Haha, the ancient source of friction =)

However the present day hungarians are not direct descendants of the Huns but rather the Magyar and Hungarian tribes that followed around 700-800AD who did settle in the Hungarian plain and also ruled Transylvania for 1000 years. However Hungary never ruled over Wallachia or Moldova.

I've read alot of books on the subject and it appears that the geographical area known as Romania was cleared and re-settled several times starting with Trajan's conquest and with every invasion that followed: Huns, Avars, Goths, Magyars, Mongols, Turks these are just some of the big ones. Celts, Illyrians and Germans were some of the people that were brought in to re-settle, so I would say at best Romania is a healthy mix of all these different people.

I consider myself Transylvanian or Banatean to be more precise, no offense :) My dad was hungarian and my mom romanian stock from Moldova with a hint of Ukrainian/Polish.

Romania has an excellent beach btw. The Black Sea resorts are beautiful, but I wonder what the condition is nowadays. I remember as a kid there were lots of tourists from the west driving thorugh to spend their vacations at Mamaia or Constanta.

how bout Romanian girls?? :Graucho

romania is cool, but yes land of contrasts.......
but i like that...

haha, I bet the biggest TGP owner will at least read this thread, since he's always searching this board for his name

what city type environement (we don't drive) would you suggest for someone's first visit to the country?

thinking about rom. girls makes me think you gotto be on crack

I like romanian girls - this is my most loved one:

http://server6.uploadit.org/files/vanessa-romania.jpg

Dances like a god - nearly accused a heart attack. :1orglaugh

greetz

MaDalton

LOLAMO Pics!!!hehehehe :winkwink:

Although I really liked my hometown Timisoara full of parks and rose gardens, if you are looking for a really cool experience go to Brasov in the mountains. I believe it was originally colonized by germans brought in to replace a displaced population and it was the center of trade for much of the middle ages. It's rich in architecture and of course the mountains are my favorite part of the country.

Here's Brasov

http://www.aulich.com.au/images/brasov-transylvania.jpg

http://www.acyconsult.com/images/brasov-mairie.jpg

http://www.myromania.ro/brasov/image...-n-prel-60.jpg

But really the best thing would be to drive through the country and do a tour, Moldova is full of old castles and extremely friendly village folks selling cherries and stuff on the highway for pennies.

I spent only a little time in Bucharest, the capital and this city was referred to as Little Paris only a short time ago, however like any capital city it will have a huge share the negative element.

Cluj is one of the original Roman settlements so if you're looking for roman ruins I believe this is where you want to go.

Also there are lots of ski resorts, my favorite Semenic Mt. but again you will probably enjoy these more if you have a car, although I'm sure there are plenty tour guides you can take at your own risk.

The main problem in Romania imho is there is a lingering bandit mentality, maybe due to the fluid national identity. In any case it's a beautiful country worth visiting for cheap, but keep an eye on your wallet :winkwink:

looks beautiful Ironhorse

I really should be working :) but here are some pictures from my hometown Timisoara. This was considered closest to the 'west' as far as mentality and culture. In the early 80s, it was about a third hungarian, a third german and a third romanian as far as heritage but everyone seemed to get along.

http://www.aerotim.ro/images/timisoara.jpg

http://www.uvt.ro/ri/Survival%20Guid...%20-%20Old.JPG

Except for the castles and the thousands of monasteries scattered all over, a western tourist might enjoy the Black Sea resorts the best so Constanta would be your destination or nearby Mamaia and that's a stonethrow away from Bulgaria, equally cool with mountain right next to the Black Sea, very nice and a little bit of turkish influence

This is possibly the warmest non-mediterranean beach in Europe for a fraction of the price

http://www.continentholiday.net/imag..._beachstor.jpg

Am I getting commission for this? :1orglaugh

Ok one more post. You really can't talk about Romania without including the heart wrenching folk music, the most popular the Doina, perhaps invented to mourn the losses from all those frequent invasions.

Enjoy

Doina Haiduceasca (Bandit's Doina -more like Robin Hood type bandits)
http://real.irc.uci.edu/rgarfias/mp3...haidueasca.mp3

Dance (game) of the Old
http://real.irc.uci.edu/rgarfias/mp3...in%20rosia.mp3

Wedding Doina
http://real.irc.uci.edu/rgarfias/mp3...na-miresei.mp3

If you don't want to visit the seaside summer resorts, the best option is a so-called Dracula tour, which takes you through the most interesting cities with a still enjoyable medieval touch: Brasov and the nearby castles of Bran and Rasnov and the nearby castle of the winter ski resort Sinaia (Peles castle - really awesome!), Sighisoara, Sibiu, you can also visit Cluj (no Roman ruins are there as Ironhorse said, but it's a lovely city anyway) and Targu Mures.
You can research on Google about Romanian travel agencies offering such tours, take a look at this sample itinerary:
http://www.culturalromtour.ro/produc...racula_Tour/1/
Besides Bucharest, the capital city, other nice places could include the medieval castle of Hunedoara, the medieval monasteries of northern Moldavia (if you take the tour from Transylvania to Moldova through the Borgo Pass you'll enjoy a splendid Carpathian mountains scenery, followed by Cheile Bicazului (Bicaz Gorges), the monastery of Curtea de Arges and the somehow nearby Dracula Poienari fortress ruins on the hill.
Prepare to taste plenty of Romanian wines, as they are cheap ($2 in a shop or $4 in a restaurant) and excellent, I liked Murfatlar and Cotnari the best, but there are many other brands, also cigarettes are very cheap. :thumbsup

And you know this because...?

Transylvania was part of Hungary between 1456 and 1492, after which it was independent, but a vassal to the Ottoman empire. Aproximately 150 years later it got included into the Astro-Hungarian empire, part of which it stayed until 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian empire ceased to exist, and Transylvania was declared part of Romania. All according to Hungarian history. So go fuck yourself. :winkwink:

the London Vampyre society meets in the pub I drink at and I think they do the dracula tour to Romania once a year or something. I would consider going with them if they didn't take themselves so seriously.

Because he likely opened a book that wasn't written by Ceausescu PCR and the rest of the cronies

Here's a quote from Encarta:

I am also reading 'From Warsaw To Sofia' by Henry Bogdan that supports the same version and ALL books I've read on the subject that include Harvard and other respected western universities support the same historical chronology.

You just can't rewrite history because you didn't like the original version, sorry.

This could be a great way for you to experience the country Sarah, assuming these guys do the historical trip and not some Mickey Mouse version like they were planning near Bucharest. There is safety in numbers, especially as it applies to Transylvania..muhahahaha

If you want to check out a great book about all of Eastern Europe (good for us ignorant Americans and a good read anyhow), Balkan Ghosts by Robert Kaplan; i'm hoping to get to Slovenia this summer for a few weeks, I hear nothing but good things about most of the region

-alec

Don't be sorry, be accurate. I'm telling you what the Hungarian history says, nothing else, please re-read the last part of my latest post. And last time I checked neither Henry Bogdan, nor any Harvard researcher, was Hungarian. Get your facts straight.

I've gotta say, for a person who claims not to have visited Romania since '84, you sound like your really believe what you're saying. Yet it's been a while since I've heard/read a bigger amount of inaccuracy about modern Romania. I think this has gotta be the biggest crock of shit I've ever read on this board, after Amp's 'It's a great time to do adult'. No pun intended, get your facts straight.

Exactly which facts are you talking about? That Romania has a warm beach? Or the Hungary-Transylvanian connection? :1orglaugh

wow you should be getting paid for this.

your pics and presentation are very inviting, makes me want to visit..

Wow, I didn't think ignorance was contagious, but in your case it seems to have been... Bother to read my replies and your own posts properly, and maybe you'll get a clue.

Nice car :)

Nice pictures, Ironhorse, getting homesick..
I'll be back this year again :) for a visit. You should tell them about the beach girls who are walking topless with thongs all over the place for free. You will never see something like this in USA/Canada.
http://prietenii.ro/la_mamaia.mpeg

Those topless girls would make good content for a paysite :Graucho
Good looking chicks! :thumbsup