Unique Experiences You Can Have in Romania

Maybe youve heard of Nadia Comneci or Gic Hagi, the Danube

Delta or the Count Dracula, but Romania has a hundred times more
to offer to the tourist craving for beauty and uniqueness.
This small country hides within, from the Black Sea shore to the
highest picks of
Carpathians, an amazing diversity of natural
resources, a history full of legends and traditions, an abundance of
religious architecture, medieval towns and castles impossible to
match in Europe or even worldwide.
But Romania is no only a land of legends, beautiful edifices, but also
of brilliant people who changed the world.
1 The richness deep down: the healing power of sacred water
From the bottom up, Romania hides inside the Carpathian Mountains the
sacred water which, as legend tells, healed Hercules wounds made by
Hydra. Herculane is currently the most famous and oldest health resort in
Romania, dating from Roman times, when it was named The sacred waters
of Hercules.
The miracle is scientifically called balneotherapy and Romania has no less
than 3,000 mineral and thermal springs, meaning more than one third of
Europe's miraculous waters.
2 Bacchus place of birth
When history meets legend, the origins of Bacchus (or Dionysus), the god of
wine, are here, in Romania, a country annually receiving important awards
and countless gold medals in international contests for the wine made in
these vineyards.
In fact, Romania viticulture is more than 6000 years old, so there is no
wonder that legends say that Dionysus, the god of wine, was born in Thracia,
on a sandy land in South-East of Romania, near the Black Sea, now called
Dobrogea. So raise your glass and enjoy!
3 Up in the mountains: a road to die for

Imagine the 93 miles of road literally built in the heart of the mountains, at
2034 meters of altitude. This means Transfgraan. Over 3 million of hard
rocks exploded and over 20 tons of dynamite were used to make a dictators
dream coming true. It is said that over 40 people lost their lives between
1970 and 1974, during the construction process.
Still considered the most dramatic road in Romania, Transfgraan is also
the one providing the most spectacular landscapes within the Carpathians
and the most challenging curves for bikers, hikers and drivers alike. It has
five tunnels, of which Blea Tunnel, near the highest point of the road, is the
longest (884 m) and maybe the darkest tunnel in the country...
4 The worlds most haunted forest
Also called the Bermuda Triangle of Romania, Hoia-Baciu Forest located near
Cluj-Napoca is a place famous worldwide for its paranormal activity. Its name
comes from a shepherd who disappeared deep down the forest, together
with his 200 sheep.
Most local people dont go there for fear that they will not come back and
those who dared entering suffered inexplicable symptoms of physical
sickness, loss of memories or anxiety. The strange events reported include
mysterious lights, female voices, apparitions, UFOs. Scientists from around
Europe and USA captured bizarre material structures on film, like apparitions
and faces.
5 The Romanian (better) Stonehenge
The great mysteries of Romania dont stop near Cluj-Napoca. A little further
south, the Capital of ancient Dacia before the Roman Wars, Sarmizegetusa
Regia doesnt deserve its anonymity as it is considered by astronomers the
most sensational astronomic monument in the world, even more amazing
than Stonehenge.
Sarmizegetusa Regia is actually a megalithic computer meant to help with
astronomic calculations and proves that the ancestors of Romanian had solid
knowledge which amazingly coincides with the ones of ancient Egyptian and
Mayan cultures.
6 Castles of legend masterpieces of Romanian architecture

And speaking of great edifices, Romania is rich in castles that seem taken
out of fairy tales. You could start with the Romanian landmark Pele, the first
European castle entirely electrified and considered one of the most beautiful
castles in Europe. Built exactly a century ago in Sinaia, this architectural
masterpiece reveals the most impressive Imperial Bedroom in the history of
European aristocracy, illuminated by a unique chandelier made using
Bohemian crystal. There is also a legend saying that a huge golden
thesaurus was discovered under the castle and remnants of this thesaurus
may still exist in the surrounding woods.
You could also visit the Peoples Palace in Bucharest (the Capital, also called
the Little Paris), the second largest administrative building in the world after
the Pentagon. Also known as the Palace of the Parliament, this palace with
1000 rooms entered the World Records Academy three times: as the largest
civilian administrative building use area in the world, the most expensive
office building, also the heaviest in the world (actually 2% larger than the
Pyramid of Keops).
From the 15th century, the Castle of Hunedoara comes with its own history: it
houses the prison where the Count Dracula, the Impaler, was incarcerated
before being taken to Hungary. Beyond the historical truth, legends say that
in that dark, small and cold cell, the famous count immortalized by Bram
Stoker went crazy...
7 The medieval citadels: history and magic atmosphere
And still speaking of Vlad the Impaler, his birthplace is equally special:
Sighioara stands as the best preserved medieval town in Europe, protected
by UNESCO since 1999 as a World Heritage Site for its perfectly intact 16th
century medieval fortress with 14 towers. It is a medieval citadel still
inhabited today which could easily rival with the old streets of Vienna or
Prague in terms of magic atmosphere.
Another citadel very well preserved is Rnov near the spectacular city of
Braov, a rustic fortresses built as an important part of a defending system
of medieval Transylvania. Its legend is related to the 146 meters well dug
nearby between 1625 and 1640 and resembles the legend of the Castle of
Hunedoara: the local people forced two Turkish prisoners to dig in exchange
for their freedom. They stayed there for 17 years and filled the walls of the
well with verses from the Koran.

8 The amazing tastes of traditional cuisine

Romania is undoubtedly a country of great culinary tradition, which is varied,
unique and delicious. If you enter a Romanian restaurant, you must start
your feast with a small glass of uic, a sort of strong plum brandy, and
continue with a meatball soup (ciorb de perioare) or tripe soup with sour
cream (ciorb de burt). Or you can opt for a saramaur (grilled carp in
brine) if you are in the Danube Delta or near the Black Sea.
Your main course could be sarmale (pickled cabbage leaves stuffed with a
mix of minced meats, rice and spices), tochitur (a sort of stew with a lot of
onion and different spices) or mici (the wee ones, kind of grilled sausages
without skin). Add a Murfatlar wine of your choice.
For dessert, you should try papanai, special cheese donuts with sour cream
and fruit jam on top. Or, if Christmas is near, cozonac, the sweet bread filled
with walnuts, raisins, cocoa cream or Turkish delight).
9 Living like hundreds years ago
Romania has thousands of amazing rural areas and no journey in Romania
would be authentic and unforgettable without a village experience for a few
days. Pick a village with century-old manor houses and residences offering
you a glimpse into the spectacular beauty of Romanian landscapes, where
the whole community will welcome you and treat you like a royalty.
In such a Romania traditional village, you can live as your ancestors did
hundreds of years ago: every day you can collect the eggs from the hens,
milk the cows, feed the animals, make bread in the oven or fruit jam, crush
grapes to make wine, gather wood to make fire and so on. Its like a time
machine brought you back in the 18th century
10 The elixir of youth
What could personalities like Indira Gandhi, Marlene Dietrich, J.F. Kennedy,
Salvador Dali, Charles de Gaulle, Charlie Chaplin and Kirk Douglas possibly
have in common? Their face cream made in Romania by the genius doctor
Ana Aslan who discovered the elixir of youth and called it Gerovital,
currently the most famous Romanian brand in the world. The amazing doctor
also founded The Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics in 1952, the first
institution of this kind in the world.

But Ana Aslan is not the only Romanian personality with impressive
achievements. Petrache Poenaru invented the first cartridge fountain pen.
Mircea Eliade was the first in the world who wrote a comprehensive History
of Religions and also a famous fiction writer and philosopher. Nicolae
Pulescu discovered the insulin; Carol Davila invented the Davila tincture
used for the treatment of cholera and so forth
And recently the Romanian actor Radu Beligan who turned 97 on last
December set the new world record for the oldest active professional theatre
actor: 77 years of impressive career on the stage. Some say he knows Ana
Aslans secrets very well