Adi de la Valcea

Adi de la Valcea (full name Dinut Adrian Nicolae) was born in Rm. Valcea, Romania. He is a famous Romanian manele singer.

Biography and Career :

Adi de la Valcea started to sing manele music and he says the feeling discovered while singing in front of his fans is a unique one.

He is a very honest man and a very good friend.

Adi de la Valcea had a big success with the song "Suparat", song which was first of Tinu Veresezan.

One of his famous albums is :

M-a pus viata la incercare :

1 Am avut multe femei 04:54
2 Jalem, Jalem 04:33
3 Vecina de la patru 04:12
4 Duceam viata de golan 04:06
5 Sapte vieti 04:15
6 Suparat, suparat 03:28
7 Trebuie sa renunt la tine (cu Dorel de la Popesti) 06:03
8 Femeia cu vorba dulce 03:10
9 M-a pus viata la incercare 04:16
10 Dragoste adevarata 05:02

Quotes :

I feel my fans singing with me. I have a big respect for my fans and maybe they also respect me

Trivia :

- He like sports and especially Boxing
- His hobbies are : cars and hunting
- Favorite fashion designer : D&G
- Favorite movie : The Gladiator

Discography - Albums :

- De viata si de dragoste;
- Pe obraz lacrima imi curge;
- Suparat;
- M-a pus viata la incercare;

Florin Salam

Florin Salam (also known as Florin Fermecatorul) is a famous Romanian manele singer.

Biography and Career :

Like many other manele singers from Romania, Florin Salam started to be a star singing at weddings, parties and other private celebrations.

In Romania manele musicians are called "manelisti". Romanian intellectual class considers this kind of music being inspired from other people music and they also think it incite to subculture even it is one of the most disputed music genres in Romania.

During his career he collaborated with a lot of Romanian singers like : Costi Ionita, Vali Vijelie, Nicolae Guta, Daniela Gyorfi etc.

In 2006, Costi Ionita produced a movie inspired from Indian movies, where the dialogues between characters were interrupted by musical moments. In this movie Florin Salam got the role of a bad brother who was having a lot of bad entourage.

One of his best selling albums was named “Doar cu tine” and it is a collaboration with Costi Ionita. This album was sold in over 40 000 pieces and it was produced in Constanta, where Costi Ionita has his own musical studio.

Florin Salam and other manele singers from Romania have created their own fashion style : they wear very tight T-Shirts, Tight white pants or jeans, white sneakers or expensive shoes and they wear exaggerated gold jewelry. They also prefer luxury cars like Mercedes S-Klasse or Bmw because they like to show off.

Florin Salam sings passionately and he started when he was 4 years old. He took his father's accordion and played at it for hours.

Quotes :

- " My parents have always supported me. They've seen music is my passion and they've shown me the right path in life."
- " There is a popular saying : If there is no one to envy you, it's like you don't even exist. "

Top Tracks :

1. Vreau sa beau sa ma fac manga
2. V-am facut-o, Am facut-o
3. Vin dolarii
4. Cerul plange ca azi ne despartim
5. Toate clipele frumoase

Albums :

Florin Salam si Invitatii Sai (Florin Salam and Guests - English Title) :

1. Florin Salam - As renunta la tot
2. Petrica Cercel - Aseara ne-am certat
3. Dorel de la Popesti - Fac metrii cubi de bani
4. Narcis - Iubire mincinoasa
5. Gina Lincan - Viata merge inainte
6. Stefan de la Barbulesti - Minune de copilas
7. Elvis - Toate visele
8. Adrian Minune - Stau si plang
9. Catalin Arabu - Eu sunt Barosan
10. Viorel de la Constanta - Prietenii mei
12. Vali Vijelie & Baboi - Sapte inimi nu au puterea
13. Florin Salam - Portugalia live

Trivia :

- In 2006 was he paid more than $7000 an hour to sing at parties.
- They've worked for the album "Doar cu tine" for about 8 months.
- He prefers clothes from Laura Olteanu (a Romanian designer)
- His uncle Nicu Salam was a famous musician too.

Costi Ionita

Costi Ionita was born on January 14, 1978 in Constanta, Romania. He is a famous Romanian singer.

Biography and Career :

When he was a kid he was one of the bad boys in the neighbourhood and he received a lot of complaints from other childrens' parents because Costi used to argue with them and sometimes fight.

He likes sports a lot and he used to practice martial arts, tennis, basket, swimming and others.

Costi Ionita studied at Scoala de Muzica si Arta (Music and Art School) from Constanta and after that he attended the Informatics High School but without quitting his musical career studying at "Scoala Populara de Arta" - The Popular Art School. He used to play accordion and he loved the Romanian folklore.

When he was 12 he was a vocalist for "Taraful Clubului Elevilo r din Constanta" and they visited a lot of European countries like : Hungary, Germany, France, Italy, France for some live concerts.

When he was in the 9th grade in high-school he had a tour in Japan, where he represented Romania at an International Peace Congress.

In 2001, Costi Ionita went to London where he met some international producers like Rod Stewart and Robbie Williams.

After finishing high-school he formed Valahia band together with his friend Dorin and their hit was Banii si Fetele.

Costi Ionita got his own studio and formed a lot of Romanian bands like : Exotix - the first Romanian power-girls band.

Costi Ionita changed his music style and started to collaborate with a lot of manele singers like : Adrian Copilul Minune, Florin Salam, Liviu Guta etc.

Quotes :

- I've had a beautiful childhood and I want to thank to my parents because they took care of me;
- I don't sing for awards; they don't impress me much. I sing from my heart with a lot of passion and I do it for my fans. The most wonderful thing in the world is when your fans are besides you.

Trivia :

- Has green belt in Karate Shotokan
- His mother is a chemistry teacher
- He sang duet with Adi de Vito called "Of, viata mea" (English Title : Oh, My Life)

Discography - Albums :

- 2005 "Costi & Florin Salam"
- 2005 “Garantat Costi - Muzica autentica inspirata din realitate”
- 2003 "Costi Ionita si Liviu Guta"
- 2002 "Juraminte si suspine”
- 2002 “Nopti si zile”
- 2001 "Dr.Costi”
- 2001 “Play”
- 2000 Costi Ionita&Adrian Copilul Minune “Autoconcurenta”
- 2000 Costi Ionita &Adrian Copilul Minune “Fara Concurenta”
- 2000 Costi Ionita&Vali Vijelie “La marele fix”
- 1999 Costi Ionita “Viata mea”

Nicolae Guta

Nicolae Guta (full name Nicolae Lingurar) was born in Aninoasa, Hunedoara, Romania and he is one of the most famous Romanian "Manele" singers.

Biography and Career :

Nicolae Guta started to work for "CFR Romania - Petrosani" (The Romanian Train Transport Association) in a gipsy team workers, until all of them got fired.

He says they used to work hard with their hands because the gipsies from Romania don't go to school too often... they have "the school of life".

After his first job he worked for "Regia Apelor Petrosani" for 8 years. One of his partners helped him to get a high ranked and qualified position there.

Before making music Nicolae Guta used to work 8 hours a day but he didn't like the job. Making music and singing to parties and weddings takes him a lot of t ime but this is the think he loves and he does with passion.

Immediately after 1989 when the Communism Empire disappeared Nicolae Guta started to sing party music which is called in Romania "Manele".

His debut was in Timisoara's restaurants and short time after he became the "King of Manele Music"

"Manele music" got more fans outside Romania and nowadays there are a lot of musicians that changed their styles to "Manele" because they are commercial.

Trivia :

- He's got one brother named Samir, known for his Old-Iron Business in Romania
- Both of them have built big houses in Iscroni, Romania.
- Nicolae Guta was named "Tha King of Manele" in 2005 and his friend Adrian Copilul Minune "Adrian the Wonder Boy" was named "The Emperor of Manele".
- The King of Manele has 2 daughters and 2 sons.
- Nicolae Guta has over 50 Manele Music Albums.

Mirel Radoi

Mirel Radoi (full name Mirel Matei Radoi) was born on March 22,1980 in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania and he is the leader of Steaua Bucharest an ex-european champion and one of the most valuable Romanian team.

Biography and Career :

Mirel Radoi started to play football at 8 years old first as a goalkeeper and after this as a defender. Now at Steaua is a central back midfielder. His first team was FC Drobeta Turnu Severin and there was remarked by Sorin Cartu , the coach of FC Extensiv Craiova and was transferred in 1999 to that team. Because was impressed by Radoi's skills Cartu paid from his own pocket the money for transfer. Sorin Cartu said that this player is a big talent and he was right.
After 5 months Radoi became one of a multiple champion team's players Steaua B ucharest. His new coach became Victor Piturca, the actual Romanian national team's coach who promote him and in a few years became the best and the most important player for Steaua.

About the first day at Steaua Radoi say that: " it was like a positive shock for me. Suddenly I was in the same place with players like Miu, Baciu and Belodedici, players I saw at TV. It was like a dream…".

In 2001 helped Steaua to became the champion team in Romanian Championship and after this won the Romanian Supercup against great rival Dinamo Bucharest.

In 2005 won the second champion title with Steaua and after one year, in 2006 won the 23th champion title for Steaua and his 3rd personal title.

In 2005 won in UEFA Cup against en-titre champion Valencia and in 2006 Steaua with Radoi as a leader played UEFA Cup semifinal against Middlebrough but unfortunately lost after 2 terrible games with final score 4-3.

In 2006 Steaua succeed to qualify after 10 years in UEFA Champions League in a group with Real Madrid, Olimpique Lyon and Dinamo Kiev but Radoi didn't play in first games because was injured.

For Romanian national team played in 38 games and scored 1 goal.

Short Info:

- Height:177cm
- Weight:77kg
- Number: 6

Trivia :

- He played his first match for Steaua on march 4, 2000.
- Is married with Viviana, a girl from his natal town Severin from 2001 and they have a boy called Denis. They live in an luxury flat in Bucharest .

Cosmin Olaroiu

Cosmin Olaroiu was born on June 10, 1969 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a famous football player and coach from Romania.

Biography and Career :

Cosmin Olaroiu started playing football at Gloria Buzau in 1989 and before he played his first game in Liga 1 (first Romanian league) on 2nd of Septemper 1992 at Progresul Bucharest, he also played for Carpati Nehoiu, MECON Bucharest and Girueta Bucharest.

He played 3 seasons in 80 games for Progresul Bucharest and scored 8 times.

In 1995 Cosmin Olaroiu was transferred to Universitatea Craiova where played 39 games in Liga 1 and 2 games in UEFA Cup and scored only 2 times.

Cosmin Olaroiu left Romania in 1997 for South Korea where played at Samsung Blue Wings fo r 3 seasons and in11999 ended his football career.

Cosmin Olaroiu started his manager career in 2000 at National Bucharest and finished on respectable 7th place in the end of his first season as a coach. In the next one he lost in the last game the champion title after he was defeated by Universitatea Craiova and Dinamo Bucharest became the champion team.

Cosmin Olaroiu started a collaboration with Steaua Bucharest but it lasted only for 7 rounds after Steaua had the worst start of season in its history.

He came back to FC National first as a manager and after Walter Zenga left, as a coach.

In the winter of 2004, a business man, Marian Iancu became the new boss of FCU Politehnica Timisoara and asked for Cosmin Olaroiu as coach.

Cosmin Olaroiu took his best players from National and went to Poli where finished on 4th place his first season there. After one year Iancu resigned him and said that "he can't win the championship because is a 3rd-4th place coach".

Cosmin Olaroiu signed after a few weeks for Steaua and at 37 years old he succeeded to win the championship and the Romanian SuperCup in 2006 and qualify in the semi-finals of UEFA Cup where was defeated after a dramatic game by Middlebrough.

On 23th August 2006 after Steaua defeated Standard Liege, Olaroiu became the first coach playing with a Romanian team in UEFA Champions League after 10 years in a group with Dynamo Kiev, Olympique Lyon and Real Madrid.

Vali Vijelie

Vali Vijelie (real name Valentin Rusu) is a famous Romanian manele singer.

Biography and Career :

He discovered his passion for music when he as 11 years old and his father bought him an accordion and sent him to his cousin to learn how to play with it.

Vali Vijelie was discovered by "Nicu al lu' Dorel" who gave him the nickname "Vali Vijelie" being a cousin of Mircea Vijelie (a famous musician). His cousin, Mircea Vijelie was the person who introduced him in manele music production.

When he was only 14 years old his father sent him to a wedding to sing and entertain the people together with his cousins. The wedding was in Padureni village (sometimes called Gastesti). One of the musician was Gheorghe a lui Bosorogu'.

When he was 15 years old he used to sing with a lo t of famous musicians like : Neluta Neagu, Leonard, Hantu and others. His favourite song was : "Printisorul".

Compared with Ozzy Osbourne sometimes, Vali Vijelie started his career singing at different parties and weddings. He loves music and when he sets to music his songs he does it with passion, that is why he has a lot of fans not only in Romania but all over Europe.

Many of his albums are published through "Casa de productie Autentic Music" from Romania.

During his career, has collaborated with a lot of manele singers such as : Adrian Minune, Costi Ionita, Florin Salam, Adi de la Valcea etc.

Due to his popularity and his talent, he was invited to produce a Tv Series on Prima Tv named "Aventurile familiei Vijelie" ("The Adventures of Vijelie Family" - English Title). This Tv Series got rapidly a high audience and his number of fans continued to rise.

Vali Vijelie respects and loves his fans a lot that is why he promises a lot of surprises for them before each album's publication on the market.

The happiest moment in his life is when he moved in a new house together with his family.

His lifestyle is without prejudices and he is a real professionist dedicating his life to music.

Vali Vijelie's ideal in life is to be as famous as the popular singers were before the Comunist Empire from Romania.

In Romania, there is a lot of people who contest their music genre but besides them there are others who consider manele music and Vali Vijelie's music real poems of life.

Quotes :

- "There are songs which will become hits and the ones who are going to buy the album will have a lot of surprises." - Referring to one of his albums

- "I'm a superstitious and faithful person."

- "When I sing love songs, I sing it with passion because the audience must discern the message well and live the moments truly."

Trivia :

- The word "vijelie" means storm in Romanian.
- Hobbies : cars, women, clothing
- He likes playing Ping-Pong

His album with Adi de la Valcea is named : "De Nepretuit" and it contains the following songs :

1. Vali&Adi - Aseara te-am sunat
2. Vali - Doar amintirea
3. Vali&Adi - Am fost un om sarac
4. Vali - Aud o voce
5. Adi - Nu sunt baiat de bani gata
6. Vali&Adi - Unde esti tu sunt si eu
7. Adi - Numai Dumnezeu
8. Adi - Joc mereu la cazino
9. Vali - Ce inima ai avut
10. Adi - Icoana sufletului meu
11. Vali - As pleca

Adrian Copilul Minune

Adrian Copilul Minune (real name Adrian Simionescu, also known as Adrian the Wonder Boy or Adi de Vitto) was born on September 24, 1974 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a famous romanian manele singer.

Biography and Career :

He is a lovely and passionable man and he knows how to respect people around him. Adrian Copilul Minune considers the idea "live your life and don't disturb the others" a vital one and he says everybody should take it in consideration.

Adrian Copilul Minune has a great voice and he is adapting himself to every situation.

He knows to listen to people confessions and he gives good advices.

His apparition in the media started with the apparition of the hit : "Of! Viata mea..." togethe r with Costi Ionita, one of his best friends.

Adrian Copilul Minune and Costi Ionita came up on the market with manele music albums sold rapidly all over Romania : " Fara Concurenta " and "Autoconcurenta". By the time Costi Ionita just left from his group band Valahia.

He is married with Cati and they have 3 children : a boy named Florentin Adrian and 2 girls: Claudia and Adriana. Their family is united and extremly happy and there is no album without mentioning their names in songs.

In 2006 Adrian Copilul Minune was named "The Emperor of Manele" and his partner Nicolae Guta "The King of Manele".

Quotes :

- Even if I started singing pop and house music, my love for manele music will be forever. I remember my first song from my first year of school "Magdaleno, fii cuminte, esti fata lui Kunta Kinte".

Trivia :

- He adores colors, paintings, music and he loves to dance.

Filmography :

1. Furia (2002) .... Himself

Teo Trandafir

Teo Trandafir was born on June 2, 1968 in Pitesti, Romania. She is a famous Romanian TV hostess.

Biography and Career :

When she was 8 years old, her uncle bought a TV and since then she felt in love with television.

Teo Trandafir loved entertainment transmission, she admired Margareta Pislaru a famous Romanian singer.

Teo Trandafir graduated Faculty of Foreign Languages – English and Arabian Language.

Teo Trandafir started her career in 1994 at Antena 1 and in 1996 she started her collaboration with Pro Tv. Teo Trandafir is famous due to her transmission named "Teo", started in 2001. Teo Trandafir has a strong personality, she is an ambitious and full of energy.

Teo Trandafir collects lighters and she has a passion for mobile phones, binoculars and field glass .

In her collaboration with Pro Tv she hosted many tv shows :

1. "Teo"
2. "Bilet de vacanta"
3. "5 saptamani in balon"
4. "Vine Teo"
5. "Teo si vedete cu sacu’ "
6. "Teo si Andi"

Quotes :

- "Better healthy and rich than poor and sick"

Trivia :

- She admires loyal people;
- She likes shopping;
- She admires the brave women;
- Teo Trandafir speaks English and Arabian fluently
- She likes Vita de Vie and Zdob si Zdub bands

Awards :

2003 - Cea mai buna emisiune de divertisment ( CNA )

- Cea mai populara vedeta de divertisment ( Tv Mania )

2004 - Transformare de stil ( Pantene )

- Cea mai populara vedeta de televiziune ( Tv Mania)

- Cea mai simpatica mamica ( Tv Mania)

- Premiul Pro

2005 - Cea mai populara vedeta de divertisment ( Tv Mania)

- Premiul de popularitate ( Beau Monde)

2006 - Discul de Aur pentru "Cutiuta Muzicala" ( MediaPro Music)

Doina Levintza

Doina Levintza was born on February 1, 1959. She is a famous Romanian designer.

Biography and Career :

Doina Levintza started her career creating costumes for TVR - Romanian National Television together with the director Alexandru Bocanet. Her first international appearance was in Paris, 1984. She is the first east-European designer who has been accepted in the New York Fashion Week Model "7th on Sixth".

Doina Levintza created a lot of fashion shows in Romania and not only and after 1990 she got her own modeling agency specialized in theatre and film costumes and also on fashion. Her name is famous all over Europe and United States due to he r high number of exhibitions realized in Paris, Monte Carlo, London, Washington and New York.

Quotes :

- Inspiration? Generally I dream with my eyes opened. I have my own world where I find my resources. I could get inspired by some of my moods, or one of my dreams could become true.

- My chance to design a costume and to make from it my own play with imaginary actors gathering from me substance and spirit.

- My childish gladness followed me all my life when designing and maybe that's why I still keep creating characters

Trivia :

- She has a TV Show named "Levintza Prezinta" on Prima TV.
- She loves sculpture and she studied architecture

Tolea Ciumac şi-a făcut blog

Asaltat de fani care vor să-l vadă, să-i vorbească şi să-l încurajeze în puşcărie, Tolea Ciumac şi-a făcut blog prin care împărtăşeşte internauţilor impresii din celulă.

“O zi la puşcărie = un pic mai bine ca în iad. Plictiseală, neputinţă, ciudă, mizerie. În bine nu te schimbă niciodată, dacă nu ai un caracter puternic. Şi, dacă- l ai, te doare că pierzi timp în care ai putea face ceva mai bun afară. În rest, mizerie, mizerie, mizerie …” Acestea sunt impresiile pe care Tolea Ciumac le scrie pe blogul său www.toleaciumac.ro De pagina sa electronică se ocupă un bun prieten de-al luptătorului, care îl vizitează periodic.

Elena Udrea susține "the land of choice"

Ministerul Turismului va continua să susţină imnul turistic al României şi va intensifica acţiunile de promovare a acestuia, chiar dacă la OSIM există mai multe cereri de înregistrare ca marcă a sintagmei "the land of choice", a declarat agenţiei MEDIAFAX ministrul Turismului, Elena Udrea.

"«The land of choice» este un vers din imnul turistic al României. Ministerul Turismului a folosit această sintagmă încă de la mijlocul lunii aprilie, în campania de lansare a respectivului imn", a spus Udrea.

La Oficiul de Stat pentru Invenţii şi Mărci (OSIM) există mai multe cereri de înregistrare ca marcă a sintagmei "the land of choice" sau a unor variaţiuni ale acesteia.

Pentru înregistrarea ca marcă a expresiei "the land of choice" a fost depusă o cerere din partea unei persoane fizice, Florin Ioan Zamfir, din Iaşi, pe data de 30 aprilie 2009, iar pentru sintagma "Romania, the land of choice" la OSIM este depusă o cerere de înregistrare ca marcă din partea cabinetului individual de avocatură Năstase Iulian Bogdan din satul Daia, comuna Roşia, judeţul Sibiu.

Udrea apreciază că este inacceptabil ca "anumiţi impostori" să încerce înregistrarea sintagmei ca marcă ce le-ar aparţine.

"În timp ce noi ne străduim să îmbunătăţim imaginea ţării noastre cu cheltuieli cât mai mici, unii indivizi stau la colţ şi vor bani pentru a ne lăsa să continuăm aceste eforturi", susţine ministrul Turismului.

Udrea a precizat că cei care încearcă să înregistreze "the land of choice" ca marcă nu au cerut încă bani ministerului, însă crede că acesta este motivul pentru care au făcut solicitările la OSIM.
"Nu avem niciun fel de motive, nici de natură legală, cu atât mai puţin de natură morală, care să ne determine să abandonăm acest proiect. În consecinţă, vom continua să susţinem imnul turistic al României şi vom intensifica acţiunile de promovare a acestuia", a conchis Udrea.

http://www.mediafax.ro/

Daniela Crudu a fost ceruta de nevasta

Vedeta Antenei 1, Daniela Crudu, a fost prezenta in acest weekend la Craiova pentru o prezentare de moda, ocazie cu care i-a fermecat pe olteni, asa incat a fost ceruta si de sotie.

Craiovenii care au umplut sambata pana la refuz sala Teatrului Liric au putut admira tinutele nonconformiste prezentate in premiera de designerul Stefan Musca, dar si formele frumoasei asistente de la matinalul cu Razvan si Dani.

Admiratorii insa nu s-au limitat la a-i trimite numai flori brunetei focoase, ci unul dintre ei a cerut-o chiar de nevasta, scrie
Cancan.

"Daniela Crudu are cei mai frumosi sani din Romania. Cand a urcat pe scena, m-a fermecat. Am cerut-o de sotie pentru ca in clipa de fata este idolul meu, iar sanii ei sunt perfecti, ii admir in fiecare dimineata, la emisiune", a declarat craioveanul, care a spus ca nu mai doarme noptile de dorul ei.

Mihaela Rădulescu se mută în Monaco

Mihaela Radulescu renunta la cariera in televiziune pentru a se muta in Monaco, alaturi de fiul ei, Ayan. Se pare ca vedeta "Duminicii in familie" a negociat plecarea cu Elan Schwartzenberg, fostul ei sot.

"Mihaela se retrage in Principatul Monaco. Ea va intrerupe orice activitate in mass-media si se va dedica cresterii copilului. Mihaela a facut multi pasi importanti in aceasta perioada: si-a cerut scuze fostului sot pentru comportamentul indecent pe care l-a avut in ultimele opt luni si recunoaste ca ii pare rau ca familia si casnicia s-au distrus", a declarat o sursa apropiata Mihaelei Radulescu, pentru Cancan.

Se pare ca Mihaela se gandeste serios la posibilitatea de a-si reface viata, chiar cu Elan. Vedeta parcurge incet acesti pasi, si pentru moment, pentru linistea copilului, ea i-a cerut lui Elan sa o sprijine sa se mute definitiv la Monaco, unde va pleca in urmatoarea saptamana.

Mihaela Radulescu a anuntat in cadrul emisiunii pe care o prezinta ca se retrage definitiv din televiziune si ca aceasta este "ultima luna" din cariera sa in televiziune si ca intentioneaza sa se retraga definitiv din lumina reflectoarelor.

Adresandu-se publicului din sala, Mihaela Radulescu a explicat ca actiunea sa nu este o toana, ci o decizie pe care a luat-o dupa mult timp de gandire.Urmand modelul lui Teo Trandafir, Mihaela Radulescu a anuntat ca va mai face inca doua editii ale emisiunii sale, si apoi va disparea din peisajul mediatic.

In ultimul timp, iubita lui Dani Otil nu a mai aparut in nicio publicatie, ca o forma de protest fata de colegii din presa.


http://www.ziare.com/

Romaniţa părăseşte casa din Primăverii

Carmen Harra i-a spus Romaniţei să părăsească casa din Primăverii pentru că spiritul celui care a fost ucis încă este prezent în clădirea respectivă.

„Spiritul, se spune, al unui suflet care a plecat într-un anume loc, felul în care el a plecat... el a plecat omorât... spiritul lui nu şi-a găsit drumul dincolo aşa de uşor cum credem noi. E un proces. Să te naşti e un proces care durează nouă luni, să treci dincolo de lumea asta fizică durează cel puţin 40 de zile... unele spirite nu se eliberează atât de repede şi au tendinţa să revină prin locul unde au mai trecut”, crede Carmen Harra.

Cât despre viitor, parapsihologul de peste Ocean i-a prezis Romaniţei că se va recăsători: „O... păi ne căsătorim, cam în doi ani şi ceva, până la trei ani, găsim un bărbat foarte frumos, care face foarte multe drumuri între România, Italia, Paris. Este un bărbat înalt, frumos, prezentabil, a mai fost şi el însurat”, a spus Carmen Harra la „Happy Hour Special”. În emisiunea moderată de Cătălin Măruţă, creatoarea de modă a aflat că urmează să se căsătorească, însă nu cu actualul iubit. Cel puţin asta este ceea ce prevede. Despre bărbatul cu care Romaniţa are în prezent o relaţie, Carmen Harra a povestit că a mai fost căsătorit şi că are un băiat.

Lucru pe care l-a confirmat în prezent şi Romaniţa în cadrul emisiunii „Happy Hour”. Romaniţa a mai aflat şi alte aspecte despre propria persoană, aspecte încifrate în codul vieţii sale. Astfel, pe baza datei de naştere, 3.10.1964, Carmen Harra i-a dezvăluit creatoarei de modă că într-o viaţă anterioară a fost, cel puţin în viziunea prezicătoarei, o prinţesă din Polonia, un om puternic şi plăcut, dar care a avut o familie rigidă. În schimb, ea a încercat să îşi determine destinul propriu plecând de la Curte. Mai mult, crede Harra, pasiunea Romaniţei pentru artă, modă şi culori vine dintr-o altă viaţă anterioară, trăită la Paris. Invitata lui Măruţă a mai povestit că în codul vieţii Romaniţei sunt scrise talentul, independenţa, dar şi o relaţie puternică cu mama sa.

Romaniţa plimbată cu Oltcit-ul de Columbeanu

Intrebată despre relatia veche cu Irinel Columbeanu, Romaniţa Iovan a decis să pună punct povestii dintre modelul sărac şi fiul de milionar, explicând ca la momentul relaţiei lor de dragoste, Irinel era un bărbat modest din punct de vedere financiar.

Romaniţa Iovan a explicat că pe când era iubita lui Columbeanu acesta nu conducea un Rolls-Royce, ci un Oltcit, nu o ducea în străinătate şi nu îi făcea cadouri extravagante. Designerul de modă a ţinut să precizeze că abia din momentul despărţirii, atât ea cat si Irinel au început să crească financiar, ajungând în paralel să construiască adevărate averi. Apoi timpul a trecut şi Romaniţa Iovan a reuşit chiar să se împace cu actuala răsfaţată a lui Irinel Columbeanu, Monica.

Diana Dumitrescu, nunta cu apus de soare la Buftea

Diana Dumitrescu, vedeta telenovelei Regina, a ales sa se marite cu Ducu Ion, producatorul telenovelei Ingerasii, pe malul lacului Buftea, adica in locul unde cei doi isi petrec cel mai mult timp.

"Studiourile MediaPro din Buftea sunt cel mai potrivit loc in care putem face nunta. Asta pentru ca acesta este locul in care ne-am cunoscut, aici ne petrecem cea mai mare parte a timpului si tot aici am vazut cele mai frumoase si romantice apusuri de soare.

Este un loc magic pentru amandoi. Cununia noastra religioasa va avea loc pe malul lacului, la apus, cadrul va fi unul feeric si romantic. Sunt sigura ca toti invitatii se vor simti ca intr-o poveste", declara Diana Dumitrescu .

Actrita a declarat ca deja a gasit firmele care se vor ocupa de evenimentul programat in luna august.

Mihaela Radulescu renunta la televiziune17 Mai 2009

Vedeta Antenei 1, Mihaela Radulescu , a declarat duminica, 17 mai, in timpul emisiunii "Duminica in familie", ca se va retrage din televiziune in aproximativ o luna de zile, titreaza agentia Mediafax.

Motivul retragerii este fiul vedetei, Ayan. Potrivit Mediafax, aceasta stire a fost confirmata si de reprezentantii postului Antena 1, care au spus ca Mihaela Radulescu i-a anuntat despre aceasta intentie de a se retrage din televiziune.

"Mai lasati-ne in pace, pret de o luna cat vom mai face emisiuni impreuna", a spus Mihaela Radulescu in emisiunea sa de duminica.

Stefan Banica Jr

Stefan Banica Jr was born on October 18, 1967 in Bucharest, Romania and he is a famous Romanian singer and actor.

Biography and Career :

Stefan Banica Jr started his singer career when he was 3 years old, at the same age like Mozart, only his father told him: “Never play for free!”, and the awards he won confirm this fact.

Stefan Banica Jr graduated I.A.T.C. University in 1990.

His first role was Gurita in serial movie “Eroii nu au varsta” , directed by Mihai Constantinescu in 1984. He is also a composer, he writes texts of the songs he sings with his own bands The 50’s and Rock’n’roll Band fulfill in 1994. He had been director and host at famous Roumanian televisions like : TVR 1, TVR 2, PRIMA TV, ANTENA 1, TELE7 ABC, but at PRO TV he had the most projects, the most important “Dansez pentru tine” in 2006.

Trivia :

- He loves talented people;
- He hates foolishness;
- His favourite actor is Charlie Chaplin;
- He would like to play in a movie by Anthony Hopkins;

Quotes :

- "Let others to do"

Stefan Banica Jr had been remarked also on the stage of the theatre, he inherited this talent from his father, Stefan Banica , a great name for the Romanian theatre and music.

Theatre :

1. "Drum spre adevar", 1987
2. "D'ale carnavalului", 1989
3. "Buna seara, d-le Wilde!", 1989
4. "Maidanul cu dragoste", 1990
5. "Merlin", 1991
6. "Desteptarea primaverii", 1991
7. "Visul unei nopti de vara", 1992
8. "Poveste de iarna", 1994
9. "Domnisoara Nastasia", 1996
10. "Descult in parc", 1996
11. "Black & White", 1997
12. "Hamlet", 2000
13. "A douasprezecea noapte", 2003
14. "Chicago", 2005

Discography :

1. " Un actor/un rock'n roll ", 1992
2. " Te rock…frumos" 1998
3. " Cel de acum", 2000
4. " Doar un Craciun cu tine", 2000
5. " De dragoste…in toate felurile", 2001
6. " Stefan Banica Jr in concert", 2003
7. " Zori de zi", 2003
8. " Numele tau", 2005
9. " Duete", 2005

Filmography :

1. "Eroii nu au varsta", 1984
2. "Liceenii", 1987
3. "Extemporal la dirigentie", 1987
4. "O calatorie de neuitat", 1988
5. "Liceenii rock’n roll, 1990
6. "Templul tacerii" 1992
7. "Triunghiu mortii", 1998
8. "Sexi harem Ada-Kaleh", 1999
9. "Proprietari de stele", 1999
10 "Baieti buni", 2005

Awards :

1987 – Premiul ACIN de interpretare;
1995 – Cea mai buna emisiune de divertisment TV
1998 – Cel mai bun cuplu musical satiric TV
1999 – Premiul ‘Mari cupluri ale micului ecran"
1999 – Cel mai bun interpret rock
2000 – Locul 1 sectiunea slagare – Mamaia festival
2001 – Cel mai bun album pop-rock
2002 – Dublu disc de aur si de platina "De dragoste in toate felurile"
2002 – Locul 1 sectiunea slagare – Mamaia festival
2002 – Cel mai bun cantaret
2002 - Artistul anului
2002 – Cel mai iubit interpret
2002 – Cel mai iubit cantaret
2003 – Premiul TV K Lumea
2003 – Cel mai bun cantaret
2003 – Vedeta anului
2003 – Best Male, MTV
2004 – Disc de Aur " Zori de zi "
2004 – Cel mai iubit cantaret
2004 – Ordinul Cavalerului
2005 – Cea mai iubita trupa pop, rock, dance
2005 – Cea mai iubita melodie a anului "Veta"
2005 – Cel mai iubit cuplu – Stefan Banica Jr & Andreea Marin
2006 – Cel mai bun interpret solo, MTV

Andreea Esca

Andreea Esca was born on August 29, 1972 in Bucharest, Romania. She is a famous Romanian journalist and TV hostess.

Biography and Career :

Andreea Esca finished Lazar High-School from Bucharest in '90 and after that graduated the Journalism Faculty in 1992.

Andreea Esca started her career in 1992-1994 being a reporter and TV presenter for Soti TV.

In 1995, Andreea Esca made a TV documentary named "Sistemul de invatamant american" - American Learning System (English Title).

In 2003, Andreea Esca was the most loved women in television. She studied Independent Journalism at Prague and also took Journalism courses at CNN Atlanta, United States, Athens and Greece in 1994.

Awards :

- She has been nominated as the best news presenter in 2001, 2002, 2003.
- Has been nominated the Woman of Year in 2002/2003

Trivia :

- Has broadcasted live from SUA, Paris, Madrid, Helsinki, Varsovia
- She collaborates with CSVD magazine
- Wrote a book : Buna seara Romania, buna seara Bucuresti!
- She is a member of CNN World Report and also of the Fight Against Breast Cancer Foundation.
- Manager for "The One" Magazine

Quotes :

- I don't know how all these 10 years have passed. I'm a little bit scared about the idea that 10 years flew away so fast, but on the other hand I'm really happy I realized a lot of things with Pro Tv.
- I'm usually a very happy woman but as a news presenter I cannot afford to laugh.

Monica Columbeanu vrea la Holywood

Tanara sotie de miliardar, Monica Columbeanu, intentioneaza sa ne paraseasca. Ea sustine ca tara noastra este prea mica pentru ambitiile ei si vrea sa dea marea lovitura în strainatate.

Irinel Columbeanu nu mai are ce sa-i ofere. A facut-o vedeta peste noapte, a transformat-o într-o mare doamna, însa ea viseaza la mai mult. S-a plictisit de succesul pe care îl are printre romani si de gramezile de bani castigati cu usurinta. Moni vrea la Hollywood, printre adevaratele staruri!

Mădălin Voicu, tată pentru a şasea oară

Carmen, iubita lui Mădălin Voicu, a născut sâmbătă un băieţel de 3,550 kg, care a primit nota 10. Micuţul şi mămica se simt foarte bine şi vor pleca în curând acasă, unde totul îi aşteaptă gata pregătit.

Surse medicale au mărturisit că pe Carmen au apucat-o durerile facerii vineri noaptea, iar sâmbătă copilul a venit pe lume. Numele ales este Ştefan, "ca pe Mădălin", după cum ne-a mărturisit mămica.

"Toţi băieţii mei se numesc Ştefan. Este un fel de "pedigree". Normal că sunt fericit. Să vină acasă, să fie sănătos, să ne putem ocupa de el. Pentru mine, copilul este sfânt" , a spus deputatul care mai are patru copii recunoscuţi şi alţi doi din relaţii din tinereţe.

Bărbaţii se plictisesc de Ramona Gabor

Ghinionistă mai e şi Ramona în dragoste. De când a venit de la Bacău niciun bărbat nu rezistă alături de ea mai mult de câteva săptămâni.
Aşa se face că şi fotbalistul de doar 19 ani Cristian Daminuţă, pe care îl vrăjise după o singură seară petrecută într-un club de fiţe şi cu care ieşise de câteva ori, i-a dat rapid papucii.
Zilele trecute, el şi-a postat pe contul de Messenger un status surpriză pentru domnişoara Gabor: „Caut iubită”. Ce umilitor! Degeaba şi-a pus silicoane şi a tăiat din nas, că tot fug bărbaţii de ea. Asta e, când nu ai noroc…

Elena Udrea, dezamăgită că unii hotelieri nu au menţinut unitățile deschise

Ministrul Turismului, Elena Udrea, a declarat, sâmbătă, la Neptun, unde a participat la inaugurarea unui centru SPA, că este dezamăgită de faptul că unii hotelieri care au avut unităţile deschise de Paşte şi de 1 Mai nu le-au menţinut în continuare la acelaşi regim.

Udrea a spus că faţă de anii precedenţi s-a înregistrat o creştere cu 200 % a numărului de turişti în perioada sărbătorilor de Paşte şi de 1 Mai, dar s-a declarat dezamăgită că unii hotelieri care au avut unităţile deschise în acea perioadă nu le-au menţinut în continuare la acelaşi regim.

"Îmi exprim dezamăgirea că nu toate hotelurile care au deschis de Paşte şi de 1 Mai au mai rămas deschise. Litoralul e frumos, dar nu-mi place pentru că nu s-au găsit soluţii pentru operatorii de turism care ţin hotelurile nemodernizate sau închise. Sunt oameni care consideră că a fi proprietar într-o staţiune înseamnă a face orice doreşti, fără să-ţi pese de cum merge staţiunea respectivă. Vom găsi soluţii legale să se întâmple lucrurile cum se întâmplă peste tot în lume", a declarat Elena Udrea.

Ea a mai spus că doreşte dezvoltarea activităţilor de agrement pe litoral şi că intenţionează să-i sprijine pe investitori în acest sens.

"Căutăm modalitatea de a le oferi diverse facilităţi", a spus Elena Udrea.
Ministrul Turismului a susţinut că mai mulţi investitori străini din ţări UE în care ea a promovat turismul românesc vor vizita România, în luna iunie, şi şi-a exprimat speranţa că va reuşi să-i convingă pe aceştia să investească în turism pe litoralul românesc.

"Dacă avem mai multe asemenea investiţii ne putem recăpăta turiştii pe care-i aveam acum 20 de ani şi îi vom determina pe turiştii români să-şi petreacă aici vacanţele", a adăugat Elena Udrea.

Sursa: MEDIAFAX

Elena Gheorghe s-a clasat pe locul 19 la finala Eurovision, iar reprezentantul Norvegiei a câştigat

Elena Gheorghe, care a reprezentat România la Eurovision cu melodia "The Balkan Girls" s-a clasat pe locul 19, iar Alexander Ryback, care a interpretat melodia "Fairytale" a ocupat locul I în urma finalei care a avut loc sâmbătă-seara, pe Olympiysky Arena din Moscova.

Elena Gheorghe, care a reprezentat România la Eurovision cu melodia "The Balkan Girls" s-a clasat pe locul 19, iar Alexander Ryback, care a interpretat melodia "Fairytale" a ocupat locul I în urma finalei care a avut loc sâmbătă-seara, pe Olympiysky Arena din Moscova.

Norvegia a mai câştigat de două ori concursul Eurovision, în 1985, când a fost reprezentată de Bobbysocks, cu melodia "La Det Swinge" şi în 1995, cu melodia "Nocturne" cântată de Secret Garden". În 1996, Norvegia a obţinut locul 2, cu melodia "I Evighet" cântată de Elisabeth Andreasson.

Alexander Ryback, în vârstă de 23 de ani, care a reprezentat Norvegia cu melodia "Fairytale", compusă şi scrisă de el însuşi, este un adevărat copil-minune. Şi-a scris singur melodia, din această vară va face parte din distribuţia unui film şi a primit un număr record de voturi la selecţia naţională a Eurovision. Alexander cântă la pian şi vioară încă de la vârsta de cinci ani şi îşi compune propriile melodii.

Clasamentul final a fost stabilit în urma notelor acordate de toate cele 42 de ţări participante la Eurovisionul de anul acesta. Chiar dacă în finală au participat 25 de ţări. Notele fiecărei ţări au fost alcătuite în proporţie de 50% în baza voturilor primite de la telespectatori şi 50% de către un juriu de specialitate.


Reprezentanta României la Eurovision, cântăreaţa Elena Gheorghe, care s-a calificat în finala concursului Eurovision 2009 cu melodia "The Balkan Girls", după semifinala de marţi, a intrat în concursul de gală a 22-a din 25 de participanţi. România a primit puncte din partea Moldovei (12), Spaniei (7), R. Macedonia (5), Turcia (5), Azerbaijanului (3), Serbiei (2), Ciprului (2), Portugaliei (2), Irlandei (2).

Elena Gheorghe a declarat, înaintea finalei, pentru TVR, că îşi doreşte foarte mult să se claseze între primii cinci, sau, dacă nu, măcar între primii zece. Cântăreaţa a mai spus că ştie că anul acesta concursul este unul dintre cele mai grele, deoarece sunt foarte multe piese bune şi fiecare ţară a venit foarte bine pregătită.


Cea mai bună performanţă a României la Eurovision a fost locul al treilea, obţinut de Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem în anul 2005, cu piesa "Let me try".

Anna Lesko strigă în gura mare că miliardarul „e luat”!

Se pare că scandalul cu Elena Hueanu, blonda care a fost surprinsă cu Elan la mare, a determinat-o pe Anna Lesko să pună piciorul în prag şi să vorbească deschis despre povestea ei de dragoste cu miliardarul.

Poate aşa află toate piţipoancele că Elan Schwartzenberg „e luat” şi stau la distanţă!

Cântăreaţa Anna Lesko este vedeta de pe coperta noului număr al revistei „Bolero”. Cu această ocazie, rusoaica care „arde-n flăcări” pentru Schwartzenberg ne povesteşte câte ceva despre legătura amoroasă cu omul de afaceri.

Moldavian and Bucovinian Cuisine

This region lies in the north-eastern part of Romania and historically speaking it suffered few foreign influences from people who came to conquer these lands or to trade with natives. They managed to influence more or less the local culture. The Byzantine Empire and later on Greeks left some culinary marks in Moldavia – a large variety of sweets, some spicy dressing with various flavours or the Mediterranean habit of using dry wine to cook some dishes.

Turks (when the region came under their influence between the 16th and the very beginning of the 19th century) left one of the most powerful imprints on the local cuisine: the use of mutton on a large scale and dishes like musaca or hotchpotch (ghiveci). We should not forget the Russians: they left us something too - pickled vegetables and a lot of baked dishes and baked cakes. Nowadays the Moldavian cuisine is considered as being one of the most subtle of our country. Because of some Mediterranean influences (from Greeks) it is much lighter than for instance the Transylvanian one and it is also very tasty.
People in this part of the country eat a lot of soups; chicken soup is at high esteem among these (like it is the use of white meat – chicken and fish) and borsch (a homemade fermentation liquid obtained from bran and water) is largely used to get a slightly sour taste to soups. “Ciorba de potroace” (a kind of sour soup) is also particular in this area. It is made of chicken giblets boiled together with carrots, onion, rice, parsley and it is seasoned with borsch – people say this soup makes an excellent medicine for hangovers.
The traditional “sarmale” are to be found all over the regions but they have something specific every part of the country. They are very small in Moldavia as one can easily obtain 8 to 10 sarmale from one single leaf of cabbage and the meat used to fill the “sarmale” is usually a mixture of pork and beef. Some Moldavians would also use vine leaves apart from sauerkraut to prepare their sarmale. Bean soup, stewed cabbage or “iahnie” (particular dish made of dried beans) are among the favorite meals of these people.
We should mention Moldavian “tochitura” too (chopped pork meat – liver and kidneys – mixed with lard, garlic, pepper and of course a glass of wine; everything is fried and simmered) which is always served with polenta.
Pies are traditional as desserts and they have extremely diverse shapes and tastes. Some of the best known pies are filled with cheese (cheese, especially mutton cheese is very much used in the Moldavian cuisine), sauerkraut, pumpkin, apples or comfiture. Donughts, dumplings, some kind of panettone, mucenici, pasca and pancakes enrich the list of local sweets which is anyway very large. Another local figure are walnuts – these fruits are used for a lot of cookies in Moldavia.

Roaming around Romania

Think of Romania and almost instantly your mind will wonder to Transylvania and visions of Dracula. Or, you might envision gypsy fortunetellers scrying into their smoked-filled crystal balls. Bucharest or “Little Paris” as it was once called also awaits the wondering tourist with tree-lined boulevards and outdoor cafes just calling to be discovered. Of course there is also the call of the wild because the wolf (my favorite creature) is still a popular and well-liked animal in this county. What else? Not to be outdone by Hollywood, films such as “Cold Mountain” have also been made here in which Romania was substituted for the Appalachians.

But I didn’t really know any of this when I arrived other than the sundry legends, the jokes my friends had made about garlic, crucifixes and Vlad the Impaler, and a vague memory of gypsy caravans being pulled by worn out horses - but more on that later.
More about the little lost lamb and the Ukraine border patrol yielding some mighty strong brass as well, but okay, I promise all that will come soon enough because you see I discovered a lot more than I expected on my first trip to Romania.
Romania actually has 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and quite a few medieval cities that are still intact. Transylvania is said to sit on one of the earth’s most powerful magnetic fields and vampires are believed to hang out at crossroads here on St. George’s Day (April 23) and the eve of St. Andrew (November 29).

However, before I could learn any of this I had to arrive and arrive I certainly did. I’d come in with my colleague from Budapest, Hungary on a train in the Eurail system. Not too bad, but it wasn’t the Orient Express (especially when you can see the ground swishing by from the toilet in the restroom, it’s a bit unsettling, but at least there is a toilet.)
Arriving in Oradea we found our guide, who turned out to be a retired teacher, thus my constant questioning about “the Communist times” did not put him off one bit and it certainly gave me a better understanding of the country.
It really is important to know a little history of Romania before visiting, especially the more modern history such as the fact that post WWII Romania was a communist-block country whose dictator was a real tyrant by the name of Nicolae Ceausescu. In 1989 the national uprising led to his overthrow and death and now Romania has freedom of speech, religion and private ownership.
It was raining in Oradea (a border town next to Hungary) when we arrived so it was decided that we would head straight away to our bed and breakfast for the night. It took a few hours and it was at this time that I really began to see Romania. It didn’t take me long to realize that cars were not necessarily the number one means of transportation here, nope there were just nearly as many horse and carts on the road traveling at a rate of speed I didn’t think possibly and of course, this was the day that I got my first look at a real gypsy caravan. As it turned out there were many gypsy caravans on the road, but if you stop and look at them or try and take a picture they will demand money so beware.
There was also the incident at the Ukraine border. I figured we were all friends now so there should be no problem going over the border just to touch my toe and say I’d been there. “No can do” was what my guide adamantly insisted and I believed him when I saw those handy little machine guns the Ukrainian Border guards were wielding, not even a smile could change their minds, and you can’t take pictures either. Something about being an international spy and all that, but anyway it was nice to see the land on the other side of Romania – just a hop, skip and a jump, but oh so far away.
After this little adventure we made our way to Brasov by way of Dracula’s lair, or better known as Sighisoara. Sighisoara is an amazingly well-preserved medieval city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built by the Saxons between the 12th and 17th centuries. If you climb to the clock tower you can easily see the roofs of buildings that were built in the 16th century by the Saxons and there are lovely cobblestone streets to set the mood as well.
However, as beautiful as Sighisoara is with the many historic attractions such as the scholar’s staircase consisting of 175 stairs, all enclosed and leading up to the Church on the Hill with a Romanesque crypt and 500-year old frescoes, it is the Dracula legend that really pulls visitors to this town.
In the 15th century Vlad Dracula better known as Vlad the Impaler was born in Sighisoara and it is Vlad who most people associate with the modern day Dracula legends created by Bram Stoker. In fact, Vlad was ruler of the Wallachia area and during his lifetime he took to impaling criminals and enemies in the town square as a punishment for anything from killing, stealing to lying. Sighisoara has all sorts of little shops to buy Dracula souvenirs and in a town nearby there is even a Dracula hotel.
The following morning we were on yet another drive through Romania when our guide suggested we might want to see the location where the film “Cold Mountain” was shot. My colleague being in the film industry was all for it so we went cruising down a little dirt road only to end up finding a lost little lamb. We immediately stopped to investigate and I don’t know about you, but it just so happens that I have never seen a lamb up close and personal and certainly not a three-week old lamb (give or take) alone in the middle of the woods a virtual appetizer at best for the hungry wolves in the forest. The lamb ran as best “she” could to get away from us, but we caught her and not seeing her mother around anywhere (or any other lamb or sheep for that matter) it was decided that we would find a shepherd and unload the injured lamb on him because indeed the lamb was injured with a hurt front leg.
Of course we had been seeing shepherds everywhere before we started looking for one, but in this case there were no shepherds to be found. Okay, so my next question was do we take the lamb to Bucharest or do you, dear guide, happen to know a stray shepherd? He did in fact know a shepherd woman in the small town over here and there and just about one hour off the beating path so off we went to deposit our lamb to her new home.
When we met the shepherd woman she immediately warmed a bottle of milk and fed the little lamb, I was amazed at how easy it all happened. It also just so happened that her son lived on the block over, had a bed and breakfast and a couple of wolves about 30 minutes down the road.
Our original destination that morning had been to Peles Castle to see yet another “Dracula” inspired destination and it was worth it when we finally made it there. From there we stopped in Brasov for the night. Brasov is another medieval city with Bran Castle (home to the legendary Dracula legend) nearby. The city also boasts the Black Church, St. Nicholas Church, the Brasov Fortress and a Franciscan Monastery, all must sees on your trip.
Our last day and night was in the capital city of Bucharest. Bucharest is an amazing city with a French feel and it was only interrupted in its growth because of the unfortunate Communist rule, which really stunted the growth of just about everything.

Nowadays, it seems that Bucharest is moving into the future at an unbelievable speed and on my first night there I attended a concert at the Opera House. It turned out that my guide’s uncle was giving a piano recital and the music was amazing, old and timeless. The atmosphere in the Opera House was divine and even as I sat in the velvet upholstery chairs with years of wear I realized that I was just one of thousands who had sat in this exact same place enjoying the same sort of satisfaction.The Palace of the Parliament is about as unbelievable a place as any that one will find in a European city on the continent. It speaks of the Communist rule in the worst sort of way even though it was called “The House of the People,” by those in charge at that time. It is, amazingly, the world’s second largest building after the United States Pentagon and it daily serves to remind the people of the Communist rule in Romania. The building was actually commenced during that time period, however, amazing art graces the walls, balconies look toward the city and 1000 rooms inside reflect the work of Romania’s best artisans and architects.
Over at the National Art Museum I found there were over 70,000 works both in the national gallery that exhibits Romanian artists and a world gallery exhibiting western masters such as Rembrandt and Renoir.
Bucharest was said to have be named after a shepherd named Bucur who could apparently play a mean flute, thus dazzling locals way back when so much that the city was named after him. In the 19th century the city was remodeled by French architects, and thus, this is where it gets its “French feel.” In fact, you can even find the Triumphal Arch on Soseaua Kiseleff, which is a boulevard in Bucharest that is even longer than the Champs-Elysees.
My final stop before going to bed that evening was at a Gypsy’s house where I told my guide I wanted to spend no more than $20 on my fortune. However, it doesn’t work that way in Romania and before I knew it I was out of the car and we were sitting in this woman’s parlor where she was telling me it would cost $100 for a reading. After I stopped laughing I told her I was out of there and then she countered her offer and made it, surprise, $20. However, my guide got ill (from the evil eye he presumed) and we had to leave anyway and me without much of a reading. I did learn that my love life was in shambles and a curse had been put on me by a bad person who did not like me. I decided to take my chances instead of pay her the $200 she requested to turn my love life around. I figured I could do my own spells and expect a better outcome.
The Gypsy fortunetelling is a gas, but buyer beware. Of course, that’s another thing I love about Romania - the Eastern European feel, the fact that Gypsy’s really do still drive down the road in horse-drawn caravans and people really are still nice and genuine and always willing to help.
Bucharest alone has 37 museums, 22 theaters, opera houses and concert halls, 18 art galleries and an innumerable number of main attractions for the visitor. So believe me when I say that Romania is well worth the trip and the best way I know to really enjoy an eastern European country before it is teeming with western tourists and touting the new currency of the Euro, which will happen too soon in the future when the country enters the European Union.
www.examiner.com

Ion Tiriac

Ion Tiriac was born on May 9, 1939 in Brasov, Romania. He is a Romanian former tennis player, businessman and one of Romania's wealthiest people.

He attended the Physics Culture Institute in Bucharest and received the Order of Work class I.Between 1964 and 1972 he was an ice hockey player and a tennis player. After that he was a coach, manager and promoter. He was coach and manager of Ilie Nastase, Guillermo Villas, Henri Lecomte, Boris Becker, Mary Joe Fernandez, Anke Huber and Goran Ivanisevici.He is the manager and promoter of opens like Eurocard Open, Austrian Open, Italian Open, Faber Grand Prix and Open Romania.As a business man he has lots of important businesses all over the world. The investments he had done in Romania are bigger than 50 million dollars. He is a president at Tiriac Holdings Ltd which is formed of many Romanian independent societies.He is also the founder of Child’s House in Brasov, a house where are over 100 abandoned children.As a tennis man he played in over 150 games in Davis Cup, won over 40 international titles, 9 titles as Romanian champion and as a ice hockey player he participated at the Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck 1964.In 1970 he won the men's doubles at the French Open his mate was Ilie Nastase, another famous Romanian tennis player.

Trivia :

- He has houses in Monte Carlo and Bucharest and spends most of his time there.

- He speaks fluently English, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

- Since 1996 he got the license of the BCR Open Romania.

- His profession is one of a teacher.

- His fortune is estimated at over 900 million $.

Self Filmography :- Nacht der Stars, Die (1996) (TV)- "Wetten, dass..?" (1 episode, 1989)- The French (1982)- Players (1979).

Ion Creanga

Ion Creanga was born on March 1, 1837 (according to him) or June 10, 1839 (according to some writings from the Humulesti maternity) in HUmulesti, Neamt, Romania and died on December 31, 1889. He was a talented and one of the most famous writers in Romania.

His parents' names were Stefan and Smaranda Creanga. He is one of the 8 children of his parents.Between 1846 and 1853 he attended school in his birth-town. After that he continued studying at Princely School in Targu Neamt.One year later his mother wanted to see him a priest so he went to the Catechetical School in Falticeni.Unfortunately the school in Falticeni was abolished and he went to Iasi where he became student of the theological seminary "Veniamin Costachi" in Socola.In 1859 his father died and in the same year hemarried Ileana, priest Ioan Grigoriu's daughter. He is ordained deacon at the Sfanta Treime Church.Titu Maiorescu appreciated and chose him to be teacher at the Primary School number 1 in Iasi.In 1860 his son, Constantin, was born and five years later his mother died of epilepsy.Between 1859 and 1872 he served the church as teacher and deacon in different churches in Iasi.On October 10, 1872 he is expelled from the clergy because his wife abandoned him and he used a gun to shoot the crows.For 25 years he was a great teacher and wrote with other teachers four handbooks.In 1873 the court took a decision in his action for divorce and gave him the child.He lived in Ticau and chose Tinca Vartic as housekeeper. He also chose her as a woman and lived with her until his death, even though they didn't get married.He met Mihai Eminescu in 1875 and they soon became friends. With his help Creanga became a writer.For six years between 1883 and 1889 he had suffered of epilepsy and found out from the newspapers that his friend Eminescu was ill and then that he died. Finally he died in December 1889.

Most Important Writings :- Soacra cu trei nurori- Punguta cu doi bani- Danila Prepeleac- Povestea porcului- Mos Nechifor Cotcariul- Povestea lui Harap-Alb- Fata babei si fata mosneagului- Ivan Turbinca- Povestea unui om lenes- Amintiri din copilarie- Popa Duhu- Cinci pâni- Mos Ion Roata- Mos Ion Roata si Voda Cuza.

Mircea Badea

Mircea Badea was born on February 24, 1974 in Bucharest, Romania. He is a famous Romanian actor and tv presenter.


Biography and Career :

After finishing "Liceul de Informatica" from Bucharest he attended the Faculty of Cybernetics.
Mircea Badea started his career with a collaboration with Tele 7 abc and after that he got a lot of proposals from a lot of televisions. In his career he worked for : Antena 1, Realitatea TV, Pro TV, Prima TV and finally he returned to Antena 1 for a TV Show named "In gura presei".
He returned to Antena 1 because he likes very much reading newspaper and commenting them and that's why he owns the show "In gura presei".
In the movie "Milionari de weekend", Mircea Badea's role is a TV Star with a lot of indebtedness to dangerous people. His girlfriend role is no one else than Kitty Cepraga. Another important role is played by Oreste who is Mircea's best friend and in the past they both had a TV Show on Antena 1. Oreste's role in the movie is Fane Satar - a local mob. The soundtrack of the movie is played by Parazitii - a Romanian hip-hop band.

Trivia :

- He is a very humoristic person.

- He can't stand foolishness.


Quotes :
- You fight the samurai style with a samurai opponent and you fight evil with the evil ones.
- I have a lot of shortcomings but I don't recognize them all
- I can't stand alcohol.

Filmography :

1. Milionari de weekend (2004) - his role was a TV Star
2. Oglinda (1993) .... Foot amputee
.. aka Inceputul adevarului (Romania)
... aka The Mirror (International: English title: literal title)

The Girl Fair of Mount Gaina

Near Mount Gaina you’ll witness one of the most interesting traditions of Romania: the Gaina Girl Fair, taking place each year in the Sunday closest to July 20. Known as "targul de fete", this is the greatest outdoor holiday of the country and it hosts the greatest traditional song and dance groups from Romania.

The history of this celebration was lost in the mist of time, but Mount Gaina was mentioned by Strabon, "the father of geography", who claimed that Dacians had a "cogaiom" mountain near their capital, Sarmisegetuza, where they made their sacrifices. Gaina is probably the peak where Dacians invoked their Gods and offered them such sacrifices. The girl fair is first mentioned officially in 1816 with people from all over Romania taking part in it, specially those from the Bihor, Aries and dwelling near the river Crisul Alb. They’ll exchange traditional products, like food or clothing and have a good time singing old songs and taking part in dances. This place is not only a symbol of Dacian traditions, but also one of the landmarks of the local "gold rush", as the precious metal seemed to have been widespread in this area. Christian tradition placed this holiday in the second decade of July, so it'll be close to the celebration of Saint Ilie. The girl fair of Mount Gaina also has economical reasons, like the need of buying or selling various products, including girls, but only symbolically. The festivities of the girl fair take place in a beautiful local forest, surrounded by fir trees and situated at 1467 metres altitude. There's also a romantic and ethnic motivation of the fair, as young people who live in very remote regions get together in this celebration, meet each other and sometimes fall in love and get married. In the past, girls would arrive at the fair with their dowry on their horses and the marriage was done on the spot by priests who came to mount Gaina for this purpose alone.

Today, the Mount Gaina fair is just a great local celebration, which takes a couple of days of preparation. It starts with the "tulnicarese" group of Avram Iancu, followed by various artistic programmes, which last till night kicks in. Among the dances on Mount Gaina there are the passionate "tropotite" played by mocani or "tarina", a dance for pairs and the most famous of locals, also known as "moti". There are variations of this dance, as, for example, the Abrud tarina is played elegantly and slowly with wide arm movements, lots of walking around and spinning the girl underneath the man's hand. For tourists, the fair is the perfect place to buy unique local products, like musical instruments, wooden vases, ceramic ornaments, wooden tools or clothing items and culinary products.

Romania Church Starts Bribery Probe

BalkanInsight.com


The Archbishop of Tomis, in eastern Romania, has launched an internal investigation following media reports that high-ranking officials from the Orthodox Church allegedly asked for money in order to illegally facilitate the enrollment of a journalist at a church school.

The daily newspaper Romania Libera on Tuesday published an undercover investigation, documenting how Archbishop Teodosie allegedly asked for money and other material advantages in exchange for his help. A journalist from the newspaper apparently bribed the Archbishop in order to be enrolled at the Teology University in Constanta, eastern Romania, not having the necessary studies required to attend the university.

"We have started an internal inquiry to check out if media allegations are true", a church spokesperson said.

Around 85 per cent of the population in Romania belong to the Orthodox Church and the Church remains the most trusted public institutions, according to polls.

But the Orthodox Church has often been marred by allegations of corruption and nepotism. After the fall of communism, the Church has never admitted that it cooperated with the regime, though some bishops have admitted to collaborating.

Alarm at EU passports for Moldova

The EU will this week launch talks with six Eastern European neighbours on closer relations - including Moldova, which only last month was rocked by violence following a disputed election.
Moldova is Europe's most impoverished country and its 4.1 million people can only travel to the EU if they have a special visa. But Romania has offered passports to up to one million Moldovans - alarming both Moldova and some in the EU, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu.
Step into the ornate building of the central post office in the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, and you see small crowds of people huddling around a big marble-topped table.Each one is filling out an application for Romanian citizenship. Dozens more queue up to get the forms; others wait in line to post them to the Romanian embassy.
"It's because we haven't got work here," one woman says. "We want to look for work in Romania or Europe. With a Romanian passport it's going to be easier."A young man in the queue says a Romanian passport is "a chance to see the world".
"I want to raise my family in Moldova, but I also want to travel, meet new people," he adds. "This is my future."

Law changes

Around 1,000 people a day have come to the post office in the past few weeks, since Romania changed its citizenship law to speed up procedures for Moldovans, following the violent anti-government riots that erupted in the former Soviet republic last month after a disputed election.
The change was initiated by President Traian Basescu in an unusual tit-for-tat move after his Moldovan counterpart, Vladimir Voronin, accused Romania of backing the protesters, expelled its ambassador and re-introduced visa requirements for Romanians.
Mr Basescu said he could not allow "a new Iron Curtain" to descend on the border with Moldova, most of which was part of Romania until it was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940.
The decision may be political bluster ahead of Romania's presidential election later this year, but some commentators said Mr Basescu was trying to leave Mr Voronin "without people".
The changes are clear enough.
The language test has been scrapped, as Moldovan is practically the same as Romanian anyway. Anyone with a great-grandparent who was once a Romanian national can apply and expect an answer within five months.
Until now, only a few thousand requests were approved every year - so envelopes have been piling up at the Romanian embassy in Chisinau.
Speaking on Romanian TV, President Basescu said there were 650,000 envelopes, but some enclosed several applications.
He estimated the number of those who wanted to become Romanian citizens at up to one million, a quarter of Moldova's population.
'Common history'
Outside the embassy, there is hope, uncertainty - more people waiting in line.
Nadia Codreanu, an accountant, sent her request in 2002.
"I really hope it will be easier, and that in half a year I will get the Romanian passport," she says.
"Moldovans feel Romanian because you can't just forget many centuries of common history and say we have nothing in common with Romania".What she does with her passport will depend on what happens in Moldova.If the authorities increase pressure on the pro-Western opposition, Nadia explains, she may leave the country.
More than 100,000 Moldovans hold Romanian passports, but even more are believed to have Russian citizenship, especially in Moldova's breakaway region of Trans-Dniester, which enjoys Moscow's backing.Despite almost two decades of independence, Moldovans still appear divided about who they are and whether their country should get closer to Russia or the West as it grapples with a deepening economic and social crisis.
For Vladimir Turcanu, an MP from the ruling Communist Party, it is not a question of identity, but of outside intervention.
"This mass granting of the Romanian citizenship is a way to assimilate the Republic of Moldova," he says.
"We see it a threat to the statehood, a threat to the integrity and sovereignty of our country."

'Destabilising'

Under EU laws, Romania is entitled to give citizenship to anybody it likes, just as Spain granted legal papers a few years ago to 600,000 irregular migrants.
Spain also allowed citizenship applications for up to 500,000 descendents of people who went into exile after its civil war.
But it is Romania's move that has triggered most concern.
Senior EU diplomats call it unwise, risky and destabilising.
Amid fears that up to a million impoverished migrants could enter Europe through the back door, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu reassured other EU members on Friday that decisions would be taken on a case-by-case basis and that many people would not qualify.
Romanian diplomats say only 20,000 cases are in the pipeline, because many Moldovans have failed to complete the complex application procedures.
Whatever the figures turn out to be, there is a clear risk that Moldova, already weakened by the conflict in Trans-Dniester and an economy on the brink, could become a chronic source of instability on Europe's eastern border.

Unparalleled exodus

The EU envoy for Moldova, Kalman Mizsei, thinks the real answer would be to allow all Moldovans to travel to the EU without a visa.
"Moldova's situation," he says, "differs from any other and therefore we, the European Union, also need to have bold initiatives here that would give the perspective of a visa-free situation for the Moldovans.""That's an issue of core importance for Moldova as a state."
It is not a call that EU interior ministers want to hear.
Germany and others say Moldova has little prospect of visa-free travel for the next three to five years.
But one million Moldovans have already left, often without legal papers, in search of work and a better future. It is an unparalleled exodus.In Chisinau's bustling market, an old woman selling a few bunches of parsley told me that all seven of her children had left to work in Romania, Italy and Russia.
It is a story you hear across the country. For with or without Romanian passports, Moldovans are choosing to vote with their feet.

Story from BBC NEWS

Romanian Mititei (Mici)

These little yummies are THE smell encountered at any Romanian Piatsa (outdoor market). They are the closest thing you find to Romanian street food. They are very flavorful and smell incredibly good while grilling.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup beef bouillon granules
1 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground lamb
1 teaspoon thyme
4 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup soda water plain
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Mix all ingredients except soda water and baking soda until well blended.
Blend in baking soda.
Slowly add soda water a little at a time until well combined. Mixture should be moist but not so much that it cannot hold a shape.
Form meat into cylindrical shapes about 2-3 inches long and 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Grill (or fry but they won't be as tasty) turning every few minutes until cooked through, about 10 minutes depending on your grill).
Serve with a light mustard.

Catrinel Menghia

Catrinel Menghia (born October 1 1985)is a Romanian model.

She was discovered at the age of 16 on the street by a local agent who took her to Bucharest to meet Liviu Ionescu of the MRA Agency. Six months later, her parents allowed Menghia to move to Bucharest and start her modeling career.She participated in the Ford Supermodel of the World Romania contest in November 2001, where she won the second runner-up prize.Menghia now lives in Milan. She has done campaigns for major fashion houses and is the face of Giorgio Armani worldwide. She was also one of the new faces in the 2006 South African Sports Illustrated. Swimsuit Edition and has appeared in FHM and Maxim. She has been the face of the French lingerie brand Lise Charmel since 2005.

Corvinilor Castle

Built in the 14th century, Corvinilor Castle represents one of the most amazing and well-preserved medieval buildings, being in fact the most famous property of Iancu de Hunedoara, building that even today dominates the city of Hunedoara.
Iancu de Hunedoara was the one who stopped the Turkish army at Belgrad in their rise towards Europe, after conquering the Constantinople in 1456. Only a few know that even today the bells of the Catholic Churches still toll in the middle of the day for this victory, as a decision of the Vatican Church.
The Corvinilor Castle is one piece of a kind because of the special styles in which it was built and because of the presence of some military innovations. It is also known that people led a very impetuous life there at the castle for more than 400 years. This building suffered along the years various changes and during Iancu de Hunedoara’s reign, the castle became also a luxurious home, not only a strategic point.
The castle has 42 chambers, 2 platforms, 2 bridges and is built on an area of 7000 square m.


The access to the castle is made on a wooden bridge which is sustained by 4 massive stony piers that are placed in the riverbed of Zlasti, leaving behind the Hussan’s Court and the niche that shelters the statue of St. John de Nepomuk, the protector of bridges. From there you can see the new rectangular-shaped stony tower (Turnul nou de poarta) which is impressive by its great size. You can also visit the prison of the castle where Vlad Tepes was supposed to have been kept as prisoner. On the left side, just as you get out of the stony tower, you can see Loggia Matia at whose floor one can see the only secular fresco dating the Renaissance and also The Golden Chamber where one can see “Items of the collection of the museum from the Corvinilor Castle”. At first, the museum exhibitions focused only on the Middle Ages items, but in short time, these approached other fields, such as archaeology, ethnography, decorative art and ancient books.
At the first level of the New Gate Tower, you can find the “Princesses’ Living Room” (Camera Domnitelor) where you can see pieces of furniture belonging to the 19th century: a table, a sideboard and a cupboard. Across the spiral staircase, one reaches the Council Hall (Sala Dietei), which is built in late gothic style. At the exit, the staircase leads to the floor where the Capistrano Tower is situated. To the right there is another staircase that leads to the second level of the Southern Palace, to the rooms that were used in the 18th century as offices for the iron mines Administration of Poiana Rusca Mountains.


In the yard, near the well, one can also visit the artillery platform, which was neatly rearranged in the 19th century. From there you have a pleasant view over the Bears’ Pit, the Northern Palace, the chapel and the courtyard of fountain.

The last sight, the Knights Hall (Sala Cavalerilor), one of the most interesting laic spaces in 15th century Transylvania, is situated in the Western side of the castle, at the ground floor of the Great Palace. It is divided into two sectors by a row of octagonal columns. This hall served as dinning room for festive occasions or as judgment and council room for noblemen, after the German model.


“You have water, but you have no soul”

In the vicinity of the entrance of the church, there is a fountain which was dug in stone by three Turkish prisoners. The legend says that when these three prisoners were captured by Iancu de Hunedoara from his battles against the Turkish army, they were told that if they dug in stone and reached for water, they would be released. For ten years the Turkish prisoners dug nearly 20-25 meters into stone and they finally reached for water, but instead of being released, they were beheaded. This is just a legend and it’s not specific only to Corvinilor Castle. Before being executed, it is said that one of the prisoners had carved into stone the following words: “You have water, but you have no soul”. The truth is that one of the prisoners, which was in fact the son of a vizier, carved on one of the stones from the wall near the well that he built that well together with two other prisoners while they were prisoners to these giaours.

The most “precious” museum of Romania

At the end of the 19th century, few engineers and miners that were working at the mines around Brad (in the Apuseni Mountains) have gathered some interesting mine rocks in order to display them the beauties of the hidden depths of the land.
This was how the Gold Museum came into existence, more than one century ago. At the beginning, the museum hosted only gold exhibits from the surrounding area. Since then due to donations and exchanges, the patrimony of the museum has gained pieces from other parts of the country and the entire world.
Now, the museum exhibits over 2500 samples of minerals, 1000 of which are gold. From the special specimens the light green fluorite octahedron of Cavnic, diamonds from South Africa, pyrite cubic crystals are quite remarkable. However, the main attraction consists in the native gold samples, of different forms and shapes.
At the same time, the museum has a nice mineral collection, ranging from diamond to amber, jasper and agate, sapphire, topaz, emeralds. Here you will also see minerals as they were discovered in Romania for the first time: sylvinite, tellurium, andorit, monsemit. An interesting section of the museum presents the mining history of the area. There are stone hammers over 5000 years old, and a miner hat dating from the 19th century made of cloth impregnated with animal fat. Here you can see the “saidroc”, the tool used in the past to separate gold-bearing sand from water. At Stănija – a nearby village – even today there are peasants gathering gold with the “saidroc”, ( just for fun).
It is worth mentioning that there are only two gold museums in the world, on nearly opposite sides of the globe, united by their fascination of this noble metal: one is in Bogota, the capital of Columbia, and the other is here, in Romania.

Women’s Cave

Among the thousands of caves in the Carpathians Mountains, only a few had such a rich past in events as the Woman Cave (Pestera Muierii) from Baia de Fier had. Situated in a wild place, having more than just one entrance, the Woman Cave was a natural fortress, a resistance point for the inhabitants of the neighboring settlements over their struggling history. One of the entrances offers an excellent observation point over the field from the South and another entrance opens the view to the dense forests of the Parang Mountains.

The electrification established between 1963 and 1978 changed the cave in the most popular and visited speleological objective from Romania. Even if, what the dimension, the beauty and the quality of the arrangement are concerned nowadays, the Woman Cave, with an aggregate length of galleries of over 3,500 m, was surpassed long time ago, it continues to be the headline of the Romanian speleotourism, being visited by thousands of visitors every year. Situated nearby, but at higher levels of karsti-fication, are also other caves of smaller dimensions, such as the Corbului Cave, Parcalabului Cave and Iedului Cave known under the name of the Baia de Fier Caverns.

It seems that the first written record about the Woman Cave dates back to 1870, when the archaeological Al. Odobescu mentioned it in an archaeological questionnaire. Since then, in over 100 years of researches, an important and varied scientific and documentary material has been collected , attesting to valuable archaeological, paleonthological, geomorphologic, as well as biospelaeological and mineralogical finds. These form together over 95 % of the 3,566 m aggregate length of the cave galleries. For practical reason and because of the superposed location of the galleries, we call them the upper and lower storey. The general north-south orientation of the whole system of galleries runs along the fissure which allowed the waters of the Galbenul River stream to dig them in the rocks. You may enter the cave through three different points, a northern, eastern and southern mouth. The last two entrances are the places of resurgence of the waters of the former underground stream which once flowed through the northern slope. Nowadays the Galbenul stream has abandoned its underground course and the karstification process is continued only by the percolation waters provided by rainfalls or snow melts.

On entering the cave through its northern gate, at about 130 m within you find yourself in front of the Small Dome-shaped stalagmite from which widens on your left the Altar Chamber, rich in concretions with a ceiling ending in a 17 m high swallow hole. Walking in the same direction, a gallery with numerous boulders lying on the floor leads to the eastern mouth, called the Altar Gate, which opens into the abrupt slope of the Galbenul Gorge. The main gallery, known as the Electrically-lit Gallery, continues southwards and gets more and more spectacular because of its numerous ceiling concretions and basins, sometimes filled with water, in the portions, called the Small Basins and the Large Basins. Two hundred and seventy meters farther you enter the Turk’s Chamber, one of the most beautiful parts of the upper floor. Huge stalagmites, domes, wall and ceiling concretions taking the strangest shapes are known as Father Christmas, the Turk, the Turk’s wife, etc.

Passing through a narrow corridor and over a threshold by climbing a metal ladder, you enter the so-called Chamber of Wonders, because of its numerous microbasins and candle-shaped stalactites and stalagmites, which adorn it. On coming back to the main gallery you will walk on through the Small Gate, a portion where the walls and ceiling draw very near, leaving only a small passage and you will enter the Guano Chamber. On the eastern wall make out a whole network of galleries, a real place of refuge for the cave fauna, since it is less accessible to visitors, and not yet electrified. From the Guano Chamber on there is only a 40 m’ s distance to daylight, passing through the southern gate, which opens, into the slope facing the largely terraced meadow. The lower floor, divided into two sectors by alluvial silting, is of particular scientific interest. For this reason it was declared Speleological Reserve in 1955 and the Woman Cave, aMonument of Natural Reserve.

The northern sector, made up of a network of labyrinthine galleries totals a length of 1,650 m. you may enter it through a narrow connecting gallery, opened in the western slope of the upper floor at about 30 m within from the northern entrance. After crawling along a short portion and going down a 2 m deep step you reach a small chamber from whose north-western corner an 18 m deep swallow-hole takes you to the Electrician’s Gallery. It is rather difficult to describe this sector of the cave owing to the cross-connexions of its galleries. Nevertheless you may make out a western system with the Electrician’s Gallery as a main chamber, and an eastern system with the Excentric’s and Basin Galleries as principal rooms. They are characterized by a high degree of alluvial silting and the presence of potholes of different depths varying between 10 and 15 m, as well as an exceptional variety of concretions. They reach a climax in the Red Chamber of daylight, a rare mineral species found in caves, made up of calcium phosphocarbonate and taking all the known shapes in calcite: stalagmites, stalactites, curtains, wall and floor concretions, rimstone pools, etc.


The Bears’ Gallery was named thus because of its numerous skeleton remains of the Quaternary fossils of mamalia, belonging mostly to cave bears. Its great variety and numerous calcite concretions make it quite remarkable. Its walls are also adorned with corrosion hieroglyphs, leopard skins, wall plates and spoons. The Pearl Chamber has a low ceiling, in some places under I’m, and displays a lovely folded curtain right at its entrance, known as the Bride’s Veil. The floor looks mosaic-shaped on account of its many crystals and contains numerous cave pearls. If, instead of going down the first metal ladder towards the southern sector, you would go left and climb a 2.5 m-high step, you would reach the so-called Mousterian Gallery. It is the place where archaeologists found evidence that the cave was inhabited by man in Middle and Higher Paleolithic times.

Legend

There are two legends related to the name of the Woman Cave:
The first one says that, long time ago, when men used to dominate everything and to go defend the land against the invaders, women used to take in haste the children and old people into the cave , which was know at that time only them (women). There they used to stay until the battles were over. The second version says that this name-the Woman Cave would derive from the fact that in the days dominated by draught in summer, the women used to sit in front of the mouth of the cave and spin the wool. The air that came out of the cave used to facilitate the work of spinning the thread. Others affirm that the women used to even go inside the cave, where they used to melt the flax and the hemp.