Travel tips to European Countries: Romania

About the county

Lying in the Southeastern Europe Romania is slowly emerging from the shackles of its dark history. Modern Romania was formed by merging two Principalities i.e. Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 which were ruled by Ottoman Empire for centuries before. Romania is bordered by Moldova, Ukraine, the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary. Bucharest is the capital of Romania. Transylvania and Moldavia constitute the northern half of the country. Romanias main attractions include Black Sea Coast, the Carpathian Mountains and Transylvania. The Black Sea Coast is popular for its white sandy beaches and offers a perfect experience for families. The Carpathian Mountains are beautiful and covered by dense forests which offer skiing opportunities. There are many health resorts also in Romania. Transylvania is popular for Romanian Spas which have been known for its many healing powers. Local food specialty includes cuisines like ciorba de perisoare (soup with meatballs), ciorba tanancasca (meat with vegetables), lamb bors, giblet soup and a variety of fish soups.

Population & Languages

The population of Romania is around 22.5 million and the official language being spoken is Romanian. The other popular languages are Hungarian and German.

Electricity

The voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The types of plug used are round pin with attachment and "Schuko" plug and receptacle with side grounding contacts.

Geographic Location

It is located in Southeastern Europe bordering the Black Sea between Bulgaria and Ukraine. It is bordered by Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and Bulgaria to the south. Carpathian Mountains pass through the center of Romania.

Climate

The climate of Romania can be termed as Temperate and it has four seasons. While spring and autumn are cool and pleasant. Summers are very short and hot occurring in July and August. The winters can be harsh and cold with snowfall between December and March. The best months to visit Romania are May and June and September and October.

Local Customs

Handshaking is the common custom. It is also customary to kiss when being introduced to a woman. Mostly all normal European customs apply to Romania also. Dressing is conservative and casual. Smoking is prohibited on public transportation vehicles and theaters. Romanians like smoking themselves and thus like if you gift them cigarettes. Tipping is 5 to 10 percent in restaurant, hotels and taxis.

Attractions

Bucharest: Once used to be known as Paris of the East the city of Bucharest is a city of lights bustling with cafes, night clubs and restaurants. It also has Romanian Opera House and a huge National Museum. The historic sites include the Palace of Parliament, Old Court Church and Athenee Palace Hotel.
Brasov: Not to be missed places are Castles in Transylvania which include Bran Castle, Rasnov Castle and also do miss to see Sighisoara about 90 miles from Brasov, the birth place of Vlad tepes.
Romanian Riviera: This is along the coast of Black Sea which is huge tourist attraction. It is also home to several resorts and Romanian spas famous for their healing powers.

Travel

By Air  The national airline of Romania is Tarom. Many popular airlines that fly to Bucharest include Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa and Swiss. The biggest airport is Bucharest Otopeni Airport which is located like 10 miles north of the city.

By Sea  Constanta is the major port on the Black Sea. Currently no ferries are being operated. But there are many cruises available which stop at various points of tourist interest like Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Bazias, Giurgiu, Calafat and Bucharest.

By Rail  There is an international service to Bucharest from Western Europe which runs only in summer months i.e. from June to September, the name of the train service is Wiener Waltzer.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 200 gm tobacco
2. 200g cocoa and 200g coffee
3. Perfumes, medicines and souvenirs
4. Two cameras, One small movie camera, Twenty Four cassettes, One portable radio, One TV set, One tape recorder, One pair of binoculars and One typewriter.
5. Gifts up to 175

Prohibited Items
Un-canned goods, meat or dairy products, Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

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Wish For Bangladesh

Wish For Bangladesh

Bangladesh Informations

Bangladesh emerged as an independent and sovereign country in 1971 following a ninemonth war of liberation. It is one of the largest deltas of the world with a total area of 147,570 sq. km. With a unique communal harmony, Bangladesh has a population of about 142 million, making it one of the densely populated countries of the world. The majority (about 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English, however, is widely spoken. The country is covered with a network of rivers and canals forming a maze of interconnecting channels.
Bangladesh has a glorious history and rich heritage. Once it was known as ‘Sonar Bangla’ or the Golden Bengal. The territory now constituting Bangladesh was under the Muslim rule for over five and a half centuries from 1201 to 1757 AD. Subsequently, it came under the British rule following the defeat of the sovereign ruler, Nawab Sirajuddaula, at the battle of Palassey on 23 June, 1757. The British ruled over the Indian sub-continent including this territory for nearly 190 years from 1757 to 1947. During that period, Bangladesh was a part of the British Indian provinces of Bengal and Assam. With the termination of British rule in August 1947, the sub-continent was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Bangladesh formed a part of Pakistan and was called ‘East Pakistan’. It remained so for about 24 years from August 14, 1947 to March 25, 1971. Bangladesh liberated on December 16, 1971 following the victory of the War of Liberation and appeared on the world map as an independent and sovereign country.The country is the pioneer in micro-credit concept for poverty reduction, which brought the Nobel Prize in Peace for the country in 2006. The founder of world reputed Grameen Bank Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the Nobel laureate.

The Natural Beauty Of Bangladesh

Have you thought of a dream holiday where you see yourself on that very attractive magical coastline with very beautiful features like those in the fairy tales? Did you know that such features really exist on this very planet?

Talking of wonderful eye-catching sites let us take a trip to the North Eastern part of south Asia and land safely in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet: Bangladesh. The country is surrounded by some of the most prominent geographical features studied worldwide. To the north of Bangladesh are the famous Himalayas while the bay of the Bengal borders her from the South. To her East is the hilly region of Tripura, India and Myanmar. Finally to her West lies the west Bengal. Together these features form a low lying plain in between that is the country in their midst; Bangladesh.

The plain between all these features has plenty of rivers flowing across it forming a nice natural beautiful pattern of rivers and streams network. Padma, Meghna, Kamafull and Brahmaputra are the major rivers in this very beautiful land.

History goes hand in hand with the Natural Beauty of Bangladesh. Talking of historical sites she has quite a number of rich archeological sites to offer. This includes the Paharpur, Maianamati, Sonargaon among many others.

It also has a historical mosques and monuments. The sixty Dome mosque built in the 15th century is the largest historical in Bangladesh as well as the words heritage is situated in Bagerhat. It is also upheld for an outstanding architectural value. However, the Shait Gombuj mosque is the most magnificent and the largest brick mosque surviving in the country.

Bangladesh is not just named a natural beauty for nothing this is a title that it has fought for through its great and eye catching extraordinary features. She happens to be the home to the world's longest natural beach in the whole world. The land is mainly covered by plant cover as most of the people practice Agriculture.

Apart from the natural beauty of Bangladesh brought forth by the flora in the country, the country also has a great deal of wildlife. She is the home of the dhole; the most endangered Asiatic top predator that is on the edge of extinction. It also has the Asian elephant which is the largest mammal. Finally she has the Bengal tiger which is the national animal of the country. The next time you thinking of spending time in a beautiful place where you will be able to watch and appreciate nature's beauty, think of Bangladesh.