Australia - A Rainy Day in Sydney

I wanted to publish this post a very long while age, but the words were not enough. I wasn't happy with the copy whatsoever. I remember writing and re-writing it several times, but never pushed the Publish button because I was completely unhappy of how it turned out. 

First of all, it happened in 2015. It was mostly cold and rainy, we were in a hurry, as we had only few hours to spend in the Sydney CBD before taking off. I said at the time that we visited the port, which is not entirely the truth, but little I knew about Sydney then. I can sure say that we couldn't feel the pusle of this vibrant city in such a short while. 

I will let the images do the talking, as I'm still finding them remarkable, and share some more about Sydney later. It's easy to recognise the Opera House, the Darling Harbour, the Bridge, the Queen Victoria Building. 

I think we didn't miss any important landmarks at the time, but the weather was extremelly  capricious and I remember being frustrated of not seeing enough, even our feet hurt at night. 

How to Go to Bulgaria and to Arrive in Babadag

Really, how?

Well, we are planning geniuses, both of us, so last Friday we started Bogdan's anniversary trip in Bulgaria with Radu's passport expired. We crossed the bridge to Ruse, but the custom officer didn't accept the birth's certificate as a valid travel document, so we had to turn back on the bridge, to Giurgiu. Disappointment? Of course. Blame it on us. Determination to be happy and enjoy the trip? SURE!

We made some heavy brainstorming during the one-hour-crossing-the-four-kilometers-bridge and we decided to make the best of the 4 days holiday, starting with a full day at Greaca swimming pool, near Giurgiu, then move to the seaside.

On our way to Comana and then Greaca, we passed some burning fields - farmers set the remaining of the crops on fire - so we had to stop to take pictures.

It was kind of creepy, and it was also very hot. Mara was the only one that came out to pose for her daddy.

We were looking forward to arriving at the swimming pool, driven by the thought of jumping in the clear water and having a cold drink in the pool.

There is a beautiful story about this place, a village named Greaca at 10 kilometers far from Danube: they say a beautiful Greek woman came in the area and fell in love with a local young man, so she wanted to stay there. She was diligent and fierce, and she built an Inn for the hungry and tired travelers.

The Greaca Inn is very easy to reach from Bucharest, you just need to go out from the city to the South, on Oltenita road. It's a 50 minutes drive and, believe me, it's a wonderful place to spend the day with the kids. 

Or to party with friends and spend the night there, but about that we might talk some other time.

Sunbathing, swimming, drinking beer and juices in the pool, then having dinner on the inn's terrace - this is how we spent the day. 

Meanwhile, I wanted to find a place to sleep for the next night. We wanted to go to the seaside, so I made about 20 phone calls to find two rooms near the beach. Oh, yes, sure! everybody said. In two weeks from today we will have available rooms! We extended our searches to Danube Delta, but we didn't succeed either. Full season!

Bogdan remembered about an old family friend from Babadag, he called him and he gave us a code name: "Two Rabbits". Really? 

They had rooms. So, be it! 

Babadag, here we come!

Crisp morning in Lofoten Islands

Today I'll go back on memory's lane, but not too far away, in March, when we've been to Lofoten Islands. 

Oh, speaking about magic, there is nothing more magic than a sunrise in Norway, on the shore… Maybe the Aurora Borealis to be better! Tired as hell, when everybody was asleep, Bogdan went out to shoot. And the pictures were more than we could expect. 

It was in the morning he arrived in Lofoten, after a very long trip, three planes and the ferry, when he gave up sleeping and stayed out to catch the sunrise. I arrived one day later and I witnessed sunsets, but never sunrises.

The crisp morning, the soft light reflected in the ocean, the bright red cabins, everything was fuel for the eyes and soul.

We went there in an organised photo-tour, with Alex Conu and Anca Tirc, you can find them at www.doipeglob.ro. When planning your trip, check twice the planes and the ferry's schedule, I almost missed the last one because on Thursdays the departure time was different than other days.

See you later with some more details about this wonderful trip! Thank you for stopping by!

Arsenal Park

Every day I'm telling myself I need to write more often, every night I go to sleep tired and without writing a word. I'm kind of upset for not sharing Bogdan's beautiful pictures and, more than that, telling about some beautiful places we discovered.

Last weekend we went in Transylvania, in a special place: Arsenal Park. It was nothing planned too carefully: on Wednesday an old friend of us told me about it, on Saturday we were there.

It's quite a long drive from Bucharest, about five hours, so it's worth staying longer, because the area is filled with wonders. The park is an outdoor military themed park, near Orastie, the one and only in Romania. And I saw on their internet page that are not to many in Europe, either. It's situated in a forrest, and the whole place is a museum, the kids were curious and very excited to see such vehicles and weapons.

The food was good and the tomatoes tasty, so we ate all the meals in their restaurant. It was good, and it's gettin' better: the kids were just a stone's throw of not one, but two flying foxes, so we had dinner, breakfast and lunch in... silence. Strange, huh? Perhaps I should say that our kids are not talking, they can only yell. Even in their sleep. This is why nobody wants to travel with us, so we have beautiful family holidays every year. You know, family bonding.

About the area, it's full of treasures: the ruins of Sarmizegetusa Regia (the capital of Dacia prior to the wars with the Roman Empire), the Geoagiu waterfall, the bison reserve Hateg-Silvut, lots of fortified monasteries, Deva's waterpark.

But we didn't leave the premises, the Park's offer was irresistible: bicycles, double bicycles, outdoor and indoor swimming pool. And lots of beer.

And because an image is worth a thousand words, here we go: