Normal tourists don’t stop in between places. We do!

Also available in Romanian and French. “It’s very brave of you to start a world bike tour! Can you tell us a few words about your route? How many months have you been on the road?” “The route is the following: France-Germany-Czech Republic-Austria-Slovakia-Hungary-Romania-Bulgaria-Turkey-Georgia-Armenia-Iran-Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-India (by plane)-Thailand (by...

Budapest off the beaten path

Budapest. July 2011. My third visit in the Hungarian Capital. This time we took a different approach: visiting everything off the beaten path! Since we decided to stay in a camping (Haller Camping, close to Nagyvarad Metro Station on Line 3), it only made sense to pack our water bottle and walking shoes, as well. On Tuesday morning, before 9 a.m. we were on our way to Széll Kálmán tér (Metro station on Line 2),...

Bran Castle, a Jewel of Romania

Also available in Romanian When arriving at Bran Castle, I had to resist the lure of souvenir stands that catch every tourist’s eye. After a stroll in the garden and a short break to take some photos I climbed up to the castle. At first sight, the castle seems rather shabby and it is obvious that the building needs external repair. However, I found great enjoyment in visiting the beautiful rooms of the castle....

Examen Alina

Chargement en...

The citadels of the Barsa Country: Harman

Also available in Romanian The Brasov Depression was known as The Barsa Country. Its name comes from the river Barsa, born from the confluence of Barsa Grosetului and Barsa Tamasului in the Fagaras Mountains. It then flows through a valley that surrounds the Piatra Craiului Mountains, gets some more tributaries which share almost the same name, passes by my house and then it reaches the river Olt. In 1211 all this...

The prince and the pauper on the streets of Brasov

They say that the city under Tampa is one of the most beautiful places in Romania. I don’t know if it’s true or not, because I haven’t seen this entire country yet. But I do know that Brasov is indeed special through its sights and through its troubled history. Just as in any other touristic city, restaurants, terraces and shops are at every pace. Each one of the numerous museums, citadels and...

The Route of the Three Fortifications

Also available in Romanian and French After we took A journey to the Past in the Motzi Country, on the next day we decided to head out to Fagaras. The heat had totally melted us. But first, we wanted to see a place we had heard of for some time, Iezerul Ighiel (iezer=a natural mountain lake). Near Alba Iulia, from the village Ighiel there is a road that takes you far into the Trascau Mountains. After a pretty long...

A journey to the past in The Motzi Country

Also available in Romanian and French Once again we are in Apuseni Mountains! The plan was to visit the Ramet Gorges. We knew the weather was going to be hot and we thought this could be a good place to take refuge. What we were to do there remained to be seen on the spot. It was the first time with no plans, no predetermined routes or carefully studies maps. In order to get to the Ramet Monastery you must take a...

The Memorial of Pain and The Man with No Memory

Everyone must have heard about Harry Potter: there were some characters in the book called the Dementors, who, by their presence and terrible kiss, sucked the strength, the happiness and all positive thoughts of their victims…This is how I felt after visiting this museum Sighetu Marmaţiei- without strength or optimism Try to image yourself in a simple room whose walls are covered by several maps of Romania....

The Muddy Volcanoes from Buzău, Romania

Available in Romanian and French We all have moments when we are attracted by ugliness. I think it’s useless to analyse in detail the concept of ugliness or beauty, as Umberto Eco already did that in History of Beauty and On Ugliness. There is no point in going into details related to the character or to the interior beauty either. I do not intend to talk about people and their soul. I simply want to talk about...