TravelswithCharie

Lucia Condrea Art (Arta Condrea) In the small, peaceful town of Moldovita, a monastery with painted frescoes on its outer walls remains as vibrant as it was in the 16th century. It is one of eight monasteries in the Bucovina area designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s no wonder that artists like Lucia Condrea have flourished in these parts when the source of inspiration to paint and create beautiful things are in their neighborhood. Lucia Condrea has decorated eggs for decades and has won many awards for her artistry. At the International Painted Egg Museum that she established in Moldovita, there are at least 15,000 of these precious eggs. Over the years, Condrea’s technique has evolved into fourteen artistic styles for egg ornamentation. They are: relief colored wax, graphics from batik technique in black and white, lacery, antique works, abstract painting, old Hutul  sewing patterns using wax and natural colors, chromatic diversification, cubism in 3D, patterns from old ca

Walking inside the cavernous halls of Riga Central Market, you wouldn’t know that there are only 619,000 residents in the capital city. Yet this market is so huge it could probably provide the needs of 1.87 million* people living in Latvia today. The Central Market of Riga is actually the largest market and bazaar in Europe with over 3000 stalls. Frankly, I got tired going from one hall to the next. And when I was done indoors, there was a bazaar outdoors to explore.  * Source: World Bank Fish section The Riga Central Market is included with Old Riga on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. Dried fish Smoked fish The cheese and pastries section are in the same hall. It’s hard to decide what to get from the amazing selection. Meat Section Notice the architecture of this pavilion. Old German Zeppelin hangars were recycled to form the five pavilions of the Central Market. There is a clothing and bedding section both indoors and outdoors. I bought my souvenirs here at the Central Market. Th

Palace of Culture We had a brief stopover in Iași (pronounced ee yash) on our way to Moldova and I was pleasantly surprised by everything that I saw. This second largest Romanian city was the capital of the Principality of Moldavia from 1564 to 1859 and of Moldavia and Wallachia from 1859-1862 and of Romania from 1916-1918. There are five public universities in Iași where bright young minds are educated to eventually lead the government and industries of the country. Iași has many nicknames: the Cultural Capital,  the Historical Capital, the Moldavian capital, the City of Great Minds, the City of Three Unions. Boulevard Stefan cel Mari și Sfânt This pedestrian only boulevard is lined with outdoor cafés and restaurants. We sat down to lunch at one of these charming eateries before continuing our exploration of the city. Church of the Three Hierarchs This is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever visited. The façade is stunning with its stone lacery. I can’t imagine how long it mus