Tag Archives: travel

Places

Italian road trip – Day 6 – Rome

Day 5 ended with us exhausted, crashing onto our beds and having a sound night’s sleep after a paradoxical search for a hotel with available rooms in what is one of the largest cities in the world with plenty of hotels. But that’s how things were that night. We woke up to a beautiful day and we set out to explore Rome.

I had set a grand goal: to show my companions the Rome I knew from 1999, ten years earlier. The part I hadn’t worked out yet in my enthusiasm, was that I’d explored Rome in three weeks, by myself, and now I was going to drag four people in tow to see a lofty list of places in a single day. Make no mistake about it, there were repeated protestations as the day progressed, but it was hard to hear them as I walked ahead at a military pace…

When it was all said and done, after putting my incredibly patient companions through a full day of exploration with little food or drink (there was no time, we had to see everything on my list…), I set another goal: reach a seaside town called Ladispoli by nightfall and find a hotel. Yeah, I did that to them, too! I didn’t let them sleep, I packed them into the car and off we went. I still can’t believe they put up with me. I know I wouldn’t have. Now that I’m in my 40s (this was back in 2009 mind you), I know I wouldn’t do this to myself or to others. The pace was too hectic, we couldn’t take things in. By the end of the day, it was all a blur. Thank goodness we took photos, or else we wouldn’t remember much.

Enjoy our memories from that day!

Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Looking over Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Piazza del Popolo, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Interior, Anglican Church, Via del Babuino, Rome, Italy
Anglican Church, Via del Babuino, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Piazza di Spagna, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Vatican, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
A vertical panorama of Trajan’s Column, Rome, Italy. The original file is 55 megapixels in size.
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Outside the Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Trajan celebrating his victory over the Daci, near the Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Interesting historical fact: Trajan was also a Dac, born near Turda in what is now Romania.
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Colosseum, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Piazza della Repubblica, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Church just off Piazza della Repubblica, Rome, Italy
Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
Rome, Italy
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Places

Images from historic churches and monasteries in Bucovina and Moldova

In August of 2*** (regular readers will know the year 😁), we took a tour of the historic churches and monasteries in the provinces of Moldova and Bucovina (within the territory of Romania).

A clarification is in order here. When people hear Moldova they automatically think about the Republic of Moldova, which used to be part of the Romanian province of Moldova but was taken by the Russians in 1940. That whole region has a fairly tumultuous history which you can read here. Just keep in mind these photographs were taken within the current-day borders of Romania and yes, there are two provinces called Bucovina and Moldova in Romania. I’ve lost track of how many times people have tried to correct me on this, all of them foreigners…

romania-historical-provinces

I could have published individual posts of each place but that would have been tedious for me (and for you too). I know it was tedious for me when we visited these places, one after another, day after day, dealing with heat, huge crowds and the hospitality industry (you know, the three Hs of travel; they add together to form a fourth H which is a four-letter word)… but we had made a plan and we stuck to it. Romanians in general tend to make trips to these places yearly for religious reasons. We visited these places because of their historical and architectural value, so while we were there we saw as many as we could in the time we had allotted ourselves.

In this gallery of photographs (there are 134 of them), you will see images from the following places:

  • The wooden church in Șurdești (Maramureș), a UNESCO monument and also the highest wooden church in the world
  • Moldovița Monastery
  • Sucevița Monastery
  • Chilia lui Daniil Sihastrul
  • Putna Monastery
  • “Dragoș Vodă” wooden church
  • Voroneț Monastery, famous for the blue used in its exterior murals, called Voroneț Blue
  • Humorul Monastery
  • Arbore Church
  • Dragomirna Monastery
  • Agapia Monastery
  • Văratec Monastery
  • Neamț Monastery
  • Secu Monastery
  • Sihăstria Monastery

Since I arranged the photos in chronological order, you’ll see them just as they’re listed above. You’ll probably want to know which was my favorite place. Dragomirna Monastery, definitely! Enjoy the gallery and thanks for being a subscriber!

Biserica de Lemn “Sfintii Arhangheli Mihail si Gavriil”, Surdesti, Romania, a UNESCO monument
Biserica de Lemn “Sfintii Arhangheli Mihail si Gavriil”, Surdesti, Romania — the tallest wooden church in the world.
Biserica de Lemn “Sfintii Arhangheli Mihail si Gavriil”, Surdesti, Romania — the tallest wooden church in the world.
Biserica de Lemn “Sfintii Arhangheli Mihail si Gavriil”, Surdesti, Romania — the tallest wooden church in the world.
Biserica de Lemn “Sfintii Arhangheli Mihail si Gavriil”, Surdesti, Romania — the tallest wooden church in the world.
Crossing the Carpathian Mountains in the province of Maramures, Romania
Main gate, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Lovely stone architecture, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Cloisters, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Flowers at the cloisters, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Main gate, interior courtyard, Manastirea Moldovita, Bucovina, Romania.
Entrance to Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Stairway to cloisters, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, church, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, garden, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Defense wall, cloisters, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, defense walls, cloisters and church, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Defense wall and cloisters, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church and interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church and interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Cloisters, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Cloisters, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Church exterior, Manastirea Sucevita, Bucovina, Romania.
Langa Chilia lui Daniil Sihastrul, Bucovina, Romania
Langa Chilia lui Daniil Sihastrul, Bucovina, Romania
Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania
Cloisters, Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Putna, Bucovina, Romania.
Biserica de Lemn “Dragos Voda”, Bucovina, Romania.
Biserica de Lemn “Dragos Voda”, Bucovina, Romania.
Biserica de Lemn “Dragos Voda”, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Voronet, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Voronet, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Voronet, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Voronet, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Voronet, Bucovina, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Late afternoon, Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania
Historic district, Mediaș, Romania
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Humorul, Bucovina, Romania.
Biserica Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Arbore, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania. Ligia enters the fortified walls by one of the doorways.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Outside the fortified walls, Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Dragomirna, Bucovina, Romania.
Manastirea Agapia, Romania.
Cloisters, Manastirea Agapia, Romania
Manastirea Agapia, Romania
Manastirea Agapia, Romania
Manastirea Agapia, Romania
Manastirea Agapia, Romania
Manastirea Varatec, Romania.
Manastirea Varatec, Romania.
Ceiling murals, Manastirea Varatec, Romania.
Manastirea Neamt, Romania
Manastirea Neamt, Romania
Manastirea Neamt, Romania
Inside the cloisters, Manastirea Neamt, Moldova, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Neamt, Bucovina, Romania
Manastirea Neamt, Romania
Manastirea Neamt, Romania
Inside the ossuary, Manastirea Neamt, Moldova, Romania.
Manastirea Secu, Moldova, Romania.
Interior courtyard, Manastirea Secu, Moldova, Romania.
Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania
Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania
Cloisters, Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania.
Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania
Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania.
Manastirea Sihastria, Moldova, Romania

I kept things simple in terms of photo gear for this trip, because there were four of us in the car and I knew I’d have to deal with the 3Hs of travel I mentioned above. I shot mainly with my Canon EOS 5D and the EF 24-105mm f/4L lens. My backup camera was the Canon PowerShot G10.

Canon EOS 5D (front)

Canon EOS 5D

Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens

Canon EF 24-105mm f4L IS USM Lens

Canon PowerShot G10

Canon PowerShot G10

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Places

A hike through the hills of Moldova

These are photos I’ve taken during a couple of hikes through the hills near the village of Strugari in Moldova, Romania. Here’s a map of the area.

A map of the region around Strugari, Moldova

A map of the region around Strugari, Moldova

It was the middle of March (the 14th and 15th) and spring had just arrived. Most of the grass was dry and leaves hadn’t sprouted yet. As a matter of fact, no buds were even apparent on the branches of the trees in the area. A friendly little mutt that belonged to friends of ours accompanied me on the hikes (you can see him in the photos). A late snowfall introduced an element of adventure to one of the outings. It’s lovely to be in the middle of nowhere and to be suddenly surrounded by myriad falling snowflakes. A magical quiet sets in, sounds are muffled and a feeling of wonder takes over.

Enjoy the photos!

A thick forest of conifers cover the hill in the background while a quiet little stream winds its way through thickets and sparse trees in the valley below.
A shepherd tends to his flock of sheep on a distant hilltop.
© Raoul Pop. All rights reserved. 
Available for licensing and purchase. 

Website – Raoul Pop. 
Photo Catalog – Raoul Pop Photography.
A crumbling old country house sits unused at the bottom of a hill in a little village in Moldova, Romania.
Puffy white clouds cast shadows on the hills and valleys below on a sunny winter morning.
Atop a large hill, a wide plateau is used for farmland. In winter, it sits unused and barren.
A late winter snowfall starts to cover the hills and valleys.
Tall grass, blown every which way by the wind and dried by the same, covers this abrupt hillside somewhere in Moldova, Romania.
Tall grass, dried by the long winter and downed by strong winds, on a hilltop somewhere in Moldova, Romania.
Snowfall caught me in the middle of a walk in these hills, somewhere in the region of Moldova, Romania.
Moldova, Romania
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Video Log

Finally, some snow!

After an unusually warm, humdrum winter in Romania, bereft of snow, we finally had some fairly heavy snowfall these past few days! I drove through a snowstorm the day before yesterday and when I got home, I got to enjoy the beautiful winter weather from inside our house, safe and warm.

I made a short vlog about this which you can watch here or on YouTube. Enjoy!

Raoul

Glad to be back home!

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Places

A timelapse of Bucharest

Video

I recorded this over the course of two days (12-13 march 2017) in Bucharest’s Sector 1, with a very nice view of Herastrau Park, courtesy of our hotel room at the Pullman. We were there for our spring expo. Enjoy!