Rural style balcony, Armeneasca area, Bucharest (©Valentin Mandache)

The balcony is adorned with interesting ethnographic wood carved motifs typical of the ancestral peasant art of southern Romania and painted in blue, a colour of traditional shamanistic significance among the Slavic and Romanian peasant communities in this part of Europe. The balcony adorns a Neo-Romanian style town house in central Bucharest.

Dear Historic Houses of Romania readers,

I have a new website address for my bolg at www.historo.wordpress.com (domain name derived from ‘Historic Houses of Romania’), with an entirely new and dynamic look. I very much hope you will like the new format. All my old articles and images are also contained within the new site, so you should not have any problems in accessing them there. For one month between 1 Nov. ‘09 and 1 Dec. ‘09, I will post simultaneously, in order to avoid confusions and allow for a smooth transition, my forthcoming architectural history articles and images on both old (‘viapontica’) and new (‘historo’) sites. After that date www.historo.wordpress.com will become my sole active blog site dedicated to the Historic Houses of Romania.

Best regards,

Valentin

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I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

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If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

Rural style balcony, Armeneasca area, Bucharest (©Valentin Mandache)

The balcony is adorned with interesting ethnographic wood carved motifs typical of the ancestral peasant art of southern Romania and painted in blue, a colour of traditional shamanistic significance among the Slavic and Romanian peasant communities in this part of Europe. The balcony adorns a Neo-Romanian style town house in central Bucharest.

***********************************************

I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

***********************************************

If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

Historic houses of Romania collage (©Valentin Mandache)

I composed the image above from 60 selected photographs taken during my fieldwork this year, mostly in Bucharest, but also Iasi (NE Romania) and Sinaia (the Transylvanian Alps). In my opinion the collage is extremely suggestive of the exuberant historic architecture found within the territory of Romania: a peculiar crossroad of Western, especially French, and Central European influences blended together on a Balkan background with old Ottoman echoes. I hope the pot-pourri of houses, decorations and ornaments, often painted in garish colours, would give you a more wholesome image of the vast field represented by Romania’s historic architecture. I also use a version of this collage for my Twitter page background, have a look here: http://twitter.com/historo

Dear Historic Houses of Romania readers,

I have a new website address for my bolg at www.historo.wordpress.com (domain name derived from ‘Historic Houses of Romania’), with an entirely new and dynamic look. I very much hope you will like the new format. All my old articles and images are also contained within the new site, so you should not have any problems in accessing them there. For one month between 1 Nov. ‘09 and 1 Dec. ‘09, I will post simultaneously, in order to avoid confusions and allow for a smooth transition, my forthcoming architectural history articles and images on both old (‘viapontica’) and new (‘historo’) sites. After that date www.historo.wordpress.com will become my sole active blog site dedicated to the Historic Houses of Romania.

Best regards,

Valentin

***********************************************

I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

***********************************************

If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

Historic houses of Romania collage (©Valentin Mandache)

I composed the image above from 60 selected photographs taken during my fieldwork this year, mostly in Bucharest, but also Iasi (NE Romania) and Sinaia (the Transylvanian Alps). In my opinion the collage is extremely suggestive of the exuberant historic architecture found within the territory of Romania: a peculiar crossroad of Western, especially French, and Central European influences blended together on a Balkan background with old Ottoman echoes. I hope the pot-pourri of houses, decorations and ornaments, often painted in garish colours, would give you a more wholesome image of the vast field represented by Romania’s historic architecture. I also use a version of this collage for my Twitter page background, have a look here: http://twitter.com/historo

***********************************************

I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

***********************************************

If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

I’m still absolutely mindblown by the intricate works of Dimlite, a Swiss producer I’ve been following for a while. Real name Dimitri Grimm, with an album out next year on Stones Throw, he deserves your undivided attention. Here’s hoping he’s London bound soon.

I’m also really happy to notice Ben Frost getting some profile radio play, a longtime favourite of PBP and something for the future.

Props to Mary Ann Hobbes for her latest show featuring both these chaps, a solid justification for my license fee. Bigup the BBC.

Download / Listen Here

Dimlite – Byrdshot & Bye

Ben Frost -The Carpathians

Mary Ann Hobbes 12/11/09 Radio One Mix

Queen Marie's tree house, one of the just a handful of follies ever built in Romania, Sinaia, the Transylvanian Alps, early 1900s, old postcard (Valentin Mandache collection)

The building follies are creative expressions of rich aristocrats and other wealthy people in developed countries having fun erecting on their property interesting symbolic structures, not primarily destined for habitation, resembling buildings from story tales or from far away exotic lands. In Romania, endemically a less developed country, the follies, are a very rare occurence and one such example was the tree house built following the suggestions of Queen Marie (Romania’s English queen, born Princess Marie of Edinburgh, granddaughter of Queen Victoria) sometime around 1900, when she was a crown princess and hence the name “Princess’ Nest” given to this folly. It resembles a Swiss chalet and had three small rooms (two receptions and a kitchen) together with a balcony and was built within the grounds of the Pelesh Royal Castle in Sinaia in the Transylvanian Alps. The house became a well known curiosity and was visited by royal guests at the Romanian court at that time (the crown prince of Germany, emperor Franz Josef, etc.) unfortunately the tree house did not survive long and was destroyed in a storm shortly after the First World War. The image above is from an old postcard published in its times of glory, in the first decade of the 20th century.

***********************************************

I endeavor through this daily image series to inspire appreciation of the historic houses of Romania, a virtually undiscovered, but fascinating chapter of European architectural heritage.

***********************************************

If you plan acquiring a historic property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

12 December 2005 – 13 December 2005

Speaker at the International Conference “Sharing the experience: Capacity Building on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in South Eastern Europe”, Bolzano, Italy

Speech was delivered on the topic: “Sustainable transport in the Alpine region – sustainable transport and infrastructure in the Carpathian Region” based on the studies developed by the Coordination Unit Alpine Convention – IMA of EURAC research in the framework of the technical, institutional and scientific assistance provided to UNEP-Vienna Office-Regional Office for Europe (ROE) for the effective establishment of the Carpathian Convention. Speech was delivered in the framework of the Workshop “Sharing the experience: Capacity Building on Legal Instruments for the Protection and Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions in South Eastern Europe”, co-organised by UNEP-Vienna Office and the Coordination Unit Alpine Convention-IMA of EURAC research in Bolzano, Italy

08 September 2005 – 16 September 2005

Lecturer at the graduate course on “Policies and measures for the management of a transboundary mountain area”. Bolzano, Italy

Lectures were held for the graduate course “Policies and measures for the management of a transboundary mountain area” within the framework of the competition “Water, mountains and men: together for the quality of life”, launched by the Regional Affairs Department of the Italian Council of the Ministries, the Italian Ministry for Education, Scientific Research and University and the Italian Ministry for the Environment, territory and the Sea. Lessons included the following topics: Environmental Law, A regional experience of environmental cooperation: The Carpathian Convention, The Mountain Partnership, Environment and Economics: sustainable development.

The Carpathians

How do you write descriptions of the natural landscape without being dull?

I really admire the detailed descriptions that contribute to the profound gothic beauty in the novels of Ann Radcliffe. All great novels establish a sense of place. But I have to acknowledge that not all readers are in love with nature. I was shocked to learn that a friend of mine, who is a voracious reader, always skips any description that is longer than a sentence or two; and those long passages in Ann Radcliffe’s novels were controversial even in 1797, before psychiatrists discovered attention deficit disorder and readers discovered just how much could be compressed into 140 words on Twitter.

Maybe it helps if you were read to as a child, which I was. I like to close my eyes and picture what is being described. As you get older you learn to visualise with your eyes open while you are reading; but for the past year I have been listening to two or three novels a month on my mp3 player, sometimes with my eyes shut and sometimes with them open.

I listened to this passage from Dracula while I was walking to work and I was so impressed I walked the long way round so I could savour it. Then I sought it out and read it online.

It owes something to Ann Radcliffe, but it’s much finer. There is so much more going on in the approach to Castle Dracula than in the approach to Castle Udolpho. For a writer who is often dismissed as a minor literary figure, Stoker is astonishingly good at everything. I really admire the little ironies and touches of dark humour in this passage as well as the thrilling visual sweep that has inspired so many films.

Predeal is between Ploieşti and Braşov (for a better view of the map, click on the picture)

Predeal (Hungarian: Predeál, German: Schanzpass) is a town in Romania, in Braşov County.

An important mountain resort, Predeal is located on the Prahova Valley and is surrounded by five massifs: Postăvarul, Piatra Mare, Bucegi, Baiului and Fiţifoi.

The name is derived from the Romanian archaic form “pre deal” which means “on the hill” or from the Slavic word “predel“, which means “bound“, “limit“.

In the late years the town has known a remarkable boom in construction, with many well-off people from all over the country, having a mountain retreat in Predeal.

Predeal is the highest town in Romania with an altitude between 1033m-1110m.

William of Wied, Prince of Albania, died here in 1945. Predeal was the hometown of one of Romania’s less known poets, Mihail Săulescu.

Source: Wikipedia

Tourist Information centre in Predeal

A map of Predeal and surroundings

Constantine and Helena Orthodox Church in Predeal

BRD - Groupe Société Générale building in Predeal

Click on the map for more details

Sinaia is a town and a mountain resort in Romania. The town was named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built; the monastery in turn is named after the Biblical Mount Sinai.

King Carol I of Romania built his summer home, Peleş Castle, near the town.

Sinaia is about 60 km northwest of Ploieşti and 50 km south of Braşov, in a mountainous area on the Prahova River valley, just east of the Bucegi Mountains. The altitude varies between 767 m and 860 m.

The city is a popular destination for hiking and winter sports, especially downhill skiing. Among the tourist landmarks, the most important are Peleş Castle, Pelişor Castle, Sinaia Monastery, Sinaia Casino, Sinaia train station, and the Franz Joseph and Saint Anne Cliffs.

Sinaia was also the summer residence of the Romanian composer George Enescu, who stayed at the Luminiş villa.

Source: Wikipedia

The Sinaia Monastery was founded by Prince Mihai Cantacuzino in 1695 and named after the great Sinai Monastery on Mount Sinai. As of 2005 it is inhabited by 13 Christian Orthodox monks led by hegumen Macarie Bogus. It belongs to the archdiocese of Bucharest.

The belltower.

On the road to the Elevation 1400.

You are in Prahova Valley

Below you can see the city Sinaia.

Elevation 1400.

Inside of Mioriţa Hut (1960 m).

The city is marked with green line, just between Ploieşti and Braşov (click on the picture for bigger size)

Buşteni is a small mountain town in the north of the county Prahova, in the center of Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi mountains, that have a maximum altitude of 2505 m.

Its name literally means tree-logs in Romanian.

Buşteni’s average altitude is 900 m. It is one of the most popular mountain resorts, offering spectacular views, with lots of year-round tourism opportunities, ranging from skiing to mountain climbing.

The town and the surrounding mountains were the site of military confrontations in 1916, during World War I.

A large commemorative monument (about 25 m high), Heroes’ Cross (Crucea Eroilor) lies atop nearby Caraiman Peak, at nearly 2,260 m. The monument is lighted at night and is visible from virtually everywhere in Buşteni.

The average population is 15,000 inhabitants, although numbers vary greatly because of tourism. The main local industries are wood industry and tourism. Many holiday houses have been recently built in the town.

Also a new Information Tourism Center was set up near the City Hall.

Source: Wikipedia

A board which confirms that Busteni is similar to a french city, Moissy Cramayel

The Town Hall of Busteni

The cultural club from Busteni,the advertisment announces the beginning of the cultural week (10-18 august 2009)

The main road that takes us to Brasov

A "small" artistic moment captured in Nature

Heroes Cross from Caraiman Peak seen in Busteni

How to protect the Nature (Do not throw the garbage in the forest!). Unfortunately, this message is not respected by all tourists.

A mioritic picture caught in a quite,green angle (specific to this region),captured on the road to gondola lift

On the road which goes to gondola lift.Here you can find a lot of arbors with traditional Romanian souvenirs,bars and restaurants

A view of mountains in front of gondola lift point,near to Silva Hotel

First panoramic view at high! We were ready to get out of the gondola lift,at 2205 m high

Some nice donkeys sitting near the exit from gondola lift.We think they were ready for another road on the mountains

Such a silent and cold panorama surrounded us during our short excursion.You must take something warm to put on you if you don't want to get frozen

Near to this zone,is an inexplicable positive magnetical field,so you can get immediately fresh,no mater how tired you are!

The pathway that goes to the Sphinx; to the right you see Babele Hut with a large restaurant down and a hotel (the prices are not so high)

Another "high view" at 2205 meters

A millennial natural monumental rock climbed by people...

An ancient altar of our ancestors..

Another extraordinary panoramic view!

A little Viola flower

The Sphinx-an ancient sacred place;even the plate says that climbing on it is forbidden,a lot of people don't pay attention to it.

Circular sanctuary near the Sphinx

The Sphink,picture taken in a perfect angle!

Surrounded by all these beauties,feeling the fresh,cold air and the silent settled around,you just can't stop making panoramic photos!

Another panoramic view...

Babele (meaning Old Women); another mystical rocks; some people believe it's an ancient historical monument, others that it's just the resulf of erosion.

An interesting cute mushroom noticed near rocks.It looks like a golden egg,doesn't it?

The place from where we take the gondola lift to bring us down (it takes 11 minutes to descend)

The "extremity" point of this part of mountains-from here,it starts to descent quickly...

The next attraction captured in gondola lift

The HUGE crowd-all these persons wait the gondola lift to descend,crowd longer than 50 meters (the same treatement expects you down,we waited more than an hour to take gondola lift).The whole ticket costs 54 lei-13 euros

Silva Hotel,a pretty expensive place to spend your vacations..

Appartament houses in Busteni

A sweet,living dummy cat sleeping in a shopwindow which takes the glance of everyone who pass through..

Costila-the new commercial center opened recently in Busteni

Click on the map for more informations about the city

Braşov (Hungarian: Brassó; German: Kronstadt; Medieval Latin: Brassovia or Corona; 1950-1960: Oraşul Stalin) is a city in Romania and the capital of Braşov County, with a population of 284,596, according to the 2002 census, is the 8th largest Romanian city.

Braşov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 km from Bucharest. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians, and is part of the Transylvania region.

The city is notable for hosting the Golden Stag (Cerbul de Aur) international music festival.

Source: Wikipedia

In the centre...

A nice green view

A street which lead to the Old centre

The Hollywood-like sign on top of Mt. Tâmpa

An old building near to the Council Square (Piaţa Sfatului)

Council Square (Piaţa Sfatului) where Golden Stag (Cerbul de Aur) festival will take place

Tâmpa Mountain from Braşov Council Square (Piaţa Sfatului)

The house were Joseph II and Francis I live (Holy Roman Emperors)

Casa Sfatului ("The mayor's former office building"). Here was the administration from Braşov for more than 500 years.

Biserica Neagră or Black Church (German: Schwarze Kirche; Romanian: Biserica Neagră; Hungarian: Fekete templom)

Bell tower

Johannes Honter was a Siebenbuerger Saxon (Saxon humanist and theologian. Honter is best known for his geographic and cartographic publishing activity, as well as for implementing the Lutheran reform in Transylvania.

One of the lateral entrance to the church

Small statues outside of church

True Gothic style...

Other sculptures

Social Democratic Party in right place

Other photo from the Braşov Main Square "Council Square" (Piaţa Sfatului)

In the same building is History Museum of the city

Romanian Orthodox Cathedral ("Adormirea Maicii Domnului")

Ukraine has 3 Cultural World Heritage Sites and 1 Natural World Heritage Site. Almost all the information on this page, i gathered from the UNESCO World Heritage Official website.

I now list all the UNESCO sites in Ukraine, but also all the sites submitted on the Tentative List, waiting to be approved by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. So this means, that apart from these main 4 sites, other 14 exist and are of great interest to visit while traveling in the country and are probably on the list of the best destinations to travel in Ukraine.

« A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site like a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city, that is on a list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. (…) Each World Heritage Site is the property of the state on whose territory the site is located, but it is considered in the interest of the international community to preserve each site. » in World Heritage Site

With time, and as I visit all these sites (yes i hope i can visit all of them of course, I’ll add photos to this post.

Ukraine World Heritage List – Cultural Sites

• Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (1990)

Designed to rival Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Kiev’s Saint-Sophia Cathedral symbolizes the ‘new Constantinople’, capital of the Christian principality of Kiev, which was created in the 11th century in a region evangelized after the baptism of St Vladimir in 988.

• L’viv: the Ensemble of the Historic Centre (1998)

The city of L”viv, founded in the late Middle Ages, was a flourishing administrative, religious and commercial centre for several centuries.

View of some monuments in Lviv, a city in southwest Ukraine.

• Struve Geodetic Arc (2005)

The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching from Hammerfest in Norway to the Black Sea, through 10 countries and over 2,820 km. These are points of a survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve, which represented the first accurate measuring of a long segment of a meridian. This helped to establish the exact size and shape of the planet and marked an important step in the development of earth sciences and topographic mapping.

Ukraine World Heritage List – Natural Sites

• Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (2007)

The Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathian, an outstanding example of undisturbed, complex temperate forests, constitute a transnational serial property of ten separate components along a 185 km axis from the Rakhiv Mountains and the Chornohirskyi Range in Ukraine, west along the Polonynian Ridge, to the Bukovské Vrchy and Vihorlat Mountains in Slovakia.

Ukraine World Heritage Tentative List Sites

• Historic Centre of Tchernigov, 9th -13th centuries (1989)

Historic Centre of Tchernigov , 9th -13th centuries (Borissoglebsky Cathedral, 12th century, Preobazhensky Cathedral, 11th century).

• Cultural Landscape of Canyon in Kamenets-Podilsk (1989)

Castle and Historic centre of Kamenets -Podolsk 11th -18th centuries.

• Ruins of Ancient City of Khersoness, 4th B.C. – 12th century (1989)

Ruins of Ancient City of Khersoness,4th B.C. -12th century.

• Tarass Shevtchenko Tomb and State Historical and Natural Museum – Reserve (1989)

Tarass Shevtchenko Tomb and State Historical and Natural Museum – Reserve.

• National Steppe Biosphere Reserve “Askaniya Nowa” (1989)

National Steppe Biosphere Reserve “Askaniya Nowa”.

• Dendrological Park “Sofijivka” (2000)

The dendrological park “Sofiyivka” of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences is a research establishment of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; the park is of all-state significance. The construction of the park was started in 1796, the opening ceremony took place in May, 1802.

• Bagçesaray Palace of the Crimean Khans (2003)

The Bagçesaray Palace of the Crimean Khans is a compact architectural ensemble consisting of 17 buildings and 9 inner closed courtyards. The Bagçesaray Palace of the Crimean Khans was built in the third-fourth decades of the 16 century. The oldest dated construction of the initial ensemble bears the date of 1532, while the written records mention the Palace under 1539. The Palace built as the main residence of the Crimean Khans (the monarchs of the Crimean Khanate – the state of the Crimean Tatar people) kept this meaning during about 250 years – from the 1530s till the collapse of the Crimean Tatar statehood in 1783.

• Archaeological Site “Stone Tomb” (2006)

The central part of this property presents a mound like hill of 12 m in height and 2,5 ha in area. It is known under the name of “Stone Tomb”. This mound is made up of individual somatic sandstone clods or blocks, with a great number of caves and grottoes between them. On the grottoes’ stone walls; there are over 1000 petro — glyphs with symbolic, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic images. The oldest of them – a mammoth – without any doubt could be referred to the Late Stone Age.

• Mykolayiv Astronomical Observatory (2007)

The Mykolayiv Astronomical Observatory is a cultural property of national level, the oldest naval observatory in south-eastern Europe. It was founded in 1821 by the Commander-in-chief of the Black Sea Fleet Admiral O.S. Greyg. The Observatory was built to the design of the Chief Architect of the Black Sea Admiralty F.I.Wunsch. Its ensemble consists of the Main Observatory Building built in the style of Classicism in 182 1-1 829, astronomic pavilions of the early 20-th c. where historic astronomic instruments and other museum exhibits are kept.

• Complex of the Sudak Fortress Monuments of the 6th – 16th c. (2007)

The Sudak Fortress is a unique complex of the monuments of medieval archaeology and architecture of the 6th – 16th centuries. The total area of the fortress is 27,9 ha. The overwhelming majority of the architectural monuments located on this territory are included into the State Cultural Heritage List. Towers, walls, complex of city gate and other defensive constructions, compose a unique, well-preserved fortification system, which skillfully harmonizes with a natural relief.

• The Residence of Bukovynian Metropolitans (2007)

The Residence of Bukovynian Metropolitans is a monument of national importance. The property presents an ensemble of buildings situated on Dominic hill. It was built to the design of Czech architect Josef Hlavka. The ensemble was being built in 1864-1 882. It consists of the Mytropolychy, Seminary and Monastyrsky buildings, Seminary Church and a park with park architecture.

• Astronomical Observatories of Ukraine (2008)

he history of these observatories is connected with two outstanding achievements in astronomy of the 19th-20th centuries. The first important achievement was a creation of the fundamental celestial coordinate system, which allows us to improve astronomical constants, to answer fundamental cosmological questions related with the origin and evolution of universe. Five fundamental catalogues of stars were created during 200 years as the result of combined efforts of many observatories all over the world.

• Historic Center of the Port City of Odessa (2009)

Odessa is the only city in Ukraine that has entirely preserved the urban structure of a multinational southern port town typical for the late 18th – 19th centuries. The port function of the town played a dominant role in determining urban system of Odessa, and plans for development of the port town were achieved in extremely short terms – just one hundred years, from 1794 to the late 19th century.

• Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral with Related Monastic Buildings, St. Cyril’s and St. Andrew’s Churches, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (2009)

St. Cyril’s Church in Kyiv is an outstanding monument of world culture. It has preserved the 12th century architecture and 12th, 17th and 19th centuries monumental painting. It’s a unique East-Christian construction of Kyivan Rus with typical for the epoch of feudal wars peculiarities. The unassertive, firm, fundamental architecture reveals the second after sacral function of this structure – the function of the fortress.

Ukraine is in Eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia. The country is vast and borders quite a few number of countries in the region. Ukraine borders with Belarus to the north, north and east with Russia, south to the Azov and Black Sea, and west to Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

Ukraine has 603,628 square kilometers of land area (375 077 square miles) and is the 44th largest country in the world. Ukraine is the 2nd largest country in Europe after Russia, while France is the 3rd largest.

The highest point in Ukraine is in the Carpathian Mountains, at the Hora Hoverla peak that rises up to 2,061 meters (6761 feet).

Map of Ukraine

© Lonely Planet

The recent catastrophic earthquake in L’Aquila from Italy’s Abruzzo region that has also damaged many medieval, Renaissance and Baroque buildings, brings back to many people in Romania the grim memories of the big 1977 Romanian earthquake (7.2 Richter scale magnitude), which destroyed in as little as 1 minute an important number of old and new buildings throughout the entire country and killed more than 1,500 people. 

Neo-Romanian style building damaged in the 1977 earthquake, Magheru Boulevard - Italian Church area, Bucharest (©Valentin Mandache)

The nightmare was briefly reawakened by another short earthquake that struck Romania a few days ago on 25 April, which fortunately was very short and of moderate magnitude (5.3 Richter at the epicentre), without causing victims or damage.

I was a witness of the big 1977 earthquake and its terrible consequences, then also studied the phenomenon as part of my coursework and training as a geophysicist at the University of Bucharest in late 1980s and later worked as a seismics specialist for a big oil exploration contractor in Britain, facts which I believe qualify me to give you in this article an  informed view on the earthquake risk faced by the large stock of period buildings from Romania’s capital.

Most of the period houses of Bucharest and from the rest of Romania for that matter are vulnerable to earthquakes over 5.5 degree magnitude. Historical data spanning the last millennium, gathered from medieval chronicles, archive sources, etc. indicate a rate of 2 – 3 catastrophic events, defined as over 7.0 degree Richter magnitude, per century.

Unlike the Italian mainland earthquakes which are of shallow depth and thus highly localised, the Romanian ones occur at depths between 70 -180 km, their effect being felt over large distances from the epicentre, which is situated in the Vrancea region of central Romania. Their origin is the collision and friction in that area between three regional tectonic plates, a sector of the larger system formed by the collision in southern Europe between the major African, European and also Arabian tectonic plates, which in the course of geological times formed the mountainous chains that include the Alps, the Carpathians or the Caucasus. 

Vrancea seismic region (red colour)- located at the triple junction point of regional tectonic plates that converge in that area (map source: Romanian National Institute for Earth Physics; tectonic plate delineation: V. Mandache)

Explained in basic terms, that triple junction point of tectonic plates is a rare occurrence in geological terms, making the geological movements more numerous and dynamic compared with the ususal collision between just two plates, as can be seen on the map above that shows in red colour the high density of earthquakes in the Vrancea region. The seismic waves are also propagated and even intensified by the blanket of sediments (sandstone, gravel or clay washed up by the rivers and deposited in the plains that surround the Carpathian Mountains), acting like a huge resonance box for the earth tremors, in the same manner as sound waves are amplified in a string musical instrument.

Bucharest is located in the middle of one of those plains, being directly exposed to the seismic waves generated 150 km away in Vrancea. The damage caused by many intermediate-depth earthquakes is therefore extremely severe.

The property bubble of the last four years has made Bucharest period properties some of the most expensive in the entire European Union, even more expensive than superior examples in the United Kingdom or France. The euphoria induced by the bubble, coupled with the unrealistic expectations of both seller and estate agent, induced them to casually ignore or just wipe under the carpet obvious facts such as these properties’ bad state of repair or the fact that many went through three catastrophic earthquakes in the last century (1908, 1940 and 1977). The prospect of quick undeserved gains continues to make them considering trivial a multitude of other details, such as the fact that many period houses are built on the unstable old floodplain of the Dambovita river, on shallow inadequate foundations and put toghether from questionable quality materials, provided with low earthquake resistance structures.

The shallow foundations, on a rubble filled ground, of a 19th century Lipscani area building seen in a recent archaelogical dig. Bucharest 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

The majority of Bucharest period buildings were erected between mid-19^th and mid-20^th century (see my previous post on the history of the building booms of Bucharest  with the largest proportion of them affected by at least two catastrophic earthquakes, those that took place in 1940 and 1977.

The 1940 event badly affected the Cotroceni Royal Palace, the official residence of the king, a beautiful edifice in French Second Empire and Neo-Romanian style. I have here two photographs that I found in the National Archives holdings, which properly convey the tremendous force of nature that impacted this prime Bucharest building and destroyed numerous less well built others.

Cotroceni Royal Palace damaged in the 1940 earthquake (source: Romanian National Archives)

Earthquake damaged interior of Cotroceni Royal Palace, 1940 (source: Romanian National Archives)

The 1977 event resulted in over 35,000 damaged buildings throughout the country, most of them period houses and listed public edifices located in Bucharest. The collapsed structures produced a heavy war-like death toll for the city.

Vrancea seismic activity obviously continues, permanently threatening Bucharest city and its metropolitan area. The city authorities undertook just cosmetic repair measures and over the last two decades did nothing serious regarding the compilation and implementation of a structural consolidation programme for the Bucharest listed buildings. The most obvious measure is just a palliative one, posting a large red dot sign on some of the earthquake risk buildings, shown in the image bellow that reads: “building examined through technical expertise that falls within Class I seismic risk”.

Red dot sign applied by Bucharest city authorities on earthquake risk buildings in Bucharest (©Valentin Mandache)

The red dot has started to appear on a number of period houses, as is shown in the following photographs of Little Paris style buildings (from the period between late 19^th and first two decades of the 20^th century):

Little Paris style building from Batistei area with red dot earthquake risk sign applied (©Valentin Mandache)

Red dot earthquake risk sign on a Little Paris style building in Kogalniceanu area (©Valentin Mandache)

Little Paris style building with red dot earthquake risk sign in Popa Soare area of Bucharest (©Valentin Mandache)

During the property bubble in Bucharest these obvious warning signposts were in many instances ignored and property easily changed hands for large sums of money. The trend continues as I found recently in the case a period building located in the Unirii area, stamped with a red dot for earthquake risk, irresponsibly marketed by the international property consultant Colliers. It just beggars belief how brash and reckless these companies, even the so-called serious ones, have become in their quest for easy money in the unparalleled Romanian property bubble environment that is still lingering on even at this hour.

Earthquake risk building (with red dot sign) marketed by the international property consultant Colliers, Unirii area, Bucharest 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

Since the bubble has timidly started to unravel, the red dot is now a factor that hugely diminishes the value of a property. Many owners are extremely unhappy to have it stamped on their building, often succeeding through interventions and collusion with corrupt elements from among the city authorities to have it removed and thus deceive careless buyers keen to buy property located in prestige areas.

The successive high magnitude earthquakes that affected Bucharest period buildings in the last century and a half have left unmistakable marks and scars on many of them. The high costs involved in the repair and restoration of these architectural gems has never been a priority for the city authorities. As a consequence, there are listed buildings in Bucharest that are still untouched, boarded up ever since the 1977 earthquake, such as in the house bellow, in a delicate Venetian Gothic style, which I found in the Cazzavillan area.

Venetian Gothic style building, uninhabited and left unrepaired since the 1977 earthquake, Cazzavillan area, Bucharest 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

The sad reality is that many of these earthquake damaged period buildings, located in prime Bucharest areas such as Lipscani or Cismigiu (see the photographs bellow) are still inhabited. Their elderly owners or impoverished state tenants housed there since the communist times cannot afford even basic repairs. The authorities as a rule do nothing to at least conserve these historical buildings, exposing their occupants to untold danger in case of an even moderate earthquake.

Inhabited earthquake damaged buildning, Lipscani 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

Inhabited earthquake damaged building, Cismigiu 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

The owners’ lack of resources and indifference of authorities take their toll even on newer period buildings with more resistant steel reinforced structures, such as the Neo-Romanian style apartment block from the image bellow, built in early 1930s on the Dambovita embankment. The building is an architectural gem, but is falling apart, exposed to high risk in case of an earthquake. Despite that, the asking price for flats in this type of property is over Euro 3,000/ square metre, which is obviously way off the mark, speaking volumes about the bubble mentality of the Bucharest sellers and their agents.

Neo-Romanian style appartment block dating from 1930s, in a neglected state, located in an earthquake risk area, Dambovita embankment, Bucharest 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

Bucharest has numerous cases of period buildings that have a sound structure and built on solid foundations that are left neglected because of more than a decade long legal ownership disputes between the descendants of former proprietors or other claimants. That is a common situation after the state grudgingly returned property confiscated during the communist takeover. One of the most usual damage in this case is water infiltration through leaking roofs that over time weakens the structure of a period house exposing it to potential irreparable damage in case of an earthquake. The example bellow shows a fine French Gothic villa in the Icoanei area with water infiltrations from a leaking roof.

French Gothic style villa damged by water inflitration from a leaking roof, Icoanei area 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

The natural soil subsidence is another omnipresent factor that adversely affects many of Bucharest’s period houses built on shallow foundations, on unconsolidated former floodplains or as in the case of Lipscani quarter on top of rubble filled cellars of buildings that stood there in previous centuries. That situation can amplify manifold the damages and dangers faced by those buildings and their occupants in case of an earthquake. I have here a telling example in the photograph bellow, of an interesting Austrian baroque style house from Dorobanti area showing obvious signs of subsidence induced damage.

Austrian baroque building from Dorobanti area damged by ground subsidence, Bucharest 2009 (©Valentin Mandache)

Conclusion:

Bucharest’s period houses are highly exposed to the Vranceaearthquakes that can be devastating if the magnitude is over 7.0 degree Richter scale. Many of these properties are built from fragile materials, provided with inadequate shallow foundations, often located on unconsolidated former river floodplains and went through three major such events in the 20^th century: the catastrophic earthquakes of 1908, 1940 and 1977. Despite the property bubble of the last four years and availability of large sums of money for building development, very little has been done for the old historical houses of this city. Articles on the occurrence of earthquakes in Romania and their dangers are regularly published in the Romanian press and also the geoscientists in Romania and abroad frequently draw attention on the dangers posed by Vrancea earthquakes. Those warnings are habitually ignored by the property market participants and authorities alike. For example the city regulations even for new building applications are inadequate in requiring planning investigation for foundation just up to a depth of 30 m underground; the requirement should be up to the bedrock in Bucharest region, which corresponds to a 100 – 150m depth investigation (the thickness of sedimentary ground strata that have the potential to amplify earthquakes).

My intention in this article was not to deter you in acquiring a period property in Bucharest or Romania in general due to their exposure to serious earthquakes. Far from it as I earn my living also from advising on this interesting market segment. Romania is certainly not the only country facing that issue: Italy, Portugal, Greece or Turkey with their huge stock of period buildings and lively period property markets are even more exposed to catastrophic earthquakes than Romania. I strongly believe that the true facts underpinning this market must be brought into light in an open and professional manner, steering away from the over-hype and unprofessionalism of the many local consultants that for so many years have plagued and eroded the attraction of the Romanian market for historical buildings. My purpose was to draw attention on the earthquake phenomenon as an important element often overlooked by those planning a period property purchase, renovation or restoration project in Bucharest or other parts of Romania. There is need to pay attention to two important aspects in this process: the necessity of a thorough due diligence process that must include a professional seismic risk assessment of the building and always during the negotiation with the seller, something like an “earthquake discount” must be factored in, as the subsequent structural consolidation costs are likely to be high. Also you must make sure to have a fully trusted local representative advising or acting on your behalf. To hire a big name international agent is often not enough as is the case highlighted above with the well known consultant Colliers, recklessly marketing earthquake risk buildings. All rights reserved ©Valentin Mandache (www.viapontica.wordpress.com, email: v_mandache@yahoo.co.uk).

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If you are interested in acquiring a period property in Romania or start a renovation project, I would be delighted to advice you in locating the property, specialist research, planning permissions, restoration project management, etc. To discuss your particular plan please see my contact details in the Contact page of this weblog.

The loosely knit plan was to go from northern Italy over to Romania, hit the Carpathian mountains and follow them back into Slovakia and the Czech Republic, then continue to the UK. Unfortunately, The Alps were between me & Romania. It’s a tough job but, someone had to do it. From Parma, I headed north to the south shore of Lake Garda.

My route took me along the west bank of Lake Garda. Quite an impressive road as it is dug out of a sheer cliff face. About half the time was spent diving into tunnels dug in the cliffside then darting back out into the bright sunshine.

Continuing north towards Madonna Di Campiglio, I traversed the northern Italian wine growing regions. If there were ever an Olympics for scenery, Italy would be on the podium every time — my favorite European country.

The pic below shows where I will build my house. That will be my driveway and those will be my grapevines and that will be the view that I will wake up to every morning and *pop*…and then I wake up and realize I was dreaming. Especially when I find out a tiny little two bedroom bungalow around here goes for about 800,000 Euros.

I encountered these Germans aboard Italian Aermacchi-Harley Davidsons at a roadside cafe near Cortina. They were just returning from the Giro d’Italia, held the previous week.

Can you imagine pounding the Alps into submission aboard 175cc bikes? YEEHAW! They told me that their top speed was 130 kph… fast enough to make you see gawd when you went to grab a handful of those drum brakes.

On the second day of my vacation, I proceeded to fight my way through the Italian Alps, bypassing the Passo Di Stelvio because I think that 500 hairpins in 11 kilometers is a wee bit much. Passing Bozeno, I made my way to the chi chi Italian ski resort of Cortina D’Ampezzo. I think Giacomo Agostini has a home here.

I got lost, and when I turned around I saw this view. Sometimes it pays to get lost.

No matter how many times you see them, the Dolomites never fail to impress. They shoot out of the earth like giant T-Rex teeth ripping the sky to shreds.

Did I mention I loved Italy? You could spend years between the Alps and the Appenines and never run out of roads to ride. Here’s a typically beautiful Alpine village near the Italo-Austrian frontier.

The Süd-Tyrol region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WW I when it was ceded over to the Italians. Lots of blonde Italians here. Another mountain village.

Austria is like some strange other-world where gas station attendants resemble doctoral candidates back in the U.S. Motorists don flourescent orange vests just to change a flat tire. Every valley offers a picture postcard alpine view. It seems almost too good to be true. It makes you wonder what craziness lies beneath the surface of all this perfection. I often wonder if I’d want to live someplace as perfect as this or some chaotic place like Mexico where you can do pretty much what you want… must strike a balance. Coming from the chaos of an Arab country, it’s a bit disconcerting to encounter such orderliness.

When I arrived in Graz I saw an information kiosk. I stopped and looked it over. On a wall was a map of the city with little lights denoting the locations of different hotels. When you selected a hotel on a touch screen, a light on the map lit up for the corresponding hotel, and a picture with a description of the hotel showed up on the touch screen. It was almost a bit too much for me to take in. In spite of all this orderliness, I managed to make my way to the Hungarian border relatively unruffled.

After Graz, the terrain gradually dissolved into rolling hills… not much to write home about sport-touring wise. From the Alps, the terrain generally settled into rolling hills and then into a lumpy carpet sorta terrain. After you’ve ridden through the Alps for a couple of days, everything else sorta pales… still interesting in that never-been-there sorta way.

Hungarian plains.

The best Hungarian goulash I’ve ever tasted.

It never ceases to amaze me… the scope of the Roman Empire. From Portugal on the Atlantic to Romania on the Black Sea, someone who speaks one of the romance languages can essentially get by. All the languages are that similar. Truly a legacy of the power and influence of the Roman Empire. Quite a heavy police presence, though. They’re mostly parked on the side of the road. I was lucky and avoided detection… hehehehe

Budapest is amazingly beautiful. The architechture is flabergasting. This place must have survived WW II relatively unscathed. Budapest’s famous Chain Bridge.

The architecture is truly mind boggling. So much is lost on modern architecture, though. In reality, nowadays, I don’t think they could afford the craftsmanship that went into these old buildings… sigh.

Overlooking the Danube.

Children prepare to take part in a folkloric dance show in central Budapest.

Hungary is truly in a state of transition. You’ll see the latest Porsche pulled up alongside a thirty year old Trabant at a stop light. They seem to be doing quite well for themselves since the fall of Communism. The only bad thing is… EVERYONE seems to smoke! I guess it’s a carryover from the bad old days of communism when things were so bleak that just a hit of nicotine gave someone something to look forward to.

While I was in Budapest, there seemed to be some sort of biker rally going on. Hundreds of bikers escorted by police, made their way through downtown Budapest, honking and waving as they went. I wish I could have joined in, but my bike was back at the hotel.

One day from Budapest and I was at the Romanian border. I was a bit apprehensive as I didn’t really know what to expect or even whether I needed a visa. I pulled in behind a Swiss couple in a station wagon who were bringing in aid for an orphanage or something. The customs guy was going through their stuff with a fine-toothed comb. I gulped and waited my turn, trying not to think about the movie Midnight Express. He shot me a gruff look as if to say, What da heck do YOU want? He walked behind my bike and saw the Italian plates and told me to go on. OH! thankyouthankyouthankyou! Yes sir! Vroooom! I was in.

Entering Romania.

I’ve never been anywhere that had such beautifully crafted houses of worship, whether churches or mosques. For such a poor country, the amount of workmanship and labor that went into their churches was impressive.

Uhmm…I think I’ll keep moving on.

The terrain was beginning to have more hills. The Carpathians couldn’t be too far off. Approaching the city of Brasov, I saw my first glimpse of the Carpathian mountains. Not as impressive as the Alps or even the Pyrennes, but still impressive, nevertheless.

Romanian roads started out ok, and then steadily deteriorated. My last day in Romania I must have averaged 20 kph. Potholes just waiting to strike. Then it started to rain. Oh woe is me. A double whammy. Oncoming cars in your lane weren’t trying to run you off the road… they were just dodging and weaving around potholes. I was dreading a flat or a bent rim, but the mighty Guzzi escaped unscathed.

I could just imagine bending a rim then having to hole up someplace while waiting for a new one. Relaaaax…stay another night…it wont hurt a bite…errr…a BIT…it wont hurt a bit. Yeah… uh huh.

Actually, the hotels in Romania were easily on par with those in western Europe. I was pleasantly surprised. However, their coffee sucked. If there’s a special hell for coffee lovers, it must be something like Romania. I guess it depends on what you’re used to. Romanians may go to Italy and grimace when they drink Italian coffee. Their orange juice, on the other hand, was excellent… freshly squeezed.

The terrain was gorgeous, reminding me a lot of the Pacific Northwest. I’d say Romania is 40 to 50 years behind western Europe… probably on the same level as Latin America. Once they get their roads fixed it’ll be a great place to tour.

A Romanian lake.

I couldn’t follow the Carpathians into the Ukraine because of visa requirements, so I dodged back into Hungary, then made a quick lunge to the north into Slovakia to rejoin the Carpathians. The High Tatras are the highest peaks in the Carpathian range. This part of the Carpathians is a national park in Slovakia, as well as in neighboring Poland. Unfortunately, the weather still hadn’t improved much, so I didn’t have the opportunity to take any good pictures of the High Tatras.

I had one little incident with a Slovakian bus and a mud hole. There was a section of road that had been flooded by recent rains. Off to the side they had constructed a makeshift bypass. The bypass was also muddy from the rains. I had just about finished negotiating my way across the bypass when a bus appeared on the other side. Rather than waiting for me to exit, the “roads” scholar behind the wheel of this juggernaut decided to proceed. In doing so, he cut off my exit line, leaving me only a huge mud puddle to go through. I wasn’t about to risk seeing how deep that puddle was, so I came to a stop. As he came around me, his rear wheels started coming closer and closer. The sides of the bus started to rub against my left saddlebag.

I tried to hold the bike up, but I was no match for the bus. Over into the mud went the Guzzi. I managed to not join it in the mud. The bus driver is looking at me in his rearview mirrors as if to say, “wtf are you doing in the mud?” While I was looking at him as if to say, “wtf are you doing driving a bus?” I struggled to lift the Goose and finally managed to extricate it onto dry land. Nobody in the following cars came to my aid. I guess they didn’t want to join the fun in the mud. I was fearing a broken turn signal or a cracked fairing, but I was lucky. Nothing more than a liberal coating of mud. The bike now looked appropriately battle-tested.

In all my travels, Slovakia more closely resembled Northern California than any other place I’ve been to. The only thing is, the roads aren’t in quite as good shape. On the plus side, there is less traffic than California. Winding roads going through rugged mountains and following alpine streams make for great motorcycling.

The High Tatras.

From Slovakia I took a last minute detour into southwestern Poland just to say I’ve been to another country. I only travelled for about 100 miles in Poland, but it was nice hilly terrain, making for an enjoyable ride.

I entered the Czech Republic from Poland. I don’t know what it is, but my Canadian passport freaked out the border guards. They had to take it into the main office and confer with their colleagues. I guess they don’t get many Canadians. Fortunately, I haven’t had any troubles. After a few moments, the passport gets stamped and I’m on my way. Unfortunately, I haven’t been as successful in my money management. I have currencies from five different countries in my wallet. I never seem to spend it all before I’m into another country. It reminds me of the days before the Euro.

The Carpathian Mountains are but mere foothills by the time they reach the Czech Republic. They still make for some wonderful motorcycling roads, though. The Czech roads are the best I’ve encountered in the former Eastern Bloc countries. Fast sweeping roads through open hills then darting into dark forests with some occassional tight twisties thrown in… good stuff.

I met an elderly Czech gentleman at my bed & breakfast. He told me that he was 15 years old in 1945 when the Russians came and occupied his country. He fled with his family to West Germany where he lived in Cologne. When Communism fell, 40 years later, he returned to his old home town. He went to his old house and knocked on the door. The man who answered the door recognised him and gave him a hug saying, “this is still your house”. It was wonderful talking to this old man. I reminded me of the old John Prine song, “Hello In There”. I’m sure that same story was repeated all over Eastern Europe.

I made my way to Prague, which is similar to Budapest. Both cities straddle a river… both have enchanting architecture. Prague had a few more tourists, though. I took another rest day in Prague.

After a couple of days in Prague, I continued westward. I pulled up to the German border entry and received a doleful look. I said, “Hi. I’m Canadian.” The border guard said, “Bye. Go away.” Didn’t even ask to see my passport. I guess they’re not too worried about people on sport touring bikes. I laughed and went on my way. It surprised me a bit. I thought that would be the toughest border to cross.

I made my way across Germany to the southwestern town of Freiburg, near the Black Forest. A lot of great riding there. I got lost several times, but didn’t care as the roads were so good. It’s right next to the Swiss border, so it’s in the foothills of the Alps.

Picturesque German town.

Right across the French border I noticed all these squiggly lines on the map, so I figured that’s the place I needed to be. Dang, those French not only know how to cook, but they sure do make some hellacious biking roads. The Germans aren’t too far behind.

Scenic village in the Alsace-Lorraine.

After working my way north thru Alsace-Lorraine, I re-entered Germany near Kaiserslautern. I must have hit the local biking road because there were bikes all over the place. Excellent roads through darkened forests.

From there I worked my way up the Rhine. Great weather on a Sunday… there were a bazillion bikes out. Great views of castles all the way up to Koblenz. There I hung a left and wandered down the Mosel River Valley, famous for its wines. Every tour of Europe should include a ride along the Rhine. There are roads on each side of the river. You can see the castles on the other side easier, but you can’t go wrong on either side.

Cochem on the Mosel

Everyone talks about the Alps, but there’s so much more to Europe than just the Alps. Don’t get me wrong, the Alps are spectacular, but don’t limit yourself to just one area.

I finally found a carwash. The Guzzi looked semi-respectable now. I was drinking a soda outside a convenience store…this woman gets out of her car…takes one look at me and my bike…thinks about it for a moment…then clicks on the burglar alarm on her key chain. I kinda liked that.

I followed the Mosel River into the tiny nation of Luxembourg. I ended up staying an extra day in Luxembourg. I usually blast through the tiny country on my way to something more interesting. This time I decided to spend a day touring within its borders. What a great choice! Wonderful roads along the Mosel River… other roads wandering through forests so thick that no sunlight penetrated the canopy in spite of it being a scorching day. I’ll defintely have to pay Luxembourg more mind in the future!

From Luxembourg I entered Belgium through the Ardennes, passing through many towns whose names recalled the Battle of the Bulge.

The Ardennes Forest, haunted by the ghosts of World War II.

From France to the English Channel the terrain devolves into rolling farmland. Not too interesting on a motorbike, so I got on the autoroute, blasted to the Channel, and hopped on the 5pm ferry to Dover, where I got a hotel room for the night. Met an old timer on a KTM 900 v-twin modified with a sidecar. He was on his way to an enduro event in Wales.

The White Cliffs of Dover.

The last day of my trip… and I wanted to make it count. I blasted west on the motorway all the way to Bristol near south Wales. This took up half a day, so I had another half day to enjoy as much of Wales as I could. At first it didn’t seem all that special, but the deeper I got into Wales the more I was captivated by its beauty and its GREAT motorcycling roads. I may have stopped to take more pictures on the last half day than at any other time on the trip. Maybe it was the realization that the trip was coming to an end and that stopping to take pictures might prolong it indefinitely.

Alas, I reached my friend’s house in Shropshire a little after 6pm, bringing the trip to an end. Here is a shot of the mighty, mighty Goose in the Welsh countryside on the last day of the trip.

I can’t say enough about my mount. As a city bike or an every day ride, yes, it may have shortcomings, but as a dedicated sport tourer it’s hard to beat. The sound of an Italian v-twin in song as it blasts through a series a curves is one of those things in life that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up and make you glad to be alive. If you haven’t made plans to sell your current bike and purchase a Le Mans, please proceed to do so immediately.

Trip Summary:

May 31 to June 22.

7500 km / 4800 miles (it seemed like a lot longer with all the bad roads)

Rest days: 4

Traffic citations: 1, in Romania. I managed to negotiate it from 10 Euros up to 100 Euros. (I should explain. As the policeman was writing the ticket he asked how much my helmet cost. I said it cost 200 Euros. He said he makes 100 Euros a month. We continued talking. It turned out he was a biker himself and asked about getting a helmet from western Europe. I felt sorry for him after hearing what his monthly salary was, so I offered to send him one at no charge. He ripped up the ticket.)

Countries: 12. Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, England, & Wales.

Bee stings: 0

Pucker moments: Many, many minor ones. 0 major.

Best T shirt seen: In Budapest, a picture of Che with a joint in his mouth with the caption: “fook the revolution”.

Best store name: In Romania I saw a shoe store named Al Bundy Shoes (they get a lot of American TV there).