Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Close to Λάρνακα you can find a large salt lake. During some months it is completely empty and you can walk on the salt (which was exported in former times) like in a moon-like landscape. In other times the lake is filled with water and gives a home to pink flamingos. You can walk around the lake on a nice path with many picnic areas.
Continue reading “Salt of the earth”
War and remembering the victims of war is still today a controversial topic at Kassel. The city was in the past and is still today a center of weaponry production. In World War II it was therefore a target of massive attacks. Even today you can find the traces in vast air-raid shelters and in the face of the city: the historic city center never returned to its former beauty after it was completely burned down in the last world war. In different areas memorials can be found for the victims of war and especially the victims of fascism. The memorial for soldiers which died in both world wars was closed for renovations for many years and vandalized directly after reopening: the Ehrenmal at the Karlsaue.
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In the past the main market of București was located on Piața Unirii and attracting the farmers of the region to sell their products. If you want to find something similar today, you need to get to Obor, an area in the northeast of the city (belonging to sector two). There you’ll find a vast area with indoor and outdoor market stalls selling vegetables, fruit, meat, and every kind of goods.
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Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Turkey surround the Black Sea. For the Romanians it is the Marea Neagră, for the Turkish the Karadeniz – all meaning the same. It is suspected that the name refers to earlier ideas of connecting colors to the cardinal direction: green = east, white = west, red = south and black = north. That also explains why the red sea received its name.
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The largest lake of București is the mill lake in the northwest of the city (referred to as sector six), about six kilometers from the city center. It is in fact an artificial lake created from the water of river Dâmbovița. The lake ensures a constant water flow of the river through the city and prevents floods – but for the people it is mostly a recreational area.
Continue reading “Lacul Morii”
The royal palace of București (Palatul Regal) was built in 1936 for queen Marie and king Carol II. It served as the royal palace of Romania until king Michael I. was removed in 1947. During communist times it was renamed to palace of the republic (Palatul Republicii). Today you can visit a beautifully decorated palace, the former state rooms and art museums located within the palace.
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When you’re walking through modern București, north of the old city center, you will come across the orthodox Crețulescu church. It’s worth to sit down on one of the benches next to it, to have a look at its special exterior in Brâncovenesc style, to watch the people move in and out even on business days making the sign of the cross. And to listen to the chants of believers while standing next to the decorated walls and the candles burning in front of the building.
Continue reading “Biserica Crețulescu”
Who doesn’t know the famous tale of Bram Stoker? The story of Dracula, slightly rooted in the history of voivode Vlad Țepeș (or Vlad III., Vlad Dracul, Vlad the Impaler), brings lot of tourists to the castle of Bran. Vlad III. was member of the Order of the Dragon, giving him the byname Dracul. He probably never visited Bran castle, but as everybody is searching for traces of the story in Transylvania, the castle owners use this as good marketing. Within the castle you can find a small exhibition about vampires and other fictional creatures known in Romania.
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The Black Church is the main sight of Brașov, Romania. It is a protestant (formerly catholic) church in Gothic style built in the 13th century CE. In 1689 the city was burning, and the walls of the church turned black by the fire, therefore it received its current name. As an important church of the Siebenbürger Sachsen you can discover German inscriptions in several places.
Continue reading “Biserica Neagră”
Transylvania (or Siebenbürgen) is a region of Romania where different languages are spoken. It was once part of Austria-Hungary, and the Siebenbürger Sachsen have settled there, bringing the German language and culture to this area. Therefore, the cities always have at least two names: Bran is also Törzburg, Sibiu can be referenced to as Hermannstadt and Brașov is also known as Kronstadt (city of the crown). Transylvania itself translates as ‘through the forest’.
Continue reading “Kronstadt”