TRAVEL WRITING CHALLENGE
Raw and Refreshing Romania
The A to Z of my favorite travel destinations
The scents, the people, the conversations on the streets, the hospitality, the nature, the architecture and of course the nature. Romania has a fascinating and almost fairytale-like display of cultural and natural treasures. For those willing to explore the raw and hidden countryside.
Romania is a lot more than a developing country with horse carriages on the streets and tiny villages with pebblestone roads and ancient fortified churches.
Romania has grown into a technology hotspot with its very own fame. The unofficial capital of Transylvania, one of many regions in the country, is said to be the “Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe”.
The cities in the country are modern, fast and very much developed with better IT specialists than Germany can show for. I’d say. Universities are the basis of a growing economy.
However, I’m not fond of Romanian cities. Just as little as I visit cities in Germany or anywhere else in the world, I don’t visit them in Romania either. Or not much at least. I’m not a city person. Period.
When I talk and dream of Romania, I see castles, fortified churches, and hills covered in forests with bears, wolves and other wildlife roaming the wilderness. And Romania still has a lot of it.
I have more than just a personal connection to the country as both my parents are born in Romania. I feel connected to my roots and am always happy when returning to explore some more of it.
Just like everywhere else in the world, I am drawn to the mountains and Romania has some beautiful ones. The Carpathian Mountains are a massive range surrounding the region of Transylvania.
Only parts of them are accessible to the normal tourist. Most places high up and deep in the mountains remind you of untouched wilderness. Untamed Romania was once a National Geographic documentary and brought the best of it on film.
For anyone who’s never been, I won’t manage to transport the full display of the country. I can share my feelings, thoughts and memories I made but one will only understand my words once you’ve been there.
I still hold onto memories from my childhood when we traveled back to Romania and visited friends and family. And I will remember each of the trips I made back to the country where my roots belong.
This is a response to a writing prompt started by Sam Millichap and many have participated since. I’m so happy to see the community is growing. So many amazing destinations coming up. We welcome anyone to join the fun. Write your own alphabet of your favorite travel destinations.
Sam Millichap with “Discovering Orkney’s 8,500 Years of Human Occupation”
Adrienne Beaumont with “Romania, Rome or Ronda”
Robert G. Longpré with “P is for Peru”
Darren Weir with “A Roman Holiday”
Michael Rhodes with “Grand Canyon”
Dan Carlson | Meandering Naturist with “G is for Gavdos, Greece”
Jerry Dwyer with “Napa Valley”
Jillian Amatt — Artistic Voyages with “G is For Greece”
Nishan Fuard with “Anaheim: I Remember the Parking Lot from the Hotel Window”
Ronald Smit with “B is for … Botswana”
Erie Astin with “The Immortal Majesty of York Minster”
And new to the team came Erika Burkhalter with “Where the Buddha Sleeps”
You can find the full series of the “A to Z of my favorite travel destinations” in the reading list here. And these are my latest ones:
O — “Sunsets of Oslo”
P — “Where the Sun Never Reaches the Horizon”
Q — “I Haven’t Been to Q…”
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