Tag: visitors

  • Harghita County, a family destination

    Harghita County, a family destination

    Hello, dear friends and
    welcome to another travel feature on Radio Romania International. This is DB at
    the microphone and today we invite you to the county of Harghita, located in Romania’s
    central region. Here one can find the only volcanic lake in eastern Europe, the
    St. Anne Lake as well as the Praid salt mine, a genuine salt town at a depth of
    120 meters from the surface. The region offers excellent conditions for mountain
    hiking and is famous for its ski slopes very appreciated by winter sports
    lovers.


    Mezey Zsolt, project manager
    with the Intercommunity Development Association has told us that all the travel programmes
    here are very safe and family-friendly.




    Mezey Zsolt: My
    first suggestion is the Salt Land because here we are running a series of activities
    aimed at introducing several trades and involving visitors in them, based on
    the old principle, which says that ‘learning is doing’. This is an
    unforgettable experience because tourists are being assisted by professionals
    while getting involved in several activities related to one trade or another. Visitors
    can participate in pottery for instance, so they can take home the object they have
    created with their own hands. Then we invite visitors to bake the famous kürtőskalacs
    or polish aragonite jewels. You can find more details on our webpage at visitharghita.com.




    Harghita has lots to offer
    in terms of adventure tourism as well. Here is again at the microphone Mezey Zsolt,
    project manager with the Intercommunity Development Association.




    Mezey Zsolt: An experience
    which is becoming increasingly popular is via ferrata. The name originates in the
    Italian Dolomites and initially was a military infrastructure. It is actually a
    climbing route that employs steel cables, rungs or ladders fixed to rocks. The
    Gheorgheni-Red Lake route includes our via ferrata infrastructure dubbed ‘Wild
    Ferenc’ on the south-western side of Suhardul Mic Mountain. This route is 200
    meter long and 170 meters above the ground. Another suchlike infrastructure can
    be found on the Sugau Gorges nature reserve and is known as Astragalus. With a total
    length of 700 meters, it has five routes 285 meters from the ground. But I
    believe the most beautiful of them all is in the Corbu village and it is known
    as ‘The Hawks’ Stone’. This route, which covers 150 meters, includes a
    suspended 15-meters long bridge and a vertical section with stairs. This
    programme is available between April and November but it very much depends on
    the weather. For more information, videos and photos of the aforementioned
    routes visit our webpage at visitharghita.com.




    Another novel experience
    would be a trip to a genuine sheepfold, where one can learn first hand about
    this ancient trade and traditions related. Here visitors can enjoy a rich traditional
    meal consisting of several courses of delicious bio food. Specialised guides
    will be accompanying you on your trip and if you feel like getting a bit of an
    adrenaline rush, the region offers proper conditions for trips in 4×4 vehicles.
    Here is again at the microphone Mezey Zsolt.




    Mezey
    Zsolt: In a well-equipped terrain vehicle, you can explore
    the Hasmas Mountains and the Bicazului Gorges. Upon request, the experience can
    be completed by a via-ferrata route in the region but there are also other
    routes available in various transport vehicles, such as the Unimog. A historical
    route can be covered in this vehicle or in a ZIL 157, an army truck built in
    the former USSR, which we have dubbed ‘the crocodile’. A 6×6 terrain vehicle
    offers safety and comfort, and the routes have been chosen in such a way to
    offer access to breath-taking views and other interesting spots along the way. We
    also have a one-hour guided tour of the botanical reserve at Tinov Mohos, which
    is very interesting especially for kids as it takes them through an area, which
    is a remnant of the Ice Age, where they can see carnivorous plants and other
    rare species. Like I said, many of these plant species are dating back to the Ice
    Age and I would invite visitors in the area to also take a boat trip on the St.
    Anne Lake, as this experience has lately become very popular with families in
    general. The boats are big enough to take 3-4 people who are required to wear
    life vests, which come in all sizes.


    Such a family-friendly
    programme is the animal park of Babusgató, where children can interact with
    animals and spend a great time. As we all know, animal therapy has been largely
    used around the world with great effects on patients. Here is again at the
    microphone Mezey Zsolt




    Mezey Zsolt: Here children can see and
    even touch deer, Icelandic horses, rabbits and other cute animals. Another
    family-friendly experience is the bob-sleigh race, which is actually crossing areas
    of breath-taking beauty. There are three bob-sleigh tracks here, including a
    summer one, 15 hundred meter long, which can be accessed by means of the ski
    lifts and I would like to inform you that the track in Toplita is the longest
    in Romania stretching over almost 18 hundred meters. Most of it crosses a
    forest and the bob-sleigh gains a speed of 40 kilometers an hour. Children with
    ages between three and eight can enjoy this experience only if accompanied by adults.
    The oldest track, located in the commune of Ghimes has recently become an
    attraction for thrill-seeking tourists, who have described the landscapes here
    as similar to those they have seen in Austria or Switzerland.




    Tourists
    visiting the area are also offered another option; that of taking a one-day
    tour of Transylvania, by visiting a multi-cultural theme park entitled
    Mini-Transylvania, showcasing replicas of the main historical buildings in this
    part of Romania. The park is located close to Odorheiu Secuiesc and covers a
    surface of eight thousand square meters. (bill)

  • GAUDEAMUS Radio Romania Book Fair 2016 5 days, 850 events, 125,000 visitors

    GAUDEAMUS Radio Romania Book Fair 2016 5 days, 850 events, 125,000 visitors

    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair 2016 took place between November 16th — 20th, in the Central Pavilion of Romexpo Exhibitions Centre. The event, having reached its 23rd edition, is the only book fair in the world initiated and organized by a public radio service: Radio Romania.



    GAUDEAMUS 2016 highlights:


    125,000 visitors 300 exhibitors from 5 countries: Romanian and foreign publishing houses, book distribution agencies, educational institutions, professional associations, cultural and educational non-governmental organizations, museum, libraries 850 accompanying events — book launchings, book signing sessions, professional debates and forums, creative workshops etc.



    The Guest of Honour of GAUDEAMUS 2016 was CHINA. The most complex Guest of Honour presence in the history of the fair, the Chinese participation was organized by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of China, through China National Publications Import Export (Group) Corporation.



    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair 2017 will be organized by Radio Romania between November 22nd — 26th. The Guest of Honour of the 24th edition will be the United States of America.



    GAUDEAMUS International Book and Education Fair is part of the READING Program initiated and organised by Radio Romania since 1994. The READING Program is a complex cultural project of national amplitude aiming to support the Romanian written culture through exhibition-type events dedicated to books and education. After over 20 years, GAUDEAMUS stands for 96 book fairs organized in Bucharest and throughout the country, over 2,7 million visitors and approximately 11,300 accompanying cultural events. These numbers confirm Radio Romania’s position as national leader of the book fairs market.