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Romania is a very poor country. Its image is just as bad as its infrastructure. However the Romanians try a lot to open themselves and their country. Most people only know of one Romanian celebrity – Count Dracula. There are some traces one can follow. At the castle Bran in Transylvania one is given an impression of the story of prince Vlad Tepes, who is said to be the model of Dracula. Transylvania is also known by the name Siebenbürgen. The Siebenbürger Saxonians settled here. Up until today Sibiu (Hermannstadt) is the center of the German speaking minority. Here just like in Sighisoara (Schässburg) one seems to be taken back to ancient times of small houses, cobblestone pavement and narrow lanes. Brasov (Kronstadt) is the largest of the former German towns in Romania. Today it is a nice starting place for trips into the mountains. The Carpathians in the core of the country offer a lot of untouched nature. The health resort Baile Herculane is located in Banat in the southwest and in the southern Carpathians. The Romans already took a cure there.
Especially the coast along the Black Sea is developed for tourism. The most famous resort is Mamaia near the coastal town Constanta. Unfortunately large hotel buildings of Socialist times form the skyline of the city.
Bucharest, the capitol, was known in the 1930s as “Little Paris of the East.” Today there is not much left of its former charms.
In Romania’s north one can leisurely explore the countries past. Here one finds for example the Bukovina monasteries: Humor, Voronet, Sucevita, Moldovita and Arbore. In the villages in the mountains one also finds genuine country culture and wonderful wood carvings.
The incomparable delta of the Danube includes 5460 square kilometers of lakes, channels, islands, forest and sand dunes. Ships to tour this region start from Tulcea.
Every region has its own culinary delicacies. But there are also national dishes. Among them soups: Ciorbã de perisoare (soup with meatballs), Ciorbã Tãrãneasc (sauerkraut-vegetable soup with sour cream) as well as several lamb, poultry and fish soups. Typical Romanian are also Ghiveci (more than 20 different grilled and cold served kinds of vegetables), Sarmale (cabbage roulades), Mititei (charcoal grill platter) and steamed, filled wine leafs.
Before the food one likes to drink Tuicã (plum spirit) and with the food Romanian wines.
Some geography:
Romania stretches across an area of 237,000 square kilometers and has just about 22 million inhabitants. Language of the country is Romanian. About 90 percent of the inhabitants belong to the Romanian-Orthodox church. The national holiday is celebrated on December 1st. |
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