Building Cultural Bridges
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Myths & Magic - 12 DaysSmall Group Tour: 8 people maximum
Guaranteed Departures - Date of Arrival in Bucharest
2009
June 1, 9, 21, July 5, Aug 16, Sep 13, 25, Oct 11, 17, 25
2010
April 1,* 27, May 16,** June 7, 22, July 6, Aug 15, Sep 7, 21, Oct 12
* Juni, **Whit SundayPost-tour Extension to Moldova
This tour follows our Bulgaria Tour. (click for details)
Romania conjures visions of picturesque villages, folklore and crafts; unspoiled countryside and the charm of friendly people living their traditional ways.
This journey features all the richness and diversity Romania has to offer:painted monasteries, palaces and castles, village life and crafts.
Highlights of our journey include:
- the countryside with its peasant traditions, costumes, crafts, horse and oxen-driven carts
- an opportunity to live in a small village and mingle with the locals
- the unique painted monasteries and wooden churches of Bucovina and Maramures
- medieval Transylvania - a land rich in treasures of the past, filled with Saxon heritage, fortifications, Gothic-style architecture, palaces and castles, ... Dracula
- the friendly Carpathian mountains.
Day 1 Arrival in Bucharest
Met at airport or train station (if coming from Bulgaria) and transfer to hotel.Day 2 Bucharest - Full Day
Explore Bucharest with history, architecture and culture sites. Morning visit the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, which was elected the European Museum of the Year 1996. It has a wonderful collection of traditional crafts, folk arts, ceramics and textiles. Also visit the outdoor Village Museum. Lunch at a traditional restaurant with patio dining. Afternoon visit Palace of Parliament, Revolution Square, Patriarch's Cathedral, walk in the historic area. Welcome dinner at local restaurant with folkloric show.Day 3 Bucharest - Sibiu (288 km)
Crossing the Carphatians to Sibiu, we?fll stop in Ra^mnicu Valcea for lunch and drive along the picturesque Olt Valley to Cozia Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in Romania built in 1386. Arrive in Sibiu (one of the oldest Saxon towns in Transylvania - formerly Hermannstadt ?| founded by the Saxon colonists and once the richest town of Transylvania).Day 4 Sibiu
Morning guided walking tour of the medieval town, a very pretty town with cobbled stone streets and pastel houses. --15-16th century town squares, the Evangelical Church, Podul Mincinosilor (the Liars' Bridge), old city walls. We also visit the oldest art museum in the country, the Bruckental Palace Museum, and enjoy a horse and carriage ride thru the open air museum of Astra (largest open air museum of Romania).Afternoon visit traditional villages nearby including Cisnadie & Cisnadioara with their beautiful fortifed Saxon churches and the mountain village Sibiel to visit the painted glass icon museum - a unique Romanian art.
Day 5 Sibiu - Biertan - Sighisoara
Departure to Sighisoara, enroute visit the village of Biertan where we visit the local fortified Saxon church, another UNESCO site. Sighisoara is one of the greatest medieval cities left in the world, with a walled citadel on the hilltop, secret gateways and passages, a 14th century Clock Tower and the birthplace of Prince Vlad Tepes (Dracula). It is the best preserved and continuously inhabited medieval city of Europe. On arrival free time for lunch on your own. In the afternoon walking exploration of the sights. Overnight inside the old fortress walls at Sighisoara.
Day 6 Sighisoara - Bistrita - Maramures: Vadu Izei Village-(Iza Valley)
Drive to Maramures, the land of wooden churches and carved wooden gates, unique folk costumes and traditions, where ancient Romania coexists with modern times. On the way visit The Palace of Culture and the stunning stained glass windows in Targu Mures.A drive through the enchanting countryside to village Vadu Izei, Iza Valley, where you can experience local peasant life. Evening a dinner with "ceterasi" - local violin players. Overnight at guesthouse in village.
Day 7 Maramures
Morning: a walking tour of the village including visit to the whirlpool and distillery, an icon painter and exhibiton next door, then visit the home of an elderly woman whose house dates from 1750s. She has artifacts for sale as well. Vadu Izei has a brand new Orthodox church which is in the process of being painted on the inside and is quite fascinating.Afterwards depart for a full day tour of of the Maramures region including Sighetul Marmatiei, Calinesti and Desesti wooden churches (part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites) as well as the unique Merry Cemetery in Sapanta Village. Visit one of the local markets and mingle with the colorful crowds wearing traditional folk-costumes and observe their centuries-old traditions.
Day 8 Maramures-Bucovina (May 31 is Whit Sunday*)
*Attend Whit Sunday services at the village church-
Whit Sunday: Maramures is the best place to see all the celebrations. Villagers decorate their homes and gates with lindentree, poplar and oaktree branches. They make crowns made of elderberry and wheat, which youngsters will later wear at their weddings. They are also in the habit of cracking lindentree leaves (making lots of noise) to scare away the bad spirits. There are celebrations for the dead. We cannot say for sure how many of these customs we will see, but we will definitely go to churches and get into the celebratory atmosphere with the locals.Drive through the scenic Prislop Pass to Bucovina region renowned for the wondrously detailed exterior frescoes on the walls of its monasteries/ churches. On the way admire the superb wooden architecture of Barsana monastery and the 18th century Rozavlea wooden church, with its beautifully preserved interior paintings.
BASED ON AVAILABILITY: Visit the home of Letitia, a very talented egg painter. Letitia lives in the village of Vama. She is a designer by training and also teaches school. Born in Vama, she graduated university in Iasi and lived in Bucharest for a while. She returned to her village many years ago and learned how to paint eggs, this being a local custom. She is very talented and her eggs, three or four times the price of the average ones, are of the best quality. She has gained international recognition and has a collection of painted eggs from all over the world exhibited at her home. Overnight in Gura Humorului, the best base to see the monasteries..
Day 9: Bucovina
Visit the famous painted monasteries of northern Moldova - part of the UNESCO World cultural heritage- in their construction and painting order, following the evolution of the architecture and painting: Humor, Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita. Humor Monastery painted by Toma of Suceava, 1530, and the Voronet Monastery, built in 1488, one of the most beautiful and dubbed the "Sistine Chapel of the East." Moldovita Monastery is where the UNESCO Golden Apple award givento the painted churches back in 1975, is kept. On the south facade of Moldovita is The Siege of Constantinople belonging to the 24 episodes of the Hymn to the Holy Virgin. Sucevta is the largest of all, looking more like a mighty fortress than a monastery. Ladder of John of Sinai is considered one of the best of the frescoes of Sucevita, rarely present in medieval Romanian art. You will also visit the Black Pottery Workshop in Marginea Village.
Lunch at Popas Turistic Bucovina, charming and excellent Moldavian restaurant, 3.5 km south of Sucevita , in the heart of the Carparthian Mountains. Overnight at Hotel Simeria .
Day 10: Targu Neamt- Piatra Neamt-Brasov
Visit the 15th century Neamt Citadel (15 min walk uphill) and the XV century Neamt Monastery. Departure across the mountains to Brasov through the spectacular Bicaz Gorges - Bicaz Lake (largest lake in Romania and a breathtaking 25 miles drive)- the Red Lake - Miercurea Ciuc. We stop for lunch at the Edelweiss Restaurant by Red Lake (pay on your own). Arrival in Brasov around 6 pm. Evening free to stroll and relax on the pedestrian only plaza of old town. There are many great restaurants and beer gardens to choose from. Overnight on the town square.Day 11: Brasov-Bran-Sinaia-Bucharest (Ap 26 is Juni*)
*Juni takes place in the Schei Quarter of Brasov - this is where the Romanians used to live in the Middle Ages. It starts in the morning and goes until the afternoon. It is a show/procession/ceremony which blends elements of myth, rites, ceremony and magic. There are 7 categories of Juni, all of them are part of this carnival, all in very colorful costumes, most of them on horseback. They proceed from Schei - the old Romanian Quarter and ride to the center of town and into the Great Square. It is a very old custom from the times of the Dacians and is related to an old pagan ritual when winter is over and spring begins. The changing of cycles: sun wins over frost.Guided walking tour in the historical center of Brasov (formerly Kronstadt) including the Black Church, the largest gothic structure between Vienna and Istanbul; admire it's great collection of oriental carpets. Then departure to Bran for visit to "Dracula's Castle."
Drive across the mountains to Sinaia, a well-known ski resort nicknamed the "Pearl of the Carpathians," admiring the old Saxon fortified churches enroute. Lunch in Sinaia, then visit to the Sinaia Monastery, the oldest building in town (1695) and build in typical "brancovenesc" architectural style (reminiscent of Mogosoaia Palace). Afterwards visit the fabulous Peles Castle - former summer residence of the Royal family. Late afternoon drive south to Bucharest. Farewell dinner with traditional dishes in a typical restaurant.
Day 12: Bucharest
Transfer to the airport.2009 Price: $1985 per person, based on a min group size of 6. single room supplement:$35
2010 Price: to be announced
Includes: Accommodation as listed or similar, Meals: 11 breakfasts, 2 dinners in Bucharest (one with folklore show), 1 lunch at traditional restaurant in Bucharest, 1 lunch at Popas Bucovina, two dinners at Casa Covaciu; transportation by air condition minivan, accompanying escort throughout the tour, entrance fees to all places mentioned in the itinerary.
Does not Include: International flight (best fares are on the internet), Tips, Insurance (available as an option), Personal expenses such as phone, laundry, drinks.
HOTELS
Bucharest: Hotel Opera 3* centrally located on the main boulevard in Bucharest.
Sibiu: Hotel Imparatul Romanilor, located in the old part of Sibiu near main square, in a 16th century building built in traditional Transylvanian renaissance style, a former merchant's hall transformed into hotel in the 18th century, with many famous guests: emperor Frantz Joseph II, composers Frantz Liszt, Johan Strauss, Prince Charles and many others. Sighisoara:
Sighisoara: Sighisoara, Wagner, House with Antler, Casa cu Serb hotels, 3 stars, all are located in the best preserved fortified town in S-E Europe, surrounded by historical buildings and cobbled stone streets the building of the hotel was the former town hall in the 19th century beautifully turned into a hotel by preserving the old architecture and charm.
Maramures: Guesthouse Covacui is a family home, with one section renovated into a modern villa with all modern facilities. The location is excellent , in a small village, quiet neighbourhood, far away from the main street. The terraces offer a beautiful view on the village. Ioan is a well known "ceteras' (traditional violin player); if you wish, he can teach you some of this art's secrets. The young family will delight you with very tasty authentic country fresh meals, artfully prepared and presented.
Bucovina: (Gura Humorului): Hotel Elegance, a new 4 star hotel with great scenic views, situated in the heart of Bucovina, in the suburbs of Gura Humorului, in the village of Manastirea Humorului. Rooms have high speed internet connection, TV, land line telephone, refrigerator, balcony or loggia, hair dryer. The restaurant specializes in local Bucovina cuisine.
Brasov: Casa Wagner, a boutique hotel right in the Council Square.
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