Intrati pe www.seschelle.com sa vedeti acolo turism ! Ce lume !

Acest topic a fost editat de contraste: 6 Aug 2004, 12:37 PM

Contraste, nu merge link-ul

Din experienta unei prietene... in Costa Rica te pazeste armata in jurul "satelor turistice", cit despre Maroc... nu e cu mult mai departe, deosebirea intre viata localnicilor (evul mediu) si turistilor e imensa. Nu cred ca astfel de turism este suficient de "benefic" pentru Romania ca sa ne zbatem pentru el, sa se zbata cei care vor profita...

Pai nici n-are cum sa mearga pt ca a "mancat" un y si un s.

Romania era ceva mai departe daca ar fi inceput " Un altfel de turism" pe la inceputul anilor '90.


Delta Dunarii a inceput de abia acum sa fie cunoscuta de straini


Si ne mai da o mina de ajutor si Printul Charles

Traditii sasesti, fara sasi.... i-ati dat la export pe nimica toata, cu obiceiuri cu tot, credeti ca raul facut se poate repara...
Oricum, nu prin agroturism...

Acest topic a fost editat de sorin666: 16 Aug 2004, 08:46 PM

au plecat de buna voie.
btw. sasii nu reprezentau majoritatea minoritatii germane din Romania.

In nici un caz nu eu si cu tine, sau altii ca noi. Deci corect spus este : " i-au dat la export"

Nu erau majoritatea, dar erau cei mai "folclorici" si aici de agro-turism era vorba...

Salutare tuturor

Acum cateva zile am dat intamplator de acest forum . Subscriu si eu acestui post . Intamplator detin o agentie de turism in Bucuresti. As vrea sa ma opresc asupra a doua aspecte . Unul tine de faptul ca in Romania turismul nu se va schimba si nu va incepe sa produca pana cand mentalitatea romanului nu se va schimba . Lista e lunga aici si putem enumera calitatea proasta a serviciilor , modul in care unele hoteluri trateaza turistul si culmineaza cu tarifele diferentiate (inclusiv afisate la receptie) pentru romani si straini .
Aceasta discriminare de tarifare te face sa te simti prost de la inceput. Apoi este si problema conditiilor de cazare . Multe unitati de cazare de pe litoral privatizate nu si-au imbunatatit serviciile . Acesti partoni .. "adevarati experti in turism" incearca sa-si amortizeze investitiile crescand preturile si lasand modernizarile pentru mai tarziu .
Acum cateva azile ascultam o discutie despre turism la radio .. la un moment dat o doamna suna .. din masina spunand ca e in drum spre Bucuresti.. Doamna povestea cum a platit 250 Euro/noapte pentru un duplex la un hotel de 5* de pe litoral (nedand nume) , tarif in care nu i s-a schimba lenjeria in fiecare zi .. ba mai mult s-a mai trezit si cu un gandac pe perna .
Uitati-va la bulgari ... 4 hoteluri Iberostar construite si inca 2 care vor fi gata la anul . O sa albesc eu pana acest lant de hoteluri foarte mare va ajunge la noi . Ca sa nu mai vorbim de celelalte .
Ar mai fi multe de spus .. si cred ca doar cele de mai sus nu trebuie sa ne mire de ce ne evita turistii straini .
Auzeam mai sus pe cineva spunand de TUI ca ar fi cel mai mare .. cel mai bun tour operator ... Neckerman la fel .
Eu unu nu as lucra cu ei . Or fi ei nemti dar avem si noi mandria noastra . Nu binevoiesc sa raspunda la mail-uri , eu trimitand in nenumarate randuri .. nu sunt prietenosi deloc ... Nici batuti nu vorbesc in engleza . Nu am reusit sa scot un cuvant in engleza de la ei . Acest lucru mi se pare lipsa de respect . Oi fi tu mare dar nici sa afisezi acest dispret fata de toti .
Ca si calitate insa doresc sa-i contrazic pe cei doi domni . TUI nu e nici pe departe cel mai bun . Lucrand in domeniu poate dansii au auzit de Kuoni (care in 2006 isi va sarbatori centenarul) care a fost votata de tour operatorii britanici cel mai bun tour - operator (lucrand exclusiv pe baza de grupuri) timp de 20 de ani la rand (1981 - 2001) .
Ar mai fi si Tauck care a fost votat la fel in ultimii 4 ani cel mai bun tour operator la nivel mondial . Aceste companii pun accent pe calitatea serviciilor ... Ca fapt divers , ambele (cu toate ca primesc sute de mailuri pe zi) mi-au raspuns de fiecare data in 24 h . Tauck chiar garanteaza acest lucru si se tine de cuvant . Tot respectul pentru ei .
Nefiind insa activi pe piata romaneasca , toata lumea lauda TUI ... ca apropo mi-a dat un raspuns la un mail dupa 6 luni sa-mi spuna ca un reprezentat de al lor va fi in Bucuresti sa vorbeasca cu mine , iar apoi m-au lasat sa astept .. anuntandu-ma ulterior ca nu a mai venit .
Ca sa inchei as spune ca odata ce mentalitatea romanului se va schimba , vom avea parte de turisti si lucrurile se vor schimba . Probabil va mai dura insa .

Andrei spune ceva; dar: servicii oferite - sub mediocru; politetea - sub orice critica; mancarea - eventual ptr. straini, si aici ajungem deja la discriminarea care te face sa te simti si rau si prost in propria tara; curatenia - tot asa. N-am experienta nici cu Neckermann nici cu TUI dar, daca te uiti la ofertele oferite pe TV de diferite agentii ale nemtilor si le compari preturile si ofertele cu similarele de la noi, te apuca plansul. Personal, ma gandesc sa ajung cumva in Germania, contractez acolo prin vreo agentie un sejur de 1 saptamana la turci sau la greci sau aiurea, plec de acolo, ma intorc tot in Germania si dupa aia vin acasa...Una peste alta, un sejur de 7 zile extra-sezon la turci sau prin Croatia nu trece de 200 € all inclusive (da` de ala cinstit) la care mai adaug max. 100 € dus-intors pana la Regensburg , ca-i aproape si gata; da`macar stiu o chestie.
Oricum, turismul romanesc mai are enorm de mult de invatat; si in primul rand sa invete ca este o industrie ca oricare alta iar servicii, in orice industrie, sunt la ordinea zilei (da` asta tine de managementul intreprinderii: este prestator de serviciu fata de colegul tau de munca - un lant intreg de prestatori de servicii). Mari sperante cu agro-turismul si cu pensiunile da` si astea ajung sa aiba preturi de hotel cu 3 stele....Asta e.
Ptr Andrei - daca ma mut in bucale, ai un loc de munca ptr. mine ? Cunosc relativ bine vreo cinci limbi straine...germana cel mai bine... Pa

Clasa muncitoare nu mai merge in paradis. Cititi aici despre epava cu numele BORSEC

Stai un pic sa mai cresc si vedem ce iese . Eu momentan ma mentin pe linia de plutire ... oricum e pe drumul cel bun

Na ni la el, tu draga; pai atunci creste - si cand oi fi fiind crescut, i-os demult in pardesiu de scanduri - da`asta nu-i important. Tie sa-ti mearga treaba asa cum trebe` Pusi tu draga...Si daca mergi in Grecia vezi ca acolo exista si Fii domn; bea si pt mine. Pa - dan

Clasa muncitoare nu mai merge in paradis (II)

Ce se intimpla azi la Slanic Moldova

Pai, da, am vizualizast si eu obiectul muncii clasei muntitoare...Atractiv pentru domni, paradisu' asta !

Acest topic a fost editat de contraste: 21 Aug 2004, 03:24 PM

Eu cred ca s-au dat aici atatea idei despre ce se poate face spre a atrage turismul in Romania incat ar ajunge pentru urmatorii zece ani de munca.Intrebarea este de ce nu se si pune in practica ? S-a vorbit despre schimbarea mentalitatii romanului insa ce ar fi sa se inceapa cu exemplele de sus in jos ? Ce ar fi sa-si schimbe mentalitatea politicienii, ambasadorii, consulii ?? Cei dintre voi care au avut nevoie de serviciile unui consulat romanesc din strainatate stiu despre ce vorbesc.
Iar despre angajatii de la vama nu le cere nimeni sa zambeasca insa sa dea dovada de profesionalism le-ar cere mai multa lume.Adica sa se scoale de pe banca pe care prinsese radacini daca tu poti sa iesi din masina cu actele in mana.Sa nu mai ceara cu tupeu "da o cafea buna aveti pentru noi ?" Sa dea dovada ca vor sa si munceasca nu sa trec prin alte vami ca si cutitul prin unt si cand ajung la ei coada de zeci de masini si ei tocmai au nevoie de doua ore sa schimbe tura. Si exemplele ar putea continua . Cand se vor schimba conditiile din vami voi stii ca in Romania a inceput sa miste ceva.
Un alt capitol foarte important sunt drumurile.Degeaba se construiesc undeva in tara super hoteluri, case de vacanta dupa ultima tehnica nici un strain nu va trece cu masina prin hartoape ca sa ajunga pana la locul de vacanta. Uitati-va numai la unguri ce autostrazi si-au facut in timp record numai sa ajunga nemtii la Balaton si la cateva orase de importanta turistica ca altceva nu prea este de vazut.Sa nu o ia ungurii ca o jignire, am tot respectul pentru ei insa in comparatie cu ce ar putea Romania oferi ca si turism Ungaria este mic copil.
Iar comportamentul celor de la hoteluri , mai trebuie spus ceva ? Ultima data cand am fost la Mamaia si a trebuit sa fug cu copilul de pe plaja la WC nu am mai ajuns pana la etajul trei am mers cu el la parter.Orice hotel e obligat sa aiba un WC la parter.M-a luat la intrebari femeia de servici ca nu mi-e rusine sa ma ....in WC-ul dom-lui director ?????
Sa fim seriosi .Noroc ca un strain nu ar fi inteles-o ce zice.
Ar mai fi multe de spus insa ma tem ca nu ne aude nimeni. Si e pacat.
Insa ne consoleaza faptul ca ne plangem unul altuia si impreuna Romaniei de mila.

Ba, da' frumoasa tara mai avem!"zice un personaj (securistul interpetat magistral de Florin Calinescu) in filmul lui Lucian Pintilie, "Balanta", in timp ce urineaza satisfacut peste mirificul peisaj carpato-danubiano-pontic al patriei. Mutatis-mutandis, cred ca, intr-un anumit fel, la fel facem si noi atunci cand fie ca nu intreprindem nimic pentru a valorifica si potenta frumusetea indubitabila a unei zone, fie ca pur si simplu ne batem joc de ea. Ungurii au un fel de lighean (si el cam gaurit in ultimul timp), Balatonul, dar ce-au putut construi in jurul lui! Nu mai vorbesc de calitatea exceptionala a serviciilor de toate felurile. Nu e de mirare ca turistii nemti se opresc in imensa lor majoritate in Ungaria, de parca nitelus mai la est ar incepe nu Romania, ci Afganistanul.

Toate astea mi-au venit in minte trecand deunazi, bine zgaltait, printr-o regiune cu adevarat splendida, nordul Maramuresului, pe soseaua ce leaga Sighetul de Bucovina. Sosea - vorba vine, ca altfel cred ca si pe vremea lui Pintea Viteazul se circula mai bine. Daca ti-ai fi putut ridica privirea din gropile printre care masina facea slalomuri speciale, ai fi avut ce vedea. Dar asa...

Ce e de facut? Primariile (nici Viseele, nici Moiseiul, nici Borsa) n-au bani pentru lucrari de asemenea amploare. Abia daca mai pot carpi pe ici, pe colo, in interiorul localitatilor. Si chiar daca exista proiecte serioase pe plan local de dezvoltare (cel putin din punct de vedere turistic) a zonei respective, ele se impotmolesc undeva la nivelul ministerelor.

Sper ca macar dl Borbely Laszlo, ca ministru delegat pentru lucrari publice si amenajarea teritoriului si de a carui seriozitate nu am nici un motiv sa ma indoiesc, va face ceva in sensul celor semnalate mai sus. ( Ioan Grosan, "Ziua")

Salut prieteni

Am dorit sa venim in vara in Romania, intreaga familie. Eu unul sint cu buzunaru mai spart si m-am avantat in organizarea acestei excursii, dar dupa ce i-am prezentat nevestei toate datele, aceasta varianta a cazut destul de repede.

Un simplu calcul si am vazut ca are mare dreptate. Ia s vedem cat cat ar iesii o excursie de 14 zile in Ro. pt. 4 persoane si ma refer la cel mai economic mod de turism:

Bilet de avion per persoana 450 $. x cu 4 iese 1800$ doar zborul....asta inseamna cu 50% mai mult decat orice alta destinatie in EU.

50$ viza de intrare p/p....adica 200$ pt. toti 4.

Deci doar ca sa scot piciorul din Otopeni 2000$.

O masina de inchiriat clasa D-E pt. 14 zile costa in jur de 1200$.

Cazare la pensiuni cat de cat normale pe baza de B&B...20-25 $ P/P pe noapte...deci intre 1100 si 1300$.

Benzina, mancare, intrarea la locurile cu plata si ceva atractii pt. copii...in jur de 100$ pe zi.....deci 1400 $.

Pana aici am ajuns la cam 5500$ pt. o excursie pe care eu ca roman o organizez in cel mai modest si ieftin mod posibil.

Tare sint curios cam cat ar plati o familie de americani care cad pt. prima data in Ro. si din prima sunt luati de la Otopeni la Buc. cu 50 $.

Cu inca 2000$ plec in USA pt. aceasi perioada dar cu conditii mult mai bune, sau cu 2000$ mai putin plec in Thai. India, sau Nepal si ma distrez ca boieru!!

Iar la aceasi bani pot. face o excursie de aeasi perioada de timp in Germania, Austria, Elvetia, Franta, Italia!

Deci???????????????? Se poate face ceva??? Desigur.....sa-i alungam pe turisti prin felul nostru de a incerca sa ne imbogatim peste noapte!

Sorin.

Iei cortu cu tine sorine..... il pui in piata universitatii ca si-asa nu zice nimeni nimic, lumea o sa creada ca faceti greva foametei.... daca pui un ceaun in fata poate te si intorci cu mai multi bani decit ai plecat....
Ai uitat ceva in calculatia aia.....mersul la streap-tease.....

Niciodata nu m-a costat mai putin de $3000 o vizita in Romania pentru 2 saptamani, cu cel mai scump bilet de avion $650-700 (doar 1 persoana deci). Nu inteleg cum si de ce, ca nu platesc viza de intrare, nici hotel si nici nu scald pe nimeni in bani cand sunt acolo. Si nici la streap-tease n-am fost.
E una din cele mai scumpe vacante, nu stiu cum se face. Ne-a costat atat in 2 o vacanta de o saptamana in St. Thomas, si inca de Anul Nou cand toate-s mai scumpe.
Sorine, americanii nu platesc viza de intrare pentru primele 30 de zile. Le e teama de hoteluri mai jos de 3* si asisderea la restaurante. Ii costa destul

Sorin, Mistingeutt, stiti care e culmea ironiei? Ca parerea voastra despre vacantele in Ro, o impartasesc
multi de aici.Am auzit de nu stiu cate ori ca e mai ieftin si mult mai convenabil sa iti faci vacanta in afara tarii
decat in tara.
Si cu toate astea pe unde am fost in tara vad destul de multi straini, in special nemti si asiatici de varsta medie , care iau
cu asalt hotelurile si pensiunile.Tinerii prefera 'cazarea' la cort, e mult mai practic si bineinteles mai ieftin.
Cine a fost vara la Trei Brazi( Predeal) a avut ocazia sa vada adevarate colonii de masini si corturi sau improvizatii, amplasate destul de aproape de sosea. Intr-un an am intrebat pe cineva de unde este si pt cat timp sta acolo.Nenea era pensionar, si povestea ca in fiecare an vine cu nevasta si stau o saptamana din doua motive- aerul curat si costurile
reduse( respectivii dormeau in masina).

Mogaldeatza , asta o poti face cand nu ai copii dupa tine.Cu copii trebuie sa te gandesti la un anumit comfort ca altfel ti se transforma repede concediul in cosmar.

mogaldeatza

Cand am fost golan mai tanar am vazut lumea intrega cu rucsacul in spate si doar cu sacul e dormit in dotare...nici macar cort. Am fost 4 "golani", nu fraieri si far nici un Dumnezeu!!

Precum probabil ai inteles si din raspunsul lui Oiski-Poiski, alta e situatia cand mergi cu familia si mai ales cand ai copii mici de care esti responsabil.

Majoritatea celor pe care-i vezi au bani grei si-si pot permite sa stea la hoteluri...ai idee cat e salariul mediu pe luna la Japonezi??

Eu m-am referit la o excursie si nu la "sa te arunci cu cortu".....e o mare diferenta!! Iar despre dormit in masina.....in caz de forta majora merge sa dormi o noapte in masina...dar vreau sa-l vad pe ala care dupa o noapte dormita pe bancheta, mai e in stare sa conduca cateva sute de km. pe soselel Romaniei

Se pare ca vorbim de doua lucruri diferite!

Regards...

Sorin.

ps. inca ceva....nu uita ca acei asiatici si nemti veniti in excursii organizate, de cele mai multe ori vin prin mediul intrepriderilor unde lucreaza la jumate de pret. Sa-i vezi in august prin Elvetia sau Austria...cu sutele de mii de ai impresia ca esti in orient!!

Acest topic a fost editat de SORIN: 4 Jun 2005, 03:22 PM

dar vreau sa-l vad pe ala care dupa o noapte dormita pe bancheta, mai e in stare sa conduca cateva sute de km. pe soselel Romaniei
... sai si mai rau, sa se duca la streap-tease....

Pai ala ramane teapan pe bancheta, incleit de tot Doar daca nu-i face nevasta nod la scula, poate o sa reuseasca sa bage cheia in contact

BTW streap-tease...unde ai vazut tu asa ceva in Ro.??? Eu am vazut doar niste mizerii e arabi prin un cazino din bucale, ce-si bagau mainile jegoase in sanii unor pustoance de 15-16 ani ce serveau printre mese aproape goale

Bine ca eram cu Moldoveanca langa mine, ca altfel iar iesea cu bucluc

Asta e realitatea Dane, indiferent de cat am incerca noi sa facem misto....stii foarte bine!!

Sorin.

Sorine, mi se pare ca agroturismul ar fi o alternativa, dar nu prea stiu care sunt preturile. Oricum, pe cand mergeam cu ai mei, niciodata nu am avut probleme in a gasi o gazda, in cele mai indepartate locuri, fie ele turistice sau nu. Adevarul este ca pe voi va omoara drumul, cel mai rau. Si, la fel de adevarat, nu stiu in ce masura poti sa iti faci rezervare la asa ceva. Numai daca ai avea pe cineva sa faca aranjamentele pentru tine dinainte, altfel este cumva la noroc.

Acest topic a fost editat de Olaf: 4 Jun 2005, 04:33 PM

Sorine,
Lasa cazinourile.... dar la strep-tease am intrat de mult in europa...si ea in noi...pe bune...si-n cele mai amarite cartiere gasesti asa ceva
In centru le iei gin tonic(apa colorata la pret de sampanie)...la periferie le iei o bere, si aia cu eticheta rupta...daca nu au bere, merge si o tuica
In centru o cheama Issabella, sau Ameliee....la periferie Maria sau Florica....
In centru au unghiile facute....la periferie le au facute praf, ca dimineata sapa gradina....
Alea din centru toate au un contract cu japonia in buzunar.....la periferie toate au un copil acasa si un sot care le batea...
Citeodata mai au cite ceva in comun....un sifilis, o blenoragie.....deh, chestii pamintesti...

Salut Olaf

Preturile sunt cele pe care le-am descris mai inainte. Si tocmai caut locuri cat mai departe de orase...adica cel mai mult imi place la tara!! Problema e mult mai acuta....cum sa-ti imparti ziua...pleci de dimineata, ai de mers cateva ore, de vizitat cateva ore la destinatie si mai multe ore de cautat gazda.

Practic marea parte a timpului o pierzi in a cauta unde sa-ti pui capul. Faza tare e ca trebuie sa platesti alt pret fata de cetatenii Romani

Sorin.

Eu luam "banditu" direct in biroul directorului....oricum bravo tie

Regards...

Sorin.

Uite aici un pictorial al unui american prin Romania. Daca asta nu va face sa va urcati in masina si sa-i calcati pe urme, nu stiu ce v-ar face.
Am si povestea calatoriei, as putea sa-i dau copy aici atata timp cat nu ma puneti sa o traduc.
Nu stiu cat l-a costat insa, de bani nu vorbeste decat cand mentioneaza preturi de hotel (in jur de $50/noapte).

Baga Misti

Nu stiu nici o boaba de engluza, dar dau la tradus!!

Sorin.

Calatoria lui a inceput in Ungaria, de unde a inchiriat masina si a pornit spre Romania - avea sa se opreasca in Budapesta la intoarcere. Mie personal mi-a placut povestea lui.

I have to say here in that crossing the border, you very quickly realize you have arrived somewhere different. Hungary is full of tidy towns and cities, even with the occasional soviet block style building on the outskirts of town, with plenty of evidence of Hungary's ever growing connection with the West. But... when you cross the border into Romania, the clock goes ahead one hour, while the year almost seems to turn back to the 18th century in places. If you didn't see cars, power lines or the occasional satellite dish, you could be 200 years in the past in many towns and villages. One aspect of driving that we liked was the legacy of neatly lined mature trees down both sides of almost every road, the base of each trunk painted white. Not always the same species from road to road, but on any given stretch, they'd all be obviously planted as a beautification process from some years ago and still well kept.

I swear, I always saw horse carts in photos from Romania, but I figured people had just sort of sought out these photos on the chance they saw one passing by, which of course still occurred somewhat more frequently than the rest of Europe. Nooooo. This is not true. Horse carts are everywhere, all over the roads, even the major highways. In cities. You can drive through a tiny village along a main road and have to swerve around 4 or 5 in the time it takes to get through town. They share the road with bicyclists. And dogs. And herds of cattle. Sheep. Horses ala cart (which in this case means "without cart"). Chickens, ducks, geese, cats and even a pig. Bicyclists. There are almost no fences and we made a bit of a game out of trying to think of what kind of barnyard animal we had not yet seen on the road. Finally seeing a pig standing on the shoulder made it a full house. And people on the roads. Everyone stands on the side of the road to talk. Hitchhikers, including very elderly women and entire families waving in a distinctive style to indicate they need a ride. When they see that the car is foreign, the waving arms drop like rocks. Or it could have just been the sight of us.

At this point, if you're thinking that this is turning into a negative report, this is not the case. This is one of the most fascinating environments I've ever seen. We had a great time. Some of the nicest, most welcoming people I ever met were met on this trip. Now if we only knew what they were saying.

We got a bit lost in Arad and wound around in a very bizarre way to get on the track to Timisoara. Arad is a good way to become shell-shocked quickly. I say this in case anyone enters Romania and quickly considers doing a U-turn. Arad looks rough but it's not indicative of the country as a whole. It's dusty, the streets are broken, the buildings are run down soviet style in most cases and the traffic is chaotic. A four lane road with double parked horse carts and Dacias. Drivers just weave and hop the curb, driving down the cobblestoned tram lines to get by. So we did too. This, for some odd reason, made me smile. Still does. Just get through Arad and you'll be fine. We did get a little lost. The signs were Deva/Timisoara all the way through, but suddenly it was just Deva (east). Knowing Timisoara was south, we took the south road which was unlabeled. Many, many blocks down the road and after a spirited discussion of the wisdom of our choice (of both the southern route and of Romania in general), we see a Timisoara sign that points hard left. Down a single, winding, rutted, cobblestone lane, more of an alley really, that meanders through town and through the stares of residents nearby. Yet the signs DO say "Timisoara" and my wife, to this day, swears that was the right road all along. It was the narrow alley and the fact that there was a tram track in the middle of this alley that I hold as evidence that there had to be a better way. Either way, we managed to connect with a suspiciously good road after 20 blocks or so and were on our way again. For those of you who are now certain that this isn't your kind of trip, please do know that this was about 20 mins of weirdness in an otherwise much more relaxing trip.

Timisoara

The roads and highways are 95% ok on the major and even secondary routes. A few are pretty rough, but most were quite good for 2 lane shoulder-less roads. If a road was good, it was pretty much all good. The two bad ones we found were pretty much all bad from start to finish and you knew it was going to be slow going for a while and could have been avoided.

This region is called the Banat and is about as flat as the plains of Hungary. We stayed in Timisoara for the night and this is the one town that felt a tiny bit dicey. Nothing we could put our finger on. I think it's that it's not geared for tourism yet, so we stood out here in a way we didn't anywhere else on the trip. Not that Romania itself is a hotspot in general, but Timisoara is well off the usual path. Yet, there is so much potential here. To Romanians, it is the city of flowers. This was a Habsburg city and some of the piatas show how great the town can be again. There's an Eiffel-designed bridge in town. It's horizontally striped Metropolitan Cathedral in deep red and orange is just so striking standing at the end of Piata Victoriei, a very long, bustling square with the Opera house at the opposite end. Umm, there's a McDonalds here too. Anyway. Standing on height at the top of the stairs, a line of people stream into the cathedral. We entered and slipped into a corner and watched each person walk up the rug to the priest for a blessing. No pews in this cathedral, but fascinating geometric painted patterns everywhere. Later we watched the priests swing the incense in a ritual that no one else was there to see.

When I step out on the Cathedral landing and was looking across the square, I was thinking about how much fairly recent history occurred in this square. This was where the local priest sparked the revolution of 89. The protestors were shot on these steps. Cafes line the walks where tanks had been just 15 years ago. Really something. Timisoarans are very proud of this history and memorials and street names reflect this everywhere.

It was also in this square that our first AND second pickpocket attempts occurred. They weren't even close though. I give the attempts a 4 and 2, respectively.

Higher up in the town is the Piata Unirii. By the way, the "t" in Piata is one that has a "tail" on it. I'm sure there's a proper name for this letter, but... it sounds like a "tz", making piata pronounced like the Italian "piazza". There'll be a quiz... Piata Unirii is a perfectly square plaza lined with a variety of regal Baroque buildings in search of a little care. I suspect this will someday be one of the most loved public spaces. Right now, age has sort of lent a mystique to the place, especially at dusk when we were there. Opposite each other on this square are the Catholic Church and Serbian Orthodox Church. One of my favorite buildings of the trip was also here. Just such a whimisical facade on it.

We stayed at the Hotel Banatul. Well, it was very clean and the bed was comfortable and right around the corner from Piata Victoriei. Have to admit that it was very basic and somewhat dreary. Think furnishings and bathroom doors made of plywood. But very nicely painted plywood in teal! High ceilings, big room, the shower was good and there was a Tv and a fridge. For a night it was ok. Paid 1300000 lei for the night. Get used to these big numbers! It was $42. Mo credit card accepted, but three atms on the block.

We ate outside at Lloyd, a restaurant in Piata Victoriei. It was a really nice night, just a heavy shirt or sweater was enough. For the life of me, I can't remember what my wife had but I remember I had a chicken schnitzel with mushroon side items and serbian rise that it wasn't bad. They had one pair of english menus in the place. What I do recall is that I tried the local lager called Timisorean that was very good. Much better than Urqell. Had crepes for dessert and paid approx $22 for 2. This was to become a pattern, except for a switch to bottles of good Romanian wine at $4-5 per 750mL bottle.

Come morning, we caught some early light for photos. We moved on southeast through Lugoj (a very pretty town along a small river) and Caransebes on a fairly rough highway, due to trucks, and headed into the Retezat Mountains and through the Iron Gates of Transylvania.

Urmeaza Sarmisegetuza

Sarmizegetusa
Going through the Retezat Mountains is a very pretty drive but not as dramatic as other ranges we went through later. The roadway runs through a valley once you cross a low pass called the Iron Gates of Transylvania and is surrounded by meadows and forested hills. And haystacks. It was harvest time and everywhere you looked throughout Romania, people are working by hand, horse and plow in the fields. Tall, old fashioned haystacks and corn stalk stacks abound throughout the countryside, each stacked around a make shift pole and braced by carefully placed branches. They dot the horizon everywhere. Horse carts are piled high with hay; corn stalks; women in head scarves and goulashes; men in hats, kids in Adidas. Workers along the roads carry wooden rakes and scythes. There are tractors here and there, more the exception than the rule. In many towns, you see a Polizia sign in the middle of town and sure enough, standing on the side of the road, next to the sign, is a uniformed officer. To top it off these drives, the autumn colors were still in much of their glory throughout the country, with only a few bare species. Yellows and oranges covered the hills and mixed with the evergreens, with only the reds past their prime. I bet a week to two earlier would be fantastic.

If there were ever iron in the Iron Gates, we didn't see it now. Whether it was at one time literal, I don't know. It was, from reading, a choke point of defense against the many waves of invaders over the years. From this point, we rolled down into the valley looking for the ruins. We crossed into and back out of the small town called Sarmizegetusa and pulled over, trying to figure out where we went wrong as there is only the one road. Doubled back to ask the officer when we spied the site right across from him. There's not a lot left in the way of marble and columns, but the foundations of the buildings and amphitheater remain. It was a site built by the Romans after defeating the Dacians who had a settlement of the same name just up the road. The Roman way of establishing their presence. They left a last impression here that remains in the language. Further, there are a number of statues of Romulus and Remus and the shewolf we saw displayed in various cities. If I recall correctly, there is a column in Rome that Trajan erected to commemorate the victory and the creation of Sarmizegetusa. Best of all, it's a great place to get out and stretch the legs, absorb the scenery and history and there's no admission charge.

Densus
Just up the highway and down a side road a few miles is the church of Densus. Unfortunately we found it in shored up with wooden beams and in scaffolding, it's interior closed for repairs. This church is such an anomoly, it's nice to see that it's being preserved. It's down at the end of a lane in a small village, with the caretaker's farmhouse right next door.

For those not familiar, this is an ancient church built simply without plans and I'd guess without a budget. It's built from whatever the local builders could find. Amazingly, what they found in medieval times was what the Romans left behind at Sarmizegetusa. It's such an oddity, but fascinating. As you walk around it, you see red brick, giant stone granite blocks and river stone all sort of meshed together in the walls. But most amazing, as you peer closer, is you see roman inscriptions on marble turned any which way, built right in with the rest. Several Roman artifacts lie around, including one deeply inscribed tablet leaning up against a transylvanian style lookout tower in the church yard. No two windows in the church are alike. The steeple bulges in odd spots. I'd have liked to have gone in to see the bones in the floor.

When we got there, a bus had just pulled up. Not a tour bus, but a bunch of Romanian kids of about 8 to 10 years old on a field trip. It was fun to watch them getting the pent-up road energy out, one teacher pleading for order "Va rog, VA ROG" (please, please) with little success. It's always good to have a stern 2nd along, and they did. An apparently retired drill instructor of a woman who had them lined up in seconds once she shouted a single command. Cool trick. The kids seemed to be enjoying the visit and the church caretaker helped each to light a candle in the Morti box out front. (these are in front of every church). They tried to talk to us, the poor folk who could only say "Nu inteleg Romaneste". But they talked anyway, me showing the camera when asked and my wife in the midst of the swarm. Nice kids. Then came the puppies up from the farmhouse. This took time and my wife picked her favorite who warmed quickly to her as well. As the kids filed down the hill, the woman who is caretaker and we stood and had a conversation in bits and pieces, mostly in gestures about the trouble that puppies always are.

Hunedoara and the Corvinus Castle
We stopped in Hateg, a boxy town with lots of communist influence, to get gas and moved on. Use one of the pumps that don't say diesel, unless of course, the car takes diesel. In other words, it was easy to figure out the difference. Modern gas stations with little convenience stores for soda and snacks are frequently available and the gas is cheaper than in Hungary by about 10-15%. Petrom stations are common. But again, no credit cards without a pin, which ours didn't have. Just as well.

We moved on north into Hunedoara. The south approach into town showed your average Romanian town. A bit down but overall, it was fine. The more common approach from the north, which was our departure route, is heavily industrial and not at all attractive. But this was a major destination in our plans, a must see for me. As we wound through the town, my wife spotted the castle before I did, in between houses. "whoa, is that it?"

This castle is something I don't know how to begin to describe in enough dimensions. It's huge and gothic and intact, sans furnishings. As you approach and especially as you pull through the gates into the parking lot in front, it just keeps getting bigger and more ominous. I've seen quite a few names for this 14th century castle: Corvin, Corvinus, Hunedoara, Hunyadi, Hunezadi, Castelul Huniazilor. It was the ancestral home of Ioan Hunyadi and his son, Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary. Vlad Tepes' (Dracula) brother was said to have been walled up within this castle as Corvinus was at times benefactor or enemy of the Tepes. There is a very small museum of artifacts housed inside. There were only us and a French couple touring the castle at the time, so it was quiet other than a xylophone player in one wing and an accompanying violinist playing in the great hall in another.

As I said, I can't describe how overwhelming the castle is, so a picture may do more justice.

http://www.travelisfatal.com/ro/Hunedoara Top row, third picture from the left

It's not a great picture, as the sun is almost never where you want it, but the arch doorway you can just see at the top of the ramp is about 15 feet high. This place is impressive in dimension, but you've probably got that by now. The portion of the "castle" in City Park in Budapest was modeled after the real deal here. The rest are other views.

Admission was 40000 lei. 78 cents, US. A bargain at any price.

While this was a very long day, we'd awoke early (and we're not morning people) and were up almost at sunrise. So we still had daylight on our side and headed for Sibiu, with a quick spin through the villages of the Marginimea Sibiului.

A correction on the last full post. Admission to Corvinus was 24000 lei.

Sibiel

We caught up with the main Arad-Deva-Sibiu E68 highway just north of Hunedoara and headed east. This highway moves, with some of the same highly questionable leapfrogging techniques we'd seen on the other major roads, but at a greatly increased speed. Still a two lane road, but a very good surface and a shoulder. We followed the custom of driving half on the shoulder at first, which allows cars to straddle the center line despite on coming trucks. This doesn't work so well when two opposing directions both decide to do it at the same time, but it seemed to work. Got a little carried away and joined in for a bit until I noticed we were keeping up and doing 130-150Kmhr between towns. Probably not the best idea, but by that time we were at the turnoff for Saliste and Sibiel.

These towns in the Marginimea Sibiului (margins of Sibiu) are a bit more tourist aware, I think, than most with exception of the Bran area. They've had some assistance from a French agency to help promote tourism in the region. The streets in the two towns are nicely kept and the houses freshly painted in whites and pale pastels. But they're not over the top, at least not in a souvenir stand sort of way. They have quite a few pensiunes available and my thought is that this would be a nice area to stay in if you wanted to relax, absorb a bit and not do a lot. Hiking, farmstays, etc. Sibiel was my favorite, as it has a community well right in the center of town, and a small stream cascading beneath a little one lane wooden bridge. Cows mosey home through the center, sometimes prodded along by a woman in a black housedress, sometimes of their own accord. The village is known for it's painted glass icons, and there is a village museum of the handiwork work next to the town church, adjoining the graveyard. Mostly we just mosied too, seeing a little, taking a few photos.

We didn't spend enough time here, I thought, but we wanted to get to Sibiu. Ben Haines had spoke highly of it and all I'd read supported that idea, so we wanted to get there before dark. At this point, we'd skipped lunch and were in need of liquid refreshment other than Coke Light. More importantly, bicyclists and horses are hard to see after dark on these roads.

Si gata pentru azi, daca va place pun si continuarea, daca nu - nu va mai plictisesc