It’s not as popular as Vama Veche, but it used to be, and it’s still packed with young people planning a Black Sea resort holiday on a budget. Costineşti was once “the paradise of youth and of students” – but since 2 Mai and Vama Veche became popular, this little rural Black Sea resort is no longer worth the accolades.

Yes, it still holds one of the largest open air discos in the country – Disco Ring – where the most popular Romanian artists of the moment throw memorable concerts almost every evening during the Summer season. There’s also Mega Discoteca Tineretului for even more dance and live concerts, but other than these, there’s not much to do here.

Well, you do have the usual water sports, beach fun and even an old shipwreck (Evangelia, a Greek ship beached there in the late 1960s) to challenge your imagination, but from a cultural perspective, Costineşti doesn’t have much to offer.

Mind you, this used to be a student camp during the communist era, when also Costineşti’s biggest hotel was erected, yet such activities are no longer “trendy.”

What you get is the occasional young artist, ready to pen your portrait in five minutes for a symbolic fee. You get the musician who plays a guitar tune, surrounded by a gang of lively friends. You get the typical beach parties at night, and sometimes, you can even spot a dolphin or two if your eyes are not wandering to spot Romanian topless beauties.

The resort has an official capacity of 5300 beds, but many private families in the village Schitu, which is included in the commune, offer lodging and other hospitality services. Speaking of which, you might want to try to find such an accommodation, at least for the authentic Romanian cuisine.

Summer Travel Destinations: Romanian Black Sea Resort Costineşti is a post from: Rounite

Exotic, beautiful, untamed and still carrying an ancient bliss. This is the Danube Delta: a warm, welcoming place in the wilderness, not far from the Romanian shore of the Black Sea. An enchanted paradise. Romania is an exotic location not for some luxuriant beauty. It doesn’t even have luxurious resorts for you to spend a fortune and even tell your kids “I’ve been there.” What Romania does have is Transylvania, the Mud Volcanoes, a great deal of natural beauties, some UNESCO World Heritage Centers (Sighisoara, to name one of the many), Dracula (yes, you read that right) and the Danube Delta.

As Dracula was merely a fisherman of souls and his fly rod is beyond reach, we invite you to explore a less known location: the Danube Delta.

Of course you will need the typical fishing gear for carp, perch, pike and zander – and even cat fish, which is the biggest fish in the Danube Delta with captures that reached 400 kg – but you’ll also need a few “extras.” And this has nothing to do with your typical fishing equipment.

You’ll need a few bottles of fine vodka – to open the hearts… as many as you can carry. This is the best coin there, because… there are almost no possibilities for the locals to produce their own schnapps. The Delta leaves little to no room for domestic crops. There is water everywhere and people live from the fruits of the little lots they can actually cultivate, and of course from the gifts of the canal. And no one, literally no one, would waste the crop on schnapps. So, because it is rare, it is valuable. And this is an “insider tip” you will not find on other websites.

You’ll need an OFF spray

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to keep pesky insects away. In the Danube Delta mosquitoes found a second home. They come in packs, early in the morning and at dusk, but they are not the only intruders OFF can keep away. Various species of flies and many other biting insects will stay away. Do not visit the Delta without OFF!

Stay away if you are afraid of snakes. As a rule, where there is water, snakes have a natural habitat. There are no records of poisonous snakes, but water snakes (4 species) swim and crawl free, wherever you expect them less. If you dare to catch them, they are the main dish for exquisite cuisine.

Take your binoculars. Fishing is fin, but till that fish bites, watch the birds. Unique species, some endangered, still live here, among which the great white pelican. Endangered fish? Two species of sturgeons. So take care what you catch. Some other endangered species include the European pond turtle, the European kingfisher (a bird) and the beaver.

The Danube Delta is a “lost paradise” and words often fail to describe it. But, if you can afford the flight, there is nothing else you need to worry about. You’ll find in Romania people with warm, open hearts, who will welcome you and treat you as royalty.

Exotic Locations: The Danube Delta [Photos] is a post from: Rounite

Few towns in Romania have succeeded in preserving their medieval charm and flavor; among the Transylvanian ones, Sibiu stands alone.

It played an important part in the economic, political, religious and cultural history of the Romanian provinces. Founded upon a Neolithic settlement, near the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Cedonia, whose traces are still preserved, Sibiu was first mentioned in documents as far in the XIIth century. Beginning with the year 1150, a massive Germanic colonization took place; the first colonists (Flanders, Francons, Saxons) came from the western regions of the Rhine, found the pastures of Heaven and settled here.

The 19 guilds, whose members practiced 25 crafts, already mentioned in the year 1376, carried on active trade relationship with the Romanian provinces and withe Europe.

In the Middle Ages, every major guild had built his own tower of defense, integrated in the fortifications of the city. The guilds have disappeared by the decree of 1872, when they were converted into handicraft cooperatives.

The tradition of traveling apprentices has been revived in Sibiu since 2007, the year the town was the Cultural Capital of Europe. In Sibiu, the apprentices have their house and even an association called “Casa Calfelor” (House of Apprentices, Gesellenherberge, Maison des Compagnons – Sibiu / Hermannstadt). To revive the traditional arts and crafts, the Evangelical parish made available for apprentices a building at no. 3, Huet Place, which was restored by them.

The tradition of traveling apprentices has been preserved in countries like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Norway, Sweden.

Approximately 700 young people trained in trades of carpenters, masons, stone, potters, blacksmiths and sculptors have chosen to start on the road for three years and one day, wearing the apprentices’ uniform and hat, observe the rules imposed by their brotherhood. Thus, to be allowed to wear the apprentice uniform, the young are not allowed to be married, have children, debts or other obligations, must face with honesty and honor the commitments that they must take and follow the rules and traditions of their brotherhood. Both their presence in Sibiu since the Middle Ages and their tours have contributed in time to strengthen ties with European handicraft centers; from all points of view, they were a bridge unconventional but more vivid between Sibiu and Europe.

Before leaving, will be tailored for the apprentices special clothes in an old workshop, where the tradition of those clothes is kept. Apprentices’ costumes consist of splay trousers, jacket and coat of different colors – black, cream or blue -, white shirts, a special hat and black boots.

Being an apprentice not require a substantial material gain. Usually the apprentices goes out with moderate amounts and are forced to cope in the world, where they works to receive money, food and hosting, making it an opportunity to meet different mentalities and habits.

Tourists who visit the city of Sibiu during July 10 to August 6 have the opportunity to see working 17 journeyman from various European countries, gathered here for the third time, on Fortress Street, between the Potters Tower an the Carpenters Tower. During the workshops, the apprentices present their job; carpenters, potters, jewelers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, builders of musical instruments, masons, sculptors, can be followed in exercising their profession. Visitors can admire also a photo exhibition, which reminds of different moments in years in which they began to arrive in Sibiu. The exhibition covers the history of craftsmen travel, the various journeyman associations, and the differences existing between the traditional traveling apprentices and the companionway of French craftsmen.

The Traveling Apprentices from Sibiu is a post from: Rounite

It’s been a while since I last published an entry on this blog, and I fell like I let down those few readers who never failed to make a comment that made me feel that my efforts were worth-while. Today I only want to show you a few breath taking sceneries from the Romania Carpathians.

A Visual Trip through the Carpathians is a post from: Rounite

Lugoj, is a city in Timiş County, Banat, western Romania, situated on both banks of the Timiş River. The river divides the city in two quarters: the Romanian on the right and the German on the left.

The city was the home town of famous Dracula actor Bela Lugosi Commando buy , a Romanian-Hungarian native, whose real name was Blasko. Lugosi is a derivative of Lugos, the town’s Hungarian name.

Lugoj is inhabited by Romanians, Hungarians, Germans, Roma and Ukrainians and other nationalities – with a 82.9 percentage of Romanian inhabitants.

In Her Shoes dvd

Lugoj is a beautiful, quiet little city, home of the Eparchy of Lugoj, an important religious establishment for the Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Orthodox.

Summer School movies

The images below were offered by our StumbleUpon friend Sebastian Rotariu

, a Lugoj native and a teacher of geography in his city.

I let you enjoy Lugoj, as seen through the lens of the camera.

More about Lugoj: Lugoj. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 03, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/350972/Lugoj

A Virtual Trip to Lugoj is a post from: Rounite

One of my favorite destinations during the summer are the Western Carpathians (Romanian: Munţii Apuseni), an area with splendid landscapes, where the nature is green and unspoiled, the forested hills change with colorful open meadows. Numerous rivers have cut spectacular canyons and created the most fascinating caves.

Because of the difficult access roads, many of the mountain villages remained unchanged. It is one of the most interesting ethnographic regions with old watermills, typical farm buildings with straw roofs, wooden ox wagons.

The highlanders are called “moti” and they live mainly from agriculture, the wood processing, and are masters in woodcarving. In spring time, farmers are leading their herds of cows and flocks of sheep in the high mountain, where they rest until the first snowfall.

You may admire on the high pastures the “hodăi”, summer houses used by local people, while being with their herds in the mountains; these villages are the highest settlements of Romania. Everyone can experience here the very warmhearted hospitality in a region where tourism is still relatively new and every guest is welcomed as a friend of the family.

Some years ago, during a trekking session in Trascăului Mountains, I’ve discovered here a strange village. Strange because most of the inhabitants are Hungarian ethnic in a large Romanian area, and strange because it looks like it probably looked two centuries ago.

Rimetea (Hungarian: Torockó, German: Eisenburg) is unique. During the antiquity and middle ages, it was the center of iron mining for the region. In the 14th century, settled here colonists from Austria and Germany, to work in the iron mines. Once a town (17th century), now it is a quiet village resting on the foot of the impressive Piatra Secuiului Mountain (1171m).

The rich past of the village can be seen in the local ethnographic museum (since 1952) and some mine galleries still remained in the mountains.

The folk costumes keep Hungarian, German, Austrian and even Flemish influences, with the famous red boots and delicate lace, or the brides’ diadems made of gold threads.

About a half of the houses are registered in an Europe Union program for keeping the patrimonial buildings and the village was awarded with “Europa Nostra” Silver Medal for the way that traditional architecture is preserved, medal awarded by the Prince of Denmark.

Secuiului Rock is climbed by many tourists, for paragliding or to see the remains of Colţesti fortress.

Rimetea – One of the Most Beautiful Villages in Romania is a post from: Rounite

Barsana is a village in Maramures, on the right bank of the river Iza, 20 km off Sighetul Marmatiei.

The village, attested documentary or the first time in 1326 (when King Charles Robert I of Anjou acknowledged and reinstained by a deed in this places prince Stanislau), is host of one of the most beautiful monasteries in Romania: Barsana Monastery, actually a convent with fourteen nuns.

The legend says that the monastery originally stood across the river Iza, in the Slatina Valley, and that it was moved later to the right of the river, on Podurile Manastirii (The Monastery Bridges).

Barsana is one of the wooden churches in Maramures, a beautiful synthesis of Eastern and Western European architecture, with Gothic and Byzantine elements.

The Monastery is situated on the northern-central part of the village. The first church was built in 1720 with a plan that includes: the gate, the narthex and the nave. The exterior reminds of a hall, but the inside is divided into separated walls according to the traditional Orthodox dogmatic.

The narthex is narrow, with low ceiling and flats over the girders. The frescoes are very similar to those of the painted monasteries of Moldavia. This Wooden Church is the only one with double cornice, the Old Monastery, the tallest wooden building in Europe (62 m tall).

The church was manually carved by some of the most talented craftsmen from Maramures. No power tools or nails were used to put this impressive construction together.

Its beauty and uniqueness made it one of the eight churches in the region that UNESCO designated WORLD HERITAGE site.

The monastic compound is made of wood as well, according to the local tradition. Only Barsana craftsmen are building the compound, under the direct supervision of architect Dorel Cordos. Today you can admire the Maramures gate, the belfry, the church, the summer shire, the house with cells and chapel, the house of the masters, the house of the artists and a more recently arranged museum portraying the Maramures history, culture and civilization.

The community is now led by the Prioress Filofteia Oltean and counts eleven nuns and three sisters.

Enjoy more images from Barsana:

The Monastery of Barsana is a post from: Rounite

Yesterday, in my post about Lazarus’ Saturday (April 11, 2009) I mentioned a special dish, used to celebrate the dead: coliva.

Coliva is the Romanian translation of the Greek κόλλυβα (kólliva) and it describes a sweet pudding made of boiled wheat.

This “desert” is used liturgically in both Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches. Romania and Greece are not the only two countries that use this culinary delight to celebrate their dead. Variations can be found in Serbia, Russia and Bulgaria too.

Bellow a Romanian recipe, which, unlike the Greek kólliva which contains sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, pomegranates seeds and anise seeds, is much simpler. The reason is that in Romania, many of the ingredients mentioned above are neither traditional, nor affordable for people of the folk.

Ingredients: 1 kg wheat kernel, 250 g sugar, 150 g honey, water to cover the kernels, 240 g crushed walnuts, crunched graham crackers as needed, powdered sugar as needed, vanilla, fine zest from 1 lemon, fine zest from 1 orange, colored candy, 100 g milk chocolate grinded fine or cocoa powder.

Since coliva is a ritual dish, its preparation follows a ritual too. The day before the liturgy prepare the wheat as follows:

Wash the wheat kernel with nine waters (one for each of the 9 angel squads in heaven) then boil in a Teflon pot for 2-3 hours at medium heat. Stir thoughtfully with a wooden spoon to prevent the wheat from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When boiled, put content into an enameled pot and covered with a wet towel, so that the composition won’t form a “crust.”

The day of the liturgy:

Sweeten the composition with 250 g sugar and 150 g honey. Flavor with zest from one lemon and one orange and with 1 TBS vanilla.

Add 200 g of the crushed walnuts and stir till all these extra ingredients incorporate in the wheat composition evenly. Your coliva is now almost ready – all it needs is the décor that will make it fit for the liturgy.

Place the composition on a large platter and form the coliva with your hands, respecting its shape – make sure you even the coliva to look like a cake. Coliva can take any form: rectangular, oval or round, and sometimes even “cross.” With the rest of the crushed walnuts and crushed graham crackers cover the coliva on the top and the sides. Add powder sugar and then make your ornaments out of chocolate and candy. You can even use half walnuts to form a cross or to ornate the sides of the coliva.

I hope the images posted give you some ideas on how to ornate this dish. Coliva is very delicious, and many people choose to eat it in other occasions that those related to death. If you want to do so, simply skip the shaping and decorating.

I had to update this to correct a misspelling (emailed instead of enameled, thank you, Pearl) and to add this sweet video I found on YouTube)

Romanian Coliva Recipe is a post from: Rounite

Easter is the most important Romanian holiday in the Orthodox calendar. I already covered a few traditions last year – and starting today I will write a series of articles that will present even more traditions, itineraries for those who would like to spend Easter in Romania this year, food recipes and more.

Last year I wrote about the Palm Day, which is the Sunday before Easter each year; the Great Thursday, which is the last Thursday before Easter; Easter traditions, Painting Eggs; and traditional Easter food – including Romanian sweet bread and lamb haggis.

This year will take a look at Lazarus’ Saturday, the Great Friday, The Small Fountain and Good People’s Easter. Food recipes to follow: coliva, Romanian “Pasca” – Easter cake with cottage cheese; Easter lamb soup; and lamb roast – yes, the lamb plays a very important role in the Romanian Easter cuisine.

Lazarus’ Saturday – Saturday, 11 April 2009

On this day the dead are waiting at the gates of Heaven to be remembered and celebrated, with traditional drinks and dishes like “coliva.” Coliva is the food for the dead and it’s prepared traditionally by widows or close family members of the deceased. The dish is used in various death related occasions, to celebrate and honor the dead. The coliva is usually decorated with a cross motif, made of cocoa or nuts and sugar. The coliva is always blessed in the church by a priest before being consumed. The ceremony is long, but beautiful – the participants join their hands in a ritual “hora.”

Lazarus is Martha and Maria’s brother who was resurrected by Christ before He entered in Jerusalem, but this Lazar doesn’t have too much to do with the Romanian traditions.

A Romanian legend from Bucovina mentions a second Lazarus, whose brother (unnamed) was rich and lived a life of luxury and extravagance. (Legend slightly different from The Rich Man and Lazarus) Poor Lazarus was also ill, and the illness made his friends and wife to leave him. In his condition he could not get a job – his only chance to survive was to beg for food. Once he went to his rich brother’s gate, but the brother denied and family relationship with Lazarus and refused to feed him. Deeply hurt, Lazarus sat down and cried his pain away. Dogs from his brother’s yard noticed his sorrow and famine and brought him food remains from the rich’s man table, who that days was also marrying and had a wedding party.

Lazarus’ brother ordered the servants to chain the dogs. When the party ended, the fiddlers noticed Lazarus, and despite he couldn’t pay them for their effort, they sang for him. The rich brother didn’t like this either, he began making fun of the fiddlers, telling them that the only reward they might receive from poor Lazarus would consist of skin eruptions. When the fiddlers ended their singing, Lazarus indeed rewarded them this way, because, he said, the skin blisters were the only thing in his possession. The singers accepted the gift, only to notice later on that the blisters transformed into gold coins.

Not long after this “miracle” Lazarus found himself on his death bed. He called his brother for help, but the rich man replied that he had no fear of Death and God. When Lazarus died the angels took him to heaven. Soon, his rich brother died too, but the devils burned his fortune and took him to hell.

Another legend, which is also an Easter tradition, comes from Wallachia. In Wallachia Lazarus’ Saturday is called “Lazarica” (which is a diminutive of “Lazarus” or “Lazar”). In the morning of the day, young girls gather and choose the youngest to wear bride’s clothes and jasmine in her hair. The girls then go from house to house, dancing the hora around the “bride” and singing of Lazarus.

According to the Wallachian legend, Lazarus was a young man who asked his mother to bake him bread. As she refused, Lazarus went to the forest with his sheep. He climbed a tree to gather leaves for his sheep, but a branch broke and he fell and died. His sisters found him later, mourned him, bathed him in milk and buried him. The legend also says that Lazarus resurrected and changed into flowers. The connection between the “bride” and Lazarus is not very clear. Romanian folklorists speculate that the origin of the custom is in one of the rituals of Dionysus, who was also celebrated in the Spring. We can certainly see some similarities: a violent death, ritual bath, resurrection and the transformation of the hero in vegetation. Thus Lazarus is a prehistoric deity, like Flora, and they are both celebrated before Easter (Flora = Palm Sunday, celebrated this year Sunday, April 12.).

A third legend places Lazarus as a small boy, brother of Dargobete’s bride (a probable connection to the bride mentioned above). Dragobete’s mother, Baba Dochia, was always mean to Lazarus, giving him the most difficult chores. One Saturday Lazarus asked his mother to bake him pies and then when with his flock of goats to the forest. There he climbed an oak tree to gather buds for his animals. Remembering the pies, and anxious to get home faster to eat them, he fell to his death. His sister looked for him for months, but the young boy was only found on August the 15^th, Saint Marry’s day, covered by grass and flowers.

This legend is the reason why women bake pies on Lazarus’ Saturday and give them to the poor and the children. The pies are also baked in the memory of Lazarus the Poor (from the first legend) who prays to God for the forgiveness of the sins.

In some regions, the girls plant flowers on Lazarus’ Saturday, believing that they will grow faster and bloom more beautifully. Trees are not planted today, because people believe they will only bloom but never make fruits.

Easter in Romania 2009 is a post from: Rounite

Related to Mihaela’s post, “Epiphany and Saint John Day“, I want to tell you about some ancient traditions, banned by the communist authorities, traditions that have rebirth and know today a new life.

“The baptism of the horses” – this practice is spread in many rural communities in the Southern part of Romania (Wallachia and Dobrudja) and happens in Epiphany Day.

The peasants who come to the Epiphany religious service bring their horses, rich decorated, to the churchyard and the priest blesses the horses with a bunch of basil and the holy water. The legend says that the one who “baptizes” his horse will have a good health and a rich harvest in the year to come, and the horse will be healthy, too.

After the religious service, all the horses participates to a race where is not allowed the use of whip or spurs, and the fastest and the nicest horses are awarded. I’ve heard about a similar custom (the blessing of domestic animals) in Sweden, but I don’t know details.

“The ice cross” – another interesting custom is the rise of ice crosses, 2-3 m high, in the churchyard, crosses who stand until they melt.

In Northern Moldavia the crosses are built by the volunteer firefighters brigade, wearing their specific uniforms and leading their flag; after that, the priest, the church choir and the fire brigade go to every village institution, the priest blesses them and the others say three times “Kyrie Eleison” (an expression in Greek meaning “Lord, have mercy”).

“The baptism of all young John” – in Talmacel, near Sibiu, I saw a very interesting custom: after the religious service for Saint John’s Day, the participants dance “hora” (a dance in circle specific to all Romanian regions) and then go to the village’s river, the young boys by foot, the young girls in chariots, following an allegoric chariot; all have rich decorated folk costumes.

At river’s banks, all the young named John are symbolically “baptized” in the river’s waters, a ritual for purification and prosperity. In the villages where this custom is kept, most of the people are named “Ion” or “Ioana”. The locals told me that this tradition is unique in Romania and every Ion or Ioana swear to continue it.

Boboteaza Traditions Come Back to Life is a post from: Rounite