marți, 31 iulie 2012

I'm back....

...with some old "new"" ideas.....about food. Because during our trip we could scarcely eat healthy (excepting Sovata, at M's granny)...I've returned home with some digestion problems...like usually after eating canned food for such a long time. So now I'm detoxing.....with lots and lots of veggies. M needs this too, so I've come up with a plan to help us both feel better, and maybe if you're good I will share it with you! (just kidding, of course I can't keep my mouth shut!:D).
So, for starters, here's the bounty that M has brought home today, from his sweet mother who always is so kind and helps us so much:
...beautyful aubergines....
...divinely smelling bell yellow peppers and parsley...
...goodie cucumbers (I''ll sacrifice one tonight to put on my face...) and tasty turnip; only that M forgot that I eat the leaves too!!! they are great in smoothies!!!I'll have to get some more!!

lots of chick peas that makes my mouth water (I'm hungry right now so that's why all these praises...)
huuuuge zucchinnies which will be enough until autumn...or maybe not..... :D

and here's a nice group photo...together with my toaster, old nuts and breakfast biscuits (p.s. the glass bowl with blue cap has a funny story of its own...but that in another post!)


Above all that we also received a lot of jam ...but that also in another post! In fact I only wanted to advise everyone to profit from all the great vegetables that we can get very cheap this season (of course, I got them for free! which is huge since we are broke from our trip!!!); and it's not only the price that matters, but also the quality. Please don't look for the best looking veggies, look for the ones that smell like during your childhood, the ones your mother brought from the local market or farmers, or maybe the ones you yourself ripped from the garden!
Have a wonderful afternoon and lots of bisous !!!

all photo credits: anasblogana.blogspot.com

joi, 12 iulie 2012

vacation plans part II

As I promised, here are some of the sites we are about to visit on our trip.

In Bihor County we want to visit the Oradea medieval city, the one of Adrian in Salard, the Cheresig Tower, The Ciunt (Cripple) Tower in Salonta, The Cetatea Piatra Soimilor (The Hawk's Stone city) and maybe some old churches, since I have seen that there are plenty.
During our stay in the Satu Mare wareabouts (have I told you we're going camping, with our tent everywhere?) I really want to see the Stefan Tower
                                                             (photo source: Wikipedia)

...the Butchers' Tower...
                                                                 (photo source: Wikipedia)

...and mabe some of the 4 museums there.
In Baia Mare I want to visit the medieval city, which I also saw two years ago, but still, I want to go again, and mabe to see some more of the city center?? the Orthodox Cathedral maybe??
Then...it's off to to Cluj Napoca....and to the medieval city there..., and I'm shure we'll find some preety old castles on the way to Sovata. We have seen two years ago some of them, but our country is so beautiful and full of beautiful places! like the Bánffy Castle in Bontida,
                                                                (photo: Wikipedia)


....or The Borsa Castle
                                                           (photo source : Wikipedia)

and maybe the Béldy Castle in Geaca, Gábor Bocskai Castle in Aghiresu ...and who knows haw many more???
Then we are going to Sovata to stay with M's grandmother for a few days, and from there to Odorheiu Secuiesc, then through the well-known Transfagarasan...
                                             (photo credits: romaniamotorcycletours.com)
...and Transalpina...
Another city that I must visit is the old Union town: Alba Iulia, whom I visited a few years back, but didn't get to see not even half of what I wanted.
Then it's off to Ramnicu Valcea; where- as I've already told you- I HAVE to see the Cula Greceanu and the IG Duca Memorial House and Museum, also known as the Cula Maldarescu (see: Complexul muzeal Maldarescu ).
 And our last spot on the itinerary is a small 2-3 days rest next to Sarmisegetusa  Regia in the Retezat Mountains:
photospurce: Wikipedia
We'll be camping in Hateg and see all that can be seen out there, like the Colt Monastery and medieval town, the Dinosaur Geopark (????!!!) and of course the Densus  and Prislop Monasteries, as well as the  Santamaria Orlea Castle& Monastery!
Of course I didn't mention here all our itinerary poins, or I wouldn't finish this post in a week, but I will have to post photos as soon as we retun! (shamefully, I haven't managed to find the time to organise even the photos from our two-years'-back trip!)
Well, all I can hope now for is that the weather will be on our side, since I've heard some disturbing news about storms in the North...but I so hope that, since I've planned it in such detail, our trip will be perfect!

Bisous!!!

luni, 9 iulie 2012

vacation plans part I

Happy Monday everyone!

here is our first plan for the road trip....we just can't talk about anything else but our vacation!!!!

...about 1800 km!
We'll start off to Resita, from there back to Timisoara and then we're off to Oradea...Sovata....Cluj Napoca....Odorheiu Secuiesc and Transfagarasan....towards Curtea de Arges...Ramnicu Valcea...(remember this post about Olga Greceanu ???) and from there our  beautiful vacation will be ending up with visits to the old Roman cities near Hateg: Sarmisegetusa Regia and all the other ones around it, but more about all our destinations in my next post!
I just hope we'll have good weather, since we are planning on sleeping only in our tent!
Until next time,

des bisous!!!


Update:

How about this contest??
Hurry up, it ends tomorrow, on the 10th! Enter here and Good Luck!


joi, 5 iulie 2012

heat wave pre-vacation mood....

I probably shouldn't blame the hot weather for my lack of inspiration and want to do something worth wile...but since this is my space, I will blame whoever I want! so here is my excuse for being so absent lately: it's killing hot outside! since last month...I don't know what to wear, what to drink, how to sleep, how to do some exercise..all because of this freakin' hot hot and super hot weather!! It's as my brain refuses to function in this heat! And I don't get it, I am working in a very fine office, I have air conditioning, but that makes me dizzy, but if I stop it I start to sweat like a horse! So...what can I do but dream of the summer vacation to come???
I have taken upon myself the task of finding this year's itinerary. In 2010 we went on a beautiful round trip across Romania on hubby's old motorcycle, and now that he has a new beauty we just have to take it for a spin....
We are both huge fans of sightseeing, so we decided two years ago that we won't be having any vacations abroad untill we can say we have visited at least 50% of our beautiful country.
Well, here is my campaign for Romania!
We have been in Orsova, Cluj, Brasov and surroundings and in Vama Veche. The latter made me regret the effort we took to get there, but to be able to see the Roman ancient cities from the seaside was really worth the trip. We have also been to Sovata and visited the surrounding mountains, seen some spectacular views and beautiful forests, went through mountain passes and beside spectacular river valleys, and we just realised that with small industrial -city sights  exceptions, our country is beyond beautiful.
If you are a lover of wild nature, than this small country is what you are looking for, if you love old medieval cities with unchanged old architecture, then you are on the right path, and if you want all that combined with nice, welcoming people, awesome food and decent prices...then Romania is your goal!
There, I've said it! I could do well writing a tourist brochure, wouldn't I?
I can say for shure the 2010 vacation was the best one. I couldn't compare it to the one in Rome, being much longer and on a bike, but it was the best one I ever had. So that is why we have decided to visit as much as we can from our beautiful country. It is pure and simply worth it!

I am really not a water fan, even less a sunbathing fan, but I really love hiking( see my old post about Cheile Nerei), and I love forests and mountains. On the other hand, I looove a good treasurehunt like we did then, when we went looking for old monasteries around Brasov, and all the way from Sovata to the Sea. If I were to go one more time to the Sea, it would be shurely for the chance to visit the Constanta Musem, which we missed last time....
So....for the next few days I will be searching for places to go, and I will share them here, as to have a starting plan!
 Bisous!