Travel the World - Romania

I started a 50-week series in 2019 that I called Travel the World. Each week of the series I visited a randomly-selected country, sharing bits of information about that country. I then chose one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. As I explored those 50 countries in 2019, I knew I would continue on until I've visited every one of the 195 countries in the world. By the end of 2021, I'd virtually traveled to 145 countries and plan to complete my journey to all 195 countries by visiting the last 50 this year.

This week's country is...

Romania

Romania is a country in Eastern Europe that is halfway between the North Pole and the equator. It is bordered by Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, and Moldova.

It is bordered on three sides by land and has the Black Sea on its Eastern Border.

Romania is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon.

Romania is a relatively mountainous country that has a very beautiful and green landscape. It also contains hills, plains, forests, and rivers.

The Romanian language is 1,700 years old and it is the only Latin language spoken in Eastern Europe.

Romanians are well known for their welcoming nature. They are proud when they see that foreign tourists visit their country and they will do anything to make everyone feel like home.

It boasts the tallest wooden church in Europe.

Romania is home to the narrowest streets in Europe.

The Scărișoara Glacier can be found underneath the Bihor Mountains in Romania, and is the second largest underground glacier in Europe. With a volume of 75,000 cubic meters, the glacier has been in existence for more than 3,500 years.

The Merry Cemetery is located in the village of Săpânța and is surely the most unique of its kind. A creation of local folk artist Stan Ioan Pătraș, the cemetery exhibits painted crosses adorned with satirical epitaphs, revealing the deceased’s message for the living world. This joyful attitude towards death comes from the Dacians, Romanian’s ancestors, who believed that death was only a passage to a better life.

Romania has an entire village displayed in a museum. The Astra Museum of Folk Civilisation is an open-air museum located next to Sibiu, displaying more than 300 traditional houses, watermills, windmills, gigantic presses for wine, fruit and oil, stables and barns, giving visitors the feeling of wandering around a traditional village. The museum is also the second-largest outdoor museum in the world.

Romania has one of the most remarkable networks of spa resorts in all Europe. One-third of the continent’s thermal and mineral waters are located there.

Romania's Bigăr Waterfall located in the Anina Mountains was included in the World Geography’s top of ’Unique Waterfalls Around the World’ thanks to the peculiar way the water falls in tiny streams over moss-covered rocks.

Topped only by the Pentagon, the Palace of Parliament is the second largest administrative building in the world. This Romanian building is 787 feet long, 886 feet wide and 282 feet high. Built on 12 stories, the monument has 1,100 rooms. According to Guinness World Records, it is also the heaviest building on the planet.

Many different animals call Romania home. This includes 36 species of mammals, such as bears, wolves, red deer, wild boar, and lynx.

Romania is the only country in Europe where the Brown Bear still lives in the wilderness.

Approximately 6,000 brown bears are to be found in the Romanian Carpathians, from a total of 200,000 brown bears worldwide, forming the largest population in Europe outside of Russia.

In the Carpathian Mountains, you can find the largest virgin forests in Europe. They are also home to over 400 unique mammal species, including the black goat.

Charlottenburg, the only round village in the country, is an unmatched landmark of Banat region. The village was built in the 18th century by the Swabians, German colonists who settled in the country. The perfect circle of houses, stables and barns is erected in symmetric style, all the houses having the same distance in-between and standing at the same height.

Francesco Illy, the creator of the automatic steam espresso coffee machine, was born in the Romanian city of Timișoara. He then moved to Italy where he opened his business, the world-known coffee roasting company Illy Caffe.

On Danube’s banks, carved in stone, is the statue of the former Dacian ruler and ancestor of the Romanians, Decebal. Sculpted by 12 alpinist-sculptors over a period of 10 years, the statue is 180 feet tall, and is the highest stone sculpture in Europe.

The modern jet was invented by a Romanian, as was the fountain pen.

Romania is full of beautiful castles.

The first road built in Romania was called the Wooden Road because it was paved with tree trunks.

The world's first curved bridge was constructed in Romania.

The British newspaper The Telegraph considers the Transfagarasan to be the most beautiful road in the world. Built in the ’70s as a strategic military route, the road is an extraordinary piece of engineering that challenges your driving skills. The road is known for its tunnels, viaducts, bridges, and breathtaking landscapes. 

Romania also has a natural bridge, and it is the only one in the world open to road traffic. It is called God’s bridge.

A super-fascinating fact about Romania is that it’s the wealthiest country in Europe in terms of gold resources. Also, it has the only museum in Europe dedicated to gold. This museum exhibits over 2,000 pieces from all over the world. The most valuable exhibit is pure gold, identical to the one that can be found in the mountains of Romania.

The oldest oven in the world was discovered in Campeni, Romania. It was established it has approximately 6,000 years.

In 1869, Timisoara, Romania, became the first European city to introduce a horse-drawn tram. Twenty years later, Timisoara became the first city in Europe to introduce street lighting.

Romanians are family oriented, and age is highly respected. Older individuals are viewed as wise since they have the most life experience.

Romanian wedding customs include stealing the bride at weddings. One of the fun facts about Romania is that in Romanian culture, marriage celebrations include kidnapping the bride during the wedding ceremony. Romanian traditions dictate that a few of the guests steal the bride for a ransom of candy or booze or in exchange for small gifts. Most guests end up taking the bride to a popular club or pub to dance for a short while.

Romanians are known for facing troubled times by making fun of themselves and the situation. 

My inspiration for this week's card is based on this fact about Romania... Romania has an extensive rail system of nearly 14,000 miles. This is the 15th longest in the world, which is pretty impressive for a country as small as Romania. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: Whimsy Enjoy the Journey stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Ink (for blending): SU Tip Top Taupe

Paper: Neenah 110# Solar White, Recollections Ivory, and SU Soft Suede CS and DP from my scrap file

Dies: MFT Stitched Rectangles and Whimsy Notched Rectangle & Ticket

Embellishments: Gina Marie Enamel Dot