Romania: Medieval Towns, Rural Culture & Natural Beauty, October 2 - 16, 2017
This Romania Autumn Photo Tour will take you on a voyage of discovery through the “forgotten world” of Maramures, Bucovina and Transylvania. We will travel through some of the most famous regions in Romania, but we will spend more time in remote, rural villages where tourists are rarely seen.
You will have the opportunity to photograph local people including, Gypsies and Romanians dressed in beautiful, traditional costumes. You’ll admire stunning sunrises and have the chance to capture the real beauty of nature as the leaves are changing color—you’ll see the autumn at its best! Our photo trip will also include a mountain journey on a steam train where you will have the opportunity to photograph it at several locations under a full head of steam in the autumn landscape. In charge of all of the tour details is Daniel Gheorghita, a licensed tour guide and photographer, who has collaborated with National Geographic Romania, the Wall Street Journal, and local newspapers. Detailed ItineraryDay 1 – Monday, October 2
Otopeni Airport - Bucharest 10km/30min Arrival in Bucharest. You’ll be transferred to your hotel where you'll receive more details about your tour. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Overnight in Bucharest: 4-star hotel / Welcome dinner Day 2 – Tuesday, October 3th—Bucharest ✈ Satu Mare - Breb 80km/1h20min Today you’ll be transferred from Bucharest to Satu Mare by plane, then you’ll be taken to the heart of Maramrues in the village of Breb where you’ll spend two nights. Located in a rural area, surrounded by hills of the Carpathians, the village will be the perfect spot to capture the daily life of the locals, their habits, traditions and the scenic landscape. Also, for the next two days you’ll enjoy some short trips in the villages nearby. Overnight in Breb: 3-star guest house / B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 3 – Wed, October 4th—Breb – Sapanta - Breb 120km/2h There is no photo tour without the Merry Cemetery. Founded in the 1930s by a local carver, it is a place of mourning like any other cemetery but it is also a place of very black humor. The crosses, painted in bright colors and describing the deceased in words and images (and not always complimentary), will be a great subject for your pictures. The convent of Peri is the one of the highest wooden structures in the world. Part of a large complex, the church is a great example of the local art and architecture. In the afternoon we’ll take a photo tour of a local village where you’ll be able to admire the old houses, the ancient crafts, and the daily life. Overnight in Breb: 3-star guest house / B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 4 – Thursday, October 5th—Breb - Ieud 60km/1h10min The journey through Maramures continues but you’ll change the location for the next two days. After the usual early morning shots, you’ll enjoy a drive through many local villages. You’ll observe the daily life and the autumn colors. Overnight in Ieud: 3-star hostel / B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 5 – Friday, October 6th—Ieud 50km/1h Full day dedicated to the villages of Maramures. Early morning and evening photo walking tours. Overnight in Ieud: 3-star hostel / B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 6 – Sat, October 7th—Ieud – Viseu de Sus - Bistrita 130km/2h30min Today we will leave the rural area of Maramures, but on the way you’ll get to see some other amazing sights of this part of the world. Early in the morning you'll take an old steam train. It's the last steam train in Europe still part of an active logging company. For almost 60km long, this train ride will take you in the beautiful wild and remote area of the Carpathian Mountains. For about 6 hours you'll enjoy a train ride into the nature. Driving through the Carpathian Mountains, you’ll return to Transylvania. In Bistrita you’ll take a short photo walk in this old German city. Overnight in Bistrita: 5-star hotel, B, Lunch on the Train Day 7 – Sunday, October 8th—Bistrita – Moldovita – Sucevita 180km/3h30min Today you will reach for the first time Bucovina, known for its painted monasteries and for the traditional houses adorned with beautiful floral and geometrical motifs, for its traditions kept over the centuries and for its hospitable people. The Convent of Moldovita is the first painted church visited in Bucovina. It is famous for its “Siege of Constantinople” fresco. Then you’ll be driven to the nearby Sucevita Monastery, which is the largest of all, looking more like a mighty fortress than a monastery. The monastic place, as the last one to be painted on the exterior walls, boasts the best preserved frescoes of Bucovina. The rest of the day is dedicated to walks in the village and through the surrounding hills. Overnight in Sucevita: 4-star hotel, B Day 8 – Monday, October 9th—Sucevita 60km/1h10min Bucovina is a not just a place of the painted monasteries, it’s a place where the craft of making black pottery was maintained for centuries, despite even the communism suppression. It’s a place of beautiful house, adorned with great folkloric motives and a place with beautiful landscape. It will be a full day in the countryside. Overnight in Sucevita: 4-star hotel, B Day 9 - Tues, October 10th—Sucevita – Voronet - Frasin 70km/13h20min The tour of Bucovina continues. Driving through the local villages and capturing the beauty of the daily life you’ll reach Voronet. Erected in 1488, Voronet Monastery represented one of the first Moldavian creative elements showing a distinctive style. The church is a combination of Byzantine, Gothic and local elements. The exterior painting on the western wall depicts, on five registers, the Doomsday scene, unique in the whole world. The Voronet Monastery entered the universal cultural heritage also for having in the composition of the paintings the inimitable “Voronet blue”. Overnight in Frasin: 4-star guest house, B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 10 - Wed, October 11th—Frasin 60km/1h Today you’ll enjoy an early morning and an evening photo walk. You’ll admire the landscape and the rural life. Overnight in Frasin: 4-star guest house, B, Dinner at the Guesthouse Day 11 - Thursday, October 12th—Frasin – Bicaz – Szekely Land 330km/6h This day will be used to drive you from Bucovina back to Transylvania, more precisely, in the heart of the Hungarian minority from Romania. On the way you'll cross the Carpathian Mountains through the famous Bicaz Gorge. You'll stop for a short walk, you'll be taken to some hidden areas and then you'll be taken to the Red Lake, and eerie place due to its wooden stumps jutting out of the water. Then you’ll be taken to the core of the Hungarian minority that lives in an area known as Szekely land. It is here where you’ll be able to admire the traditional way of living of these people and their amazing old houses. All these made even Prince Charles to buy one of these traditional houses which was transformed into a guest house. Overnight in Talisoara: Daniel Castle, B,D Day 12 - Friday, October 13h—Talisoara 60km/1h It's time to discover a new world, the world of the Hungarian minority from Transylvania. You’ll be taken to visit an old wooden water mill still in good working condition, you’ll meet the blacksmith of the village and you might even adventure yourselves into a beautiful gorge. PS. It is possible to meet the local charcoal makers in a remote village, but I can’t promise you it 100% sure. Overnight in Talisoara: Daniel Castle, B,D Day 13 - Sat, October 14th—Taliosoara – Holbav – Bucharest 260km/4h30min On the way to Bucharest you’ll discover one of the best villages in Romania for photography. The amazing village of Holbav is located up on the hills of the Carpathians. The dust roads, the endless views and the rural life make from this village a heaven of the photographers. If there is time we may make a final stop at Peles Castle before returning to Bucharest. Built by the first king of Romania, Carol I, the castle was the most advanced castle when it was finished in 1914. It’s considered to be one of the most overwhelming Overnight in Bucharest: 4-star hotel, B, Farewell Dinner Day 14 - Sunday, October 15th—Rasnov Today we wil visit one of the finest castles in all of Romania. Day 15 Monday October 16 Bucharest Airport |
ExperiencesPhotograph the painted churches in Bucovina.
Capture images in remote Carpathian villages where the farmers still rake hay and horse carts are the mode of transport. Private model shoot with local villagers. Photograph rural markets, hike in meadows, and shoot rural life and ancient wooden churches and houses in Sighetu Marmatiei. Romania is a culinary delight and we will sample the regional cuisine. DetailsTrip Details
Dates: Oct 3 - Oct 16, 2017 Cost: $5,500 Single Supplement: $450 if available Internal Flight: TBA Wait List Registration Form Photo Leader: Jeremy Woodhouse Included
Not Included
|
