Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Loving Christmas Thoughts
For gifts of every kind;
All the glittering, pretty things
That Christmas shoppers find;
Baubles, beads, and bangles
Of silver and gold.
Anything and everything
That can be bought or sold,
Is given at this season
To place beneath the tree;
For Christmas is a special time
For giving lavishly.
But there's one rare and priceless gift
That can't be sold or bought,
It's something poor or rich can give
For it's a loving thought.
And loving thoughts are something
For which no one can pay,
And only loving hearts can give
This priceless gift away.
Written By: Author Unknown
Wishing You and Your Loved
Ones a Merry Christmas full
of Loving Thoughts...
Friday, November 23, 2007
Figures from Romanian Culture
...oh boy, I just hope you won't find this to be too dense!!!
Romanian sculptor whose works defined modern concepts of form in sculpture, painting and industrial design. His masterpieces include: the Infinite Column (Coloana Infinitului), the Kiss Gate (Poarta Sarutului) and the Table of Silence (Masa Tacerii). All of them can be visited in Targu Jiu (aprox. 350 km from
Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996)
He was the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (1945-1952), Stockholm Radio Orchestra (1962-1972), Stuttgart Orchestra (1972-1977) and the Munich Philharmonic between 1979 and 1996.
Emil Cioran (1911-1995)
One of the most famous writers and philosophers of the last century.
Settled in
On the edge of the despair, Tears and Saints and Exercices d’admiration (Admiration Exercices).
Writer and philosopher who imposed himself as an encyclopaedic spirit always seeking the true nature of the individual. At the age 21, he started out for
Eugen Ionesco (1912-1994)
Father of the theatre of the absurd, a true innovator of dramatic techniques. His works render his vision on the individual’s struggle to survive in a society that isolates and alienates people. Some of his famous works are: The Lesson, The Chairs and The Rhinoceros.
Dinu Lipatti (1917-1950)
Musician whom French composer Francis Poulenc called “an artist with a divine spirituality”. Known as a pianist of genius on an international scale, Lipatti earned the appreciation of the famous French pianist and conductor Alfred Cortot, who, in protest, resigned from the jury of an international competition that awarded Lipatti only second place.
Henri Coanda (1886-1972)
The Bucharest-born inventor of the jet plane. On the
In 1934 he discovered the effect universally known today as “Coanda effect”, with practical applications in different areas.
George Enescu (1881-1955)
Composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and pedagogue, one of the most prominent musicians at the end of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Enescu brought professional music to the level of universal musical values. Above you may listen his ROMANIAN RHAPSODY under Sergiu Celibidache's conduct.
Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889)
He is probably the best-known Romanian poet. Nicolae Iorga, the famous Romanian historian, considers Eminescu the godfather of the modern Romanian language. He is unanimously celebrated as the greatest and most representative Romanian poet.
His poems span a large range of themes, from nature and love to history and social commentary. His carefree early years were evoked in his later poetry with deep nostalgia.
Eminescu's work has been translated in over 60 languages. Famous poems include Luceafãrul (Morning star), Mai am un singur dor (The Boon that I Still Crave), Glossa, and the 5 Scrisori (Epistles).
- Difficult to translate due to his unique rhyme, rhythm and melody of the verses! -
Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907)
Romanian painter. Grigorescu's painting art, diverse as it was, from that of a young mural painter to that of an
Political System
According to the Constitution adopted in 1991,
The President
The president of
The actual president of
The Executive Authority
The president appoints a prime minister to head the government. The prime minister is generally the leader of the party with the majority of seats in parliament. The prime minister is responsible for selecting a cabinet to help carry out the operations of government.
The actual prime minister of
The Legislative Authority
The Judiciary Authority
The Supreme Court is
The National Day
The National Day of Romania or Union Day (Ziua Unirii) occurring on December 1, is the national holiday of Romania.
This holiday was set after the 1989 Romanian Revolution and it marks the 1918 unification of the
History
The continuity of human settlements in the
Before the period of Roma domination, various tribes populated present day
Their last king, Decebal, strongly resisted the invading Roman legions, but was defeated in 106 AD, when the Emperor Traian turned Dacia into a Roman Province. The Dacians in the northern part of
TRAIAN'S COLUMN from ROMA
Following the occupation, 165 years of intense Romanization of Dacia determined the Latinic character of the Romanian language. Christianity also entered
The Romanian people are the descendants, through the millennia, of this mixed population of Roman colonists and Dacians.
For the next 1,000 years the Latinic character of the language survived the onslaught of the barbaric migrating people and has been preserved to this day. During all this time, Romanians lived continuously in the territories of
By the end of the 11th century, the Hungarian kings succeeded in conquering
In the 14th century Basarab founded the first Romanians state “
His son conquered other territories populated by Romanians north of the Danube Delta at that time controlled by the Tartars. This region became known as “
East of the Carpathians another Romanian state “
Throughout history the Romanians living in
A
The first one to accomplish the centuries old dream of Romanian national unity was Mihai the Brave, who succeeded in uniting
In the quest to extend their spheres of influence, each of the three empires surrounding
In 1775
In the 19th century the great ideas and ideals of the 1848 French Revolution inspired the Romanian intellectual elite, which started to work toward unification. Literature and journalism reflected strong nationalistic feelings and the longing for national unity.
In 1859, the first two united were
In 1866 King Carol the First of Romania was crowned and a new era of economic and democratic development and stabilization began.
In 1877
Also, in 1918, Basarabia declared itself independent of
However, during the WWII turmoil and due to machinations of the superpowers,
Through the peace agreements at the end of WWII, Transylvania was reincorporated into Romania, bur Basarabia and northern Bucovina remained part of the Soviet Union, as the Soviet Republic of Moldavia, suffering a fate similar to the Baltic States and other Soviet Republics.
From this time on,
The communist transformation of
An important dichotomy characterized Romanian politics under Ceausescu. On the one hand, its foreign policy evolved quite differently from ones practiced by the other communist states in the region. The tangible rewards of this phenomenon included membership in important international organization, Most Favored Nation trading status in the
By the late 1980’s
The violent revolution of 1989 proved that desire for democracy and freedom of the Romanian people was still alive after 45 years of dictatorship.
However, the regime which has emerged, retaining many key figures of the Ceausescu regime, doesn’t honor these aspirations. It has denounced and abolished communism (as they had no other choice!!!...), but its methods of government and treatment of political opposition are similar to those of the dictatorship it replaced. Attributes it has earned for itself, like: neo-communism and “new mask, old faces” are very meaningfully indeed. Reports of human rights violations were numerous, and members of the opposition parties were often harassed and abused.
Despite the repression and misinformation, the political parties which existed in the period between the two WWs, the National Liberal Party, the National Peasant Party and the Social Democratic Party have been re-established. Other political organizations formed in the aftermath of the 1989 revolution.
Many disappointments lead us to nowadays history when almost everybody watch astonished to the politicians fights for the "big bone" while proclaiming their huge concern for the people welfare?! -ye' ?!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Geography
Centered around the 45th parallel of the northern hemisphere and described either as a country of the Balkans, or as a southeastern European country,
The
The country covers an area of 91.669 square miles. It is comprised in almost equal proportions of plains, hills, plateaus and mountains.
Bordering countries are:
The Carpathians, divided as Eastern, Southern and
Enclosed by the massive walls of the Carpathians, there are depressions, which played an important role in Romanian history. Romanians named them “countries” (the Oas Country, the Moti Country, the Olt Country, the Maramures Country) even though they have never had any political, social or administrative status.
The Subcarpathians form the transition between the Carpathians and the plains. The high hills offer good conditions for orchards, vineyards and hay-making. The soil is rich in coal, salt and oil.
Some of the Romanian plateaus, such as the Transylvanian Plateau, are in te center of the Carpathian arc, others, such as the Getic Plateau, the Moldavian Plateau, the Dobrudja Plateau are on the outside. They are generally covered with beech and oak forests, and vineyards on the gentler slopes. It is on these plateaus, where the famous Cotnari, Odobesti, Tarnave and Murfatlar vineyards are located.
The Romanian or Wallachian Plain is surrounded by the Carpathians to the West and North, by the
Covering an area of 1,500 square miles the Danube Delta in the East of the country is a unique ecosystem in
Almost all major rivers of
Other major rivers are the Olt, the Somes, the Mures, the Jiu, the
The alpine zone begins at about 5,500 feet and consists of mountains pines, small bushes and shrubs scattered on mountain meadows. The fauna is represented here by the bearded vulture and the chamois.
Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), the knight of the mountines hights.
The steppe, although mostly cleared for agriculture, can still be found East of Bucharest and in the southern Dobrudja. It is the land of hares and bustards.
The
(by now this is just theory as we experience extremes much over 104° F and below 5° F with sudden changes from could to warm and leading to lots of floods and other disasters!!!!)
Administratively
The population of
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Friday, May 05, 2006
Dinner at the Count's
This section is courtesy of Travel Lady Magazine.
Dinner at the Count's
by Joyce Dalton
Torches burn in front of the early 20th century Bucharest mansion. A black-cloaked doorman reminds guests that they "enter freely" and "of (their) own will." Two words familiar to aficionados of Bram Stoker's classic novel, Dracula, diners enter the Count Dracula Club, a theme restaurant situated, appropriately, in Bucharest — Romania's capital.
The restaurant's three dining salons feature a distinct decor. In the Transylvania room, hand-carved chairs, service plates from the ceramics center of Corund, a ceiling of wooden shingles, and walls adorned with pottery, festival masks and cloth witches remind diners of the Count's home turf.
In the Hunting Salon, the pelts of a wolf, a wild cat, a wild boar and a Carpathian bear cover the walls, along with the antlered head of a stag. All are from the collection of a man who lived and hunted in the area of the Borgo Pass, which the fictional Jonathan Harker crossed on his fateful visit to Dracula's castle. Tables are carved of rough wood and chairs sport black woolen covers.
For an introduction to a major figure in Romanian history, a portrait of Vlad Tepes dominates the Medieval Room. While the prince dealt harshly and often gruesomely with all he perceived as enemies, Tepes is revered by Romanians for his bravery against invading Turks and many resent Stoker's portrayal of their hero as a vampire. Armor and crossed halberds, leased from Bucharest's Military Museum, evoke the Medieval mood, as do engravings of 15th Century battle scenes, an iron chandelier and heavy, silver plated service plates. A ceramic stove, or soba, stands against one wall. Lined with photographs from Dracula films, a narrow staircase leads to a cellar level English pub, reminiscent of the Count's London days, and to a small, book-filled Library. Beyond a secret door (a moveable wine rack), the Chapel houses, in addition to tables and chairs, a box filled with Transylvanian soil. This is Dracula's daytime resting place.
Night, of course, is a different story. As guests sip such concoctions as Transformation, Elixir Dracula and Transylvania Night, the lights begin to dim and the air seems to chill. If diners move quickly, they might reach the Chapel in time to see the Count pushing back the cobwebs surrounding his coffin to emerge for his nightly prowl. First, though, he wanders through each room, presumably, checking out dinner possibilities.
Since, as Bram Stoker has told us, books are Dracula's friends, he pauses in the Library, but no one occupies its one table that evening. Moving on to the English pub, he recalls pleasant days spent in 19th Century London and smiles at a picture of the boat that brought him to England where he met Mina, his true love.
Happy to leave his solitude and mingle with guests, the Count mounts the narrow staircase as flames from the silver candelabrum in his hand cast flickering shadows on the walls. Reaching the Medieval room, he studies the portrait of his namesake and speaks of Vlad Tepes and the Order of the Dragon, which was awarded to Vlad's father, also known as Vlad Dracul.
Moving on to the Transylvania room, the Count, spying the masks and other traditional artifacts, reminisces about his native land and his beloved castle high in the Carpathian Mountains' Borgo Pass. "I've dined already," he tells his startled guests, a la Stoker, before moving on to the Hunting Salon.
As he listens to the howling of wolves and stares at the various skins and pelts covering the walls, Dracula recounts tales of hunting parties near his mountain home. "Listen to the children of the night. What music they make!" he exclaims, quoting, as always, his 19th century creator. Noticing that he is not alone, the Count inquires of his guests, "Do you prefer to hunt or be hunted?"
His head swirling with memories, Dracula puts a record on an ancient gramophone. But the sentimental music casts him into despair for it reminds him that Mina soon will marry another. With a swirl of his long black cloak and flowing white scarf, he takes his leave, hoping the dark streets of Bucharest will provide solace for an aching heart.
With their host now absent, diners' thoughts again return to the menu, which is a treat in itself as each item is named and described in Draculean words. Among the dozen or so hot and cold appetizers, diners can choose Professor's Van Helsing's favorite dish or lamb pastrami and polenta. The menu reminds diners that Van Helsing, the Count's most fierce enemy, preferred dried beef with cheese, basil, garlic and olive oil while Vlad Dracula's chef prepared the lamb dish for Mohammed II's messengers, serving it just before their impalement.
Several sour soups are offered. As the menu explains, Transylvanian cuisine uses sour cream, tarragon and eggs in a variety of soups. The egg, it adds, is a symbol of resurrection and in earlier days, an egg was put in a loved one's coffin.
Count Dracula's special entrees include Devil's Chicken in Hot Sauce ("Doubtless, there is something strange or magnetic in the sauce's ingredients which works for life in a peculiar way," according to the menu) and Outlaws' Brochettes (in Jonathan Harker's journal, he wrote "I dined on what they call 'robber steak', bits of bacon, onions and beef, seasoned with red pepper strung on sticks and roasted over the fire"). The Continental and Romanian offerings also feature several fish and game dishes. Tradition says that on St. George's night, at the stroke of midnight, all the evil in the world has full sway. However, if one stays on a lake's edge and sees a fish, he will be have luck throughout the year.
For dessert, clatite, a crepe filled with chocolate, fruit jam or cheese, shouldn't be missed. While ordinary mortals must settle for a less dramatic entry, an evening at the Count Dracula Club restaurant is certain to add a memorable note to a Romanian trip.
The restaurant is situated on the banks of the Dambovita River, a short taxi ride or reasonable walk from most Bucharest hotels:
Count Dracula Club Restaurant
Splaiul Independentei 8A
Bucharest, Romania
Telephone: 312 13 53
E-mail: office@romantic.ro
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
The Black Sea Resorts
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