Romania: Danube Ferry Crossing

Here's a few pictures from a ferry crossing in Romania.  Below, the vehicles are being loaded onto the ferry:

Halfway through the 15-minute or so ferry ride across the river here:

 

And below we're approaching our landing site on the other side of the Danube:

 

After this, it was a shortish journey to the Bulgarian border, then Varna again.

Bucharest: The Stavropoleos Church

While in Bucharest Old Town, we visited the Stavropoleos (small Orthodox) church:

The shot below is of some unusual crosses in the courtyard of the church:

While the religious paintings below are on the ceiling immediately before you enter the church:

And the shot below is part of the carved wooden, door entrance to the church:

Just read on the internet that the Stavropoleos church dates back to the 1720s, but has had major repair work done to it since then.

Varna Museum of Archaeology and Thereabouts

The shot above is of Varna Museum of Archaeology, while the one below is of the Methodist church just round the corner from the Museum:

Found Varna a colourful and interesting city all round:

The monument below is dedicated to the locals who helped the Jews during the 2nd World War:

We didn't have enough time to go in the Museum of Archaeology, but had a quick look round the grounds outside, where there were a few small, old Roman exhibits on show:

Jassy/Lassy (Eastern Romania)

Here, on our recent coach tour, we found ourselves in the eastern Romanian city of Jassy (also known as Lassy).

Think that the massive building below may be the City Hall:

Of course, I can't pass a church without taking a shot:

A poignant moment here as the list below contains the names of 16 martyrs from the 1989 Romanian Revolution:
 

Since my earliest memories, I've always had a soft spot for the kind of 'horse race' fair ride below:

For some reason, this kind of fair ride often appears in my happiest dreams.

Have always had a soft for fountains too, and in a temperature of 35-40 degrees celsius, it was great to get the delicate splashing from the fountain below:

And one advantage of being on one of the top floors of a hotel is the panoramic-type shots you can get from there:

Revisualising the Deeply Vale Festival

So glad that some great guys sent these pictures from the late 1970s Deeply Vale Festival (in Bury/Rochdale) round the 'Old Bury' websites recently.  Having been about 12 in 1978, I can vaguely remember the stage being set up at Deeply Vale and maybe catching a bit of the music up there, but my memory really does fade.

Unfortunately, I never saw Steve Hillage's legendary performance at Deeply Vale (which is still held in massive reverence), but can remember the Bury Times having a huge, double-page, spread photo of Hillage live on stage  (not sure if my memory is playing tricks with me here, to be honest, but I'm about 80% sure).

Used to often go walking through Deeply Vale when I lived in Bury.

Varna: From Our Hotel Window

A few shots from our hotel window in Varna here, first zooming down on the small Orthodox church on the street (above), and then looking towards the Black Sea (below):

Just found Varna a picturesque place in all directions:

Finally, a shot with Varna docks in the distance:

Varna: The Top of the Opera Building

Back in Varna, Bulgaria, for a moment here with a shot of the top of the opera building. 

Romania: The Red Lake

A few shots from the Red Lake up in the eastern Carpathian Mountains in Romania here:
 

As you can see, wherever you look, this place is really picturesque:

Just read that the Red Lake gets its name from the oxides deposited inside it, and that nature formed it as the largest natural mountain lake in Romania in the first half of the 19th century.

Certainly is a nice place to have a relaxing stroll round:

And below, there is the name of the national park where the Red Lake is located:

Got this shot of a cross on a rock while driving away from the Red Lake, continuing into the eastern Carpathians in Romania:

Varna: Beautiful Bulgarian Food

How I miss the delicious and incredibly healthy food in Varna.  For me, if Varna is anything to go by, Bulgarian food is my favourite in the world.

Cricova Wine Cellars (Moldova): Yuri Gagarin's Legendary Visit

The picture of Yuri Gagarin above is positioned outside the wine-tasting room (below) at the Cricova underground wine cellar complex in Moldova:

Yuri Gagarin's picture holds pride of place here as he is said to have visited the Cricova underground wine cellar complex in 1966, where it is also said that after two days below ground, he had to be finally helped out of the complex.

Below, there is a shot from one of the ornate bathrooms (toilets) underground at Cricova:

When going on a guided tour through the Cricova wine tunnels, it's interesting to see which other famous people take (have taken) an interest in the wine down there:

In particular, Vladimir Putin is said to have spent his 50th birthday down in the Cricova wine tunnels.

Down in the wine tunnels, there are masses of bottles of wine, some of it 'dead' (no longer drinkable):

And at various points in the tunnels, the Cricova logo can be seen: