Category: Tourism
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Hercule’s Bath – Baile Herculane, Romania
According to the most reputable legends, Hercules stopped in the Cerna Valley in southwest Romania to bathe in the hot springs and take a much-needed vacation from his exploits. During the Roman period in Dacia, Baile Herculane was a leisure spa town renowned throughout the Empire. Today, vestiges of its 19th century glory days…
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Curating Legacy in Paphos, Cyprus
I spent several days with a friend in Paphos, Cyprus last week. Passionate about people and cultures and how God’s glory is manifest in diverse ways through them, we determined to visit the small Cyprus Ethnographical Museum. We walked by columned government buildings and museums to the aging facade of a large residence, iron gates…
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Monastical Seclusion – Horezu, Romania
One foggy afternoon in October we turned off the main road that skirts the southern Carpathians and headed straight into the foothills. Signs directed us to the UNESCO World Heritage Horezu Monastery. Several kilometers of road dead-ended at a large gate and medieval stone walls. The monastery and surrounding buildings on the hillside were…
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The Saturday livestock market, a timeless affair – Caracal, Romania
Every Saturday, as pink tints the clouds and the sun climbs above the horizon, horse-drawn carts carrying livestock make their way to an open field on the edge of town. Elderly couples bundle up for the walk which they make every week to reacquaint themselves with family and friends who are also expected to be…
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The Wooden Churches of Maramureș, Romania
Along Romania’s northern border, rolling hills and thick forests clothe the landscape that flows into Ukraine. This is the region made famous in William Blackers Along the Enchanted Way, recalling a medieval way of live that still exists but is quickly evaporating into the morning fog. One notable architectural feature of this region is the wooden church…
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Prejmer Fortified Church, Romania – survivor of the marauding centuries
Memories of my childhood include horrendously glorious adventures walking up castle stairs with no guardrail or peeking over the ledge of an inadequate barrier to a cavernous moat many feet below. I don’t remember my parents hollering “Stand back!” or “Don’t get so close!” Being the responsible parents they are, I’m sure they did. We…
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Peleș Castle, Sinaia, Romania
Western Europe does not hold a monopoly on enchanting castles. Romania holds its own when it comes to the influence of monarchs and their illustrious abodes. In May of 1866, at a time of great tension in western Europe wherein Austria and Prussia were on the brink of war, the German Karl von Hohenzollern crossed…
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Memorializing the Night – Elie Wiesel’s boyhood home in Sighetu, Romania
In a remote corner of northern Romania, a mile from the border of Ukraine, sits a modest blue home at the intersection of two city streets. A small plaque memorializes this abode, the house whence Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and his family were deported during World War II. The home, which is now a museum, supposedly…
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Not stroller-confined – hiking in Transylvania
Unless you have been reading willtravelwithkids since its inception over three years ago, you probably missed the post about confining kids to strollers on outings. This week I’m in Transylvania, interspersing language school with adventurous outings in the area around Sibiu. This afternoon, during a secluded hike meandering with the children along a groomed path…
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Snapshots of Romania
As I mentioned in the previous post, we have now been in Romania over a month. We have also had the opportunity to travel across the country, from the Black Sea to the mountains, from the southern plains to the traffic-ridden capital, Bucharest. Summer is in full swing. I look forward to capturing snapshots throughout…
will travel with kids 