Category: Travel
Goodbye Romania, Hello Rome!
Posted Friday, May 29, 2009 by Pamela Nisivaco
Many of our readers may be wondering why a group of journalists covering various topics in Romania would be jetting off to Rome to finish their reporting. Well, the relations between Italians and Romanians living in Italy have been quite tense. Find out why this is when you continue reading by clicking on the link below.
Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007 created many opportunities for Romanians to work abroad in other EU states and make more many than in their own country. While these opportunities benefit Romanians, countries such as Italy are not pleased with the sudden influx of foreigners looking for jobs.
That is not the only problem unfortunately. In certain areas of Italy, high crime rates are attributed to Romanian communities that have settled there. Romanians claim it is not them, but the Roma, or gypsy, community from Romania that are committing these crimes. Romanians view Roma as a completely different race of people and do not want them associated with Romanians. Basically, all these different groups are simply pointing fingers at one another, rather than trying to find a reasonable solution to the problem.
So, with Romanians being a minority in Italy who are blamed for many problems in certain Italian communities, we have come here to reveal what it is like to be a Romanian in Italy living under these oppressive conditions. Many of the topics we are covering in Romania also deal with the fact that a large majority of the Romanian population has chosen to go abroad to work and make more money since Romania obtained EU status in 2007. Some of them chose to come to Rome, but they are not always welcome.
After leaving Cluj Friday, May 29, we arrived in Rome. I think we all hope that we have gathered enough information from Romania for our stories, but we are also nervous to begin covering the Rome aspect. Our itinerary has us scheduled to eat at a Romanian restaurant in Italy on evening. I think many of us are hoping to find potential sources there, or, at the very least, some contacts who can put us in touch with sources for our stories. So, continue to follow our blog as we continue with the next leg of our journey: “Revealing Romania” in Italy.
To learn more about the tensions in Italy due to a high rate of Romanian migration, please visit a few of the links I have provided below.
http://www.romanianewswatch.com/2007/11/italy-romania-seek-to-ease-tension-over.html
http://europeanfoundation.blogspot.com/2007/12/racial-tensions-flare-up-in-italy.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7079769.stm
Cluj-Napoca—Illinois Connection
Posted Tuesday, May 26, 2009 by Luke Cleary
Did you know our latest stop in Romania has a sister city in Illinois?
Cluj-Napoca is a sister city to which Illinois city?
Write your comment below, then read more for the answer.
Rockford, Illinois. Cluj, Romania. Cities separated by thousands of miles, but connected by a special diplomatic bond. Sister Cities International is an American organization developed during the Eisenhower Administration. The objective, according to the Sister Cities International website, is to build municipal partnerships between cities in America and cities abroad. Rockford’s travel website outlines some of the qualities the two cities share. Among them, renowned botanical gardens.
Rockford and Cluj formed their bond in 2005.
Other notable sister city relationships in Romania include Bucharest and Atlanta, GA; and Brasov and Cleveland, OH.
No End in Sight
Posted Saturday, May 23, 2009 by Karis Morrall
The historic area of Lipscani in downtown Bucharest is well-known for its little shops, restaurants and night clubs. But now plastic bottles and other trash line the deep trenches in the middle of the streets. Pedestrians walk on make-shift plank “boardwalks” above the mud and rubbish.
Lipscani is the story of renovation gone awry. According to an article in The Diplomat, the city of Bucharest hired a Spanish company, Sedesa, to repair the area in 2008. The project was supposed be finished in June of 2008. But various problems sparked delays in the construction, including an archeological discovery underneath one of the streets. The mayor of the city altered his plans, and decided to build an intricate glass sidewalk above the ruins, complete with lighting. But construction stalled. City officials blamed Sedesa for slow progress, and Sedesa blamed the city government for poor management. Early this year, Bucharest and Sedesa terminated their contract.
Alex Sandu works at the Rembrandt Hotel, which is located near Lipscani Street. He says workers began repairing the streets last fall. However, he says, "Three months ago, [the construction workers] just stopped and everyone vanished." Meanwhile, many of Lipscani’s famous boutiques and other businesses are packing up and leaving the area. We saw many recently-closed shops. It’s easy to see why they leave—the site is dirty and dangerous. (Kirstin fell into a hole last night, and many of us have almost done the same!) It’s a shame, because the area looks like it has such potential. Lipscani was a major marketplace during the Middle Ages, and it has a unique old-world flair. However, until the city figures out what to do about Lipscani, the area remains in limbo. "I don’t know how long it will stay like this," says Dragos Pavel, another worker at the Rembrandt Hotel.
5 Things We Discovered in Romania
Posted Friday, May 22, 2009 by Breana Lee Coco-Marks
On our first day in Bucharest, Romania, we found various interesting things. We noticed numerous cars parked anywhere and everyone. For example, on sidewalks, in the middle of streets, and inches away from one another. Something to take note of was the culture of drivers not stopping for anyone, the U.S Embassy advised us to look both ways when crossing the street… they weren’t kidding. If you are crossing the street and a car sees you, it does not slow down. In fact, they just might speed up!
We were excited to leave the tornadoes behind in Illinois and come to the 80 degree Romanian weather.
As mentioned in a previous blog, walking the streets of Romania you will find many flower stands on the street corners. If you want to know more about the traditions Romanians have about flowers, check out the other posts.
Also, one of the first things noticed, by myself and the rest of the group was the abundance of casinos seen on every street. One of our cab drivers said on the first day laughed at our comments about the casinos and said, “Yes, it is like Vegas here, but much less money.”
Lastly, after our long day at the Embassy and being warned about Romanian stray dogs, Shaina decided to attempt to capture a photo of a stray dog in front of the television station. Apparently, you must as the stray dogs for permission to take there photo because once they heard the click of the camera they became territorial and scared us away.
So far in Bucharest it is very interesting and based off our first day, we have a lot to learn 
View my slide show here!:
View my slide show here!
Touring and Tasting Romanian Wines near Ploesti
Posted Friday, May 22, 2009 by John D Paul
On Friday, two of us toured the Halewood vineyards and estate in the Delau Mare region of Romania, north of Bucharest. Halewood is a British owned wine company which produces several wines, including Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, sparkling rose, Merlot and a wine native to Romania called Feteascu Negra. Halewood is considered one of the “new” wineries in Romania, which began to grow in the late 1990s when privatization of the wine industry began in earnest.
The Delau Mare is considered Romania’s best region for red wines. Halewood wine executives Mihai Chitic and Valentin Resteman led the vineyard tour. We saw nearly 150 hectares of planted vineyard where the grapes are still very tiny, less than the size of a peppercorn, caper or BB. Chitic told me he believes there is great potential to increase the sale of Romanian wines, especially to the US, if the wine owners did a better job marketing their products overseas. The Halewood executives say the company currently exports about 62% of its wines.
Questionable Bucharest Taxi Drivers
Posted Friday, May 22, 2009 by Karis Morrall
Every time I ride a cab in Romania, I feel like I’m in a Jason Bourne movie. The cars zip down one-way, more than 100 year old streets, and Romanians have exceptionally creative ways of cutting people off. There are no clear traffic signals, and very few actual lanes. Sometimes I feel like it’s just a mash of cars, each trying to move in different directions. According to a Romanian newspaper, The Diplomat, the country has the EU’s highest rate of car accidents.
But I like riding in cabs—I feel like I’m in a high-speed pursuit. It’s exciting, and the drivers are always very nice. However, as Professor Nancy Benson and I discovered, not every Romanian taxi driver is reputable.
Rule number one when driving in a taxi in Romania: make sure the car has a meter. Midway through my ride this morning, I realized that our cab was missing one. I meant to ask the taxi driver about it, but my time was spent trying to keep him awake while he drove. Because I had the front seat, I had to tap his shoulder every time he nodded off at the wheel. I don’t blame him for being tired—he said that he usually works about 16 hours a day.
Sure enough, when we arrived at the Soros Foundation, the cabbie tried to scam us. He scribbled a few numbers on a piece of paper and told us that we owed him 25 lei, which is equivalent to about $8.00. In Chicago, that would be a reasonable amount. But, in Romania, most rides are about 9 lei, or $3.
After several exclamations of “Nu!” from Professor Benson and me, he was willing to barter. “For you ladies, only 20 lei.”
We gave him 10 lei and hopped out of the cab before he could protest.
Revealing Romania: The Journey
Posted Friday, May 22, 2009 by Luke Cleary
What was it like to travel the 5,200 miles from Champaign-Urbana to Bucharest? Click below to watch “The Journey.”
A nat-sound report (that is, without narration—only naturally captured audio and video) is, I think, an art form. Pictures and sounds are pure, sewn together without aid of a reporter’s velvety voice nudging the story along. Maybe you’ve been there before. Hours of downtime scrounging up food that’s over-priced and low-quality. A glowing fluorescent haze. Recycled air. Uncomfortable benches fitted with armrests that prevent you from laying down and stretching your legs, and smelly, irritated people just like you glaring at one another. Such is life for the international traveller. Crossing eight time zones in eight hours is dizzying. A mild, sleep-deprived delirium sets in. Questions like, "wait, when was yesterday?" don’t sound quite so absurd. Here, please find the oddity of international air-travel below.
Revealing Romania Journey:
Revealing Romania Journey
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