Time to say goodbye... Cluj by night!

After more than 3 years the moment arrived where I have to say goodbye to Cluj as I am currently in the process of relocating to Germany. I had an excellent time here and with this panorama I'd like to say servus Cluj/Klausenburg/Kolosvar and to all the people who made this stay here so enjoyable! The shot was taken from the Feleacu hill - this is usually the first place where you spot the city when you approach the city from the south. In the center you can spot for example the Orthodox church or the Hotel Bellvedere. Unfortunately I messed the settings a little bit up so that not everything is clear in the image - apparently this setting showed the limits of my equipment ;)

One more time... time to say goodbye... perla de pe somes.

Turda Salt Mine

I was very surprised when I went last weekend to the Turda Salt Mine. I expected just like in some other Romanian museums to see something in a bad condition. Instead, everything was renovated (for a whopping 5 million euros) there and it got just reopened in 2010. This is a view from the top of into the main Hall.

The place was quite packed with tourists (also to my suprise) and it takes quite some time till you reach the main hall. Inside there I was really exited about the light installations. It was only then that I realized that I had forgotten my tripod :( which is very bad when you plan to take pictures under these light conditions.

Salt mining in this area has a history that goes back till Roman times. In modern times mining startet at the end of the 17th century. The main hall has the shape of a bell and that's exactly the shape that was created by mining. For the museum it was extended with a gallery.

You can choose weather you like to use the newly installed lifts or to climb the stairs. The main hall is roughly 90m high.

As you can see there is even salt lake in the mine on which you can take a trip by rowing boat.

So there is plenty of stuff to see but what the mine actually lacks is a bit the museum side you don't get too much of the history of the mine nor how the salt was mined. There are some paper sheets at the entrance but in rest you'll probably need a guide or web research before ;)

RITTO 2010 Table Tennis Tournament Cluj

From Thursday till today Cluj hosted at Sala Spoturilor again the Romanian International Table Tennis Open (RITTO). It is a tournament specially for people with disabilities of different degree. The tournament was supported by the Little People NGO here in Cluj. It was very interesting to see so many sports men and women from different countries get together (full-screen here). Congratulations to all who participated!

Views from Iulius Mall on a cold afternoon

Since a couple of days it got really cold especially taking into account that May in Romania usually means (very) warm weather. Last weekend I took two panorama shots at Iulius Mall. It is one of the two big malls in Cluj. Located at the eastern side of the city you get a nice view over to the neighbouring quarters.

In the first panorama you can spot the city center on the left side with the university opposite to the mall to the blocks of Marasti city quarter with its block of flats. At the mall there are two small artificial lakes which are also good for ice skating in winter.

The next panorama connects directly from the eastern suburbs up to Feliacu hill. As you can see construction in this area is still continuing.

Unlike the historic city center of Cluj the Marasti suburb was only extended in the process of industrialisation starting in the 1970s. Finally, I took a detail shot representing for me the cold weather of that day perfectly.

Cloudy Landscape close to Vestem

On the weekend I stopped over close Veştem where you get a beautiful view on the Fagaras Mountains which are part of the Romanian Carpathians (full-screen here). If you take a look to the left you can spot the some cars which go along the E81 European road in direction to Brasov. The landscape - typical for this part of Transylvania - is a mix of fertile fields and forests limited only by hills and mountains.

Cluj Orthodox Cathedral (Night)

A night shot of the Cluj Orthodox Cathedral. Just in the lower right you can spot the Communist style Avram Iancu monument - a Romanian National Hero of the 19th century.

Cluj - City of wires

One of major issue one realizes in Romania is the enormous number of wires one can spot. This is mostly because there are almost no subterranean wires. This junction near Mihai Viteazu place is really a nice spot with the BT Building on the right. The junction is additionally crossed by the tram increasing the number of wires ;) To be continued...

Cluj, up from the hill

Cluj is situated in a valley between two steep hills north and south of the city. This is my favorite site in Cluj on the northern hill near the Dambul Rotund quarter (full-screen here). Unlike other areas in Cluj e.g. Faget it's not so accessible (by car) and that leaves a beautiful, uncrowded spot. Unfortunately, most time of the year the view is not very clear mostly on windy days only. This area is also covered by fruit trees which make a trip even more worthwhile. On the Panorama, you can spot also the two major suburbs east (Marasti) and west (Manastur) with its Communist style housing blocks.

Taverna Terrace Bar Cluj

One of the nice spots in Cluj right now is the terrace bar "Taverna" situated at Clinicilor Street almost in the center of the city. It has a very nice atmosphere with a lot of fruit trees like an orchard.

It was extended this year and the only downsides are the speed of service :( and the lack of local Romanian beer if you don't consider "Skol" a fair contender.

Three shots from Iuliu Maniu Street

Iuliu Maniu Street connects within the Cluj city center two of the most prominent spots St. Michaels Cathedral and the Orthodox Cathedral.

Unfortunately, like everywhere else in Romania parking is forbidden in places like these but people take it rather easy. Lately authorities started to tow away cars :)