Travel Tips

After the end of the second world war, during Russias offensive against the Nazis, many small countries fell under the umbrella of the Soviet Union. When the wall came down and the cold war ended, many of these small republics declared impendence and one of these countries is Romania.

Tourists from the United States can get to Romania by boarding Austrian Airlines. This is the preferred carrier since it has daily flights from the Atlantic as well as to other cities in this country.

If the people are traveling across Europe and have arrived from another country, it is still possible to get to Romania by riding the train, renting a car or on a bus. The travel time will be from 2 to 6 hours depending where the person is coming from given the terrain.

Romania has some sights to offer people dating back to the middle ages. The most visited castle in this country is the Peles castle that is the work of German new renaissance architecture.

It has over 160 rooms and each room shows signs of excellent craftsmanship as done on the windows, chandeliers, leather, ebony and ivory sculptures.

A smaller castle not far from the first is Pelisor Castle. It has 70 rooms. This smaller version was constructed a few years after Peles was built since the new king did not appreciate the vastness of the other structure.

Both of these places can be found in the town of Sinaia that is situated at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in the Prahova Valley.

Another historical castle that has importance in Romanian history is the Bran castle. This fortification, which is often, called Draculas castle served to protect the citizens from invaders.

Most of the castles in Romania are open from the Tuesday to Sunday from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. People should not plan going there then on Mondays since this place is closed. It is best to do other things then to make the tip worthwhile.

To the east of Ukraine is the Black Sea. There are many fine hotels and beach resorts along this area. Some of these places have remnants of Greek culture as far back as the 7th century B.C.

The main beach resorts covers a total of 45 miles and these include places like the Eforie, Mamaia, Jupiter, Neptun, Saturn and Venus.

There are also health spas in this country to help the body relax after walking up the steps of castles and museums that is exhausting for those who dont exercise often.

The two most famous rejuvenation treatments known as the “Gerovital” and the “Aslavital” can be availed at the beach resort before continuing on with the tour.

Romania also has treasures such as the Voronet Monastery Church in Bucovina that can compete with the Sistine chapel in Rome. This is because most of the artwork in this place and others were hand painted and are still in good condition today.

In most of the monasteries and churches are excellent vineyards so the tourist can taste something another glass of wine that is just as good as those produced in Italy or France.

There are a lot of places and things to see in Romania. This just shows that the former Eastern bloc countries are worth visiting just like those in the West.

If people want a different world near the sea where the inhabitants savor life with parties and other festivities, the best place best to visit on the southern part of Europe is Portugal.

This coastal community once had a vast empire that stretched as far as Brazil. North America could have been colonized if only the king that time did not turn away Christopher Columbus who sailed for the kingdom of Spain.

The country of Portugal flourished until the great earthquake of 1755 that devastated much of the countryside. Since then, a lot of reconstruction projects have tried to bring back the old glory. This is evident in the architectural designs of the buildings and houses that are a mix from the Romans, the Goths, the Moors and the Baroques.

Visitors can take a plane for a non-stop flight to Lisbon that is the capital of Portugal. The national carrier Air Portugal as well as other airlines have direct flights from England, Spain, United States, Canada and France.

There are five hotels to in Lisbon which the person can choose from. These are namely the Sofitel Lisbon, the Hotel Marques de Pombal, Hotel Roma, Hotel Botanica and the Holiday Inn Lisbon.

If the price in these places are too expensive, there are smaller inns that accept reservations and bookings. Each these places are minutes away from the airport and a cab will gladly take the passengers to the chosen destination.

The city of Lisbon is divided into three areas similar to a how a mall has different sections that cater to the taste of many customers. The individual can get a brochure from the local tourist office to know where to eat and find out what upcoming musicals and plays are going to be shown in the theatre.

One of the places regularly visited is the Castello de San Jorge. This garrison was once held by the Moors until this was liberated by Don Alfonso Henriques in the 12th century from the Moors.

When the Moors were finally kicked out, battlements had to be setup to make sure the country would never be invaded again. One of these is the Belem Tower that built a few centuries later which also served as a prison.

Animal lovers will truly enjoy the different creatures found at the Lisbon Zoo. To date, there are over 2000 animals comprising more than 370 species. Unlike other zoos around the world, visitors are allowed to bring food inside and even have a picnic in the garden.

The place is huge so it has a cable car for the people to get one from end of the zoo to the other.

Another tourist attraction is the Elevador da Gloria. This cable car is often compared to the one in San Francisco that will take tourists up a mountain to get an aerial view of the castle before going down again.

Portugal can also be accessed by train for those who are coming from Spain. There are also chartered boats that people can get from Italy or Greece then cross the Mediterranean Sea before landing in one of its ports then proceeding inland.

The country known as Portugal may be small but it has a lot to offer to the tourist. It takes some time to appreciate the architecture, the history and the culture to be able to appreciate the wonders of this beautiful place.

Those who have never gone to Eastern Europe and want to be exposed to it should go to one of the biggest countries that is rich in culture. Here, people will be able to learn the history and the people who have lived in this country known as Poland.

The capital of this country is Warsaw and the first place to start visit is the center of town as the Stare Miasta. This part of the city was rebuilt after the heavy fighting during the second world war. Today, little remains of what happened more than 50 years ago and this has been replaced with various shops and hotels that tourists can explore.

The Royal Castle of Warsaw is the most important building in the city. Dating back to the middle ages, this was where the king once lived. Unfortunately, this too was destroyed during the war and was only reconstructed in 1971.

Tours to the vast castle are done daily except on Mondays when it is closed. There are two tours that people can choose from. The first is for the visitors to see the Jagiellonian rooms. The second is known as the yellow route that will the royal apartments and ballrooms.

The castle is still used today to hold important functions such as state visits and exhibits so there is always something happening in this place.

Those who would like some fresh air can go to the Park Lazienkiowski. There are benches by the lake so people can rest and watch the day go by. If the person is rested, one can go to the Lazienkowski Castle that has artwork by Rembrandt and Ruben.

Not far, the individual can also check out the Greek theatre, the guardhouse and the hunting lodge. There is also an apartment complex but this is off limits since this is where some foreign dignitaries are staying.

The Museum Narodow is home to the artworks and masterpieces done by Polands finest. The sad part is that the works done by these people are not given that much attention such as those from the west.

Aside from works done by Poles, there are also some done by the Italians such as the The Madonna and Child with St. John that was done by Boticelli. There are also some works by the Germans and Dutch which are on display.

A good picture to bring home will be the Rynek of Zamosc. What makes it so good in the photographs is the brightly painted and stucco sculptured facades that are all over the building.

This is something real and not the imagination by those who did it in a theme park. Surprisingly this was done in the 16th century and some say wanted a little bit of Italy right there also in Poland.

Near the square, is St. Marys Church. This was built in the 13th century and was destroyed by the Mongols. It took more than 50 years to put everything together again and tourists are not allowed to take pictures as a way of showing respect to the worshippers.

Poland just like other countries in Europe has a lot of castles, churches and old squares. A lot of events have happened in these places and people are lucky to see these things up close and personal.