Around the Wolrd <<geo-discovery>>

[Obst]

Hey everybody and welcome to a brand new thread about multi cultural contacts.

 

I bet many of you travelled a lot and wanna share what they saw: curiosities, different languages, people, traditions, funny things that happended unexpected and so on.

 

The rules of the threas are quite simple:

 

-everyone who made at least one trip abroad and wanna share with us this experience, please do so.

 

-all posts must be at least 300 characters (which means more or less 3 lines)

 

-no black posts allowed (black is boring here)

 

-make your posts interesting by adding maps with the places you visited, pictures you've made and anything else crossing your minde (I know Celine's fans have lot of imagination)

 

-please no spamm

 

-comments, questions, opinions, point of views are welcomed

 

-and above all, have fun.

 

 

I'll go first and tell you about my trip in Transilvania, the land of the vampires.

 

Here is the map of this land:

 

http://www.ici.ro/romania/images/geografie/transilvania.gif

As you probably guess already the fields are with green, hils with yellow and mountains with brown. Transilvania is a rather a mountain area, surrounded by the Charpatians from all directions. Just the north-weast corner is opened providing a good enviroment for highways. This is how I got inside this area surounded by majestic mounatins.

 

First I visited Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvar in magyar or Clausenburg in deutsch). A beuatiful city with many churches and museums, dominated by a hill located somewhere in the city from the top of whom you have a great panorama over the city.

 

Transilvania still preserves many features of the old government system. After many centuries under the influence of the Austrian Empire and Hungarian Kingdom, Transilvania developed a serie of magnificent castles and cities and implementated the occidental mentality in both thinking and talking. But this vast area preserves also in good conditions the signs of an older empire then the austrian: the Roman Empire.

 

The city of Cluj-Napoca >>> view

http://academic.hws.edu/pge/photogallery/Cluj%20Church%20Square.jpg

 

Leaving behinde Cluj-Napoca I am heading towards Sighisoara, another jewlery of Transilvania.

 

Sighisoara views:

http://web.mit.edu/romania/www/Romania/Photogallery/Places/sighisoara-clock-tower.jpg

 

http://www.ri.uvt.ro/Survival%20Guide/Pictures/Romania/Sighisoara.jpg

 

Sighisoara is a city of history and old values with merry people and happy places. I went to a restaurant for a meal and I'll admitt the friendly atitude of the weater and the good food made me feel so welcomed.

 

The next target was Bran Castle (the castle where Vlad Tepes <<Dracula>> restes after a long rule over Transilvania many years ago).

 

http://www.draculascastle.com/images/bran.jpg

 

And the end of my trip Peles Castle. here it is:

 

http://romania.8k.com/sinaia/peles-c.jpg

 

Everyone must see this. It's absolutely amazing. The castle was built by the first king of Romania with features from all over the world: India, China, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Maroccco, Tunisia, Canada etc and it still belongs to the royal house who decided to make this castle a museum today.

 

The castle is located in the mountains, in an amazing area. Here in the winter people have the oportunity to practice winter sports. The mountains barely reach 2500 metres but their wildness and magnificent structure made the scientists of the world call them the ALPS OF TRANSILVANIA.

 

Bytheway, did you know that Jules Verne wrote a book entitles 'The Castle' and the action of the book takes place in this mountains!!?

 

Leaving Peles behinde I went to Bucharest and from here back to Switzerland where I belong promising to myself to return here one day because these places deserves all respect and atention. Many could have been said about Dracula, Transilvania and the rest but the time is short.

 

Hoping that I draw your attention, I am waiting now for your experiences around the world!!

[Obst]

Important: all posts must include:

 

- the date and duration of the trip (if you still remember of course)

 

- the route you followed and how you got there (train, airplane, car etc)

 

- who was your guide

 

- who told you about this place ( how did you know about it)

 

- how many you were

 

- what new things you discovered (perhaps some new food, customs or anything else)

 

- pictures are still an option (not mandatory) but the colors must be used!!

 

- make your story the most pleasent to read and have fun above all

[mazceline]

[Obst]

What's wrong hun?