Salt mine to visit in Romania

 

At the World Travel Market zI learned about Romanians salt mine, which has a nearby d

Sp.a hotel, near city Turda near the ci

County of Cluj in Transylvania in Romania.

Right next to Dracula's castle.

Learn From bilingual Leaflets and Translate and Learn From Supermarket Brochures Overseas - Romanian

 I was going t

hrough my papers to throw away old items when I came across a supermarket newspaper from Romania or fro  a Romanian supermarket or coffee shop in London. I had saved it when I noticed that some words were sufficiently like English to be recognizable. Here is my list.

Firstly, the two things I remember about Romania and the language. The name Romania comes from when it was conquered by the Romans who were just across the sea. So many Romanians speak Italian. First because of the number of Italian tourists. Also because students come to Romania when it offers cheaper or more accessible courses. 

What's more, there is some French influence. The word merci, for thank you, comes from the French.

FROM A SUPERMARKET NEWSPAPER

Romanian - English

English - Romanian

FROM A BILINGUAL FORM

Romanian - English

acceptare - acceptance

de - of

economic - economic

semnatura - signature

stampila - stamp

English - Romanian

acceptance - acceptare

economic - economic

of - de

signature - semnatura

stamp (noun) - stampila

Wine Museums Worldwide - WOW - which ones to visit?

WoW stands for World of Wine, also the exlamation, wow! It is a huge wine complex in Portugal, on the hillside overlooking the river. The city is called Oporto, Oporto, on a hillside above the port in Portugal, easy to remember. But that's not the only place to find a wine museum.

After the London Wine Fair, where I saw the stand of Georgia, which claims to be the birthplace of wine, I started thinking about wine museums. Some have supermarket size shops and restaurants. Others have cellar doors offering tastings, sometimes free food, other times platters of food if you have a group and book and pay - and mini-shops, and vineyard visits, with self-guided or guided tours.

I have visited Vineyards all over the world, and I have been to the memorable wine museums in Cyprus and Italy. 

Italy

Italy has huge mosaic floors from Roman villas, showing the Gods of wine, and the Romans reclining and drinking.

The one in Torgiano, Italy is in Umbria, next door to and west of Tuscany, not far from Florence. 

France 

Paris has a wine museum. 

Beyond Paris is Rheims in the Champagne area. There numerous Champagne houses offer tours and tastings.

In France, the port of Marseilles was established for the ships carrying wine. 

Bordeaux has a huge modern museum of wine. The name Bordeaux means border or edge of the water, meaning waterway. Wine drinking and export dates back to the time before air travel and even proper passable roads. Then travel was mainly by boats down rivers and in ships across seas.

Portugal

In Europe the biggest range of museums and gifts such as wine stoppers and socks was in WOW in Portugal. A series of museums on a hillside, like Disney, kept us busy all day.Videos, tastings, and a plastic tumbler to take home included in the price.

The Douro museum, along the river Douro, included a sniff section. The large ground floor shop entertained me with wine soaps and novelties.

Museu do Douro, Portugal. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

USA

California has many wineries, vineyards and shops attached. We drove along, up north from San Francisco. As we got further from the big city, the price of a corkscrew got lower and lower. One of the vineyards had a train tour, but we arrived too late. 

I saw lots of great gifts. In addition to wines, corkscrews, wine racks, bottle covers. Books for keeping a record of wine you've tried and liked. Books for storing bottle labels. 

Websites of Wine Museums: 

• Vino Versum Poysdorf, Austria
• Wine Museum (Pleven), Bulgaria
• Wine Museum, Ehnen, Luxembourg
• Wine Museum and Enoteca, Brazil
• Cyprus Wine Museum, Limassol District, Cyprus
• Macau Wine Museum, Macau, SAR China
• Musée du Vin (Wine Museum of Paris), France
• https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/wine-trade-museum.html#:~:text=Discover%20the%20history%20of%20the,better%20understanding%20of%20Bordeaux%20wines. Bordeaux, France
• Museo del vino (Torgiano), Italy
• Douro Museum, Portugal
• WOW (World of Wine), Porto, Portugal
• Drăgășani Wine Museum, Romania
• Yilan Distillery Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum, Taiwan
• https://www.wineinvestment.com/learn/magazine/2021/05/seven-wine-museums-to-put-on-your-travel-bucket-list/
• Other wine museums are in Georgia, and South Africa.
• https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/travel/best-winemaking-history-musuems/?srsltid=AfmBOoqzqokP-8sps2EpFXIhSY0DOMgXWFRycZtFFHAO1WKp6bNWtsJy
• California Wine Museum Antique Shop, USA

Napa Valley wine train (lunches and day tours)

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Romania, Romania - Aaron Lebedeff - a song about Romania, Pastrami and more, in humorous style sung by Moshe Schulhof

Sung by Moshe Shulhof.

The Food of Romania

An interesting song which praises Romanian, wwine, food and women. 

Pastrami.

This song alerted me to the fact that pastrami comes from Romania. Pastrami is cured meat, beef dried and smoked. Tasty.

The Music, Singing and Dancing

Excellent updated version of one of my favourite songs, Romania. I want to sing along with it. I must learn to roll the letter R.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

You can see the original with the writer of the song, performing it. I have listened to several versions. I like watching the hand movements. It's a clap with it, tap with it, song. I love the Moshe Shlhof version.

Dracula features on wine bottles from Romania. This jolly song should be played in restaurants and promoted by the tourist board.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastrami

The Moshe Schulhof version of ROmania on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeCALnm4ljo

https://www.jmi.org.uk/old-archive/synagoguemusic/events/mosheschulhof.html

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/schulhof-moshe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Lebedeff

The opening words translated

https://adrianyekkes.blogspot.com/2013/08/romania-romania-yiddish-musical-memory.html

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My Memories of Visiting Romantic Romania, and Roughing It

 We flew into the capital city. Bucharest. A romantic city ruined by Graffiti. A walk into the old town found several  romantic restaurants with outdoor seating or indoor seating amid pictures of the notorious Vlad the Impaler. And the Romanian royal family through the ages. Plus wine bottles whose labels were decorated with pictures from horrid history or scary myths.

Romantic Romania

I loved the painted churches. So colourful. So photogenic.

We were meeting a hiking group. We went out to the second city .Brasov From there we walked around the fortified walls of olden times. 

A car trip to the ruler's castle, Dracula's Castle, Bran Castle, of earlier times was a must. It was in the centre of a little mountainside town with traffic jam one way systems and crowded cafes and souvenir shops. The exhibition about Vlad the Impaler pointed out that in his times, all surrounding Europen countries had equally fearsome and cruel kings.

Then it was off to hike through the mountains. The hiking trails were clearly marked. But a bit short on toilets. 

Toilet Tricks

You don't want to go too far off trail. You could fall over a tree root, and never be found. 

You can get tangled in branches. Fall into holes. Get clothes snagged on brambles. Be struck by branches, entangled by tendrils and torn by thorns.

You could disturb something. Be bitten by insects insects. Scared by noises incicating larger things. Who knows?

You get aboandoned in the middle of nowhere, with nobody of the same sex to act as a loookout. However, when nature's call is so instant that you are obliged to stop, suddenly large groups of people appear. 

 After I returned to the UK I learned the travel and hiking trick for improvised toilets in the wild. Carry an umbrella for instant privacy.

Bears

The notice baords were helpful. But the countryside is over supplied with over size wildlife. Bears. 

On the one hand, the radio warned of roaming bears. On the other hand, tourists were off on bear sighting trips and annoyed when they never saw a bear. 

I was not bored by the lack of bears. I was very happy to get safely back home.

Now that I have been there, I am more interested in learning Romanian. Yes, ironoically, learning the language after my return. I suppose that is the enfit of travelling. It makes you more interested in the culutre and language of other coutnries. The one things which I learned effortlessly was that the Romanians use the French word merci, in Romanian spelled mersi, for thank you. 

So, mersi for reading my post about Romania. Please share links to your favourite posts. My next post is on the Romanian language.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Bra%C8%99ov

Romania - a remote, rural guesthouse retreat, owned by King Charles III

King Charles 3 owns a guesthouse in Romania where you can stay.

King Charles 3, official portrait (From Wikipedia.)

I have visited Romania. Romantic Romania.

Where is it? A quick reminder.

This map from Wikivoyage is the clearest and most useful.

 I found a booking form on Facebook. It asks you to pick a date before telling you the prices. A bit of sleathig around revealed an article in the New York Times and several more.

I have been to Romania, which I liked, I hiked. Although I am not keen on the bears.  Whilst I was in the country hiking with a group, the local radio stations and newspapers were reporting sightings of bears by or near tourists.

You could say the same about parts of the USA and Canada. Lovely forested places have dangerous bears. Even a friendly bear would not appeal to me.

My husband and I started in the capital city, which was where we flew in.

We then went to our groups' hiking base, in the city of Brasov. We did a walking tour of the city, passing an old synagogue. Then an afternoon trip to Dracula's castle, Bram castle.  Not remote. Surrounded by souvenir shops, restaurants, snack bars and cafes.

Off for the hiking, well signposted, but you need an umbrella because we found no toilets, except at a hotel bar at the start of one of the trails. 

Then we hired a car and drove around some of the painted monasteries.

But if you like remote wilderness, there's now the Charles III guesthouse option.The royals do like palaces and places in surroundings which are spartan and centuries old. Why? I suppose they spend so much time with crowds. And their status comes from their heritage.

I like remote places, fresh air, far vistas, natures. But I like to alternate it with civilization.

USA Mountains

If looking at this gets you wishing for something nearer home, and you are in the USA, I liked America's Blue Ridge mountain trail along the east coast. If you got tired, and wanted toiets or dinner, you drove downhill and trhere were all the joys of city and civilisation.

I also liked Lake Tahoe.

Canada

I loved Canada's Chateau Lake Louise, and Banff. Maountains all around. Reflected in lakes.

For me it's a great pleasure just to look at the remote idylls. Online. Charles 3's guesthouse, along with ice hotels, is on my maybe list.

Useful Websites

https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/prince-charles-romania-house-transylvania

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/01/business/king-charles-romania-guest-house.html

https://www.facebook.com/zalan.transylvaniancastle/

https://zalan.transylvaniancastle.com/?fbclid=IwAR2-PwgpIDqYLZY47_T4CcDUhJWcFRQh8qbxLls9HK2ipxntxa0WIX9xYsM

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

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Dracula in Romania, Pictured on Wine Bottles

 

Romania’s capital and big city has an old quarter where restaurants offer a glass of wine included in a special offer set meal.

Hard Rock café has an extensive drinks menu which includes a glass or bottle of local wine.

The country name, Romania, comes from the word Roman, and Italian and French sounding words are easy to read. Some useful wine bottle label translations.

 

Wine Brands & Labels

Dracula wine has pictures of members of the Dracula dynasty. I went to Dracula’s castle, Bram Castle, which is a tourist magnet surrounded by bustling cafes. The castle exhibits claim that Dracula was no worse than other rulers of his era worldwide.

Grapes

 Fetească Albă (The White Maiden) white grape for white wines

 

Fetească Regală (The Royal Maiden) white hybrid grape from  The White Maiden grape, slightly stronger in alcohol colour and flavour

Fetească Neagră (The Black Maiden) a red grape

Tamaioasa Romaneasca (Aromatic Romanian Maiden)

 

When the waiter pours your wine in Romania you can say mersi, which is thank you, the same as the French word merci.

Useful Websites

https://romaniatourism.com/

http://www.bran-castle.com/

https://transylvaniawine.co.uk/product/legend-of-dracula-cabernet-sauvignon-2017/

The next Vinexpo Asia is in 2024 in Hong Kong, May 28-30 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)

https://vinexpoasia.com/newfront/marketplace/exhibitors?limit=24

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Song Celebrating Romania - Jiddish Song: Rumania, Rumania (Live at the 5th International March of L...

My trip to Romania caused me to look for songs about Romania and I found this gem. Rumania, Rumania. That is the old spelling of the country.

The Songwriter Lebedeff

My favourite song and recording of it is the old one set in a tavern sung by the entertaining comic Yiddish singer and performer, Aaron Lebedeff, who wrote the song. He was from Belarus. He performed all over Europe and went to live in the USA where he was buried in Mount Hebron cemetery in New York state in the Yiddish Theatrical section. 

But this girl singer in the video above is great.

Useful Websites

Lebedeff

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Lebedeff

https://www.mounthebroncemetery.com/interment/?id=127696#details

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

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Moldova - which has the world's largest and most astonishing wine cellars with Putin, Biden and Merkel associations?

 

Flag of Moldova

Since Covid-19 tourism and travel have been restricted and reduced the countries we could visit. Now with reports of the danger that Russia might expand its plans of expanding military movements, Moldova is also facing an uncertain future. Currently, May 1st, 2022, Wikitravel reports that Moldova has closed its air space and declared a state of emergency.

But where is Moldova, and what are the tourist attractions? Let us at least look at them online whilst they are still at peace and intact. 

Moldova is a neighbour of larger Ukraine, sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. The land of Moldova has changed hands several times.The country was landlocked until an agreement was reached to give it access to the sea. (The Black Sea.)

A quick glance at Wikipedia showed me an interesting landscape. Plus cave churches. 

The country's name comes from the Moldova River. The capital is Chişinău (Russian Kishinyov, Ukrainian Kishiniv, pronounced "Kishinau" with "nau" as in the English word "know") is the capital of Moldova with a population of around 790,000 plus 250,000 people coming each day for work and entertainment from all over the country and abroad. 

Now let's look at it in more detail.

The main attractions are the wineries, and a few public buildings and museums.

Go next[edit]

Nearby[edit]

• Cricova – A Chişinău suburb close to the city. Famous for its fabulous winery with an underground cellar over 100 km long. An tour, including tasting the dishes in its restaurant, plus wine souvenir will cost you 500 lei. Tours must be booked before arriving. Tours booked on the same day as the tour do not include tasting of wine or food.
• Ghidighici – A lake and Chişinău suburb close to the city in its northern part. It is 9 km. in length and at about 1 km. in width. Ghidighici is also, called as "Chişinău sea". There are many resorts and recreation facilities along its shores. 
• Orheiul Vechi – One of the most visited sites outside of Chisinau and a one-hour bus ride from the capital. It features a nature reserve, monasteries, museums, and archaeological sites.
• Mileștii Mici – With over 200 km of underground roadways, Milestii Mici is registered in the Guinness World Records as the biggest wine collection in the world. It may be easier to book a tour through a travel agency as one must provide a car for the tour. Website, phone: +373 22 382 333.
• Chișinău (Kishinyov) - capital - an administrative municipality. A nice city  to walk around.
• Bălți (Bieltsy) -  pedestrian zone around the central square and old part of the city.
• Soroca - called the "Romani (Gypsy) capital of Moldova." The hill on the west side of town has numerous ornately decorated Roma houses. 
• 
  
• The city also boasts the Soroca fort built by Stefan cel Mare in 1499. It was an important link in the chain of fortifications which today are located in Moldova and Ukraine along the Nistru river. Hours can be sporadic especially in the winter.
• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  Inside Soroca Fort, Moldova.
  
  
  
• Soroco Fort, Moldova. the original was one of a series built by Peter the fourth, son of Stephen the Great whose statue is in the capital. The original wooden fort was replaced by a stone fortress. The circular shape is for better defence.
•  On the road into town, 5km (3 miles) to the south of Soroca there is a Monument called “The Candle of Gratitude”. reach the 29.5m (98 feet) summit by walking up the 600 stairs.
• 
  
• Tiraspol - Moldova's second largest city has a number of museums and a nice park along the Nistru river. Tiraspol is the capital of the region of Pridnestrovie.
• 
  
• Ungheni is also one of the most beautiful cities .
• 
  
• The Jewish history is interesting but grim. Two major pogroms. At one time in the capital before WW2 as much as 60% of its population was Jewish, decimated in WW2. A few Jews remain and there is a synagogue.
• 
  
• The country is poor. Its top three exports include seeds and wine.
• 
  Wine cellar, Moldova.
  
  

Useful websites

Wine Castle, wine factory, Mimi, Moldova.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Moldova

The capital

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi%C8%99in%C4%83u

Pronunciation of the name of the capital

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ro-Chi%C8%99in%C4%83u.ogg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldovan_wine

Singapore supplier of Moldovan wine

https://www.facebook.com/wineoclockasia/

Stunning picture and story of the wine cellars, state owned, visited by Merkel and Biden. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2020/02/26/inside-vladimir-putins-outrageous-underground-wine-cellar-in-moldova/?sh=4bdc984b5e1d

http://moldovawine.co.uk/

The cheapest red wine is 13 pounds sterling. Rose wine at 15 pounds. White sparkling 22 pounds sterling. They are in Guildford.

Tosca singing Rumania Rumania (Live) - do you like Romania, Yiddish, Italian opera singers?

Is travelling to Romania on your wishlist? Do you have fond memories of Romania, or Yiddish of Klezmer music? This lady sings amazingly. her name is Tosca Donatali. She is an Italian opera singer, here singing in Yiddish about nostalgia for the food, fun, flirting and drinking in Romania.

More about Romania, and other versions of this song celebrating Romania, in my other posts.

I looked up National Day, Romania. their national day, celebrating reunification with Transylvania, was December 1st.

Useful Websites

Romania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

Italian singer Tosca Donati

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiziana_Tosca_Donati

Romanian Children's songs

https://www.mamalisa.com/?t=ec&c=15#google_vignette

Romanian National Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Union_Day

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Jewish Monkeys - singing Romania - with the words in subtitles

About the Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Moshe Schulhof Sings Best Yiddish Song Rumania Rumania Excellent!!! To...

Romania by composer and singer Lebedeff. 

I found two other version but this is the best. It features singer Moshe Schulhof and a humorous cast

Singer and Composer Aaron Lebedeff

Aaron Lebedeff photo from Wikipedia.

Romania - the country

The country name Romania comes from the word Rome from when the Romans ruled. The name has changed its spelling a couple of times, eventually going back to Romania.

You might notice some Italian sounding words as well as French. The Romanians say mersi for thank you.

Moshe Schulhof - Yiddish singer (1947-2013)

The name Moshe is Yiddish for Moses. Schulhof means school yard. Hof translates as court (courtyard). Moshe's father was a rabbi and Moshe was a child prodigy performing at the age of six in front of a huge audience. He has sung in seven languages.

What to see in Romania? 

Yiddish Singers

Yiddish singers  listed in Wikipedia include The Barry Sisters and Connie Francis. She sang Tzena Tzena, O my Papa, My Yiddishe Mama.

Useful Websites

Romania 

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania

wikitravel

wikivoyage

tripadvisor

Lonely planet

Angela's posts on Romania

Moshe Schulhof

https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/schulhof-moshe

http://www.israel-music.com/cantor_moshe_schulhof/

https://www.jmi.org.uk/old-archive/synagoguemusic/events/mosheschulhof.html

Obituary

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/florida-jewish-journal/fl-xpm-2013-07-01-fl-jjdc-schulhof-0703-20130701-story.html

Lebedeff in Wikipedia

Moshe Schulhof is not in Wikipedia although he is extensively written up elsewhere. Is anybody who is registered with Wikipedia or would like to be, willing to add him?

About the Author

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Romantic Romania: Dreadful Dracula's Castle, The Painted Merry Cemeteries and Picture Perfect Painted Monasteries

 Romania is a mixture of mountains and cities, monasteries and cemeteries. To make that more alliterative I should say, mountains and monasteries, cities and cemeteries. A mixture of the miserable and the fascinating and fun and funny.

Romanian Flag

We flew into Bucharest in the south, then north to central Brasov in the mountains to see hiking territory, a couple of wineries, and castles and cemeteries. 

Magnificent, Romantic Castles 

The most famous castle is Dracula's castle. 

Dracula was based on Romanian Vlad the Impaler. I grimaced at the thought. However, walking to the castle I was surrounded by happy families and excited children.

Bran Castle - Wikipedia

Bran Castle is a castle in Bran, 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Brașov. It is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress ...

A long walk uphill on a wide pedestrian pebbled road leads past banners displaying his cruelty. The castle has an entrance and an exit, a viewpoint or two, down over the rocks and green trees of the valley. Pay the entry fee and inside it has historical exhibits, wonderful old furniture and a maze of rooms - and lots of stairs. 

If you are brave enough, towards the end, there is a room about nasty things done in the old days. The guides and literature make the point that in medieval times equally nasty things were done in other places within the country and in other countries. (In fact, we have seen some pretty nasty stuff in modern times.)

What???  I was shocked. 

The smiling guide said to me, "You have Henry."

"Pardon? My husband's not Henry."

"Henry ate. Henry ate king."

"Oh - you mean Henry the eighth?"

Yes. Hang on a minute. I reconsidered. You and I must consider, that the wicked Dracula was a bit like Henry the eighth. 

Go back further in history. I mean, for example, in Britain we have in the holiday town of Hastings, on the south coast, a tourist attraction, famous for the battle of Hastings. 

Losers are martyrs. Like saints, many of whom had grisly ends. 

The French name all their children after saints. The whole of Christianity, at least the Catholic part, is based on the image of the torture of Jesus. Nobody is bothered about churches being tourist attractions nor figures nailed on crosses frightening children.

Winners are victors. Distance lends enchantment to the view. The Romans crucified people, which was a form of torture, a slow death. We celebrate their straight roads, and the arenas. And Bayeux has a tapestry, showing Harold with an arrow in his eye. Then there's, Henry VIII, who executed his young wives. And the British royal family are proud to be descended from them.  

The town has grown up around Dracula's castle with restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.

At the top is an exhibition on films about Dracula. Rather jollier than the real count Dracula story. The real 'Dracula' was a ruler with lots of descendants. Who owned the infamous ancestor's castle. And were proud of it.

You can't miss the castle which you see driving towards it from the mountains. You might miss the nearest car park when driving around a one way system.

If you can't get in to see the castle, at least, take a photo of it.

Magnificent Monasteries, So Colourful

We started with Dracula's castle, then moved on to monasteries, on side trips from Brasov.

Painted monasteries. there are several, all in different directions. I took two or three different trips. Every one different. Each one taking a morning or an afternoon. An hour to drive there. An hour to park, buy something, follow the guided tour or arrows up and down and out by another exit and back to the car park. Plus a stop of tea and toilets.

One is huge with line ups and several restaurants and several churches and chapels, each with lots to look at and read and timed entry for groups.

Another is a city, a walled circular building with dozens of different rooms on six levels for different trades, and several chapels, and a central church.

One being renovated, a passer by says, 

"Ask in the shop opposite, they know somebody,"

Yes, he says, "I know the caretaker with the key"

He says,. "I know the lady behind the shutter. Just a small donation for the ticket,"

"Mind the holes in the floor. I can't take you up the stairs. Not much to see except - the wonderful - well if you promise to be careful, at your own risk."

"Perhaps you would like to make a small donation to our wonderful building. Thank you so much."

Our group all have different views. One passenger says, "I didn't have enough cash, they kept asking for more, and they weren't taking credit cards. Yesterday was much better. A proper guided tour. This place was a tip. A building site. A cheek to charge us. Now I can't afford to buy a drink."

But our driver, who has hired the car, is more affluent and more enthusiastic. He says, "Don't worry. I paid for you. They were delighted to see us. And we were so happy. Much better than the orgnaized tours. We saw the real Romania. And I have some drinks we can share in the bag on the back seat."

We went hiking. Watch out for bears. to my amazement, guides organized bear tours. Different leaflets had different offers. 

Low price hiking tour: 'No guarantee you will see a bear.' 

Higher price hiking tour, lasts longer, goes further. "Guarantee you will see a bear, or you can take another tour next week." (But we were there only one week). 

The biggest and best of the blue cemeteries - The Merry Cemetery. 

One of the biggest, the Merry Cemetery has a leaflet. If I remember rightly, which is not guaranteed, one man started it. His family's grave marker. If you cannot afford to buy a stone and to carve stone, then use wood, and paint a picture, with blue against the evil eye. Necessity is the mother of invention. Perhaps the painted monasteries gave him the idea, or the access to paints.

Then others requested him to do the same for them. His painting skill improved. What started as a labour of love became a business.

Until his whole family got involved in painting almost all the graves in the cemetery. He and his family moved elsewhere and started another.  And another. Other painters and areas copied. You could copy too. 

Notice the little scenes of the life of the person who died. The couple getting married. The church official in his robes. The white doves.

Wikipedia handily reminds me. The man started it all in 1935. His grave is in this cemetery, where you see his little blue painted marker.

The founder[edit]

The cemetery's origins are linked with the name of Stan Ioan Pătraş, a local artist who sculpted the first tombstone crosses. In 1935, Pătraș carved the first epitaph and, as of the 1960s, more than 800 of such oak wood crosses came into sight. The inscription on his tombstone cross says:

Romanian De cu tînăr copilaș Io am fost Stan Ion Pătraș Să mă ascultaț oameni buni Ce voi spune nu-s minciuni Cîte zile am trăit Rău la nime n-am dorit Dar bine cît-am putut Orișicine mia cerut Vai săraca lumea mea Că greu am trăit în ea

English Since I was a little boy I was known as Stan Ion Pătraş Listen to me, fellows There are no lies in what I am going to say All along my life I meant no harm to anyone But did good as much as I could To anyone who asked Oh, my poor World Because It was hard living in it

Funny epitaphs[edit]

Romanian Sub această cruce grea Zace biata soacră-mea Trei zile de mai trăia Zăceam eu și cetea ea. Voi care treceți pă aici Incercați să n-o treziți Că acasă dacă vine Iarăi cu gura pă mine Da așa eu m-oi purta Că-napoi n-a înturna Stai aicea dragă soacră-mea

English Under this heavy cross Lies my poor mother-in-law Three more days should she have lived I would lie, and she would read (this cross). You, who here are passing by Not to wake her up please try Cause' if she comes back home She'll scold me more. But I will surely behave So she'll not return from grave. Stay here, my dear mother in-law!

Gallery[edit]

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  The Merry Cemetery crosses in pale blue color

 
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  The tombstone of Stan Ioan Pătraş (1908 - 1977), the Merry Cemetery creator

 
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  Short description of the life of a villager carved on the cross

 
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  Profile of the Orthodox Church located near the Merry Cemetery

 
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  Merry Cemetery crosses

So you will see several smaller cemeteries. Just stop by any church when you see the gravestones' triangular tops. 

Allow time for a stop or two. At first it is tempting to rush in, shouting back at the driver, "This is great. You must see!" 

I walked slowly and seriously and respectfully. The person you meet might be the cheerful caretaker - or a distressed recently bereaved widow. 

But in the merry cemetery, like New Orleans and other places, they think the deceased has gone to his or her happy home in heaven to be reunited with family and meet the saints, so forget your own loss, for the sake of the moving soul, like waving goodbye to a child going to school, you must conceal your grief and console the confused and distressed, because a happy face and a cheerful send-off is required.

We stayed in a huge hotel which had a huge breakfast including sparkling wine. Outside was a huge pay car park.

Within Brasov you can take a self-guided walking tour, or go with a guide. You can walk along old buildings and walls. See the outside of a synagogue beyond high gates - like the Christian buildings, also bright with blue.

For our hiking group's last night party we wore souvenir t-shirts and Romanian dress. The master of ceremonies wore a black cape to look like Dracula.

If you like all things ghoulish, see my posts on Halloween here and on Dress of the Day.

Banish your blues. Romantic Romania.

Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bran_Castle

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Romania

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Cemetery

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Romania

https://dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com/

https://dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com/2020/10/dress-of-day-126-halloween.html

About the author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker, visited Romania before Covid19 struck and is in constant touch with Romanians. See other posts on the Romanian language, other languages, other destinations, and keeping in touch online. Please share links with your favourite posts. You might also like my other blogs on giving speeches and Dress of the Day, smile with Angela.