with some of the excellent meals at a great price.

The city of Brasov is just 13 km away and you can also travel to Dracula’s Castle which is half an hour drive from Poiana. The locals make sure their tourists are happy so they’ll keep on coming back. It’s definitely going to be a wonderful experience if you decide to have your ski vacation at Poiana Brasov!

Romania’s best kept secret: Brasov

On the Black Sea coast: Constanta

travel globally — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:14:51 +0000

The historical name of the place was Tomis was a Greek colony founded around 600 BC – this is the place where Ovid was exiled. The city was later named Constantia after the name of Constantine The Great’s half sister.

The city is the oldest in Romania and is located in Dobruja region, on the Black Sea coast.

The best time to be in Constanta is the summer. Grab a chair on the beach and enjoy the heat, the sun and the sea. After you cool down in the waves of the Black Sea you can walk around The Casino – a beautiful art nouveau building which is representative for the city. Later in the evening you can have dinner in an open air restaurants on the old streets of the city or you can head to a club and party until morning.

Another good spots to see are the port of Constanta or The Great Mahmudiye Mosque which combines Byzantine and Romanian architecture. The centrepiece of the mosque is a large Persian carpet which was a gift from Sultan Abdul Hamid and which is one of the largest carpets in Europe.

From Constanta you can further explore the Black Sea coast and its resorts: Jupiter, Neptun, Saturn or Venus or you can have an adventure in the Danube Delta which is the best preserved delta in Europe.

Romania’s best kept secret: Brasov

Travel globally to the Moon

travel globally — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:25:51 +0000

If you are looking for unusual places to explore during your holiday (e.g. volcanoes), for your safety we recommend “miniature” volcanoes which are less dangerous.
In Buzau county, Romania you can have an almost a lunar experience if you visit the muddy volcanoes. What are the muddy volcanoes? They are formations of geologic origin, in which the natural gases push towards the surface a mixture of clay and water. The wet soil gets dry as soon as it reaches the surface and it forms cone-shaped structures similar to volcanoes. This phenomenon is not very common in Europe. But you can find them also in Azerbaijan and on other continents you can see them in Siberia, Australia or Trinidad.

A very serious eruption of muddy volcanoes took place in May 2006 in Sidoarjo, Indonesia. By November 2006, the eruption was throwing out almost 125.000 cube metres of mud.

Around the muddy volcanoes the landscape looks you are on a different planet where life is lacking because few plants find perfect conditions for growing in the area. So you can have photos taken and pretend you’ve been to the moon and back.

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Romania’s best kept secret: Brasov

travel globally — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:53:09 +0000

Brasov is one of the best kept secrets of Romania. Part of Transylvania, Brasov could easily provide tourists what they want as the city is the center of almost everything – culturally and geographically. The language spoken in the city is not only Romanian but also Hungarian, German and English. The surrounding mountains of Brasov which gives the city favorable weather conditions are the first feature tourists will notice when they arrive in the city.

Visiting Brasov is relatively easy. Although there are no airports yet, there are buses from nearby airports of Bucharest and Sibiu. The city is also a major hub for trains in the country which makes it even easier for tourists to visit other cities. As of this writing, an airport is being built in Brasov to accommodate the increasing number of tourists.

Aside from the natural beauty of the city, religious structures from different religions could be found here. The old town is home of the cities oldest structures such as the Black Church and the Cathedral. During winter, Brasov also becomes a ski resort.

Festivities in Brasov are never lacking. The Feast Days of Brasov is the city’s oldest tradition. Celebrated during Orthodox Easters the best of Brasov is displayed here. Another popular festivity that should not be missed is the Festivalul Berii or Beer Festival. Delicacies such as sausages and music complement the beer companies who show up annually to display their beer.

The city is also famous for the Golden Stag festival who saw stars such as: Julio Iglesias, Patricia Kaas, Coolio, Kylie, Ray Charles, Soul II Soul and many more.

Cheer up: The Merry Cemetery in Transylvania

travel globally — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:07:03 +0000

In Northern Transylvania (Romania), you will find a region known for its unique touristic attractions. This region is called Maramures and its important attractions are: The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, The wooden churches (which are now listed in the UNESCO patrimony), the carved wooden gates and a glass of palinca – the eau de vie that will send you to death. Kidding.

I mentioned “death” and Maramures is the place that provides something unique in the world, they say: The Merry Cemetery. The cemetery was founded in the 1930s and now it contains about 800 crosses. It is an Orthodox cemetery with all the crosses painted in vivid colours with naive portraits of the inhabitants below.

Apart from the portrait, each cross also displays an epitaph which is written in verses and tells a story about that person and a major episode in his/her life. The story is told in a simple and funny way: a man who was a womanizer, a woman who was killed by a taxi, another one who like alcohol etc. It is said that The Merry Cemetery is based on a Dacian (the ancient inhabitants of Romania) belief that death was a reason of joy and being merry.

So if you thought that Transylvania is all about bleakness and grey cemeteries, The Merry Cemetery would prove you wrong.

What else you can do in Maramures is have a ride with mocanita. It is a narrow gauge railway with steam-powered locomotive, running in Vaser Valley, Maramures. Michael Palin also tried it in his “New Europe” voyages and he liked it.

The easiest way to get to Maramures is to land in Baia Mare (the seat of Maramures county), Cluj-Napoca or Targu Mures. Then is best to hire a car and drive. You can stay in a hotel or in various houses that provide quite cheap accommodation.