Romania-my 75th Country Visited!

Romania

Country Background

This nation's history can be traced to the Roman colony of Dacia. However, there are both strong European and Turkish influences, as Romania was part of the Ottoman Empire until 1877. Romania's political history of the past century has been marked by instability, violent revolution, and a current move toward economic restructuring in hopes of joining the European Union. Between 1930 and 1940, there were more than 25 different administrations.
      
After World War II, newly crowned King Mihai was forced to abdicate, pressured by the Communists, and Romania became a "People's Republic." In the 1960s, Nicolae Ceausescu took over the Communist Party leadership and instituted increasingly oppressive measures. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Currently, the Social Democratic Party forms a nominally minority government, which governs with the support of the opposition Democratic Union of Hungarians.
Romania has a chain of resorts, a "string of pearls," along the Black Sea coast. The largest urban center and seaport is Constanta. The sun, air, Black Sea water, and thermal mud treatments at these resorts are said to have restorative powers.

My Visit on October 5, 2014

One of the two following Itineraries:

Guide 1: For Bucharest tour - 10pax group - the price is 125$ or 90euros per person. The tour is for 11 hours, starting as early as possible, 6.30-7am, 2.30-3h transfer on highway with comfort stop. Bucharest tour by minibus, visit the Palace of Parliament, stroll the streets from the old part of Bucharest where there are lunch opportunities, afternoon continues the tour of the city, reaching the north part and visit the Village Museum, 3-6pm return to the ship. The price includes: transportantion - 16 seater minibus with AC, english guiding, entrance fees to Parliament and Village Museum.


Guide #2 Bucharest City tour - 100 euros/ person or 140 $/ person
The schedule for the day would be the following:
half past 6 - half past 9 - drive from Constanta to Bucharest
10 - 15. - visit of capital of Romania which will include:
- visit to Ceausescu's Palace/ Parliament Palace
- tour of Bucharest to include all the important monuments (by our bus)
- short visit to the historical center of Bucharest - opportunities for lunch
- visit to Village museum - after lunch
15 - 18 - drive back to Constanta
Price includes: 11-hour trip with A/C minivan, English guiding, entrance to Parliament Palace and Village Museum in Bucharest.
Price does not include: photo tax inside Parliament Palace, lunch (around 10 - 15 $/ person - Romanian currency or credit card), incidentals and personal expenses.



Photos and complete post will follow......................

The Black Sea a vital trading center linking Europe with Asia.

The Black Sea

The Black Sea is steeped in history and culture, a vital trading center linking Europe with Asia.

Soon, I will embark on a 12-night (round trip from Istanbul), cruise of the Black Sea (plus Greece).  I will visit ports in Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria.  I will have visited 4 of the 6 countries bordering the Black Sea, including Russia.  Of note, The Ukraine was originally part of the itinerary before the military conflict with Russia, earlier this year.

The Black Sea

 

from http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/blacksea/history/index.html

Named Pontus Exinus ("the inhospitable sea"), the Black Sea was navigated and its shores colonized by the Greeks as early as the eighth century before Christ and later by the Romans in the third to first centuries B.C.

Many of the colonial and commercial activities of ancient Greece and Rome, and of the Byzantine Empire, centered on the Black Sea. After 1453, when the Ottoman Turks occupied Constantinople (and changed its name to Istanbul), the Black Sea was virtually closed to foreign commerce. Nearly 400 years later, in 1856, the Treaty of Paris re-opened the sea to the commerce of all nations.

Among its vast historical riches, the Black Sea region is home to the legend of Jason and the Argonauts and their search for the Golden Fleece, and the Biblical account of Noah's Ark. Troy, Constantinople, Istanbul, Sevastopol, Odessa, and Yalta are just a few of the names in this coastal area that have been etched in world history.

From the Crusades to the recent collapse of the Soviet Union, the Black Sea has witnessed often-tumultuous religious and political change. In the face of countless conquests through the ages, the people of the Black Sea region have endured, and today represent a remarkable mixture of cultures and religions.

Today, this ancient sea means many things to the people who live on its shores. Still vitally important as a regional trading center, with major ports dotting its coast, the Black Sea continues to provide its inhabitants with treasured resources — major commercial fisheries, a diversity of marine life, world-class beaches, and perhaps a more tangible record of our past than previously imagined. The recent discovery of ancient wooden ships in the Black Sea, well-protected from shipworm attack in the oxygen-deprived waters, points to the new wonders these ancient waters may yield.

The Black Sea and its six bordering countries — Bulgaria and Romania on the west, Ukraine on the north, Russia and Georgia on the east, and Turkey on the south — each have rich histories and cultures worthy of considerable exploration.