Bucharest is not one large city but is made up of neighborhoods within six sectors. Within the last year signs such as this one have been put up throughout the city giving directions to the different neighborhoods (cartiere). This one also shows the direction to go to Stadionual Giuleşti. It is the soccer (fotbal) stadium for Rapid Fotbal Club. There are four soccer teams in Bucharest.
One of the TV commercials we see on CNN is about visiting a specific country as a travel destination and they say "Sights and Sounds of ?". Well when we are out of Bucharest we enjoy the sights and sounds of Romania. Below are some of the sights we saw May 6th and 7th as we traveled outside of Bucharest.
After leaving Bucharest we are surrounded by countryside. Bucharest is located on the plains of Romania. We see fields and villages dotting the countryside. We see icons along the roads reminding us that this an extremely religious country.
Romania is divided up into judeţi (districts similar to counties). At the entrance of the judeţal there is a pillar of some sort telling us we are entering a new judeţal. As we entered Alba we were welcomed by a stork who had built its nest on the judeţal pillar.
At the entrance of each village, town, and city is a sign with its name. Many villages and cities are updating their signs. At Draganu they still have the old one and also the new in the colors of the Romanian flag, blue, yellow and red. Also note the speed limit sign when traveling through the village, 50 kilometers per hour (about 31 mph). Police enjoy catching the drivers who forget to slow down immediately when entering the village or town. Romania has a point system now. If a person receives a certain amount they will lose their driver's license for a period of time.
Churches are very visible in a village. This particular village has two churches. One is more than likely Orthodox and the other one is probably Hungarian Reformed or Catholic since this village is located in the Transylvania region of Romania.
In one village the church steeple was being renovated.
A wall of the house is one of the boundaries of the homeowners' property and then will be fenced in along the rest of the property boundaries. I would have to say most of the house in Romania are made of cement or clay blocks covered with stucco. There are also wooden homes but they are usually found in the northern part of the country. A lot of homes during the past few years have been renovated and are brightly colored. Then there are homes that are vacant or may just need fixing up.
One of the main roads in Romania was built along side the Olt River. It is one of the main rivers in Romania. It has several dams on it that produce electricity for the country. It a beautiful drive winding around the hills along side the river.
Romania is an agricultural country. Most villagers travel or use wagons daily. So drivers beware of the many wagons you will meet while traveling the Romanian roads.
In the hill country people clear areas of the hillsides to grow their crops.
There are professional shepherds that spend their days out with the cows, sheep, horses, and goats but also villagers will take turns watching over the herds from their particular village too.
It is not only the barnyard that you will find the chickens, turkeys and other poultry. Be aware of chickens crossing the road. When Jordan was about 3 and 4 years old he told the following joke, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Jordan's answer, "He fell down!" And he would laugh and laugh. Oh, he was so cute at that age!
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Horses may have their legs tied so they will not stray far when grazing. This horse also had a bell attached to his halter so we could hear him as he moved.
Traveling through the countryside you can find all kinds of items to purchase. Most of the time it is food such at cheese or fresh vegetables and fruit.
But you can also buy flowers, statues, and fountains also by the roadside.
The city of Sebeş (Sebesh) is a old German town. You can still see the town wall as you travel through the city center. The city dates back to the 12th century. The flags flying in town show the city's coat of arms.
The Făgăraş (fugurash) Mountains are a part of the Carpathian mountain range. The tallest peaks are a part of this group of mountains. As you can see there is still plenty of snow on them in May.
Râşnov (rooshnove) Fortress was built around the year 1215 by the Teutonic Knights and it was mentioned for the first time in 1331. The present fortress was rebuilt to show how it looked when it was first built. There is a myth attached to Râşnov Fortress. During a particularly long siege of the fortress, the citizens of Râşnov were concerned about the lack of available fresh drinking water. Luckily, two Turkish soldiers, having been captured earlier, were put to the task of digging a well in the center of the fortress. These two men were assured that they would be given their freedom once the well was completed. According to local legend, it took them 32 years to finish the well, but they were still killed afterwards. This famous well still sits in the center of Râşnov Fortress, and is 143 metres deep. (info from Wikipedia)
On the outskirts of Bucharest are radio jamming stations that were used during communism. There stations on all sides of the capital. They are not used anymore but the radio jamming station we see coming into Bucharest from Ploieşti was recently painted red and white.
The border at the Danube River is only about an hour from Bucharest. So it was a quick trip. Along the way I was snapping pictures. I wanted to take a good red poppy picture. Well with Roger zipping down the road and only a few poppies growing on the side of the road I did not get the perfect picture but I did take some. They were especially pretty with the purple and white flowers.
On each side of the bridge crossing over the Danube River were columns.
The Danube (Dunăre in Romanian) River begins in German and travels through 10 countries before flowing out into the Black Sea.
We entered Bulgaria. Just wait until you see the Bulgarian written language.
Ruse had many tree lined streets.
Pantheon of National Revival Heroes was built in 1978 while Bulgaria was still under communism rule.
Like many cities, Ruse has a downtown square. In the middle was this statue.
Roger liked lion with the chains.
Bulgarian is an interesting language.
We headed back home to Romania on May 18th and with new visas.
