another hotel

another example of the strange looking kind of buildings , the new architecture around here . i hate it . and soon the whole city will be full of these no style , no class , cheap looking new buildings . this is city center hotel . stupid name also .

all black

this is about nothing ...

have a beer for me ...

cheers !

all black

take a look at my life

all black

take a look at my clothes

all black

like johnny cash

all black

where is the end ?

the other side

this is a view from the other side of the tâmpa hill , from the racadau district . actualy it was all about the sky and the sunshine .

fair 2

a shot with the bright light making some interesting patterns on the floor at the book fair .
and some great maps for kids . great quality , very interesting and funny . with animals of the world , inventions , solar system and a few others . 9 euros each (without the frame)

fair 1

i couldn't post yesterday so i will have 2 posts today .

this weekend we have the "book and music fair" at the transylvania university building . international like it says on the banner ? no , not really .

there are only a few small book shops in brasov and people don't really buy books here . and i would say there are pretty expensive . but this is an opportunity to see the latest books and buy at discount prices .

next

same street . the next house . it seems that the neighbours didn't have money to renovate . the big house looks amazing but it really needs some paint .

big villa

a beautiful old (more than a hundred years old) villa in livada postei . once , it was only for one family . different times , but isn't it too big ?

style

another interesting house in the old town . the windows are great . the street is very narrow so i couldn't get a good perspective .

happy easter

happy easter to all those who are celebrating !

in romania , most people are orthodox , so we gonna have easter on 27th next month (different calendar) .

after easter , in brasov we have the days of brasov , a 4 days fair and festival .

this is from last year .

classic

a classic house in the old council square .

here you can find the newest book shop in

town (top floor)

another one

a beautiful facade of a house on republicii street . too many times we only look at the shops windows and we miss the upper floors . sometimes there are better things to see up , the facade , the ornaments , the roof ...

residential

this is another example of the luxury residences rich people used to build in brasov . also on muresenilor street .

architecture

one of the houses on muresenilor street .

they don't build like this anymore ...

rooster roof

unfortunately i don't know the story behind these 2 rooster heads but it looks interesting . the house is nothing much but the details of the roof makes it different .

a house

just a house . but i like it .

obviously the picture is from a few months ago . i'm so glad the winter's gone .

villa prato

a beautiful villa that has been transformed into a luxury pension with 6 bedrooms . great location , at "livada postei = post's orchard" and a charming restaurant . i think a double is around 100 euros .

different

from the huge malls and supermarkets (and i didn't show everything , for example i could show the home & garden big stores) let's move to something simple and old . an antiques shop in the old centre .

cash and carry

still shopping ...
2 cash and carry : selgros and metro . they were here before all the big supermarkets .

real

how many big supermarkets you can find in brasov ? let's see : carrefour ; kaufland ; real ; plus ; artema ; penny market xxl ; hard discount ; rapid ; luca ; profi ...
a lot ... but hey ! did you know that the prices in romania are higher than in the same supermarkets in the other countries ? are romanians stupid ? ... hmmm ... well , yes and no ... hahahaha

carrefour

ok , we move to supermarkets . or hypermarkets . carrefour is the place were everybody goes . is the biggest and most crowded shopping place in town .

my place

this is a mini-mall , next to the central station . unfortunately they didn't finish it , the top floor supposed to be a multiplex but people don't go to the movies here so they abandoned the idea .

altogether , brasov has 5 malls .

none of them nice or interesting .

magnolia mall

the third mall in brasov .

this one is even smaller and very quiet cause is a bit off the path .

macromall

this was the second mall . it think it was open in 2006 . it's easy to see the name but it's not macro at all , it's quite medium-small ... hahaha

and it's full of kitsch ... egyptian style . but "the mall" concept is kitsch in itself, so , at least is clean , colorful , fun ...hahaha...

yesterday i've been there for the third time .

eliana mall

this was the first mall in brasov and the only one with a multiplex cinema (only 3 screens) .

new mall

...ok , back in brasov ...

last week , another mall had the opening . "unirea shopping center" , the newest and biggest mall in brasov . on the outside it looks ok , although the choice of colors is awful , but on the inside is the most boring and plain i've ever seen . maybe cause is not ready , a lot of the shops are not open yet , maybe is still time , but i didn't see anything interesting , no design , no style , no colors , no decorations , nothing , it's just a big hall with some shops .

"wild" life

at the club vila bran they have ,among other attractions, a stag and a deer .
they are not the same species , the stag is quite big , is a carpathian stag .
they also have sheeps and pigs (fresh meat for the menu)

resort

on our way back we stopped at this place called club vila bran . it's quite big as you can see from the map and it has everything , good acomodation , great looking restaurant (although i heard the food it's not that great) , traditions , sports , animals ... and amazing views .

on one side you have this ...

(a panoramic view of bran ... and the castle from yesterday's post)

...and this ...

(in the background is magura codlea)

on the other side you have this ...

bran 2

some more pictures with the bran castle . the first one was taken from place called club vila bran (check tomorrow post for more details) . it's an amazing view and you can see the strategic position of the castle . the second one was taken from the car on the way back .

bran castle is situated in bran , some 30 km from brasov on the border between transylvania and vallachia (2 regions of romania) . it is marketed as dracula's castle , the character of bram stoker's novel been inspired by vlad the impaler , the ruler of vallachia , although vlad never actually lived in the castle .

cca 1212 the teutonic knights built he wooden fortress of dietrichstein as a fortified position at the entrance to a mountain valley through which traders had traveled for more than a millennium . it was destroyed in 1242 by the mongols . the first documented mentioning of bran castle is the act issued in 1377 giving the saxons of brasov the privilege to build the stone citadel . the settlement of bran began to develop nearby. the castle was first used in 1378 in defense against the ottoman empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between transylvania and vallachia . from 1920, the castle became a royal residence within the kingdom of romania. it was the principal home of queen maria of romania, and is decorated largely with artifacts from her time, including traditional furniture and tapestries that she collected to highlight romanian crafts and skills. was later seized by the communist regime after the expulsion of the royal family in 1948. in 2006, the romanian government awarded ownership to archduke dominic of austria, prince of tuscany, known as dominic von habsburg , an architect in new york . in 2007, von habsburg put the castle up for sale . the chairman of the new york investment firm which has been retained to create a plan for the castle and to sell it, predicted it would sell for more than $135 million, but added that von habsburg will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect.

the castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by queen maria of romania . but more about the castle some other time when i will have the chance to visit it .