Autumn which looks like a summer and an unplanned trip to my childhood places gave me the pleasure of spending a few hours in one of my favorite cities in Romania.
Although I have lived in this country (where I was born) for almost 70 years I have to admit that I have not traveled very much and to very many places. I have, however, seen most of the major cities and I have a few favorites that are, at the same time, tourist places that are preferred by visitors. I can mention a few, in the hope that someone is looking for a place to visit in Romania and happens to find this blog and has the curiosity to read it, so...
Oradea, Timisoara, Cluj, Sibiu, Brasov, Iasi, Constanta, and Bucharest, which, even if not the most beautiful, is still the capital and where I live.
This time I made a short getaway to Iasi. Former capital of the historical region of Moldova and even of the Kingdom of Romania, this city is marked by history.
The pleasure of seeing the city again on a mild autumn day that looks more like summer at the end of the week. Fairs, exhibitions, and streets full of people attracted by the holiday atmosphere.
It was a good opportunity for me to take a lot of photos from which I will choose a few to replace the more difficult words. As they say that a photo is worth a thousand words I think these will best and truly show the atmosphere, places, and people I met...
Palace of Culture
The central area of the city is dominated by this building, a symbol of Iasi, which is the Palace of Culture. This building which was built to be the Palace of Justice at the beginning of the last century is now a huge museum housing important collections of Romanian and universal history and art.
This imposing building and its surrounding gardens are an important tourist attraction and look exactly like places in Central and Western Europe. In fact, the Palace of Culture in Iasi is at the top of the ranking of palaces of this kind in Europe.
The short time I had and the 400 km I had to travel that day to Bucharest prevented me from visiting the palace. Something else, easier to do, attracted me here.
Autumn Fair
A fair of wines and traditional folk products was set right on the plateau at the entrance to the palace.
Even though I now have to refrain from drinking alcohol I couldn't help but look at the wine bottles and the sometimes ingenious way they were displayed.
For me, the most interesting exhibits are... people. I like most when I can photograph people in such places or on the street. I think people can be a good indication of the quality of a place. That is if you can read body language, as it says...
Any fair of this kind is varied in its offerings, i.e. they strive to have something for everyone. Such as honey products, which are also popular with children.
Clay pots
Making clay pots is an ancient craft everywhere in the world, it is the same in Romania.
Fabrics
Fabrics and other handmade things, both for clothing and decorative. All are made in the traditional way, with traditional materials and tools.
Alexandru Lapusneanu Street
The central part of the city is largely pedestrianized. It is very well laid out and offers plenty of possibilities to have fun, shop, and relax. We left the place in front of the Palace of Culture and after a short walk of about 15 minutes we arrived on Alexandru Lapusneanu Street, an important street and for this reason it was named after a ruler of Moldavia who moved the capital of the province from Suceava to... Iasi thus boosting the rapid development of this city.
The street is full of antique shops, bookshops, exhibitions, terraces, and cafés. This is also where antique dealers come on weekends to get more eyes on their offer.
Children have their share of activities and have the opportunity to show off their drawing and painting skills.
Places where those interested are invited to exercise and sport. More by eye because the street is quite narrow and crowded...
This dance, movement, and fitness is appreciated by young people but the highlight of such weekend days in town are always the traditional folk customs and dances. The vast majority of city dwellers come from the countryside and they cannot forget these traditions. The folk costumes are really special...
Everybody has fun but some have work to do. Like this young singer who crosses Europe on his bike. He sings in the street and collects money for food and other small necessities. I've seen many young people doing this! I wouldn't have the courage... but I'm thinking with the brain of a 70-year-old man, an age when caution outweighs the desire for adventure.
But I've been working too. I took a lot of photos, an activity that even got me a... fan!
The gentleman in the photo below asked me to take a photo of him, impressed by my camera (which is not a great camera but which this man thought was professional).
I took his photo but without finding a way to send it to him. This one stayed with me as a reminder of this event, this walk, this short escapade in Iasi.
Alexandru Lapusneanu Street spills into one of the most important squares in the city.
Union Square
Next is Unirii Square(Union Square)! The most important square in the city and I can say in the whole country. That's because here was the first union of two of the three Romanian provinces: Moldova, Tara Romaneasca, and Transylvania.
The first union was made with Moldova and Romanian Country in 1859 when the United Principalities were born. The union was done in a unique way because there were elections for rulers in the two provinces and in both was elected the same ruler, Colonel Alexandru Ioan Cuza, whose statue is in the middle of the square.
The Colonel is long dead, only Romania and his bronze statue remain. Instead, the city's residents and tourists happily occupy this square. Children, their parents, pigeons...
Here a very nice young lady from Ireland sang for us. She's also on a trip around Europe. Living on music!
Green grass
After so many people, streets, and buildings I felt the need for some quiet, some green... grass! Grass that has already received the warning of autumn that is beginning to take hold of nature.
Iasi is a very green city with famous parks and gardens. Copou Park and the Botanical Garden are well known! Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to get to those places so I chose to see again the garden around the Palace of Culture.
Palace of Culture
It was a pleasant few hours spent in Iasi, on a beautiful autumn day. I reluctantly had to tear myself away from the idyllic setting and prepare to leave. I still had to drive over 400 km to Bucharest, and back home.
I started this story with the image of the Palace of Culture and I would be tempted to end it here, also with the image of the Palace of Culture... but I can't leave without a coffee. It's going to be a long and tiring drive.
I can't help remembering my café in Iasi, the place where I learned, in my old age, how to appreciate a real coffee!
My favorite cafe in this city and not only... I lived in Iasi for a year and spent my mornings here for coffee. I always come back to this place with the same pleasure when I happen to pass through Iasi.
This is how I spent a few hours in Iasi, one of the most important cities in Romania, a city increasingly sought after by tourists. I used many of the photos I took then. I found these photos much more necessary than other information and descriptions. I used 49 photos but I like round numbers and now I'm putting one more to make it 50!
If we agree with that saying that a photo is worth a thousand words, if we turned all the photos into words and added them to those already written it would result in a blog of over 50,000 words!!! A lot... or maybe a picture is less than a thousand words?
