My Journal

01:46 pm - Transfagarasan – the road to sky

Transfagarasan is the 92 km road traversing the Fagaras Mountains in Romania.
Built as a strategic military route ( as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union), it runs North to South across the tallest sections of the Carpathians Mountains.

The entry gate: Vidraru Dam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidraru_Dam ) and

More info:

Some photos:

10:30 am - Retezat National Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retezat_National_Park


       


      


         


       


       


      

12:23 pm - Romanian monasteries – details, geographical and historical data

North of Romania:

the beautiful monasteries in Bukovina: Putna, Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita and many more…http://www.manastiri-bucovina.go.ro/bukovina.htm

South and Center of Romania:

 Cozia Monastery: http://www.manastirea-cozia.go.ro/summary.htm

 Tismana Monastery: http://www.manastirea-tismana.go.ro/tismana-eng.htm

09:16 am - Monasteries in Romania

12:27 pm - Romanian painters

NICOLAE GRIGORESCU
(1838 – 1907)

He was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting.

 "Self portrait"                       "Landscape"



 "Countrywoman in Muscel"            "Girl with red kerchief"




                     
"Marching artillery"                                                               "Dorobant"                                       
                            (1877 - 1978 Romanian - Russian - Otoman war)

03:03 pm - Romanian painters

Sabin Balasa (1932 - 2008)

His style is closed to Surrealism, however he described himself as belonging to “Cosmic Romanticism”.

Here some of his masterpieces:

 
(Vivant nature)



(The Island)



(The Return)


(Stephen the Great), mural




(The victory)

11:13 am - George Enescu

11:20 am - back from abroad

Back home :)

Love to listen again one of Ciprian Porumbescu’s masterpieces: Ballade for violin and orchestra
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SFAW49JF2I&feature=related

02:00 pm - a few quotes

02:47 pm - speleology

The Altar Stone Cave

Situated in the Bihor Mountains, North of Romania, it is one of the most beautiful caves in Europe. As closed to the tourists, it is only speleological research object.

  


 

10:33 am - Mihai Eminescu, 1883.

This is the legend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_3tsId6heM

and this is an excerpt from the poem:


HYPERION

03:42 pm - Eminescu...again :)

11:06 am - Happy Easter Holiday! :)

Some photos with decorated eggs, a very old and refined Romanian tradition :)

10:38 am

BUREBISTA

Dacian Kingdom, during the rule of Burebista, 82 BC

10:47 am - Eminescu

Eternal peace

Mihai Eminescu (1882)

Like billows’ foam our life appears to be

And yet, if from their bottom seas went dry,

Mankind’s tears soon would fill another sea.

Much as oblivion is the death of sorrow

So death is life’s forgetfulness

Meant to bring forth another fate and morrow.

Yes, ‘tis a great and nameless wish unfurled

And from its deepest depth it is comprised

By ancient chaos — that begets the world.

So many worlds rotating in this chaos

Maintain their flight which measures time

They always move, no rest is ever found.

And thus they pass, like swarms that skies traverse

And in their race they seethe and overheat,

And cross, the while, the ice-cold universe.

And such is time that crosses in a string

A thousand ages, its oppressive power

Engendering and later killing everything.

And such is space with neither end nor borne

And as the crossing of the two of them

Gave birth to movement, lights were also born,

His father’s Time, and mother the Abyss,

Their offspring being movement — call it Love,

A fire burning from the first day down to this.

And thus they form a cycle round the sun

While that day’s eye together with them

Down other slopes eternally will run.

Out of three acts their movements gather round

All downward, all about themselves,

And all in turn are by each other crowned.

Thus night resolved itself into a light —

A thousand lights born out of motion,

Through restlessness the canopy holds tight.

When their bell tolls — whoever can foresee?

Or when their three rings ever find release

From movement of their holy trinity?

But everywhere shall reign eternal peace!

10:02 am - Romanian antiquity

DACIA 

Dacia, in ancient geography was the land of the Dacians. It was named by the ancient Hellenes (Greeks) "Getae". Dacia was a large district of South Eastern Europe, bounded on the north by the Carpathians, on the south by the Danube, on the west by the Tisia or Tisa, on the east by the Tyras or Nistru, now in eastern Moldova. It thus corresponds in the main to modern Romania and Moldova, as well as parts of Hungary, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The capital of Dacia was Sarmizegetusa. The inhabitants of this district are generally considered as belonging to the Thracian nations.

Name:

The Dacians were known as Geta (plural Getae) in Greek writings, and as Dacus (plural Daci) and Getae in Roman documents; also as Dagae and Gaete—see the late Roman map Tabula Peutingeriana. Strabo tells that the original name of the Dacians was "daoi", which could be explained with a possible Phrygian cognate "daos", meaning "wolf". This assumption is enforced by the fact that the Dacian standard, the Dacian Draco, had a wolf head.
It can be confusing that the geographical name "Dacia" was much later also used during the Middle Ages by the Roman Catholic Church for its northernmost province, namely Denmark-Norway-Sweden (Scandinavia) and even for Denmark alone. In some historical documents, members of royalty of that area have been called "of Dacia".

Geography

Towards the west Dacia may originally have extended as far as the Danube, where it runs from north to south at Waitzen (Vacz). Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico (book 6) speaks of the Hercynian forest extending along the Danube to the territory of the Dacians. Ptolemy puts the eastern boundary of Dacia Trajana as far back as the Hierasus (Siret river, in modern Romania).

The extent and location of the later geographical entity Dacia varied in its four distinct historical periods (see History, below);

• The Dacia of King Burebista (82–44 BC), stretching from the Southern Bug river in modern Ukraine to the Danube in modern Slovakia, and from the Balkan mountains in modern Bulgaria to Zakarpattia Oblast (Transcarpathia) in modern Ukraine
• The Roman province Dacia Trajana, established as a consequence of the Dacian Wars during 101–106 AD, comprising the regions known today as Banat, Oltenia and Transylvania.
• The later Roman province: Dacia Aureliana, reorganised as Dacia Ripensis (as military province) and Dacia Mediterranea (as civil province), inside former Moesia Superior after the abandonment of former Dacia to the Goths and Carpians in 271.

Culture

Based on archaeological findings, the origins of the Dacian culture can be considered to begin developing between the north of Danube river (south and east) and the Carpatians mountains, in actual historical Romanian province Muntenia and being identified as an evolution of the Iron Age Basarabi culture.

The Dacians had attained a considerable degree of civilisation by the time they first became known to the Romans.

Religion

Dacian Sanctuary at Sarmisegetuza Regia.

According to Herodotus History (book 4) account of the story of Zalmoxis (or Zamolxis), the Getae (speaking the same language as the Dacians - Strabo) believed in the immortality of the soul, and regarded death as merely a change of country. Their chief priest held a prominent position as the representative of the supreme deity, Zalmoxis. The chief priest was also the king's chief adviser. The Goth Jordanes in his Getica (The origin and deeds of the Goths), gives account of Dicineus (Deceneus), the highest priest of Buruista (Burebista) and considered the Dacians a related nation of the Goths.

Besides Zalmoxis, the Dacians believed in other deities such as Gebeleizis and Bendis.

Society

Comati

Dacians were divided into two classes: the aristocracy (tarabostes) and the common people (comati). The aristocracy alone had the right to cover their heads and wore a felt hat (hence pileati, their Latin name). The second class, who comprised the rank and file of the army, the peasants and artisans, might have been called capillati (in Latin). Their appearance and clothing can be seen on Trajan's Column.

Dacians had developed the Murus dacicus, characteristic to their complexes of fortified cities, like their capital Sarmizegetusa in today Hunedoara (Romania). The degree of their urban development can be seen on Trajan's Column and in the account of how Sarmizegetusa was defeated by the Romans. The Romans identified and destroyed the water aqueducts or pipelines of the Dacian capital, only thus being able to end the long siege of Sarmizegetusa.

Greek and Roman chroniclers record the defeat and capture of Lysimachus in the 3rd century BC by the Getae (Dacians) ruled by Dromihete, their military strategy, and the release of Lysimachus following a debate in the assembly of the Getae.

The cities of the Dacians were known as -dava, -deva, -δαυα ("-dawa" or "-dava", Anc. Gk.), -δεβα ("-deva", Byz. Gk.) or -δαβα ("-dava", Byz. Gk.), etc.

1. In Dacia: Acidava, Argedava, Burridava, Dokidava, Carsidava, Clepidava, Cumidava, Marcodava, Netindava, Patridava, Pelendava, Perburidava, Petrodaua, Piroboridaua, Rhamidaua, Rusidava, Sacidava, Sangidava, Setidava, Singidava, , Tamasidava, Utidava, Zargidava, Ziridava, Sucidava – 26 names altogether.
2. In Lower Moesia (the present Northern Bulgaria) and Scythia minor (Dobrudja): Aedeba, *Buteridava, *Giridava, Dausadava, Kapidaua, Murideba, Sacidava, Scaidava (Skedeba), Sagadava, Sukidaua (Sucidava) – 10 names in total.
3. In Upper Moesia (the districts of Nish, Sofia, and partly Kjustendil): Aiadaba, Bregedaba, Danedebai, Desudaba, Itadeba, Kuimedaba, Zisnudeba – 7 names in total.

Gil-doba, a village in Thracia, of unknown location.

Thermi-daua, a town in Dalmatia. Probably a Grecized form of Germidava.

Pulpu-deva, (Phillipopolis) today Plovdiv in Bulgaria.

Occupations

Dacian gold coins of Koson type, 1st century BC.

The chief occupations of Dacians were agriculture, apiculture, viticulture, livestock, ceramics and metal working. The Roman province Dacia is represented on Roman Sestertius (coin) as a woman seated on a rock, holding aquila, a small child on her knee holding ears of grain, and a small child seated before her holding grapes.

They also worked the gold and silver mines of Transylvania. They carried on a considerable outside trade, as is shown by the number of foreign coins found in the country.

Commercial relations were flourishing for centuries, first with the Greeks, then with Romans, as we can find even today an impressive collection of gold currency used in various periods of Dacian history.

Roman conquest

Emperor Trajan recommenced hostilities against Dacia and, following an uncertain number of battles, defeated the Dacian general Decebalus in the Second Battle of Tapae in 101 AD.  With Trajan's troops pressing towards the Dacian capital Sarmizegethusa, Decebalus once more sought terms. Decebalus rebuilt his power over the following years and attacked Roman garrisons again in 105 AD. In response Trajan again marched into Dacia, besieging the Dacian capital in the Siege of Sarmizethusa, and razing it to the ground.  With Dacia quelled, Trajan subsequently invaded the Parthian empire to the east, his conquests taking the Roman Empire to its greatest extent. Rome's borders in the east were indirectly governed through a system of client states for some time, leading to less direct campaigning than in the west in this period.

From AD85 to AD89, the Dacians (under Decebalus) were engaged in two wars with the Romans.

In AD87, the Roman troops under Cornelius Fuscus were defeated, and Cornelius Fuscus was killed by the Dacians under the authority of their ruler, Diurpaneus. After this victory, Diurpaneus took the name of Decebalus.
The next year, AD88, new Roman troops under Tettius Iullianus, gained a signal advantage, but were obliged to make peace owing to the defeat of Domitian by the Marcomanni, so the Dacians were really left independent. Even more, Decebalus received the status of "king client to Rome", receiving from Rome military instructors, craftsmen and even money.

To expand the glory of his reign, restore the finances of Rome, and end a treaty perceived as humiliating, Trajan resolved on the conquest of Dacia and with it the capture of the famous Treasure of Decebalus and control over the Dacian gold mines of Transylvania. The result of his first campaign (101–102) was the siege of the Dacian capital Sarmizegethusa and the occupation of a part of the country. The second campaign (105–106) ended with the suicide of Decebalus, and the conquest of the territory that was to form the Roman province Dacia Traiana. The history of the war is given by Cassius Dio, but the best commentary upon it is the famous Column of Trajan in Rome.

Although the Romans conquered and destroyed the ancient Kingdom of Dacia, a large remainder of the land remained outside of Roman Imperial authority. Additionally, the conquest changed the balance of power in the region and was the catalyst for a renewed alliance of Germanic and Celtic tribes and kingdoms against the Roman Empire.

Royal helmet

The Dacians remained here, in the carpathian-danube-pontic space, and survived all history trials, to give life to Romanian people.

09:37 am - another poem

George Cosbuc (1866 - 1918)

The poet

04:43 pm - An old legend...

“Once upon a time, there was a white wolf born in a pack of grey wolves. He was strong and daring and brought the most abundant catch to his pack. But he was not loved because…he was different.

One night, while he was sleeping, his pack tried to tear him to pieces. They were furiously biting him, wanting to destroy that miracle of nature.

On his knees, the white wolf couldn’t believe his eyes: His own pack? Why???

Life was failing him. Another moment and he would have passed the threshold of death. His own pack? Why? Why?

Suddenly, like a lightning, it occurred to him: because he was so different. Seized by a supernatural force, the white wolf got up…and fought and killed and won.

That night, the white wolf learned something. He didn’t live with a pack and never slept thereafter…”

Ever since, the bright-eyed White Wolf that comes form our old spirituality has watched over us to observe our ancestors’ laws.

This is a very old Romanian legend. Maybe it is just a legend…or maybe not.

03:25 pm - George Cosbuc - "Decebal to his people"

This life is a lost boon if you / Don't live it as you wanted to! /
Much would a warlike, ruthless foe / Enslave us all! Our birth, we know, /
Was woe enough; would you get through / Another dreadful woe?

Death, even for a godlike scion, / Is a hard law, as hard as iron! /
It is all one to breathe one's last / A lad or an old man bypass, /
But not the same to die a lion / Or a poor dog chained fast.

What if you fight in the first line, / What if by great exploits you shine? /
A grumbler cannot better be / Than those who fear to fight and flee! /
To murmur is to have no spine / And make a bootless plea!

Like dead men, cowards will keep still! / The living - let them laugh at will! /
The really good ones laugh and die. / Hold, therefore, heroes, your brows high /
And let your lusty cheering fill / Both hell and earth and sky!

Blood may in floods and torrents flow, / The arm assail with spear and blow, /
When the fierce enemies are dead! / Well, you may think yourself Godhead, /
When you but laugh at what the foe / Does more than all else dread.

They're Romans, we know that. So what? / Where they not Romans but our god, /
Zamolxes, with his creatures, still / We would, sure, ask them what they will - /
They won't get of our land a jot: / They have their skies to fill!

Now, men, to sword and shield and horn! / 'Twas bad enough that we were born; /
But he is free to go whose fright / Makes him too dastardly to fight, /

And if there is someone foresworn, / Let him avoid our sight!

What I have told you is enow! / You swore on shields your oath of love /
For Dacia! Might resides in you / And in the gods! But, heroes, know /
That they, the gods, are far above, / Our foes - at a stone's throw!

12:41 pm - I like this poem