The Romania circuit - the morning of the second day - Curtea de Arges - The 21st of May 2012

We headed towards Curtea de Arges, Wallachia's second capital city fairly early, so as to visit its Monastery or Episcopal church with a boxy type of structure  with whorls, rosettes and rather fancy trimmings rising into two twisted octogonal bellfries, which impacted us from no matter which angle we looked at it.

If the exterior was overwhelming as a whole, so were the details that embelish it, from the Albesti stone used for its construction to the decoration of the disks which link the arches with Arabian, Persian and Georgian motifs, the open shrine at the entrance consisting of a cornice and dome upheld by four pillars or even the small bells the birds sustain in their beaks and which are said to produce a subtle singing sound when it is windy.

It was soon obvious our guide was a rather interesting character who not only seemed to know a lot about historical facts but simultaneously managed to get our attention without too much effort, solely because of his capacity to transform the information into amazingly rich descriptions we all thoroughly listened to.

As the story goes a master builder, Manole whom the Prince Neagoe Basarab  had commissioned  the building to had the scaffolding deliberately removed, so as not to repeat the masterwork for anyone else. Not only had he had to immure his own wife within the walls of the Monastery, to allow the ghosts to keep the building from collapse, but also failed to escape with the aid of wings he made out of roof shingles crashing onto the ground where a spring is said to have gushed immediately.

The current Episcopal church is no longer Manole's original creation of 1512-17 but a re-creation of 1875-85 by the Frenchman Lecomte de Noüy and neither many of the frescoes which are to be seen  in its interior, whose originals were executed in 1517-26 by Dobromir of Târgoviste. They were nevertheless impressive.

When the visit was over I realised we were all impressed and I personally considered then that it was indeniably the  best way to start our approach to the Romanian culture.

The Romania circuit - the afternoon of the first day (cont) - the 20th of May 2012

(...)

We kept on walking till we reached a cluster of Museums - the Grigore Antipa National History Museum, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the National Geological Museum.

We then decided to walk back along the same street so as to be able to get to Novotel in time to meet the group.

The twenty seven of us met at the hall of the hotel just prior to taking the bus to a restaurant fairly close by where we had the first taste of a typical Romanian meal and though we had been in the country for a few hours I felt that I might get to like it more than I already had, whilst "studying" the guide book.

The Romania circuit - The first afternoon (the 20th of May 2012) - Bucharest

We flew in from Lyon having reached Bucharest by early afternoon, which allowed us a few hours to stroll around the hotel neighbouring area before meeting the group and the guide who would be travelling with us through Romania in the seven days circuit.

Having left the luggage at the hotel we walked along the Calea Victoriei to come across the early seventeenth century Cretulesco church, said to have been built in the style created by well known Constantin Brâncoveanu. It was closed but we still managed to photograph the frescoes of the porch, which having been atributed to Tattarescu depict scenes of the Apocalypse.

Across the street the Square of the Revolution, created in the 1930s to presumably ensure a protective field  around the Royal Palace in the event of a revolution. The outstanding equestrian statue of Carol I does catch one's attention.



















The statue of  the liberal leader Corneliu Copusu,  for whose death in 1996 tears were shed all over the country can be seen, as well as two memorials  dedicated to those who died in the revolution of 1989 - a marble one with the inscription "Glory to our martyrs" and a controversial one because of its ugliness (referred to locally as the olive on a stick) surrounded by a semi-circular wall on which the names of those who perished during it have been inscribed.

We decided to walk into the former Royal Palace, which houses the National Art Museum holding various collections, some of which outstanding European pieces of Art, but it was closed, with the exception of a temporary Romanian exhibition to be seen in two rooms, due to the fact that because of the International day of the Museums it had been open all night through. It was worth it though.

After having walked out of the Muesum we kept ong walking till we reached a magnificent Neoclassical building - the rather impressive Romanian Atheneum said to have been built in 1888 with funds generated by Bucharest's citizens, once the original patrons ran out of money.

A little bit farther on stands the 1827 Saint Nicolas - white church, and a few other churches, all of which along the same side.

A sculpture without any reference called my attention because of the expressions on the young men's faces ... I wondered what it meant and who actually made it  ...

We then came across the Cantacuzino Palace fronted by a superb early twentieth-century clamshell-shaped porte-cocher. It was at one time the residence of the well known Romanian composer George Enescu and it now houses his Museum.

(To be continued)

Figueira da Foz revisited (the 12th of May 2012)

... There isn't much left of my childhood memories as far as the architecture of Figueira da Foz is concerned, but my brother and I still insist on "locating" what may be the "non-existent" remains of what was so important for us then ... the geography of the city, that has inevitably been changed over the years.

The little fishing port has been turned into a recreation boat marina, of which only the surrounding buildings of the old square seem to still be recognisable.

The little beaches of Buarcos which middle and high class families would not consider going to in the sixties and seventies because of being filled with rather "undesirable" people from the neighbouring  villages at that epoch collecting cockels and shells are the ones everyone goes out to now ...

We still managed to find some of that "collecting" activity going on ...

The same way we managed to find "pirolitos" the sticky sugar melted sweets we used to take with us to the movies before popcorn "invaded" the cinema rooms.

Yet the most important aspect of this short "re-visiting" scenario was  realising that some of the people who made our past a meaningful one were still there and whether it may or not be important to pass these memories to one's children ... Mia was there to share these moments with us.

The Cape Verde experience in the words of Henriqueta

(...)

"My expectations were high and yet they were exceeded.

I came across "pure"people, with a sense of reciprocal help, happiness and simplicity - these are the words I belive better resume what I felt  at least over the weekend spent at Calheta de São Miguel.

I was myself ... and there people accpet one another for what one is and not as in accordance with the modern type of acceptance rules based on what is said or heard.

It is a pity one cannot have the best of the two "worlds" - progress and moral values.

Their gaiety impacted me in such a way that whenever I remember any of the experieenced episodes I start smiling.

It is obvious that the time spend in Praia was also worth it. The "guide" was VIP and the whole cultural atmosphere experienced at Pracinha, Casa da Musica  and Cidade Velha was overwhelming.

As I had imagined I brought back a lot more than what I had taken ... and that seems to be hardly explainable in written terms.

The three of us got along really well, almsot as if we had known each other for a long time - it was a perfect "accord "."

Henriqueta

The Cape Verde experience in the words of Lurdes ...

The description of the Cape Verde trip wouldn't be complete if I were not to include Lurdes and Henriqueta's heartfelt words on what they experienced.

"Having left  behind a city inbedded in egoism, I came across a world I thought no longer existed and where the children's laughter made me think it is worth striving for a better world.

Calheta de São Miguel, despite the poverty, still reflects the happiness and the unusual values of nowadays living ... - humbleness, respect for others and friendship makes one feel peaceful, tranquil and safe.

It was a priviledge to have shared these special moments with Iolanda, Henriqueta and particularly the children. 

I hope I'll be able to go back soon.

I would like to recall a specific moment in which Henriqueta made a comment that turned out to be rather special for me - This place could easily be the Paradise."

Lurdes

(to be continued)