Travelling smart to Romania

I can bet, you are the happy owner of a smart device, most probably a smart phone. The youngsters and teenagers must have even more and unfortunately are already dependant. I wonder if they must be smarter under these circumstances.

A very old house from the Village Museum in Bucharest, please don't imagine Romania like that

But with so many smart devices we all are supposed to live smarter, and, yes, to travel smarter! What would I understand through a smart travel, and what you understand through this notion is the same thing, I hope: spare time and money, never neglect thinking to environment, Earth and the locals of the visited country. And to be even more specific, I would like to refer to Romania, as I love it, I know as my pockets  and work here as travel guide.

A Romanian marriage is really an event!

You have first the important choice to decide whether you take the full package (e.g. flight+trip) or buy them separately. If you take the full package, I see a few advantages:
-you are in a group and can hereby have more fun and meet new people
-you can find me or another skilled qualified travel guide giving you a lot of tipps and tricks, as we know the country, the places and know on what doors we can knock. On you own you need much more time for it, and will surely miss a lot of things
- in this way you can find a week travel at prices between 600-800 Euros with good hotels and half board. I know a few German companies offering these things, you can find for sure in your country, or on the site of the most important travel agencies for incoming trips, namely www.karpaten.ro

If fod, drinks aor gastronomy, broadly speaking, mean anything to you, you are invited in Romania, of course

If you are going to book the flight separately, a good choice is the national company TAROM or the global wholesaler momondo (booking in advance through them I could enjoy a wonderful flight Bucharest-Madrid for 70 Euros!). Afterwards, look for hotels directly, or, again, through a well established travel company.

Danube Delta is a fantastic clush of water and mood

And, once there, or even a few time in advance, make some choices according to your interests: adventure, Danube Delta, seaside, mountains, urban civilization, art, museums, archaeology, wines etc. We have a lot of things to show, and like deeply sharing them with our guest. I guess, for all these specific interests, my blogg itself is an important unbiased source of information, hold on!

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Et in Arcadia ego! It was actually Romania

Is really nice to live in Romania for sure. Sometimes not very easy, when thinking to politics or other big problems and issues we must face, but any country must experience something similar, I guess.

The ancient history and its many legends: Sarmizegetusa is the former Capital of Dacia

Anyway, I love this country of mine very much, and I like introducing it to the foreigners, my beloved guests. Really think sometimes to have a dream job: wonderful country, friendly interested guests and the strongest Romanian incoming agency as an excellent partner. Thus all the necessary conditions are being filed.

Only 5 % OF THE OLD FORTRESS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO LIGHT, AND THE REST IS WAITING FOR YOU

And as a supplement we have something more: the spell, the legends, the history. It is really amazing, the guests are really fascinated by this country of mine, and I am very grateful to them for this thing. Of course, all other Romanians feel the same. We are a strong proud nation, sharing gladly the natural beauty of this country.

Another simply fact: since the oldest times was Romania the same. The ancient Romans led by Traian conquered the Daciams, and so came to light the Romanian people. And the same Romans used to call the province Dacia felix. Quod erst demonstratum.

You can discover in the Romanian Carpathians the ancient citadels of our ancestors, and the best known of it is Sarmizegetusa Regia. The acces road is being rebuild, and that means you have the best conditions for the next year (not all the plans run in Romania smoothly, but let's hope this one will do).

Landscape in the Romanian Carpathian, a natural fortress

You will find there a round sanctuary having an unknown astronomic signification. You can digg, as some treasure hunters also do, for the gold collection of the old King Decebal. By the way, Decebal is a national hero, who commited suicide after the Roman conquest. Be sure to find in any Romanian city a Decebal street and a Traian street, together with  a Lupa Capitolina (The wolf female from Rome nourishing Romulus and Remus) as a remember to the Roman roots of the Romanians.

I hope you enjoyed this brief introduction in the Romanian history, and hope to come again soon with other chapters. Besides, there are many other things to discover in Romania, it is also a country for the today people, and not only for history fans.

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Essential Travel Guide of Romania

As the vacations are coming nearer, and because you might want looking for a destination, I would like to remember about Romania, renewing my invitation for you to come here.

An event, even in the rural Romania: traditionally dressed children visit the neighborhood wishing all the best

The weather is very nice at the moment, and the huge crowds of tourists are still far away, resulting the best conditions for an unforgettable holliday. It is really an excellent idea to visit Romania right now, before the beginning of the full season. It is a little cheaper (but Romania is anyway a cheap friendly destination) and you can visit it in your own rhytm, away from the mass tourism. You can do it on your own, or over a well established company. The second solution is better and cheaper, watch the unbelievable offers of 1A Vista or Bergen & Meer and try to remake those trips on your own. The difference is huge, as you can see!

A happy group of German tourists, arrived over the established company Berge & Meer. I am very happy to observe that young people also choice Romania as good holidays destination

I already had the honor to be travel guide in this spring for  these companies. It was really great, both for me and my guests, we had a wonderful time. There are a few memorable things to remember, and I must call them back from my working store memory. Really don't know if I can remember all the headlines, but let me try, and allow me bothering with these things. For the former participants at these trips it is quite interesting to remember, while the other people can find the most important things about Romania, preparing their own trips to this wonderful country. I am also prepared to receive other tourists, showing them other and other sides of my country.

Touching tenderness, Romania is an excellent destination for honeymoon or Flitterwoche

I would appreciate in this job of mine the direct human contacts and the lack of routine. That is why I love  it very much, I never have time to bother. Besides, I met with these occasion fantastic Romanians, working at Karpaten, the local corespondent of 1A Vista and Berge & Meer (e.g Alexandra Nedelcu and Gheorghe Marginean, with the risk to have forgotten other; but Alexandra and George are really competent, reliable, funny and helpful).

Romania is not limited at Dracula, but this myth could give you the necessary impulse to visit the land and book your trip

Maybe the spring is the best season for discover the surprising Romania, as everything is green, fresh and full of life. The people are o.k., very friendly, and my tourists even attented a memorable divine service on Easter, in an orthodoxe church, which is really unique and unforgettable. All the people are there, taking that holly flame, and there must be a spirit holding them together.

Shopping in Romania, during a break at a gas station

And the amazing Romania goes beyond any expectation. It is so quiet and peaceful to the countryside, with all the people doing the daily routine works, as they know from centuries ago. Really genuine, really o.k. and totally different from the daily life in Germany, e.g., where most of my tourists live. But we also have an interesting urban life in Bucharest, Brasov/Kronstadt, Sibiu/Hermannstadt, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi, Craiova, Constanta or nature at its best in Danube Delta , or at the peaks of the Carpathians.

It is really a blessed country, and we are waiting for you to show all these beauties.

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Most impressive sites and landscapes of Romania

Most impressive sites and landscapes of Romania

Wow, I got a theme, again about Romania. I must say, I love this country of mine, but not everything is pink in Romania. We have corrupted politicians (but what nation hasn't?), lazy people, stupid people etc. Nevertheless, even in the Sun there are stains, and Romania is subsequently a place to fall in for sure. Allow me to introduce Romania and explain why I do find it so attractive.

Danube Delta and its spectacular vegetation

Being a tour guide, I met Romania in the most remote corners and I have my personal favorites. It is really difficult to make a short list with selected sites and landscapes. Plus, I strive to deliver a neutral unbiased opinion, beyond my personal impressions, and that is why I will tell you about the internationally recognized attractions, as you can find them in the UNESCO list of the world heritage.

1. Danube Delta is simply fantastic and fabulous, I mean it. Comparable with Amazonia in a certain way, has something genuine in this more and more artificial world. But it is also huge and not very easy to discover, you need time. And you must try to discover it in full as an unit: people living in isolated villages; rare birds and interesting exotic plants. Also amazing and to mention is the fish soup, be sure to try it, tastes really different.

Happy people during their Romanian trip

2.The antique Dacian fortresses from Orastie Mountains, by Deva. You need patience and must be in a good shape, you must climb some mountains. But these remote citadelles show how much did Romania for the mankind: they are older than the Roman Empire, who conquered Dacia, as a half of the world. The heroic and desperate fight of the Dacians gave birth to a few heroes (the Dacian king Decebal comitted suicide) and many legends (the hidden treasure of The King Decebal is still being searched in the area).

This is a wooden church from Maramures

3.The wooden churches from Maramures started from the interdiction of building from other raw material than wood. The Romanians should obey, but made some masterpiece! Many of those churches are between 50-70 metres and really impressive.

4.The painted monasteries from the Northern Moldavia are simply unique due to the perfect harmony between them and the environment. If you are in Voronet watching its significant blue of Voronet ( similar with green of Veronese or Red of Tizian) the sky blue will overwhelm you afterwards.

This worlwide renowned blue of Voronet has a still secret and undiscovered recipe, probabli based on lapis lazuli powder

5.The fortified churches from Transilvania. When invaders, e.g. Tartars, Turks etc came, they were of course in a hurry, and didn't allow themselves to wait. A few days, maybe even hours, have been decissive for the survival of the communities and its members. The Saxons (Germans from Transilvania) build a lot of fortified churches ( about 150) where they should wait until the Barbarians are gone.

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Travel guide by LIDL in Romania/ Reiseleiter bei LIDL

Travel guide by LIDL in Romania/ Reiseleiter bei LIDL

If you know the concern LIDL only as a retail chain, you are wrong. They do a good job and business even in the travel branch, and I would like to unveil more about it, as it worth your time. I think you must know and be aware about this excellent bargain from LIDL!

The Romanian dances and songs are really different

Besides other good offers, LIDL has an excellent discovery tour of Romania. It was a total success this year, with 10 trips of this type to Romania, and I had the honor and pleasure to guide two of them, on behalf of Karpaten, the Romanian partner and organizer from LIDL.

This trip to Romania consists on flight, half board, two nights in Bucharest (first and last, because of the flights), three nights in a very friendly house from Bazna and two nights in a very good house from Predeal, namely Piemonte. It is first of all to notice that LIDL and the local organizer are very good negotiators, even excellent, I must say and recognize. If you try to book on your own in these excellent hotels you will get a double, even triple price!

Traces of German culture and history in Brasov. We say Danke!

Second, it was so nice and pleasant for me that the travel guide has much to do and organize on himself. We in Romania love to improvise, we really have this talent and culture due to our communist past full of penury and poverty. Please, don't get me wrong, I respected literally the program from LIDL, but I fought hard to offer something supplementary (or EXTRA, as I like to say). I hope I succeed and the clients have been very happy and satisfied in this short trip to Romania (only one week long, I repeat).

Romanian wines are not easier to produce! But the country is still among the world's most important producers

During the trips happened more very touching and interesting events. We took to a church service in German, as the trip is among more targets, a trip inside the German culture and history in the Romanian Transilvania. We tried the tasty meat rolls, an excellent Romanian speciality, as the Romanian wines (Cabernet Sauvignon remains my personal favorite, I can recommend it before any other wine. This wine really got something divine in it, giving a fantastic strength and energy).

Four of my travel guests had birthdays and we celebrated, of course, with a lot of wine. I had also birthday and I invited them all for a round, in a fantastic mood. A few of my travel companions discovered their roots, they are born respectively around Oravita, Constanta and Bistrita. Wait them again to search deeper, as it was really touching.

Celebrating a birthday during the trip, in a cave , of course

I can recommend this wonderful trip, I am going to make it unforgettable, and has an excellent report between price and performances!

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Discovering Romania by bus

Discover Romania by bus

There are so  many possibilities to discover Romania by bus. First of all comes not the bus, but the route itself. Fix it according your prior knowledge, interests, recommendations and main theme of your projected trip ( wine tour, history tour, culture etc, there are endless possibilities in this fabulous country!)

Culture tour with the painted churches from Bucovina  is naturally one of your first choices when thinking to Romania

Second and third, the bus and the guide (about the guide ask me first of all, I am doing this job since 20 years with huge success). The bus is easy to find, but take care of your costs and the level of performances you need ( e.g. in the mid summer when the temperatures reaches 40 degrees Celsius you need a bus with an efficient cooling system!). Speak to the bus company and to your guide (may be that is me) about your wishes, budget, time and allow them to give you good advices. Never forget that Romanians are proud to salute you there and are very happy to help you with every little matter.

Wine tours are also possible in the fabulous Romania

A good recommended solution is taking contact with a good incoming company. I personally recommend Karpaten as the best incoming company. A few of the best specialists will be happy to find a solution to your wishes and needs, combining different means of transportation and turning your trip in a real event.

Unspoiled nature for the nature freaks is a another amazing side of Romania

Another solution is to organize your trip in Romania as an extension to a trip in another European country. There are line or special buses from the neighboring country or from Austria, Germany etc. When thinking to Austria and its many very serious and reliable bus companies, RATZENBOECK REISEN comes first in my mind, as I have worked with this small, but excellent manged company. Their program is outstanding, including an interesting circuit from Satu Mare to Timisoara, over Maramures, Bucovina and its painted churches, Szeklerland, Brasov and Bucharest. And that means totally from Austria/ St Aegidi and back a convincing itinerary of 3000 km! A fantastic trip, I must say, offering you a good piece from Hungary and Austria as a bonus!

Ceausescu Palace in Bucharest is a must, and RATZENBOECK REISEN offers it!

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Tips For Making Your Romanian Vacation Perfect

How to make your Romanian vacation perfect

Normally, nothing can go wrong during your Romania trip. It is such a nice land and the people are so friendly, they will set anything for you. They will invite you probably at their homes, as they have many thing to tell and show you with a natural born hospitality.

The Romanian Mountains and the Danube are highlights during your Romania Tour

Simply unbelievable are these people for sure, very normal and relaxed. They can improvise anything, they can make jokes from anything, or making big events from anything. My tip: say them sometimes "multumesc" or "mersi", is a fantastic reward to them. You really don't need to learn Romanian, most of them are cultivated and speak foreign languages. Say sometimes the magic words from above, will cause wonders. About "Salut" (Hello) or "Buna ziua" (Good afternoon) I won't insist.

The Romanians are 90 % Orthodox and you can see many splendid churches (like St. Nicholas from Brasov)

If you are on a budget, go to the market (avoiding the supermarket chains). From spring to autumn you will find a wide assortment of vegetables, which are cheap and taste totally different comparing of what you know from your country. If you love wine, you can find some good, even excellent wines, unbottled in specialized stores. My tip: search the red Cabernet Sauvignon, you will get addicted! Even better, visit a vineyard.

Romania is without doubt a wine land (here an impressive cave from Cotnari)

While on the way at lunch, never miss "The Day Offer", which you can find only in Romanian (Meniul Zilei) consisting on a medium meal with three courses for unbelievable  4 EURO!

Meniul Zilei (The day Offer) is not to miss, if you catch it

There are a few established destinations in Romania, and these are really must do and must see: Danube Delta, Black Sea coast, Bucharest, the painted churches from Bucovina, the fortified Saxon churches and towns from Transilvania. But besides, if you have time and budget, and are in the mood, you can certainly try to see Romania off the beaten path. Which is really fantastic and unbelievable, showing a strong character and an unforgettable hospitality. You can climb the mountains, discover the the rich fertile plains or visit the cities. Some of the Romanian big cities show extraordinary urban life, with culture, museums, theaters etc, e.g. Sibiu, Brasov, Oradea, Iasi, Craiova ( don't mention Bucharest here, it is something else). And I would have a special mention even for the small towns, who are very genuine indeed (e.g. Bistrita, Focsani, Tulcea, Suceava, Botosani).

Some Romanian big cities show an impressive urban life (here the City hall from Oradea)

So, dear friends, visit Romania, enjoy it and be happy. You can do on your own, or in an organized group (I suggest the check the offer of the best incoming agency, namely Karpaten!)

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A small event, a big tragedy in Romania and the future of television

A small event, a big tragedy in Romania and the future of television

I was travelling by train from Pascani to Focsani on Monday, 17th of June. It was a nice, quiet, slow travel (the trains drive in Romania slower than 100 years ago!) and suddenly I heard a noise, I noticed a cloud of dust and saw a car wheel flying.

Searching for the deaths: fortunately, it was only one

It was for sure only a small event and a minor incident for the train, it didn't suffer any major damages. But for the crashed car turned to be a big tragedy: one man died and the car is totally destroyed. Don't give a dam for the car, but I do feel sorry and compassion for the dead. He was still young, about 35, and had no chance to survive. Most probably, his fault, but it doesn't make the things easier for his family and friends. If you are tough enough, watch the snapshots!

The TV team got everybody nervous, and no one accepted to speak with them!

All the responsible institutions came enough quickly, one by one: ambulance (totally useless, unfortunately); firemen; police; state attorney. They have been waited, and the people showed respect, love and cooperation toward them. Meanwhile, the train conductors (two or three) started to story their rich criminal records: one was at the third victim (one of them simply committed suicide by simply putting the head on the steel rail. Another one killed 17 sheeps, and the last two cows. Right or unright, no one showed mercy or regrets.

Unfortunately, this poor man payed with his life his moment of  mind absence

The TV made also a flamboyant apparition, but no one seems to be happy of it. Maybe because the Romanian televisions are very bad, and not beloved at all, or maybe because this team of journalists simply asked the worst questions, irritating everybody.

So, please be very careful in Romania or everywhere else while crossing a railways. And don't bet on the future of TV in Romania or elsewhere.

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