"Romania is rich in culture and natural resources, but it has long been one of Europe's poorest and least developed countries." I heard this often and I agree. I know that my country don't have the same "quality of life" like others countries from Europe have but It shouldn't be ignored.
I am tired of trying to convince people that we have also singers, actors, television and that Romanian language is not a Slavonic language, we don't speak Russian language!!! Actually we have a Latin language like Spanish Italian French etc. The problem is that we was surrounded by countries like Bulgaria, Ukraine and Serbia which speak Slavonic languages so we took some words from these countries. There was an Romanian writer who said that Romania is " an island of Latinity " because is the only country from the East Europe who speaks a Latin language.
When I lived in Romania I didn't remark anything strange but when I emigrated in Sweden I discovered that peoples from "my new country" knew nothing about this region from Europe. In Gutenberg ( my city ) lives more than 30000 peoples from Serbia or Bosnia but not so many from Romania so it is difficult for me to make new friends.
However when my classmates found a book with "Dracula" everybody remembered that this character comes from Romania. I realize that this legend is also a part from my culture and maybe the most famous one but I like more the novels written by Romanian writers (Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creanga, I.L.Caragiale, Titu Maiorescu, LucianBlaga Mircea Eliade etc) ,Romanian marvelous landscape, Romanian traditions and customs etc.
I remembered a singer from France who had a concert in Bucharest. Everything was awesome. Peoples were happy, that singer had a beautiful voice…but at the end of the song
she didn't mention Bucharest, she said "Thank you very much Bulgaria ". How can this be possible ?
I should say that Romania has three important attraction for tourists. Firstly it has the Danube and a beautiful Danube Delta, secondly Romania has also an harbor and an remarkable city ( Constanta ) near the Black sea and of course Black sea. The third can be Carpathian mountains from Transylvania.
Nevertheless I advice you to visit the Black sea in the summer and Carpathian mountains from Transylvania in the winter. The reason is simple: you can swim when it's warm and to ski when it's cold. In Transylvania you can visit also several monasteries and castles like: Peles castle, Bran castle from Brasov county, Huniazilor castle from Hunedoara county ,the palace from Mogosoaia etc.
I know that the gypsies have a bad reputation all over the world but in Romania gypsies are divided into two parts. There are gypsies who still "drive the cart " and gypsies who have the same life like a Romanian people ( have a car*,a flat, a TV, a computer, etc) I am proud of them (the last category) because they developed a kind of music that exist only in Romania so they contribute at Romanian's culture. The name of the music they created is "manele" and it sound like Turkish music. I don't think that this word (manele )can be translated into English. Now I will present you three of the most important cities from Romania.(My opinion )
Constanta: Constanta is located in Eastern Romania (County:Constanta) and was inhabited since 700 BC when Greeks founded it as a colony. Nowadays has a population of 345,000.
As main attractions I should say: -Black Sea -Constanta Casino, Greek Church, Palace of Justice, Great Mosque, Roman Catholic Cathedral, Museum of Art, The Naval Museum, Military History Museum, Natural History ,Aquarium and Plannetarium, Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Tomis (600 B.C.)
Accommodations
Three star Hotels (mid-scale) Capri, Guci, Intim, Millenium, Palace
Two star Hotels (mid-scale) Astoria, Dobrogea, Sport, Tineretului
One star Hotels (budget) Tibotur, Unirii
Camping Hanul Piratilor, Mamaia, Pescaresc, Tur
Constanta - Useful Telephone Numbers: Airport - 255. 177 or 258.378 Ambulance - 961 Hospital - 662. 222 Police - 955 or 655. 050 Traian Station - 614. 960 Tourist Information - 722 - 422.096*
Airports Mihail Kogalniceanu Airport - 15 miles from downtown Constanta. Taxi from Airport to downtown: $ 5.00
Train Station Constanta Train Station (Gara Constanta) Daily connections to / from any city in Romania.
Taxi companies: General Taxi, telephone: 953 Romaris, telephone: 690.000
Timisoara: This city is located in Western Romania (County: Timis) and has a population of 330,000.
Airports Timisoara International Airport - 7 miles from downtown International flights: scheduled flights to/ from several cities in Austria, Italy, Germany Taxi from Timisoara airport to downtown: $5.00
Train stations Gara Timisoara Nord (Timisoara North - main Train Station) Strada Garii nr. 2 (1 mile from downtown) Daily connections to / from Romania's main cities Daily connections to / from Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic
Ruins of Timisoara Fortress, Huniady Castle, Pasha's Wheel, Iosefin and Fabric residential areas, Roman Catholic Cathedral, Dicasterial Palace, Corso shopping area, College, Water Tower, Old City Hall, Palace of Justice, Medicine and Farmacy Institute, Botanical Garden Banat Museum (includes Art Section, Natural History Section, Etnography Section), Village Museum Timisoara Philharmonic, National Drama Theater, Opera House, State Theater, German Teater, Marionette Theater
Timisoara - Useful Telephone Numbers: Airport - 191. 637 Ambulance - 961 Hospital - 433.612 or 163.343 Police - 955 Train Station - 191.696 Tourist Information - 057 - 253.439*
Useful information: It should be known that in Timisoara are a lot of restaurants where you can eat Romanian traditional food like "sarmale". This kind of food is prepared using meat and cabbage leaves. I can't explain you how to prepare this because I don't know. I've never assisted my mother when she prepared it. However restaurants from Timisoara offer good services and excellent food. You can choose among restaurants with traditional , Hungarian, Italian, Greek or Chinese cuisine too.
Some restaurants: -PizzOsteria Toscana Da Toni - 0256 490298 -Restaurant Ambasador - 0256 306880 -Restaurant Banatean - 0256 493097 - Restaurant Celentano - 0256 435201 -Restaurant International - 0256 490193
Bucharest:
Romania's capital was once known as the "Little Paris." It is inhabited since 500 BC and a Romanian legend has it that the city of Bucharest was founded by a shepherd named "Bucur", whose name means "joy". Remodeled, in the late 19th century, by French and French-trained architects Bucharest even features a Triumphal Arch on the elegant Soseaua Kiseleff, a boulevard longer that Paris' famed Champs-Elysees.
Bucharest is situated in Southern Romania and has a population of 2.1 million peoples.
Airports: OTOPENI International Airport - 12 miles from downtown Domestic Flights: Scheduled daily flights to / from Romania's main cities. International flights: scheduled flights to / from main cities in Europe, North America and Asia. Otopeni Airport Information: Telephone 230 00 22 or 230 00 42 or 204 10 00
BANEASA Airport - 6 miles from downtown Domestic flights: Scheduled daily flights to / from Romania's main cities International flights: Scheduled flights to/ from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova Telephone 232 00 20 or 232 00 22
Train stations: Gara de Nord (North Train Station) Piata Garii de Nord (3 miles from downtown) All international and most InterCity / long distance domestic routes. Daily connections to / from Romania's main cities. Daily connections to / from Europe's main cities. Telephone: 9521
International Bus Companies serving Bucharest ATLASSIB Scheduled service to Germany, Italy, France, Sweden. Telephone: 330 79 80 / Website: atlassib.ro DOUBLE T Scheduled service to Austria, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Greece. Telephone: 313 36 42 / E-mail: doublet@fx.ro
Accommodations 5-star Hotels (luxury) Intercontinental, Athenee Palace-Hilton, Marriott, Crowne Plaza 4-star Hotels(upscale) Bucuresti, Continental, Lebada, Lido, Majestic, Sofitel 3-star Hotels (mid-scale) Bulevard, Best Western Parc, Bucharest Airport, Capitol, Caro, Central, Dalin, Helvetia, Ibis, Minerva, Sky Gate (Airport), Sport 2-star Hotels(mid-scale) Astoria, Banat, Batistei, Floreasca, Hanul lui Manuc, Triumf 1-star Hotels (budget) Bucegi, Carpati, Cerna, Marna, Muntenia, Turist Hostels Elvis, Vila Helga, Vila 11 Hostel, Pensiunea Rogati
Main attractions Bucharest has more than 30 museums, 22 theaters, opera houses and concert halls, 18 art galleries, lots of libraries and bookstores. Architecture of the Historic Center: Calea Victoriei, Piata Palatului, Bulevardul Bratianu, Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta, Strada Lispcani, Piata Romana, Piata Victoriei, Bulevardul Aviatorilor, Soseaua Kiseleff, Bulevardul Dacia, Muzeul Satului (Village Museum), Catedrala Patriarhala, Cismigiu (Park),The Parliament Palace etc
Conclusion: Finish! I want to finish now because I can't fell my fingers anymore. So which is the conclusion? If you are not a millionaire you can come and visit Romania but if you can afford more you can choose an exotic location. However it depend of your tastes. It is a good chance for students to spend their free time "discovering" another country without paying too much.
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Advantages: Culture, People, Scenery, Cities, Difference to the UK Disadvantages: Food - if you don't like difference, Travel - 5.5 hours by road from Bucharest to Sibiu!
harperdude 12.11.2006 (12.11.2006)
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Review of General: Romania
Feb 4th, 2006
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