Bucharest [Romania]
The city lies on the Wallachian plains between the Carpathian hills and the
Danube River, and was first settled by the Dacians as far back as 70BC.
Established under the rule of Prince Vlad Tepes in 1459 who made it his military
and residential base, by the end of the 17th century Bucharest was the capital
of Wallachia and was one of Europe's wealthiest cities.
This wealth continued through the
'Golden Age' early in the 20th century when much of the city was re-modelled,
taking architectural inspiration from France, which saw the narrow streets
widened to broad, tree-lined boulevards. Much of this glory was wiped out in
the 1940s when Allied bombing in WWII and a strong earthquake in 1940 brought
much of the city down to rubble. Another earthquake in 1977 and harsh
redevelopment by dictator Nicolae Ceausescu spelt the end for Bucharest's
status as a 'Little Paris'. For a small taste of the architectural delights
that the city was once known for, head to northern Bucharest and the area from
Piata Victoriei to Herastrau Park, where wide streets are lined with trees and
each beautiful villa is architecturally unique.
Dubbed
the pearl of the Carpathians, Sinaia boasts not only Romania’s hottest skiing,
but also the country’s most fabulous palace. Despite being Romania’s most
popular ski resort, it has retained an earthy elegance, a refusal to turn into
commercial kitsch. Floating at an altitude of 800-930m in the narrow Prahova
Valley and lying at the foot of the fir-clad Buccegi Mountains, Sinaia seems to
have sprouted naturally from its wooded nest. The resort is alleged to have
gained its name from a Romanian nobleman Mihai Cantacuzino who, following a
pilgrimage he made to the biblical Mt Sinai in Israel in 1695, founded the
Sinaia Monastery.
Peles Castle –
Sinaia [Romania]
Situated in the Prahova valley and overlooked by the spectacular Carpathian
Mountains, the Castle was constructed in a German Renaissance style from wood,
stone, bricks and marble and comprises around 160 rooms. Building began in
1875, and this Castle was the first in Europe to feature central heating and
electricity. It was built for King Carol I and work finished 39 years later,
just months before the King passed away in 1914. Particular rooms which are
worth a mention are the Big Armoury Room, the small Armoury Room, the
Florentine Room, the Reception Room (where paintings and wooden sculptures
depicting 16 castles of the Hohenzollerns are exhibited), the Moresque Room,
The French Room, the Turkish Room, the Council Room, the Concert Room as well
as the Imperial Suite. Outside there are seven terraces decorated with
Romanelli statues.
Of
all the dreamy spots throughout Transylvania that make you feel like you’re floating
through another time and space, Sighiasora’s citadel wins the prize by a long
way. Sighiasora has an enchantingly preserved medieval citadel as its core, and
is surrounded by beautiful hilly countryside. It tends to seduce visitors’
hearts more than any other city in Transylvania. Nine towers remain along its
intact city walls, which encircle sloping cobbled streets, lined with 16th-century
burgher houses and untouched churches.
The last judgment fresco, which fills the
entire western wall of the monastery, is perhaps the most marvelous Bucovine
fresco. At the top, angels roll up the signs of the zodiac to indicate the end
of time. The middle fresco shows humanity being brought to judgment. On the left,
St Paul escorts the believers, while on the right Moses brings forward the
nonbelievers. Below is the Resurrection.
On the northern wall is Genesis, from Adam
and Eve to Cain and Abel. The southern wall features another tree of Jesse with
the genealogy of biblical personalities. In the vertical fresco to the left is
the story of the martyrdom of St John of Suceava (who is buried in the
Monastery of St John the New in Suceava, p2&5). The vibrant, almost satiny
blue pigment used throughout the frescoes is known worldwide as ‘Voronet blue’.
In the narthex lies the tomb of Daniel the
Hermit, the first abbot of Voronet Monastery. It was upon the worldly advice of
Daniel, who told Stefan cel Mare not to give up his battle against the Turks,
that the Moldavian prince went on to win further victories against the Turks
and then to build Voronet Monastery out of gratitude to God.
In 1785, occupying Austrians forced
Voronet’s monks to abandon the monastery. Since 1991 a small community of nuns
has inhabited the monastery.
Humor Monastery [Suceava - North East
Romania]
Of all the
Bucovina monasteries, Humor has the most impressive interior
frescoes. Chancellor Theodor Bubuiog founded it in 1530, under the guidance of
Moldavian Prince Petru Rares. Unlike the other monasteries, Humor has no tower
and is surrounded by ramparts made from wood; its traditional Moldavian open
porch was the first of its kind to be built in Bucovina.
Its exterior frescoes, dating from 1535, are predominantly red. Paintings on
the church’s southern exterior wall are devoted to the Holy Virgin, the patron
saint of the monastery. There’s a badly faded depiction of the 1453 siege of
Constantinople, with the parable of the return of the prodigal son beside it to
the right. St George is depicted on the northern wall. On the porch is a
painting of the Last Judgment: the long bench on which the 12 apostles sit, the
patterned towel on the chair of judgment: the long, horn-like bucium (pipe)
used to announce the coming of Christ, are all typical Moldavian elements.
Humor
shelters five chambers, the middle one (the tomb room) has a lower ceiling than
the others. This hides a treasure room (tainita) where the riches of the
monastery were traditionally kept safe. On the right wall as you enter the tomb
room is a votive painting depicting the founder, Toader Bubuiog, offering, with
the help of the Virgin Mary, a miniature replica of the monastery to Christ.
The tomb of Bubuiog, who died in 1539, and of his wife, lie on the left side of
the room; a painting of his wife praying to the Virgin Mary is above her grave.
The
paintings in the first chamber (pronaos) depict various scenes of
martyrs. Above the decorative border, which runs around the base of the four
walls, is a pictorial representation of the first three months of the Orthodox
calendar (synaxary). Unlike the other interior paintings, which were
restored by UNESCO in the early 1970s, the paintings in the altar room have
never beer restored.
Chisinau
[Republic of Moldova]
This
may be the capital of one of Europe’s poorest countries, but you’d never know
it walking its streets. In
Chiyinau (‘kish-i-now’ in Moldovan, ‘kish-i-nyov’ in Russian), Mercedes and
Jaguars line up outside one fancy restaurant after another, and fashionably
dressed youth strut down boutique-lined avenues, Of course, ask anyone working
in those shops - or hanging out at one of the
cheaper cafes how much they earn, and the usual reply would be about $70 a
month. The jagged contrast between rich and poor certainly doesn’t please the
have-nots, but this vibrant, good-natured city is so full of joie de vivre that it doesn’t get in the way of what’s most
important here: having a good time.
While
photographs of Chisinau tend to show sprawling concrete esplanades smartly
bookended by concrete apartment blocks, this is probably the cosiest of all the
Soviet-style cities rebuilt after WWII (it was totally destroyed by bombardment
and a 1940 earthquake). Just a block away from the main drag you don’t feel the
concrete at all through the lush foliage that holds the city in its embrace.
First chronicled in 1420, Chisinau boasts wide avenues and pleasant parks, and
is circled by a ring of parks and lakes.