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Painted Monasteries of Bucovina Romania
Bucovina offers a glimpse into pre-industrialized Europe. Situated in the upper righthand corner of Romania, the bucolic region is a place where natural and architectural treasures have yet to be discovered by mainstream tourists. In Bucovina, daily life hearkens to a simpler time. It is a land where horse carts rule the streets, where livestock roams freely, and where old couples sit in the shade, spitting sunflower seeds and watching daily life go by. Northeastern Romania is not only a romantic vision of the past, however. Concealed amongst its rolling…
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Travel in Transylvania Romania: Things to See and Do
Transylvania’s forested mountainsides and time-warped cities are forever embedded in the popular imagination. Even before arriving, most visitors can picture this fairytale land of haunted castles and fog-draped mountains. The region’s mere name conjures images of haunted stories, where Count Dracula emerges at night to suck on the blood of the innocent. But as mythical as it seems, Transylvania is a real place. Its castles are some of the most beautiful in Europe and its cities are off the beaten path gems. Though it lies smack in the middle of…
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The Wooden Churches of Maramures
We began our journey in Romania by flying into the tiny Cluj-Napoca airport and venturing into Maramures–a region that has been culturally and geographically cut off from the rest of the country by the Carpathian Mountains. It has also, somewhat surprisingly, been left out of most tourist itineraries. Undoubtedly, tourism in Maramures will pick up in the coming years, for the area has a wealth of cultural, natural and historical attractions. But for now, the area remains untouched and virtually unexplored. Traveling in Maramures was like stepping back in time. In this small…
