…and the Statue of Liberty? Yes! Probably one of the last things I would have expected to see in Romania – but more about that in a moment…
I booked a private tour guide to take me exploring through some of Romania’s interesting sights and places and he was FABULOUS! I will write a separate post about Adrian and his services before I leave Romania…
Anyway, we left Bucharest reasonably early in the morning and I love seeing the fields of poppies that just spring up all over the place…
This pair look soooooo cute!
While this below may look something akin to the Addams Family Mansion, it is actually a Gypsy mansion – and the names at the top are the people who live there…
The more I learn about the Romani people (gypsies), the more fascinating the subject becomes!
For instance, I didn’t realise that while most are Christian, they follow strict Hindi purity laws… Here is some info on that from Wikipedia: ”
This regulation affects many aspects of life, and is applied to actions, people and things: parts of the human body are considered impure: the genital organs (because they produce emissions), as well as the rest of the lower body. Clothes for the lower body, as well as the clothes of menstruating women, are washed separately. Items used for eating are also washed in a different place. Childbirth is considered impure, and must occur outside the dwelling place. The mother is considered impure for forty days after giving birth.
Death is considered impure, and affects the whole family of the dead, who remain impure for a period of time. In contrast to the practice of cremating the dead, Romani dead must be buried. Cremation and burial are both known from the time of the Rigveda, and both are widely practiced in Hinduism today (although the tendency is for Hindus to practice cremation, while some communities in South India tend to bury their dead). Some animals are also considered impure, for instance cats because they lick their hindquarters. Horses, in contrast, are not considered impure because they cannot do so.”
…and now we arrive at the Slanic Prahova Salt Mines…
…this little girl was so cute – she has obviously just learned to tie a knot and kept tying and untying her jacket – being very pleased with herself for each successful tie! 🙂
We board a…. errr…. ummm….. kinda mini-bus of sorts…….
…and head off………..
…arriving at what looks like a disused nuclear waste facility………..
…and no, “inchideti usa” doesn’t mean American’s cannot enter – it means ‘close the door’…
…and then the ride began……….. going down and down and down at a ridiculous speed……….
…until we arrive at the caverns…….
…walk through the tunnel of doooooommmm…… not really, but it seemed to fit! 🙂
……through the door to who knows where……..
…and then……… oh, my goodness!
The galleries are over 180 feet high, we are 712 feet deep, and the temperature is a constant 12oC…….
Because of the purity and the composition of the sodium ion rich air, combined with the atmospheric pressure that is 18-20 mm Hg greater than that of the ground surface, the galleries have been used extremely successfully for more than 100 years in the healing of a range of respiratory challenges.
Also, due to the purity and stability of the micro-climate, many scientific experimental stations are set up within the galleries…
…this is actually a reflection…
Not just a place to explore, different galleries have been turned into football fields, basketball courts, and more…
…sculptures made from salt…
…and now we take the ‘interesting’ ride back to the surface…
This policeman had just finished taking a photo of this man posing in front of billboard for assault rifles… but please do not get the impression that Romania is dangerous – it is one of the safest places I have ever been… Will write another separate post on my thoughts about Romania – and how ‘free’ it is! Seriously! They have freedoms here that haven’t existed in most Western countries for generations…
…and now off to wine country…
…and along the way… The Statue of Liberty!!!???
…and here, no signs of deer prancing across the road… here it is a prancing goat…
Welcome to LacertA Winery (pronounced la-cherta)…
The chief winemaker is pointing up to the ceiling… Here, rather than pumping the liquid from one place to another, they use the force of gravity and simply have one level below the next…
…not such a bad way to while away a couple of hours……..
…and on our way again, we encounter a traffic jam…
These below are bee hives… and I have something fabulous to tell you about bees, honey and pollen when you get to my post on the Transfăgărășan Road!
…and so we arrive at the mud volcanoes…
…and don’t worry – the mud is cold…
From Wikipedia: “As the gases erupt from 3000 metres deep towards the surface, through the underground layers of clay and water, they push up underground salty water and mud, so that they overflow through the mouths of the volcanoes, while the gas emerges as bubbles.”
…and so we leave the Berca Mud Volcanoes and head back to Bucharest…
…oh, and this is interesting… These were built during the communist era, but rather than pull them down, the yellow you see is actually a high-tech coating that preserves the exterior and produces up to 50% reduction in energy loss!
…and back to what is now my favourite restaurant in the whole entire world… and it happens to be literally across the road! …and for this incredible meal in a five-star, fine-dining restaurant, two large glasses of wine, one large bottle of sparkling mineral water – approximately thirty-five US dollars……!!!
~ Bella
