Museum of Communism & Wealthy Gypsies

Memorial Museum for Communism Victims

Memorial Museum for Communism Victims

 

The luck of the draw.  Many, if not most, reading this blog were simply fortunate to have been born in the USA, had access to good education, good medical treatment and above all, a democracy.  Not so for those living in Romania during much of my lifetime.
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Merry Cemetery – Romania

Four Cemetery Crosses

Four Cemetery Crosses

In the most northern part of Romania, literally just yards from the Ukraine boarder, lies the small village of Sapanta.  This town has become a tourist attraction due to its unusual cemetery with hand carved, brightly painted blue crosses and witty rhymes about the deceased’s life, the Merry Cemetery.  Sometimes there is an epitaph of what caused their death.

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Cobblestone Streets of Sibiu, Romania

Courtyard Cat Sibiu, Romania

Courtyard Cat Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu, Romania is a charming maze of winding cobblestone streets, large open squares and fine restaurants.  It was a very welcomed relief from the gritty streets of Bucharest. I had seen the above blue wall and cat scene photo posted by  Vagabon and Dave sixty days earlier in their travel blog and instantly loved it.  So I cruised from Texas to Spain, flew from Barcelona to Bucharest, rented a car to Sibiu just to see these beautiful blue tones…..  Thank you Bonnie and Dave!
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Transfagarasan Highway – “The Long and Winding Road”

Transfagarsan Highway, Fahrvergnügen

Transfagarsan Highway, Fahrvergnügen

The Transfagarasan Highway was made famous by a British TV show which named it the world’s best highway for sports car enthusiasts.  It obviously would be great fun in a sports car with the road blocked off for a race, as it was a few days after these photos.  However, this was a very worrisome ride due to dodging fallen rocks and the aggressive Romanian drivers constantly passing on blind curves.
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Haystacks, Romanian Style

Three Romanian Haystacks

Three Romanian Haystacks

Driving across the Romania countryside there are many haystacks in the wide open fields, people’s yards and even in the apple orchards.  This is the winter food for the sheep, cattle and dairy cows.  The plastic tarp on top is supposed to help protect the stack from rain and snow.  However, they never seemed to be very large nor tied into place very well, so apparently this protection is optional.
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The People’s House, Bucharest

Bucharest Peoples Palace

Bucharest People’s Palace

The Palace of Parliament or People’s House in Bucharest, Romania is the second largest building in the world, after the Pentagon.  But the People’s House is barely occupied.  Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife Elena died of lead poisoning from a 1989 Christmas Day firing squad just before its completion, so they never got to live in this extravagant building.

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Old Town Bucharest

Bucharest Elegance

Bucharest Elegance

 

The large Old Town section of Bucharest is packed with tourists, Romanians on ‘holiday’ and locals eating at the great restaurants.  We could have conquered the trolley system, but after sitting around the apartment with our computers all morning making lodging reservations, we needed the exercise the three mile trip offered.
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