13863

Romania: Romania Road Trip: Day 5

After the morning swim in the Black Sea we moved forward towards the Danube Delta, the second largest river delta in Europe.

Previous days of our road trip: Day 4, Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

The Black Sea has an area of 436,400 km2, a maximum depth of 2,212 m, and a volume of 547,000 km3. The Black Sea has a positive water balance; that is, a net outflow of water 300 km3 per year through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea. 

 

Water was cold, so the swimming didn't take long.

Start of our boat trip on Delta Dunării - Danube Delta. 1st row: Gašper, Tina, Špela; 2nd row: Tuši, Nada, Miha; 3rd row: Rok, Špela, Luka, 4th row: Captain

 

Beer shopping and start of our journey

 

The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania (Tulcea County), while its northern part, on the left bank of the Chilia arm, is situated in Ukraine (Odessa Oblast). Its approximate surface area is 4,152 km2, of which 3,446 km2 is in Romania.

 

The modern Danube Delta began to form after 4000 BCE in a bay of the Black Sea, when the sea rose to its present level. A sandy barrier blocked the Danube bay where the river initially built its delta.

 

 

The Danube Delta falls within the Pannonian steppe ecosystem of eastern Europe, with Mediterranean influences. As a young region in full process of consolidation, the Danube Delta represents a very favourable place for the development of highly diverse flora and fauna.

Local stuff was good

In 1991, the Romanian part of the Danube Delta became part of UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. Around 2,733 km2 of the delta are strictly protected areas.

 

Time for a quick stop and refreshments

Our boat trip was over so we again continued with our van. Since there aren't many bridges over the Danube river, we crossed it on a ferry, from Smârdan to Brăila.

Our dinner in Cîmpineanca near Focșani with Slovenian and Romanian ingredients

13862

Romania: Romania Road Trip: Day 4

On our 4th day of the trip across Romania we decided to reach the Black Sea coast and the city Constanța, historically known as Tomis and the oldest continuously inhabited city in Romania. On our way there we crossed the Danube river, Europe's second-longest river, near the city Cernavodă, where the Romanians have their Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.

Previous days of our road trip: Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1.

Victor Babeș National Institute of Pathology

 

Over Dâmbovița River to Opera Naţională București (Romanian National Opera) with the statue of George Enescu 

 

In Parcul Operei

 

Towards a new GeoCache

 

Unfinished Casa Radio and Biserica "Cuibul cu Barză"

 

Another GeoCache took us to this nice place

Ready to take off

  

Driving towards Constanța

Huge Rapeseed fields

Lake near the chalk hill

The rock churches of Murflatlar, carved into a chalk hill were discovered in 1957. The excavations conducted in 1957–1960 uncovered of a complex of cells-dwellings, 4 small and 2 larger churches, crypts and tombs, all dating from 9th – 11th century.

 

Rok is everywhere

Basarabi Cave Complex

Lunch time near the local shop in Murfatlar

Danube–Black Sea Canal (Canalul Dunăre – Marea Neagră) runs from Cernavodă, on the Danube, to Constanța (southern arm, as main branch), and to Năvodari (northern arm), on the Black Sea.

Mănăstirea Basarabi

 

Dinner time in Eforie, south of Constanța

GeoCaches found:
- Opera Park, GC4182P
- Nu mor caii cand vor cainii, GC4MHQ1

13861

Romania: Romania Road Trip: Day 3

Today our van had a day off and we explored the Romania's capital, Bucharest. The city is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River and has an approximate population of 2 million people.

Some interesting information and facts about the city:

• The legends say that the city has been named after a shepherd called Bucur, in love with a young lady called Dâmboviţa. Yes, just like the river that crosses the city.
• The Palace of Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world, right after the Pentagon. It is also the most expensive and the heaviest building in the world.
• Calea Victoriei was the first road built in Bucharest and initially called The Wooden Road, because it was paved with tree trunks and planks.
• The Bucharestians passion for cinema started way back in 1896. That’s when the first cinematographic projection took place. 
• More than 10,000 people are bitten by stray-dogs in Bucharest every year.
• It is among the top 15 cities in the world with the fastest internet connection with an average download speed of 95.18 Mbps.

Sources:

• https://interestingtimes.ro/10-interesting-facts-about-bucharest/
• https://estimator.faector.nl/article/2016-01-25-8-remarkable-facts-about-bucharest

Previous days of our road trip: Day 2 and Day 1.

Our day started with visiting the Cișmigiu Gardens.  They form the oldest and, at 16 hectares, the largest park in city's central area.

The park was built in 1847 around an artificial lake.

Rok, Tuši and Miha in the park

 

Capitol Summer Theater was built at the beginning of the 20th century according to the plans of the architect Nicolae Nenciulescu and it is now a dilapidated space near the Cercul Militar Național (Palace of the National Military Circle), built in 1911 by architect Dimitrie Maimarolu.

  

Miha, Rok, Nada and me moved on and checked the Piața Revoluției - Revolution Square
Left photo: Monumentul lui Iuliu Maniu din București - Monument dedicated to Iuliu Maniu who served as the Prime Minister of Romania for three terms during 1928–1933. He was opposed to communism and so he was imprisoned in 1947 when the communists came to power. He died in 1953 in Sighet prison.
Centre photo: Nada, Rok, Miha and Tuši
Right photo: Memorialul Renaşterii (Memorial of Rebirth), that commemorates the struggles and victims of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which overthrew Communism. The memorial complex was inaugurated in August 2005 in Revolution Square, where Romania's Communist-era dictator, Nicolae Ceauşescu, was publicly overthrown in December 1989.

Frontal view to Biblioteca Centrală Universitară - Central University Library, that was founded in 1895 on land bought by King Carol I of Romania and therefore we also have its statue infront of the building.

Ateneul Român - Romanian Athenaeum, a concert hall, was opened in 1888. On December 29, 1919, the Atheneum was the site of the conference of leading Romanians who voted to ratify the unification of Bessarabia, Transylvania, and Bukovina with the Romanian Old Kingdom to constitute Greater Romania.

 

Time to drink a beer in the centre of the city

House close to the museum dedicated to Theodor Aman

Palatul Primaverii - The “Ceauşescu Mansion” was for a quarter of a century (1965-1989) the private residence of Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu and of their children, Nicu, Zoia, and Valentin. Homepage.

Cheap beer in front of the market is always a good idea

View over Lacul Herăstrău (Herăstrău Lake) to Casa Presei Libere (House of the Free Press).

Cimitirul Eroii Sovietici - Soviet War Memorial & Cemetery - The graves of a few hundred soldiers of the Soviet Union, killed in the brief period of fighting that preceded the Red Army's march into Bucharest in 1944 are found beside a typically Soviet statue of a brave soldier carrying the red flag towards a bright socialist future.

Another break in the park Parcul Unirii

Palatul Parlamentului - Palace of the Parliament is the seat of the Parliament of Romania and the second-largest administrative building in the world. In terms of weight, the Palace of the Parliament is the heaviest building in the world, weighing in at around 4,098,500,000 kg. The building was constructed almost entirely of materials of Romanian origin. The only exceptions are the doors of Nicolae Bălcescu Hall. These were received by Ceaușescu as a gift from his friend Mobutu Sese Seko, the President of Zaire. It can be seen from the moon and it is bigger than Cheops’ Pyramid.

 

At the end of the day we visited Yakasha Festival in park Parcul Izvor, where we listened to some gipsy music.

GeoCaches found:
- Capitol outdoor cinema, GC5K1VA
- Bucharest's Bridges #2 - Podul Mogosoaiei, GC2YB6P
- It all started here, GC170MD
- Ateneul Roman, GC4R4ER
- Theodor Aman, GC4R4DG
- La multi ani Primavara!, GC5Q97M
- 5 Cutii pentru Generatia 2000, GC53AB1
- [MR] Casa Poporului, GC5FPEX