Exploring Romanian mountains, Bucegi, Piatra Craiului, Fagaras, Sibiu and Brasov city
I was asked many times by my guests if I’m not bored to do tours in the past 11 years over and over the same places, over and over same mountains, and clearly my answer is NO! First of all, I did tours with hundreds of different guests, from all over the world, and all of them have different stories to share, and all of them were surprised by my country, Romania. I can say that most of them came with not so many expectations about a hiking or a cultural tour in Romania, but at the end of the tour they really changed their opinion about my country. And I’m happy for them, and I’m happy that I was able to help them to do this!
The tour with Pat and Dov was a spectacular from many point of view, very interesting persons to talk with, and not the last excellent weather for hiking and walking.
Honestly I was surprised by what also Dov mention below, by the deeply rooted Jewish culture is Romania, the liturgy of the Saphardic synagogue what sound like the chants of our Greek Orthodox, and the connections with Yiddish songs and Israeli dances.
It was a nice and very interesting tour for me, and not the last for Dov and Pat!
Enjoy the photos,
Iulian, Brasov 12 September 2011
Testimonial:
We spent 10 wonderful days with Iulian exploring Romania. We didn’t know much about the country before we came, and were astonished to find one of the most charming countries in Europe. We hiked for 2 days the Bucegi mountains. The bucolic scenery was out of this world -straight out of a Pieter Breugel painting. We then “graduated” to the Fagaras mountains; much more demanding physically, but the scenery made it worth it. In between hiking days Iulian sprinkled visits to mountain monasteries, Saxon fortified churches, medieval towns, and the castle of Vlad Tepes (purported to be the character of Dracula). What a terrific combination of history, culture and nature. You sit in a cafe on the square in Brasov and you are transformed into a different world. You pass the villages and see the locals dressed in their traditional, colorful dresses. These are not “tourist villagers” -they are real people going about their daily lives. We had a unique experience visiting Iulian grandmother’s house in the village, and the welcome that we received from his parents, grandmother, and some neighbors who stopped by, was heartwarming. To top it all, they cooked a great lunch that reminded me of my mother’s house. How close can you get to experiencing the life of real Romanians? We were also flabbergasted to find how deeply rooted Jewish culture is Romania. The liturgy of the Saphardic synagogue sounds just like the chants in the Greek Orthodox churches we visited. Their folk songs and dances are just like many Yiddish songs and Israeli dances.
These experiences characterize the whole trip, put together so expertly by Iulian. His easy going and helpful demeanor puts you at ease. His expertise in hiking and knowledge of the mountains were reassuring. His engineering background came through with the meticulous planning and flawless execution of the smallest detail.
In summary, the perfect trip. We recommend it wholeheartedly.
Dov Michaeli and Pat Salber, Larkspur, California, USA, August 2011
