août 2012

For this post, I am handing you over to my own marvellous personal guide, Silvia Colfescu, with whom I visited Mogosoaia on Tuesday. I have been there many times and thought I knew it well, but of course, I did not. With her anecdotes, stories and tales of the past, the bricks came to life, the arches became all the more romantic and the architecture all the more meaningful. To share what I have discovered with you, here are some excerpts from her marvellous (and frankly, incomparable) book "Bucharest Guide", also available in... [Lire la suite]

The Izvorul Muntelui barrier lake (35 km/33sqm), or Bicaz Lake, is Romania's largest artificial lake situated on the higher course of the Bistrita river in Neamt county. It was formed as a result of the Bicaz hydro-energetic dam (127m high) and for its construction (with the plans of the well-known engineer Dimitrie Leonida) to get underway, more than 170,000m3 had to be excavated. It is used to generate hydroelectricity to the Bicaz Stejaru hydro-plant. Before the construction of the dam (1950–1980), originally named the Vladimir... [Lire la suite]

(Photo: Pestera Sf Teodora, Sihla - source) Before I leave Bucharest for another lovely few days in the mountains, I have two stories to tell you. Please scroll down to see the Romanian translation by Mihaela. Thank you very much indeed. With all my heart, I do not wish to upset anyone or make any kind of judgement. I wish only to understand and be understood, and hope that my readers will shed some light on two situations in which I was placed recently because of the religion into which I was born. A little background first: I was... [Lire la suite]

Driving along the banks of the Milcov, we could not believe our eyes. It was as dry as Arizona (see photo left). What had once been a playful, healthy river a decade ago is a stretch of dry earth today, barren rocks, a lunar landscape. Indeed, water still flows at the Cascada Putnei, but a third of what used to crash and thunder across the rocks now makes its way lazily to its destination. And the Putna river is empty, too. Vrancea has had two months of unforgiving sun without a drop of rain. The municipalities have cut off the water... [Lire la suite]

How to put the experiences of the last five days spent in Moldova into words. Perhaps a story or two over the next few posts will suffice. During my stay in Vrancea, we climbed the highest hill in the region, Magura - such breath-taking views, such colours, such richness - and on the way back fell upon a monastery hidden away on a dirt track that one could never have spotted from a main road. Tarnita is run by nuns and one of the most peaceful, inspiring places I have ever set foot in. Out of the car we got to investigate. Anyone... [Lire la suite]

(Image source) Yesterday, I went to Muzeul Taranului Roman for a superb exhibition on the beautiful lost island of Ada-Kaleh, victim of the Iron Gate dam's construction in 1971. I must confess that I'd never heard of it. I was frankly shattered by what I discovered there - the total elimination of a little corner of paradise, lives lost, the forced displacement of a community, pain and dramas that simply cannot be expressed for only those displaced know how it is. Ada-Kaleh, now submerged under the waters of the Danube, lives on in... [Lire la suite]