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Painted Monasteries of Romania
Transylvania
Romania
The monastery archipelago of the old Romanian principality Moldavia is one of the most unique cultural landscapes in Europe. Nowhere else – besides the monasteries of Mount Athos – Byzantine art, architecture and liturgy is preserved in such a variety and beauty. As part of the Unesco World Heritage they are famous and unique by its architecture and outside mural paintings. Its pictorial texts combine Byzantine forms and Western book miniature painting with Romanian folk tradition. Its architecture and paintings would be unthinkable and impossible without the beautiful landscape of the “Sweet Land of the Bukovina”. You will have the opportunity to attend the Holy Liturgies and festivities of the orthodox calendar.
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Walking Tour
Meeting:
Bucharest
Airport:
Bucharest
Transfer:
Bucharest
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Rates and Dates for 2010 | 2011
Rates include:
7 nights (BB) in carefully selected accommodations (all with private facilities except Sucevita 2 rooms sharing), route description, maps (1:50 000), telephone hotline, transfers in the Bukowina, Moldovita excursion, luggage transport during walks, train (Rapid or Intercity) Bucharest - Suceava - Bucharest.
| A | 2010 | 8 day trip | 8d / 7n | €675 | $895 |
| Single room supplement | €150 | $200 |
| Single person booking supplement (incl single room) | €250 | $330 |
Transfer Option:
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2010
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Transfer included from Bucharest
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Daily departures during season.
Rates do not include:
Entrance and photo fees, taxi transfers in Bucharest, excursion to Moldovita (ca. 20 Euro per person)
Day 1: Transfer to hotel in Bucharest. Overnight in Bucharest (***hotel)
Day 2: Short walk to train station (3 min.). Pleasant train journey to Suceava. Transfer to Putna monastery. You will be welcomed by Father Dosoftei, who speaks English and you will enjoy this beautiful monastery with its Arcadian setting, and above all, the great hospitality of the monastery. Two nights in the ****guesthouse of the monastery.
Day 3: Round walk Putna
Visit the monastery, a foundation of Stefan the Great. It is the most important spiritual center of Romanian Orthodoxy and played a significant role in the Romanian history. Worthwhile visiting is the museum with priceless artifacts and treasures. During a round walk, you will visit Sihastria monastery and you will have a beautiful birds’ eye view from one of the hills of the impressive Putna monastery. 4 h (can be shortened to 3 h or 1 h)
Day 4: Putna - Sucevita
From Putna you take the old monastery path to Sucevita monastery. In summer, the forest is full of berries and wild mushrooms. The undercoat of emerald green on which the superb frescoes are painted (1596) gave the monastery the name ‘a Poem in Green and Light’. The iconostasis is supposed to be the most beautiful one in the country. Sacherverell Sitwell wrote in 1938: “The first view of the painted church of Sucevita is among the most impressive revelations of the Byzantine world”. The little museum house the most precious collection of medieval art in Moldovia. Including medieval embroidered portraits and an epitaph with 1000 pearls. Two nights in Sucevita. 5 h
Day 5: Moldovita and round walk Sucevita
A car takes you over the Ciumirna pass with astounding panoramic mountain views. Visit Moldovita monastery, famous for its warmth and brilliance of its frescoes. The blue undercoat for its tree of Jesse gave the monastery the name ‘a parchment dipped in blue color’. Very beautiful is the Ladder of Paradise, which has the ascetical mystic of John Klimakos as a theme and the depiction of the ancient philosophers. Maybe you meet Sister Tatiana (she speaks some English) who will show you around. The little museum contains, besides a priceless silver-cased Evangelistary presented by Catherine the Great of Russia, valuable icons and miniatures. Back in Sucevita you may have a round walk and enjoy the birds eye view upon the impressive, fortified monastery. 2 ½ h (or 1 ½ h)
Day 6: Sucevita - Humor
Short transfer to Solca village, then walk through pastoral scenery passing friendly Polish villages founded during Austrian-Habsburg times to Humor. You will meet horse wagons loaded with hay. People are still working with sickles and scythes on the fields. The 16th C Humor monastery, which exudes friendliness and tranquil charm, is painted in warm blues, greens and reddish browns (from oriental madder pigment). Two nights in a very pleasant ***guesthouse (English speaking) in Humor. 4 ½ h (or 3 ½ h)
Day 7: Humor – Voronet - Humor
Visit Voronet monastery. “Voronet-Blue” is the key word. Its superb frescoes gave it the name ‘the Sistine Chapel of the East’. Architecturally it combines Gothic and Byzantine features. Petru Comanescu still holds its truth: ”…here in the clear mellow light of those parts of the walls of the church seem to have stolen the sparking blue of the sky, the green of the trees and the pastures, the gold of the sun and the red of the flowers growing in the peasants gardens”. Walk up to the Objina with good views over a valley and villages scattered around till you reach Humor. 4 ½ h
Day 8: Transfer to Suceava. Early train to Bucharest and departure.
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Meeting:
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Bucharest
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Airport:
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Bucharest
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Transfer:
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Bucharest
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Level:
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 Easy to Moderate
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Participants:
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Min
2
participants
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Passport and Visa Requirements:
Passports Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart except: (a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card. Visa. more
The climate in Romania is continental temperate with the average temperature in the summer of 22- 24 *C (it can sometimes get up to 35 *C especially in the South).
Annual rainfall all over the country is 677 mm, 1000 mm in the mountains. Due to the continental influences from the East, the summers can be dry with more rain in the mountains.
Up North in Bucovina, in Suceava County, the weather is cooler, more favorable for walking. The annual average temperatures are 0- 6 C in the mountains, 7- 8 C in the extra mountain areas. The hottest month is July with an average of 18- 19 *C (12- 16 *C in the mountains). Strong winds and storms are rare in the summer, they occur sometimes in the mountains during late autumn.
Bucharest, being situated in the South of the country, is hotter than the Bucovina area.
Walking boots and walking socks (with a change of socks in rucksack), rucksack/day pack, warm pullover/jumper, waterproofs, water bottle, insect repellent, sunglasses, sun hat, sun block/cream, compass, torch, mobile phone, container for sandwiches and a first-aid kit.
Note: You should have your luggage packed and ready to be transported by 9.30 in the morning.
| … this list is only a guideline for you |
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| Hidden Trails Travel Documents and Trip Voucher (contains important local tour contact info.) |
| Flight tickets |
| Passport |
| Visa (check with your consulate) |
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| Walking Gear |
| Walking Boots and Socks (with a change of socks in rucksack) |
| Rucksack/day pack |
| Warm pullover/jumper |
| Waterproofs |
| Water bottle |
| Insect repellent |
| Sunglasses |
| Sun Hat |
| Sun block/cream |
| Compass |
| Torch |
| Mobile Phone |
| Container for sandwiches |
| First Aid Kit |
| Towel and small bar of soap |
| Personal Toiletries |
| Personal medications |
| Sore cream (for an emergency) |
| Adapter for electric appliances |
| Camera and extra film or batteries |
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*Important Notice: The following ratings have been submitted by guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Hidden Trails, its partners or employees.
Every care is taken to ensure accuracy but Hidden Trails is not liable for any errors or omissions.
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Accommodations will be in 3 and 4 star hotels or guesthouses along the route.
Sample accommodations:
Bucharest: Hotel Elizeu
Putna: Putna Monastery
Sucevita: Casa Cazac Felicia (600 m from monastery):
Manastirea Humorului: Vila Andreea (400 m to monastery)
Lunches: On day 2 you may shop in Gulliver’s, a good supermarket in the train station. There is no restaurant on the train. In Putna you may take your lunch packet from the breakfast or have lunch (soups recommended) in one of the new restaurants in the village. There is also a good little supermarket. In Sucevita you can order a lunch packet (pachet de pranz) from your pension or on the way back from the morning trip you may have a lunch stop in one of the restaurants. There are two little shops opposite the monastery, which are not very convincing. In Humor you may ask for a lunch packet (or on your Voronet walk you find a little supermarket in Voronet on the left hand side of the road).
On the walks you should take water with you.
Passports
Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all nationals referred to in the chart except:
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for the following lengths of visit:
(a) nationals of EU countries for a three-month period (those intending to stay for a longer period than three months must apply for a registration certificate issued by the Romanian Authority for Aliens);
(b) 2. nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA for touristic stays of up to three months.
Visa Note
Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements
| Passport Required? |
| British |
Yes |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
1 |
| Visa Required? |
| British |
No |
| Australian |
No/2 |
| Canadian |
No/2 |
| USA |
No/2 |
| Other EU |
No |
| Return Ticket Required? |
| British |
No |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
No |
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Hermannstaedter Reisen
strada Xenopol 20 550 159 Sibiu, Romania
Work phone :
Home phone :
Mobile :
Email : hermannstaedter_reisen@yahoo.de
Skype :
Website :
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Hermannstaedter Reisen
strada Xenopol 20 550 159 Sibiu, . Romania
Work phone : (+40) (0) 269 212289
Home phone : +49 7483 912684
Mobile :
Email : hermannstaedter_reisen@yahoo.de
Skype :
Website :
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Painted Monasteries of Romania
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