TravelswithCharie

Sighişoara, Romania (on Fodor's Europe Go List 2024) Have you decided yet where you’re going for vacation or R&R in 2024? If not, here are a number of lists for you to browse and mull over. Hope it helps you make a decision. Afar Magazine Where to go in 2024 The readers of Afar Magazine are seeking destinations that  offer “ample opportunities for sustainable exploration” . With this in mind, their editors have compiled a list which includes Fiji, Bhutan, Lamu in Kenya, Sidney and Seattle. Check out the full list here:  https://www.afar.com/magazine/where-to-go-2024 American Express  2024 Trending destinations - Off the beaten path The American Express list provides alternative places to the most popular destinations in response to their customers’ preference to travel somewhere they’ve never been before. So instead of the Maldives, go to Seychelles or switch Sedona with Santa Fe and Istanbul with Bodrum. You’ll find it all here:  https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/travel

Bran Castle or Dracula’s Castle The most popular touristic destination in Romania is undoubtedly Bran Castle, more commonly known as Dracula’s Castle. Dracula is a work of fiction by a 19th century Irish novelist named Bram Stoker who had never been to Romania, let alone to Dracula’s Castle. Yet, Dracula haunts many of us so much so that we follow the pilgrims’ path to Transylvania to be where this fictional character supposedly lived and bit his victims to drink their blood. Fiction aside, the family of the real Dracula lived in the picturesque hilltop town of Sighisoara, under the shadow of the 14th century clock tower. Find out more about Sighisoara here:  https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2023/08/sighisoara-medieval-town.html Vlad Dracul, the father of Vlad III,  the Impaler, also known as Vlad Țepeş (and perhaps the inspiration behind the novel, Dracula) supposedly lived in this yellow house from 1431-1435. (There are studies that point otherwise.)  Vlad Dracul was so called becau

Altar Rock (Pitra Altarului) On my way to Bucovina to see the painted monasteries, I was treated to nature at its best. I never heard of Bicaz Gorge before so I had no idea what to expect. This was the most surprising part of my second visit to Romania. I was trying to take a picture of Altar Rock as we drove slowly through the pass. The goal was to make sure I got the cross on top of the limestone cliff in the frame. It’s not as clear to spot but it’s there just below the flagpole. I took this shot through the windshield as we  couldn’t stop at this particular location since the pass is narrow and other cars were right behind us. Luckily I had better luck when I took the other images of the gorge. Bicaz Gorge (Cheile Bicazului)- Hăşmaş National Park is in northeastern Romania in Neamt and Harghita counties. A winding two-lane road stretches for 8 kilometers (4.97 miles) through the gorge. Limestone walls as high as 300-400 meters (984-1312 ft.) rise on both sides of the pass. Some roc

Cathedral Park Moldova is one of the least visited countries in the world according to the   United Nations World Tourism Organization. It received 174,000 visitors in 2019 and the pandemic effectively slashed the number of visitors to 29,000 in 2020. It’s too bad because Moldova has a lot to offer, especially to wine enthusiasts. But it won’t be long before Moldova will be “rediscovered” by intrepid travelers and then we will whine about how crowded it is. Already the traffic in Chișinău is a growing pain for the country. Thankfully, there are many beautiful parks in the city when you need a break and a cup of coffee. Cathedral of Christ’s Nativity The Nativity Cathedral was built in the 1830s in the Neoclassical style after the design of Adam Melnikov, its chief architect.  It lost its bell tower in 1962 after it was destroyed by local communists. The zinc dome and cross are additions from 1997. Religious worship was banned during the Soviet era and the Cathedral was converted into a

The Canyon, Gordon Huether, 2020 Are you one of those travelers who rush through airports, train and metro stations to your designated gate/quay as soon as you clear Customs and TSA? If so you may have missed some interesting and intriguing artworks which are now mainstays in many terminals around the world. The Louvre-Rivoli metro stop in Paris displays replicas of sculptures from its museum collection like the Venus de Milo. And I recently found out that there is an archaeological museum at Istanbul Atatürk International Airport. So if you have some time to spare, check out the beautiful works of art at your next airport, train/metro stop. The Canyon installations span 362 feet and are made of 500 individual tensile membrane fins with an aluminum frame wrapped in fabric material. Huether was inspired by the canyons of Utah and how light transformed the rock formations. He brought his impressions to the new terminal at Salt Lake City International Airport complete with an immersive li