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Author Topic: Romania Feb 2009  (Read 8534 times)

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Offline Paul

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Romania Feb 2009
« on: February 09, 2009, 12:20:33 PM »
I just got back from Romania yesterday, and I do not want to write a TR, however I do want to share some of the 300+ pictures I took while I was there (don’t worry, I wont post all of them, lol). My brain hasn’t recovered from the flight yet, so please forgive some of my mistakes here.

Ada and I stayed in the city of Sinaia for most of the time, and the first couple of days were very dark and cold, a few days before I had to come back the weather changed and we decided to take the ski gondola up the mountain.

On the main street in Sinaia you can find this map…



Ada brought two pairs of boots with her, both of which had spiked high heels, so I bought some “regular” boots for her to wear in the snow. The pic below was taken through a dirty window at the mall where we found her boots…



Behind one of the hotels on the main street is where we took the gondola up to the 1,400 meter area, not too much to see here…









Going up to 2,000 meters…











At the top of this section of the mountain it was very cold with the wind blowing, and very bright with the sun shining off of the snow… the reason for the squinting eyes and contorted faces…



We did not have the appropriate clothing for skiing, but next winter we definitely will :)

I’ve got plenty of more pictures to post, and will when I have time to go through them.


Offline ECR844

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2009, 12:24:07 PM »
Awesome pics, "D_D," It also looks like a beautiful place to visit with lots of vistas and other spots to take in spectacular views from. I look forward to see your other pics.

Offline sparky114

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2009, 12:57:32 PM »
great pics DD  :party0011:

As per usual you are showing your pro skills  :party0011:

Welcome home, but then you probably do not want to hear that. :(

Mark
Today is only one day in a life of happiness

Mark


Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2009, 01:31:26 PM »
Thank you ECR and Mark (I would give anything to still be there, Mark).

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One day we went to this bar (we went to that bar a few times) to play billiards and have a few drinks. The sign above the bar says “magazine,” which is the Romanian word for “store,” just like in Russian. That is a french-fry vending machine on the right…



I grew up with a pool table in my home, and played often in my early twenties, so… I thought I would take it easy the first time I played Ada,… yup, she royally kicked my a**,.. she does when we play in Yahoo too..





A great tasting beer, and the liquid encouragement that helped me tell Ada about this site…



The poster on the wall,.. one of the Bucharest football teams…



The same night we went to a disco, there are a few of them in Sinaia…



The guy with the blurry head (who ruined the pic) came to the disco with the girl in the pic and looked sooooooo damn worried that she would hook-up with someone else. He was clearly being used by her…



It took a couple of tries before I timed the pic to the flashing lights…



A cool Romanian couple who let me take a picture of them (the girl in the above picture was ok with me taking her picture also)…



And a rose I bought for Ada :)



Still have a lot more pics...

Ada

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2009, 03:02:32 PM »
Edit: 1) My royal a** was kicked back at pool too
         2) My guess is that blurry guy in the picture of the girl was her brother
         3) Loved the rose, love the picture :)

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2009, 05:05:36 PM »
3) Loved the rose, love the picture :)

 :-*

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Trains and the subway.

I decided not to rent a car on this trip (didn’t want to spend a lot of time driving around), and we took the train instead. We rode in the first class car from Bucharest to Sinaia, and it was kind of a waist of money,.. first class was always full (when we were able to get tickets), and second class was just as comfortable, often with more room.

The front of the Bucharest Nord (north) train station…



Store out front..



Subway entrance in front of the train station…



Inside. The ticket counters were to the right and left of the front doors. I didn’t want to get yelled at by security for taking a pic of them…



Before you get to the platforms…





Another French-fry vending machine…



Different trains at the Bucharest station…









Train guy checking a vendors papers…



Down to the subway (I got yelled at for taking this picture by a security guy)…



This picture was taken from the hip while walking…



Somewhere between Bucharest and Sinaia, a train “attendant” checking tickets…



Ada laughing after she stuck her tongue out at me…



Sinaia train station…





Sign that reads “120 years since the inauguration of the trans-Carpathian Railway Ploiesti – Brasov June 10th 1879 - 1999.” Thanks to Ada for translating it…



The “CFR” stands for “Caile Frate Romane” which translates to “The Romanian Railway” (thanks to Ada for that too, lol)…



If you search “Romanian trains” with Google, you will mostly see pictures of older trains that look like the cars in this pic…



Train pulling fright/bulk cars…





Still have more pictures…

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2009, 06:16:03 PM »
Day dreaming through the windows of the Ferrari dealership that was in front of the last hotel we stayed at…









It was impossible to get a halfway decent picture of this car…



This first day I was in Bucharest I saw a Lamborghini Countach but was not able to get a picture of it. The next day, the very same car was on a television program, and it turns out the car was fourteen years old… still cool to see anyway :)

Still have more pics…

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2009, 03:15:08 AM »
Buying food in Sinaia.

All of the "supermarkets" were about the size of this one. The "Prigat" on the sign is the name of a very good juice drink that you can find in Romania...



Inside of a different supermarket where we bought a few ingredients for a salad, and a lasagna that Ada made from scratch, in a microwave that was impossible for either of us to figure out its correct use (the lasagna was delicious  :) ). A side note: Ada brought a Russian salad that her mother made (also delicious :) ), and told me that she has never had mayonnaise that was not homemade (incredible and very cool)...



The supermarkets did not have many vegetables so we had to go to this little market that had four different vendors, I'm sure that there are a lot more during the spring and summer...





And if you couldn't find what you were looking for at one of the supermarkets or at the vegetable market, you could at one of the many kiosks that were around town, you could even find Cuban cigars at one of them  :) The one below sold pickled veggies, salami, and different cheeses...



Yup, more to come...


Offline pup zemly

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2009, 03:43:31 AM »
wow, i love mountains :popcorn:

Offline Jared2151

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2009, 06:56:32 AM »
Thanks for sharing your pictures.

Quick question.  Was the pic of Ada sticking her tongue out at you taken in a first class or second class coach ?

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #10 on: February 10, 2009, 05:47:27 PM »
Thanks for sharing your pictures.

Quick question.  Was the pic of Ada sticking her tongue out at you taken in a first class or second class coach ?

LOL, I'm glad that you asked, Jared. That is a second class car. The only difference between first and second class is in second class the seat face each other, and in first class they all face forward.

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2009, 06:23:26 PM »
Some churches in Bucharest.

Russian Orthodox



Romanian Orthodox



Romanian Orthodox



Romanian Orthodox



Romanian Orthodox. This is a very old church that the Christians were "allowed" to have when the Turks controlled the area.




Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2009, 07:41:16 PM »
Some more shots from around Bucharest. I wish the sky had been better.





"The Peoples House" a HUGE government building...



There is a very good Chinese restaurant down there in the back...











Court building...



Odd building...





There was construction going on almost everywhere we went. In the old section of Bucharest some ruins from the city that date back to the early 15th century were unearthed, which is the reason for the wood handrails in this pic..



I guess that's it for the pictures for a little while. I still have a lot more if anyone is interested in seeing them. Thanks for looking :)

Offline WestCoast

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #13 on: February 10, 2009, 08:41:37 PM »
day_dreamer great photos.  Romanian seems to be quite similar to Italian.   I could actually understand some of the signs because I understand some Italian.

I was also surprised to see so much English.  From your photos there appears to be far more English signs in Bucharest than in a Russian city like Moscow or even in a Ukrainian city like Kiev. 

Edit to encourage the posting of more of DD's photos.

Please post some more photos, always interested in seeing other parts of the world.
andrewfi says ''Proximity is almost no guarantee of authority" and "in many cases, distance gives a better picture with less emotional and subjective input."

That means I'm a subject matter expert on all things Russia, Ukraine and UK.

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2009, 03:49:38 AM »
day_dreamer great photos.  Romanian seems to be quite similar to Italian.   I could actually understand some of the signs because I understand some Italian.

Thank you WC, and yup :) there are many words that are the same, or very similar. There are also a few words that are very similar to Russian, like "magazine" as I already mentioned, and the words for "car" and some others that I can't think of right now because it is too early  :innocent: :chuckle:

Quote
I was also surprised to see so much English.  From your photos there appears to be far more English signs in Bucharest than in a Russian city like Moscow or even in a Ukrainian city like Kiev. 

Romania seems to be A LOT more "west friendly," remember that they are part of the European Union, and that probably has a lot to do with the amount of English there :)

Quote
Edit to encourage the posting of more of DD's photos.

Please post some more photos, always interested in seeing other parts of the world.

Ok :BLUSH: When I have some more time  ;D

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #15 on: February 11, 2009, 07:30:23 PM »
Last of the pics from Bucharest that I will post (I have some more from Sinaia to share).

I can never remember the name of this place...





A Carrefour... I don't know how to describe it... it has a bunch of small shops, restaurants, and then one gigantic grocery store that is bigger than any Costco or Sam's Club that I have ever been in... I got yelled at for taking pictures inside here too  ::)







One of many statues in Bucharest...



One of many Mercedes taxis in Bucharest (we rode in one from the airport to the train station, they have a lot more room in them than does the Dacia Logan, something to remember if you have a lot of luggage)...



And some guy selling pretzels in front of the Radisson hotel... 




Offline WestCoast

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #16 on: February 11, 2009, 11:14:08 PM »
day_dreamer, Carrefour is a French superstore chain.  They call them hypermarkets as opposed to superstores.  Basically it is a large grocery store plus a large number of other products under one roof.  Carrefour goes head to head with Walmart in many places and in my opinion is far more popular in Europe than Walmart, but then I'm only a visitor to Europe, perhaps some of the natives will dispute this.

Don't know why they would have objected to taking pictures in the store, I've done it a number of times at Carrefour stores in Europe.  Some of the customers of even smiled when I photographed them.  I like to go into these stores while on vacation in Europe and get lunch or stock up on supplies, everything that you need in one place.   
andrewfi says ''Proximity is almost no guarantee of authority" and "in many cases, distance gives a better picture with less emotional and subjective input."

That means I'm a subject matter expert on all things Russia, Ukraine and UK.

Online Markje

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2009, 02:45:38 AM »
day_dreamer, Carrefour is a French superstore chain.  They call them hypermarkets as opposed to superstores.  Basically it is a large grocery store plus a large number of other products under one roof.  Carrefour goes head to head with Walmart in many places and in my opinion is far more popular in Europe than Walmart, but then I'm only a visitor to Europe, perhaps some of the natives will dispute this.

Don't know why they would have objected to taking pictures in the store, I've done it a number of times at Carrefour stores in Europe.  Some of the customers of even smiled when I photographed them.  I like to go into these stores while on vacation in Europe and get lunch or stock up on supplies, everything that you need in one place.   

We don't have wallmart in Europe. Just like Burger king will never be as big as Mac Donalds... too little effort, too late.
OO===[][]===OO
My first trip to my wife: To Evpatoria!
My road trip to Crimea: Roadtrip to Evpatoria

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2009, 02:54:55 AM »
Don't know why they would have objected to taking pictures in the store, I've done it a number of times at Carrefour stores in Europe.  Some of the customers of even smiled when I photographed them.  I like to go into these stores while on vacation in Europe and get lunch or stock up on supplies, everything that you need in one place.   

I don't know what their problem was either, I was sitting on a bench and scrolling through the pics I took (not pointing my camera at anything), and two security guys who were walking by told me "no pictures, no pictues..."  :-\ You would think the owners would appreciate the free advertising.

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2009, 03:55:45 AM »
Back to Sinaia.

The Punto/You restaurant/coffee-shop. On the left is the restaurant, and on the right is the coffee shop that also sells pastries. They are the same business. The girl is not walking the dog in the picture, it is one of many strays in Romania...



A pic from inside the You section...



And a pic that Ada took with my camera :) Besides being very caring, very beautiful, and very intelligent, she also likes photography... I couldn't ask for more  :-* :loving:



Ada

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2009, 04:39:59 AM »

I can never remember the name of this place...







That is The Old (Princely) Court, whose time of glory was the 15th century, when the (famous) Vlad the Impaler, prince of Wallachia, built his fortress here. Other rulers followed, built or modified the fortress, until the 18th century, when it was left to ruins. That is all that's left of it, plus a church right next to it that can't be seen here

Ada

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #21 on: February 12, 2009, 04:42:12 AM »
..and multumesc DD  :BLUSH:

Offline Paul

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #22 on: February 12, 2009, 04:50:19 AM »
..and multumesc DD  :BLUSH:

Cu placere Ada, si multumesc foarte mult for explaining about "The Old (Princely) Court."  :)

Ada

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #23 on: February 12, 2009, 05:23:24 AM »
..and multumesc DD  :BLUSH:

Cu placere Ada, si multumesc foarte mult for explaining about "The Old (Princely) Court."  :)

You are very welcome, I made a little research, to make sure  :reading:

Offline Jared2151

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Re: Romania Feb 2009
« Reply #24 on: February 12, 2009, 07:55:22 AM »
What's with the little wooden 'gypsy wagon' in the picture ?

Ticket booth ?