good snaps

another one of the posts that would have Fodor's folks believe that Romania is all about Dracula. Wrong.

Michael, Clifton. Noe, Valtor and Flat4 and a few others would also dispute that...as will I.

I don't normally do this, but I think it is called for ...these photos are based on my numerous visits to Romania over the years since the 70's...some pics are of the 80's others of the 90's and latest 2005.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/BucharestBrashovSinaiaSighishoaraMaramureshBukovina#

Others will follow,

Stu

More form intriguing Romania:

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/PopaMuseumBicazGorgesEtc#

Best line:

"Either way, any time spent in Romania is not time spent ‘in vein’!"

Older pics are scanned. others are digital. You notice, much of my work in and around Romania was in search of and interviewing the Jewish community, or the remnants thereof....for three books I was writing during the period. On the 2005 trip, I escorted 16 of my readership on a footsteps tour of the country to visit many of the places mentioned and described in my works. Other than that, I drove each time which was a task back in the "regime"...
stu tower

Tower, very nice pictures! I hope that they will help many people to understand that Romania has a lot to offer.

If you will ask a Romanian what he recommend to visit there, I am sure that you will receive a long list (Painted monasteries in Bucuovina, the villages in Maramures, Iasi, Cluj, Brasov, Timisoara, Sighisoara, Sibiu, Bucharest, Apuseni mountains and caves, Bucegi mountains ,Moeciu valley, Peles castle, Bran Castle, Bicaz mountains, Olt Valley, Prahova valley and more, more) but I doubt if he will include a word about Dracula.

Your pictures also tell something about Roumanian folklore.

but I doubt if he will include a word about Dracula

Asolutely correct Valtor. I can say thst in all my interviewing and other conversations in Romania I've never heard a word about Dracula. That is exactly what I've tried to set straight. Thanks for your verifying post.
stu

have the packs of dogs gone from central Bucharest and the country side north of the city?

bilbo...my last visit was a few years back..at that time there didn't seem to be dog packs in and around Bucharest...in the country side, none. Back in the earlier 90's, they were seen from time to time..but not to an annoying measure. Bucharest has had it's infrastructure problems, but I don't think the dogs are any trouble from what I could see. It was a deterrent to the scant tourism the country had back then.
stu

The only Dracula reference we found was in the souvenir stands at the base of Bran castle, which itself was interesting with no references to Dracula. As for the rest of what we saw in Romania:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157623001926246/

thanks stu. I remember getting caught out one night in town and the pack of about 12 went away when I bent for some stones. That was about 2002.

In the ocuntry side we found a couple of road kills (very sad) and were only chased in one wood.

Still glad it has been solved.

I have no idea what the "global news" is (maybe Murdoch ??) but a quick surf offered
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/110429/bucharest-romania-stray-dogs which is 2011