Romania

-a brief overview-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJpNToqOqSU&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpcIgJvsceI&feature=related

Romania

• Location

• Flag

• Currency LEU (RON)

Currency: LEU9 Mar 2010

10 Mar 2010

11 Mar 2010

12 Mar 2010

15 Mar 2010

1 Euro = … LEI 4.1007 4.0981 4.0987 4.0929 4.0898

• The leu (Romanian pronunciation: [lew], plural lei [lej])

• It is subdivided into 100 bani (singular: ban).

• The name of the currency means "lion".

• On 1 July 2005, Romania underwent a currency reform, switching from the previous leu (ROL) to a new leu (RON). 1 RON is equal to 10,000 ROL.

Currency: LEUBanknotes

Freq. used 1 leu, 5, 10, 50, 100 lei

Rarely used 200, 500 lei

Value Dimensions Value (EUR) Colour Obverse Reverse

5 LEI 127×67 mm 1.2 (EUR) Violet George Enescu Romanian Athenaeum

10 LEI 133×72 mm 2.4 (EUR) Orange Nicolae Grigorescu

Traditional house

Nicolae Grigorescu (May 15, 1838 - July 21, 1907) was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting.

Currency: LEUBanknotes

Freq. used 1 leu, 5, 10, 50, 100 lei

Rarely used 200, 500 lei

Brief Historical Overview 1● Mihai Viteazul – 1600 united the three Romanian principalities (Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania).

● Romania becomes fully independent in 1878 and in 1881 it becomes the Kingdom of Romania.

● After the defeat of Austria-Hungary in World War I, the region of Transilvania is added to Romania, as is the Russian region of Basarabia. Romania becomes a parliamentary democracy.

● The rise of fascism in the 1930s led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a dictatorship in 1940.

● Following Romania's surrender to the USSR during World War II, the country was declared (1947) a communist republic.

● December, 1989: the Revolution successfully overthrew Communism.

Brief Historical Overview 2

● December, 1989: the Revolution successfully overthrew Communism.

● The country held its first democratic elections in 1990 and

● adopted a new constitution in 1991.

● In spring 2004, Romania joined NATO;

● in 2008 joined the European Union (EU).

● A Short History Of Romania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3qotgOF9bU&feature=related

Governmentsemi-presidential republic

President Traian

Basescu

Victor Ponta

(PSD)

Prime Minister Emil Boc

(PDL)

Crin Antonescu

(PNL)

Holydays and Traditions 1• Easter is the most important event in the

Orthodox Christian calendarAt the Easter Resurrection Mass (Slujba de Inviere) just before midnight, the priest comes out to give a blessing, distribute holy bread and provide the flame from which everyone will light their candles. Suddenly the darkness is lit up and thousands of candles take to the streets.

• Romanians traditionally painted Easter eggs red and they decorated them ornately.The craftsmanship of dyeing the eggs at Easter is an ancient tradition with Romanians. The belief that eggs represent the source of life led to the relation of eggs to the rites of the revival of nature, and eventually Easter.

Holydays and Traditions 2• National Day

The National Day of Romania or Union Day (Ziua Unirii) occurring on December 1, is the national holyday of Romania. This holiday was set after the 1989 Romanian Revolution and it marks the 1918 unification of the Romanian Kingdom with Transilvania, Basarabia, Bucovina.

• Folk Costumes – old peasants houseThe craftsmanship of dyeing the eggs at Easter is an ancient tradition with Romanians. The belief that eggs represent the source of life led to the relation of eggs to the rites of the revival of nature, and eventually Easter.

Economy

• DACIA - RENAULT

Romania's Attractions 1• Bucharest (Bucuresti)

Romania's capital and one of the most chaotic cities in the world, Bucharest was a beauty in the 30's.

Romania's Attractions 2• Brasov

is a medieval town established by the Saxons. It is surrounded by mountains and it's one of the most visited places in Romania.

Castles in Romania: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR8V-ca3Sv0&feature=fvw

Romania's Attractions 3• Sighisoara One of the world's best preserved

medieval towns.

Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov),

Peles Castle is considered by many

one of the most beautiful castles in

all Europe. It was the final resting place

for several Romanian monarchs including

King Carol I, who died here in 1914.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFwYPbwEYc

Romania's Attractions 4• The Carpathians Mountains

Offer skiing opportunities (some of the cheapest in Europe).

Castles & Fortresses (Bran Castle, well known as Dracula’s castle)

Romania's Attractions 4• The Carpathians Mountains

Offer skiing opportunities (some of the cheapest in Europe).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjw3ijInaeU

Romania's Attractions 5• Black Sea Cost A bit more than 250 km long,

The Romanian Black sea coast

starts at the Danube's Chilia brace

and ends at Vama Veche,

The gateway to all the resorts is

the city of Constanta, the main Romanian

port. Founded by the Greeks, under the

name of Tomis, in the 6th century BC,

Constanta is accessible by car

(3.5hrs drive from Bucharest), plane,

train (express trains to and from

Bucharest or other cities)

Constanta: Romania's second largest city

and the oldest Romanian city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPlBOTW-27Q&feature=related

Romania's Attractions 6• Monastries

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuSvqe7h3Mk&feature=related

BUCHAREST

Lipscani Romanian Atheneum

United Nations Square House of People

- the Capital of Romania. It is located in the South-East and crossed by Dambovita River;- a 550 years old city;- a “Big Mix” of history, culture, art, 4 million people, livelihood, modern technology, business, great nightlife, primitive stuff, capitalism, comunism, impossible traffic, impossible parking, dust, …- a challenging experience;

- the easiest way is to fly to Bucharest.- the main airport is Otopeni “Henri Coanda” Intl. Airport (OTP).- here all big flight companies operate many flights from all parts of the world.

Baneasa “Aurel Vlaicu””

- by Bus:

Express 783 takes you from the Airport to the City. The followingstops are important: Victory Square,Roman Place, University Circus,Union Square. The service runs every 15-30 min (until 11pm) and takes 40-60 min. Fares: 7 lei (1.5 E) for a return trip card.

- by Taxi:

The official taxi company at OTP is Fly Taxi. The cab fare should not go over 70 lei (15 E) to downtown.

- House of the People/ParliamentBuilt in the mid 80's and still unfinished, the House of the People was designed as the Palace of the rule of the Communist Party.

For this huge construction, blood was shed and one of Bucharest's most beautiful neighbourhoods (cart. Uranus) were sacrificed.The second largest buildingin the world has 12 stories (of which 6 are underground) with impressive halls that can host any kind of events.Fares are around 15 lei and the entrance is free for students (proof required). It can be reached from Izvor (M1, M3) or Piata Unirii (M1, M2, M3) underground stations.

- Old City CentreThe remains of the 18-19th century Old Centre have been partly refurbished and host nice streets with a lot of cafe's, restaurants, clubs, small squares, cultural establishments.The whole neighbourhoodis full of buildings in westernstyle, with a lot of greek and turkish influences.The important streets areLipscani St.and Smardan St.Here lie the remains of theformer 19th century trade andcultural development of the middle and rich classes of those times.

The Old Centre is a 5 minutes walk from University Circus (Piata Universitatii) and from the corresponding underground station (M2),

-Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul Taranului Roman)It is dedicated to the Romanian village way of life and contains great collection of art-work, craftsmanship , interior decoration, clothing and artefacts. Built in 1906 with the scope of preserving the Romanian village culture, it became the first autonomous museum dedicated to the peasant social class. It is also a good place to buy real and valuable souvenirs from Romania. It is located at the end of Kisseleff High Road, in Victory Square.

- Village Museum (Muzeul Satului)

It is an original open-air museum built in 1934, which contains more than 300 buildings (including churches, workshops, mills, etc) from all over the regions of the country. Here only a small part of the Romanian village culture and heritage is exposed.It makes a wonderful and enlightening visit and walk. It can also be a host of several events of all sorts. In springs it also makes for a nice outdoors visit.

It is 5 minutes away from Piata Victoriei underground (M1, M2).URL: http://www.muzeultaranuluiroman.ro/en/index.php

The museum is located in the Northern Bucharest And is close to Herastrau Park. It is a good place for souvenir shopping. It can be reached by bus 131, 301, 331, 783 from Piata Romana.URL: http://www.muzeul-satului.ro/

- Parks: Cismigiu Gardens -is just a 10 minute walk from University Square. It is a lovely and very old park of the city an oasis of fresh air and quiet in the middle of the traffic “desert”.

Stavropoleos Monastery CEC Bank Herastrau Park

- As it is the main busi ness and tourist gate of the country, Bucharest benefits from a wide variety of eat-out places as follows: - fast food: McDonalds, KFC, Spring Time, etc. are present with prices starting with 10 lei (2.5E) up to 35 lei (8.3E). They can be easily reached in Piata Unirii, Piata Universitatii and Piata Romana. Further, there are many oriental based fast-food places. Namely, shaworma is quite popular and tasty in most of these establishments and costs 15 lei (3E) at most.

- Romanian food: There are many restaurants that serve Romanian food, as expected. Here 1 of them are presented. The first is Caru' cu bere (The Beer Cart), a fancy, but reasonably priced restaurant in a 19th century building. It is just a 5 minute walk from University Circus. It is locatedAcross the building of the Romanian National Bank.

URL: www.carucubere.ro

- Other food: There are many restaurants serving Italian, Chinese, American, Japaneze, Lebanese food, and others.

- Public transport services: The easiest and cheapest way to ride along in Bucharest is to use bus, trolleybus, tram and underground services.

- The overground transport is wide an extensive and useful to get in certain places where the underground does not reach or where the underground station is too far. The fare for a bus ticket is 1.3 lei for a single trip or 2.6 lei for return trip ticket. The ticket must be punched when getting on the bus. Tickets cannot be purchased from the driver. They can be found at the vending booth in certain stops. URL: www.ratb.ro - for maps, route information, etc.

- The underground service is reliable and suitable for getting around fast and nice in Bucharest. There are 4 subway lines, M1, M2, M3 and M4. The fares are 2.7 lei for a double trip card and 8-9 lei for a 10 trip card. The service runs between 5.30 AM and 11.30 PM. The central underground stations are Piata Unirii 1 (M1, M3), Piata Unirii 2 (M2), Universitate (M2), Piata Romana (M2), Piata Victoriei (M1, M2).

- The underground: URL: www.metrorex.ro

- Taxi:Another convenient way to travel around Bucharest is by cab. The regular fares lie between 1.3 and 1.9 lei. In order to get a fare ride and a good price, with a lowe risk of a rip-off, the following rules should be observed: - use only a company cab, NOT a private one and NOT those offered by people. The latter are scams. - all company cabs have the price advertised on the doors. - all company cabs must have the name of the company advertised on the car. - all company cabs, must have a taxi-meter inside with the possibility of getting the receipt of the payment. - always ask the driver to turn on the meter. If he refuses then go to another cab.

The easiest and cheapest way to go to other places in Romania, starting from Bucharest is to use CFR railway services. Hence the main train station of the city is Bucharest North Station (Gara de Nord)The train station is easily accessible by subway at Gara de Nord underground station (M1). It is just a 15 minute ride from Piata Unirii 1 underground station, or by trolleybus line 85 from nearby University Circus.

- Bars and pubs:

The City Centre area, dleimited by Universty Circus, Union Square, Roman Circus benefits from many bars and pubs, for all tastes. An example is Edgar's Pub (9 Edgar Quinet St.) near University Circus.Here one can have drinks of all kinds. Payment is accepted with plastic money and cash money. Most of the bars and pubs forbid smoking, however some of them benefit from spaces dedicated to smokers.

- Clubbs: Just as above, there are many club in that area, some with live music, rock music, folk music, etc.The best place to search for more information on bars and clubs is the website: www.sapteseri.ro/en/home-page.

- Safety: Bucharest is a fairly safe place. However, some common sense safey rules should be taken into account, such as: do NOT leave your luggage unattended, do be careful of your pockets and belongings in crowded places, beware of stray dogs.

- Must not: - Drug and weed consumption are completely prohibited and the use of such substances is subject to penal law. - Do not give money to beggars. - Do not follow cheap offers given by people in the street, they are usually scams. - Do follow the taxi rules mentioned earlier, in order to avoid rip offs. - Do not go into narrow streets or areas that you are not certain of. You can get easily lost and the task of getting to the right place could become tedious. Hence, be sure to have a map with you.

- Foreign langages: Most of the young generation (15-35) speak English, so do not be afraid to ask for information when you are not sure of something. If someone gets rude do not hesitate to go and ask someone else.

- Emergency: Romania has joined since 2005-2006 the unique emergency number 112 for police, ambulance, fire, etc. services.

For more information you can always check:

- www.sapteseri.ro/en/home-page

- www.24fun.ro

Also do not hesitate to check travel sites, such as TripAdvisor or Wikitravel for more details.

- For live images of Bucharest, do not hesitate to check:

http://www.jurnalul.ro/webcam/piata-universitatii-54.html

http://www.jurnalul.ro/webcam/piata-revolutiei-77.html

http://www.jurnalul.ro/webcam/piata-romana-22.html

BRASOV

United Nations Square House of People

- A 770 years old, beautiful City surrounded by mountains;

- The capital city of Brasov County.

- A multicultural, historical, relaxing place.

- A place where any European feels at home.

- The former second most industrialized city of Romania during comunism.

- The place where the collapse of industry left high unemployment.

- A city reborn from tourism, services and promising new industrial perspectives.

- The easiest and most comfortable way to reach Brasov is by train. Several rail services run from Bucharest North to Brasov (166 km). The trip takes 2.5-3.5h (due to engineering works) and it costs 40-50 lei (10-12 E)/ single trip.

- Brasov can also be reached by shuttle buses that run every hour, from C&I Bus station in Eastern Bucharest. (www.cdy.ro)

- by Bus:

The Brasov Station is 4 km away from the Centre. To go downtown one could use bus 4 to Livada Postei bus station, which is 5 minutes away from the Old Council Square (Piata Sfatului). Another option is bus 51 that takes you in front of the Black Church (Biserica Neagra) at the bus stop called Biserica Neagra/Maternitate.The trip lasts 7-10 min. and the cost is 1.5 lei (0.4E) for a single trip. Both buses leave from the third bus platform in front of the rail station. Tickets can be purchased from the vending booth next to the platforms. There is also a Tourist Information desk, where you could get free maps.

- by Taxi:

On the right hand from the exit from the station there is a taxi station. The fares are 1.5-2 lei/km.

- Brasov sits in a nice geographical area. It surrounds the Tampa Mt. (957m) and is built in a hilly area. Actually, if you take a close look even the flat area of the city has a nonzero slope. So, we could say in Brasov you go up and down. - Brasov is the union of three towns, each with a different story and peculiarities: The Old Brasov (Brasovul Vechi), The Crown Citadel (Cetatea Corona), The Schei District (Scheii Brasovului). Since the time is short we will refer to the last 2.- In the Crown Citadel lie the Council Square with the Old Council Hall and with the Black Church. The latter, build around 1480, the Gothic style church has its name due to a large fire set by Turks in 1689 (uncertain). It has an impressive collection of Asian rugs and a nice organ.

- The Citadel (built by Saxon Knights around 1220) has still left a part of the walls, towers and gates still standing. They have been recently renovated bu the County Gov. The still standing walls are the Eastern Wall at the bottom of Mt. Tampa and the Western Wall at the bottom of the Fortress Hill (Dealul Cetatii).

Western Walls

Ecaterina GateWhite TowerWeavers' Tower

- The Schei District: it is claimed to be one of the first medieval Romanian settings a little before the Saxons came to build the Citadel. History says that there was also a community of Bulgarian traders mixing up in this District. For centuries the people in Schei have fought the Germans and the Saxons in the Citadel and it was until 18th Century that they received rights. This place is also the birth of the first Romanian School as well as where the first letter written in Medieval Romanian language was found and kept. It is a beautiful and very quiet neighbourhood full of fairy tales and stories of heroes and outlaws.

St. Nicholas Church (Biserica Sf. Nicolae) First Romanian School

The Schei District

- Around Brasov one can go up to the mountains to Poiana Brasov resort. It is 12 km up and away from the Centre, and it can be reached by bus 20 from Livada Postei bus station. It benefits from a nice landscape as well as from a nice trip from the city. It is great in winter for skiing and winter fun. It is also very expensive and for some unknown reason turned into a posh-like place. Although this aspect spoils it, Poiana is still a nice fresh air place with beautiful landscapes and prone to mountain hiking.

- Fast food: McDonald's and KFC are present with prices starting with 10 lei (2.5E) up to 35 lei (8.3E). They can be easily reached in the Centre on Republic St. (str. Republicii). Another quite nice fast/regular food place which is open 24/7 is Panini located on 15th of November Bd. (at the junction with Castanilor St.). It can be easily reached from the Centre by a 15-20min walk or by bus from Livada Postei bus station (2 stops). It serves hot sandwiches, chips, grill, salad, fresh drinks. A meal is between 6 and 10 lei (1.2 - 2.5E).

- Romanian food: Roata Norocului (Wheel of Fortune), a reasonably priced restaurant in a nice setting.It is just a 5-10min walk up from Livada Postei bus station. It serves good food a 2 course meal going at a max 45 lei (11E).

URL: www.roata-norocului.ro

Ceasu' Rau (The Rotten Clock): 56 Iuliu Maniu Bd. (on the corner of Castanilor St.) serves Romanian food.It is more expensive than Roata Norocului.

- Public transport services: The easiest and cheapest way to ride along in Brasov is to use bus and trolleybus services of RATBv.The service runs between 5.30 and 24.00 in weekdaysand between 6.30 and 22.45 on weekends. There is nonight service. The fare for a single trip is 1.5 lei (0.4E)and 3 lei (0.8E) for a double trip. A daily pass costs 5 lei(1.2E) and is nominal. The tickets and passes can bepurchased at the vending booths. There are no ticketsavailable at the driver. The single and double ticketsmust be stamped after boarding. Each bus stop has the timetable of the lines stopping there, posted. In most bus stops the map of the lines is also posted.

- Taxi: there are good taxi services running in Brasov. The recommendations are to always use the company cabs.Avoid cabs offers on the street. The prices are 1.2 -2 lei/km.Since Brasov is medium size, the most expensive trip (e.g. 10km) should be no more than 20 lei (5E). Some tourist sites say the taxis in Brasov are among the fairest in Romania.

- Bars and pubs:

The City Centre area is the best place to explore this aspect of being a tourist in Brasov. There are many pubs and bars within the Citadel on the large or narrow streets of this area. The shopping malls are another option for a coffee or a drink. Unirea Shopping Centre is an example, located next to the Rail Station.

URL: http://www.brasovtravelguide.ro/en/brasov/bars-clubs/bars.php

- Safety: Brasov is a fairly safe place. However, some common sense safety rules should be taken into account, such as: do NOT leave your luggage unattended, do be careful of your pockets and belongings in crowded place.

- Must not: - Drug and weed consumption are completely prohibited and the use of such substances is subject to penal law. - Do not give money to beggars. - Do not follow cheap offers given by people in the street, they are usually scams. - Do follow the taxi rules mentioned earlier, in order to avoid rip offs. - Do not change currency with individuals in the streets, it is a certain rip-off. Use ATM's they are almost everywhere, as well as many branches of banks

- Foreign languages: Most of the young generation (15-35) speak English, so do not be afraid to ask for information when you are not sure of something. If someone gets rude do not hesitate to go and ask someone else.

- Emergency: Romania has joined since 2005-2006 the unique emergency number 112 for police, ambulance, fire, etc. services.

For more information you can always check:

- www.tourist-informator.ro

There are two information desks: one outside Brasov Rail Station and an automatic one in the City Centre, on the building of the Old Council Hall.

- For food: www.mancare-brasov.ro (RO)

Also do not hesitate to check travel sites, such as TripAdvisor or Wikitravel for more details.

- For live images from Brasov, do not hesitate to check: www.mybrasov.eu, or

http://www.judbrasov.ro/cjbv/index.php?cat=29

Thank you for your attention!and

Have a nice trip!