Romania
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What to See in Iasi (Iaşi) | Cultural Capital of Romania
More Details: What to See in Iasi (Iaşi) | Cultural Capital of RomaniaAs I have been exploring Eastern Europe in recent years, I have begun realizing how much I enjoy visiting secondary towns in these countries (Krakow in Poland; Plovdiv in Bulgaria; Braşov in Romania; etc.). The capital cities are worth seeing but what I loosely refer to as secondary towns hold a charm that is different,…
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Photo of the Week – The Alps of Transylvania
More Details: Photo of the Week – The Alps of TransylvaniaThis scene was what we were rewarded with after arriving at the Cabana Curmatura in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania and hiking on for another hour. I dream of returning to amazing Transylvania. Too bad people’s only notion of it is the legend of Dracula: there is SO much to enjoy and explore there!
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Brașov : The Gem of Transylvania
More Details: Brașov : The Gem of TransylvaniaIn 2012, I was fortunate to hike in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania for four days. It was a wonderful experience as it was trekking with purpose: to help orphaned kids in a Romanian orphanage in the town of Brașov (pronounced BRA-shov). I have shared about the hike and the service aspects of this incredible…
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Photo Essay: Bucharest, Romania
More Details: Photo Essay: Bucharest, RomaniaBucharest was my gateway into Romania and I was eager to see this city that has always -for some strange reason- been an object of my curiosity. The capital of Romania has been called the “Paris of the east” due to French architecture influence – but perhaps also because the pre-communist elite had the airs? …
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Photo of the Week – A Night out in Brasov
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Night out in BrasovLast summer, as you may have read (or hopefully will check out!), I did a hike in the Transylvanian Alps in Romania. Home base for the trek was the charming city of Braşov. I still have to write about that beautiful town but this picture really evokes the spirit of old town Braşov for me. …
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The More Obscure and Charming Castles in Transylvania, Romania
More Details: The More Obscure and Charming Castles in Transylvania, RomaniaOn the day we finished the four days of hiking in the Transylvanian Alps, as we made our way back to our base, Braşov, we took a slight detour to visit two of Romania’s castles in Transylvania in the Sinaia area: the Peleş Castle and its sidekick, the Pelişor Castle. While these two castles are not…
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Photo of the Week – Poetry in Motion in Romania
More Details: Photo of the Week – Poetry in Motion in RomaniaNear the School of Medicine, in Iasi (pronounced yash), Romania, I learned what poetry in motion could mean… Call me. MAYBE. More about my trip to Romania? Check out the hike I did! Or “static poetry” here. Or how the trip evolved from the hike to a few more things!
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Trekking with a Purpose – the Best of Both Worlds
More Details: Trekking with a Purpose – the Best of Both WorldsMy trip to Romania and Moldova was triggered and centered around a hike in Romania organized by Trekking for Kids to support a local orphanage. If it were not for this organization, I may have waited much longer to get to Romania and, more than likely, never hiked the beautiful trails along the Carpathian Mountains. …
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A Big Ego Needs A Big Building: the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest
More Details: A Big Ego Needs A Big Building: the Palace of Parliament in BucharestFor me, visiting any city in the world means seeking to know its unique character, exploring the different types of neighborhoods, visiting some of the key sites (monuments, museums, grand boulevards, riversides, etc.), sampling its food, and watching life go by when time allows it. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the Latin Quarter, and the…
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How to Plan a Trip – and then Increase Scope: The Desire to Travel!
More Details: How to Plan a Trip – and then Increase Scope: The Desire to Travel!When I decided earlier this year on doing the trek in Romania, little did I know how a one week trek was going to become a 16-day trip – but I am talented that way: plan a vacation and then add more than originally intended to practically double its duration and scope! Let me share…