Red Corner: Propaganda Exhibit in Bucharest

by Neil Woodburn on

Exhibitions on fascist and communist propaganda are nothing new in Europe. Nearly every former communist country has exhibited various archives from this dark period. The Romanians, however, have added a very unique twist to their current offering which just opened at the National Archives in Bucharest.

“Fascism and Communism – Ideology and Propaganda in Romania 1938-1989,” is enhanced by a series of comments written not by experts on the topic of propaganda, but by local school children. Pairing the innocent minds of children with the evil science of propaganda is a brilliant concept as can be seen by the following student comment offered up in the press release; “Children in our country are not allowed to play on the grass in the parks, while elsewhere, children play especially on grass in the park, because for other people children are more important than grass.”

Wow. Spoken with the true clarity only a child can possess.

Red Corner: Buying your Vacation Home in Eastern Europe

by Neil Woodburn on

Looking for a cheap vacation home to buy abroad but France and England are a bit out of your price range? Well, look no further than Eastern Europe, deep Eastern Europe. Real estate in Prague and Budapest are already out of many peoples’ price range, but lesser visited towns in Bulgaria and Romania are not. In fact, experts predict that both of these countries are prime real estate investment opportunities. And, if I might add, beautiful countries in which to have a second home.

According to an article in The Observer, Romanian real estate is expected to offer returns of over 400% in the next ten years-due to a combination of current low values and the anticipation of the country entering the European Union in 2007. Although 50 years of communism has left many buildings in sorry shape, there seems to be plenty of quaint ones to choose from on this British-based real estate site. And why Romania you ask? Well, the mountains of Transylvania, for example, are stunning. There is the Black Sea cost (not as stunning), and the capital, Bucharest-known a century ago as the Paris of the East.

Another article, this one in The Christian Science Monitor, discusses the benefits of buying vacation homes in Bulgaria-site of fine ski resorts and warm summers. After the fall of communism, many Bulgarians moved to the cities to look for work, leaving their country homes empty and awaiting foreign buyers. The article chronicles the adventures of a couple in search of a $20,000 vacation home in the countryside. They eventually find one nestled amongst a fairytale “Lord of the Rings” setting. It has mountain views and fruit trees, but no bathroom or plumbing. I’m curious to hear what the $5,000 houses also on the market have to offer.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/17/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Please, please whatever you do, do not take this word and run off making cute attempts to wow someone with your Romanian language skills or sense of humor. The everyday people of the country are tired of silly references to non-existent vampires that lurk in the night, though I’m sure they make a killing (no pun intended) in tourism dollars from the fanged night crawlers. Five years back I spent a good two weeks in the country and can vouch for how unimpressed they become with vampire lore and fiction. Stick to the facts and visit this site on Vlad the Impaler if you need some help remembering the details which lead to Bram Stoker’s Dracula before visiting.

Today’s word is a Romanian word used in Romania:

ciocân – (cho-kon) hammer

Hammers are most certainly not the weapon of choice for vampire slaying, but I can assure you there isn’t much of this activity happening anyway. However, it does come in handy when building homes on volunteer vacations with Habitat for Humanity in Cluj-Napoca. It’s one of the few words I slightly remember and just thought to share. You can pick up a few additional words at the Vlad the Impaler page, but if you’d like to know some real practical basics visit this Easy Romanian site. They offer proverbs, months, numbers, and days of the week. As usual Pimsluer offers great audio methods and Lonely Planet has a pocket sized phrasebook for Eastern European langs.

The Danube Delta

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here’s one for those infatuated with almost everything Eastern Europe and for those who aren’t take it as a mere suggestion. Don’t know how I found the site, but finding your way to the Danube Delta in Romania shouldn’t be hard. When I found myself staying in a boatel on the Danube river in Budapest, Hungary I thought I had died and gone to heaven and when I reached my destination in Romania, a sleepy Transylvanian town named Cluj-Napoca, I felt it happen all over again. It’s hard to imagine what the two together might be. Incredible maybe?

So, why might YOU want to hoof it down to the river anyway? For starters, it’s a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site not to mention one of the best preserved deltas in all of Europe, where the waters of the Danube make their way into the Black Sea. Residing in the delta is several bird species, fish and 800 plant species. Traditional fisherman villages are also to be found along the delta. Sounds fairly impressive, but if hanging out, exploring and being one with the river isn’t your idea of fun activities I do ask that you consider some other great things to do in the country.

Romania is amazing, having both excellent, inexpensive food (least while I was there four years back) and several interesting places to bounce in and around. The site for the delta supplies a great deal on the country, accommodations, and of course more useful information on making the delta apart of your travel plans.