My memory is selective and independent and I don't know on what criteria it decides what to keep and what will be erased forever. It retains both pleasant memories and some that I would prefer to forget.
The memories I would like to forget, even if my memory doesn't let me, I can still ignore them and not bring them back into my life. I want to keep the fond memories that I like to relive, aided by photographs when possible...
In the category of pleasant memories fall most memories from holidays and travels.
I was lucky enough to work, in a city other than the one I lived in, for almost a year, many years ago.
It was nice, and it was beautiful. I worked in a cultural field in one of the most beautiful cities in Romania.
Located in the northeast of Romania, Iasi is a city characterized by culture, history, spirituality, and education. It is considered the historical capital of Romania and is full of young people, both because of its universities and because it is a strong IT hub.
The Palace of Culture is the symbolic building of the city
The time I lived in Iasi often appears in my memories as a much more beautiful and pleasant time than I felt then. Now, more than five years after I left there, I still consider that I lived one of the best times of my life.
Although I have a tired and dull memory I remember what I did and how I lived, helped by the thousands of photos I was inspired to take. I could re-compose many of the most pleasant moments and I think I will do that through several presentations of this city, but now I will show a little of a special place.
Because it's spring, it's the Botanical Gardens!
In Iasi there is not only the most beautiful, but also the oldest and most extensive botanical garden.
Summer is hot in Iasi. On weekends, my wife and I choose the coolness of the botanical garden.
The garden has been laid out in a forest where paths lead through trees that keep the coolness in.
Nature was left almost untouched and I didn't get the feeling that it was a place altered by humans.
It is, however, a neat and well-kept place. More than a hundred years old, the trees planted there have taken on the consistency of a forest. A beautiful forest!
The garden has an area of 80 hectares. It's so big you have to book a whole day if you want to see it all. The ideal place to walk...
I started the memories of these forests because I remembered the pleasure of the natural coolness of the shade of the trees, so pleasant on a hot summer afternoon.
Leaving the forest, let's call it wild, we also come across well laid out and aligned places, after the English model.
At the end of the alley are the flowers, the real stars of the botanical garden...
There is a place with a hibiscus. A variety of hibiscus with large flowers. A Mediterranean variety that I had never seen before.
Hardy Hibiscus
The term "hardy hibiscus" generally refers to cultivars of Hibiscus moscheutos that are bred to tolerate colder temperatures than most Hibiscus species, most of which are tropical species. These cold-hardy varieties are also known as "perennial hibiscus." Most hardy hibiscus will reliably tolerate winter temperatures as far north as zone 5, but even zone 4 gardeners may be able to find varieties suitable for their growing conditions.source
The Hibiscus Alley was my favorite that summer. Almost every weekend was spent at the botanical garden.
The botanical garden in Iasi is in the Copou district, an old part of the city full of beautiful houses and gardens. There are several parks, terraces, cafes, and various Sunday fairs here.
It is one of the places to relax, perhaps the most beautiful place to relax, in the city. It is the place I miss the most and it brings back the most pleasant memories.
It's been more than five years since I last went to Iasi, and I promise to go again every year. So far I have not kept my promise but I have a feeling that this year I will succeed!
