Photos of Suceava’s Castle, North Romania

The citadel was a fortified castle erected by Petru I Musat as a princely residence in the capital. He moved here in 1388. The citadel is a vast building shaped as a regular quadrilateral strengthened in the corners and the middle of the sides by square towers. Above spacious vaulted cellars there stood interior constructions: the apartments of the Prince and of the Princess, reception halls and a chapel. In 1400, Prince Alexandru the Kind put the finishing touches on the castle, working on the interior decoration and expanding the defense system.
Thus, the edifice was turned into a citadel with extremely important military functions. In his turn, Stephen the Great (1457-1504) erected a new series of thick walls (4-m)all around the citadel enforced by seven semi-cylindrical bastions, also adequate for the artillery. The western side of these walls is united with the three-tower side, making a powerful watch “crown” dominating the valley of Suceava and its neighborhood and allowing a wide vista. In the same period the buildings inside were rearranged with glazed-brick flooring and terra-cotta-clad walls and fireplaces.
On a plateau one kilometer away, there stood the second and the third lines of defense fortifications, made up of pits and deep trenches, designed to stop the advance of invaders. Although besieged several times (among the biggest sieges there were two by the Turks in 1476 and 1485), the citadel could never be taken. At the demand of the Turks (to whom some of the Princes were vassals) Alexandru Lapusneanu (1564) and later on Dumitrascu Cantacuzino (1675) burned and pulled the city down.
The restoration of the citadel began in the first years of the 20th Century under the guidance of Austrian architect, Romstorfer, and has continued through current times in parallel with archaeological digs.

Main gate of the castle, the sign indicates the price for entry about 25.000 lei for adult without taking photos.

Inside of castle tower. You can notice the white line which indicates the after and before restauration.

Suceava, North East Romania

Located in the North-East of Romania, with roots going back to the far Palaeolithic (100,000-10,000 BC), Suceava county’s evolution marked the history of the Romanians with significant moments. This space was the cradle of the first centralised state of Moldavia (1359) with illustrious founders of European civilisation and fearless fighters who defended their ancestors’ land such as Bogdan I the Founder (1359-1365); Petru Musat (1375-1391); Alexander the Good (1400-1432); and, last but not least, the great hero of independence Stephen the Great and Holy (1457-1504). Attractive due to its riches and easy trade routes towards the East, this part of the country had often been ravaged by invaders, its territory crippled by neighbours, eventually torn away by the greedy Austrian Empire under the rule of which it stayed for 150 years (1868-1918). The post-war treaties failed to restore the historical rights of Bucovina.
Suceava county lies in the north-eastern part of Romania and borders on Ukraine to the North, Neamt and Mures counties to the South, Ukraine to the East and Maramures and Bistrita counties to the West. The county has an area of 8,553.50 sq km. The municipalities of Suceava, Falticeni, Campulung Moldovenesc and Radauti, and the towns of Vatra Dornei, Siret and Solca are the major settlements of the county. The municipality of Suceava, the county seat, has 120,000 inhabitants. Suceava county has approximately 700,000 inhabitants of which 250,000 in the urban area and 450,000 in the rural area. The climate is temperate and humid, with average annual temperature of 8°C. Hills and mountains are the predominant forms of relief while 54 per cent of the county’s area is covered by forests. Arable land covers an area of 1,813 sq km and the hydrographic basin includes some 136 sq km of rivers and ponds.

This is the Suceava county for the visitors of this part of Romania, known as Bucovina.. A birthplace of an old civilization, the Suceava county is situated in the North-Eastern part of Romania and on the first places as concerns its surface, number of inhabitants, and economic, tourist and human potential. The relief is a mountain and hilly one, with wonderful landscapes, with a dense hydrographic network, fast waters flow on sunny valleys. The hundred thousand tourists who visit yearly this county is explained by its geographic position at a cross of roads between North and South, East and West, its neighborhood with Ukraine, Poland, Republic of Moldova as well as to its wonderful landscapes, numberless cultural and historic monuments and artistic and folk life. A specific feature of this county is that on a not big surface there is a great number of tourist attractions. There are here good facilities for the summer and winter sports, for hunting and fishing, as well as for rest in large oasis of calm. The mountains of Suceava has natural varied and attractive places. A wonderful route is the one to the Calimani volcanic massif (Pietrosul Calimanilor - 2102 m above sea level), or to the Giumaslau and Rarau massive, the last one being known for its karst relief. Some wonderful landscapes are offered by the narrow pathes of the Bistrita Aurie River, Upper Valley of Moldova and Suceava Rivers. This county has large natural reservations of flora and fauna (stag, roebuck, bear, wild boar, capercaillie, lynx).

There are numberless landscapes which can be compared with the ones from Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain, a.o. The ecological value and proverbial hospitality of peoples create good conditions to integrate this Dornele zone into the world net of mountain values. Among the 35 natural monuments and natural reservations, the century-old forests from Slatioara (600 ha with spruce fir trees which are over 400 years old) offers a remarkable view of the pure nature. Among the vestiges perfectly integrated into the nature, a special mention has to be done in connection with the painted monuments which are included by the UNESCO among the masterprices of the world art.

Among these monuments, the Voronet Monastery (148 is shinning like a sapphire. At little distances one to another, there are reknown medieval orthodox foundations: Humor (1530), Moldovila (1532), Sucevita (1584) Monasteries visited by art and beauty lovers. Also here they are the Dragomirna Monastery (1609), an embroidery in stone, the Putna Monastery (1469) built by great Voivode Stefan cel Mare, this being also his grave. Other monasteries of a great historic and orthodox value are the ones situated in the Stanisoara area: Slatina, Rasca and Pobota Monasteries. The municipality of Suceava, the capital city of this county gathers about all creative and productive fields of activity which put into account the rich economic resources of Bucovina. A possible tourist route comprises the Princely Fortress of Suceava, the Sf. Ioan Monastery in Zamca, the Saint Dumitru, Holy Resurrection, Miruli medieval Churches. A point of interest is also the National Museum of Bucovina with its valuable historic and archaeology exhibits. Other towns are interesting by their specific features: Campulung Moldovenese, the socalled Helvetian pearl of Bucovina, founded by ruler Alexandru cel Bun, and the municipality of Radauti, reknown by its fair. For the lovers of literature, a stop in the municipality of Falticeni (a real Weimar of Romania) also called “the town of outstanding peoples”. Here there are Ciprian Porumbescu’s museum, Nicolae Labis’ memorial house in Malini, or the folk zones of Ciocanesti, Vatra Moldoviei, Fundu Moldovei, Vama, Putna, Straja. A special place has the village of Marginea where skilful potters make the famous black pottery known all over the world.

Sofia, Bulgaria

very nice city, although its a capital it still has something about countryside, and then its has the mix of the orient versus the Occident.

a bit of history:

Sofia has a history that goes back thousands of years. Through the centuries, many peoples have inhabited it and added to its rich and diverse history. Numerous Neolithic villages have been discovered in the area, while a chalocolithic settlement has been recently discovered in the very center of modern Sofia.

The Thracian Serdi tribe settled here in the 7th century BC and gave the first recorded name of Sofia - Serdica. The Byzantines called it Triaditsa and the Slavs - Sredets. The modern city of Sofia was named in the 14th century after the basilica St. Sofia. In Greek, word sofia means wisdom. In the 3rd century AD, the Romans built strong walls around Serdica, their capital of Inner Dacia and an important stopping point on the Roman road from Naisus (present Nish, Yugoslavia) to Constantinople.

After the Hun invasion of 441, the town was rebuilt by the Byzantines. The Slavs gave Sredets a key role in the First Bulgarian Empire, then in 1018 the Byzantines retook Triaditsa. At the end of the 12th century, the Bulgarians returned and Sredets became a major trading center of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The Turks captured Sofia in 1382 and made it the center of the Rumelian beylerbeyship. The city declined during the feudal unrest of the 19th century, but with the establishment of the Third Bulgarian Empire in 1879, Sofia once again became the capital of Bulgaria.

The National Art Gallery Rapidly the city’s image changed from an Oriental, to a European. Today many streets, buildings, parks, and even whole neighborhoods preserve the architectural style from the turn of the century. Between 1879 and 1939, the population of Sofia grew from 20 000 to 300 000, while today 1 250 000 people live in Sofia.

Red Square: St. Basil the Blessed, Moscow

St. Basil the Blessed was ordered to be built in 1552 by Czar Ivan IV in glory of the fight against the Tatars.
Before i ever came to Moscow this was maybe the first imagine I had of the city, Red Square and this church.

Photos of Moscow

Museums: Bill Viola Video in Pushkin State Museum

Bill Viola Video in Pushkin State Museum was kind of a surprise for me to see in Moscow. I guess and from what I actually saw from Russian audience, people are not very used to this kind of media relating to what art is concerned as I found very much a sense of academism and traditionalism from the XIX and early XX century towards art.

This video wanted to bring back Renaissance way of living to the video in this kind of dramatic and theatrical way.

I put this as off the beaten path cos I guess you saw it saw it, you didnt will never see it again in Moscow or at least in this museum as it was a temporary exhibit…

Website: http://www.museum.ru/gmii/

Hostel Sherstone-Moscow: Hostel Sherstone - Moscow Russia Hotel

My stay here was ok. the room was clean and it was a 4 bed dorm room with tv and frigde.

This hotel is on a building that has another hotel inside. So the owners just decided to make more money out of tourists and created this HOSTEL think, doubled the prices and called it backpackers youth hostel… can you believe this? rip backpackers off as they have in the other hotel with the same name “Hotel Sherstone” guys with suits and big mercedes… man, they should rip those ones off not tourists with a backpack!?
ok ok

so the personel is fine clean and cheap in Moscow standars.

Unique Qualities: DORM max 4p 16 euros
DOUBLE room with bath 22 euros
SINGLE room with bath 35 euros

1 euro discount for HI, YHAR, EURO 26 card holders, for over 10 nights guests.

the price in rubbles was 592Rb

reception opens 8am to 24pm, no curfew
visa registration,
internet access on the same building, just go down to the business centre on the 2nd floor. and of course a few number of young prostitues have their own room and make their own money with 2 hotels runing here. just dont establish eye contact and they will not knock on your door. hehe. unless you’re looking for it.

Hostel
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$20
Address: Gpstinichny proezd 8, building 1, moscow 127106
Directions: 3rd floor
you can take the metro to Vladykino station and from there just walk west pass the huge road and pass 2 big building. the hotels is on the second building in fron of a small market.

The Kremlin: Kremlin in Moscow

The Kremlin and its surrounds were settled back in the XI century. Its amazing walls and inside buildings are enourmous and with its opponence mark your mind for a long time after you actually visited the city.
Right aside the Kremlin walls you have the well known Red Square and the also famous Pokrovsky Cathedral.

Website: http://www.kreml.ru/

Red Square: Red Square Moscow

Red Square view with a part of the kremlin walls and with the Pokrovsky Cathedral. Red Square or Krasnaya Pl. as it is called now.

Red Square’s history goes back before the Communist Soviet Union as we usually see it, with Lenins mausoleum and Comunist activities and goes back back back to the days of Czarist Russia. In the XV Century people came to this square before called just marketsquare to purchase food and other kind of essencial goods. Trinity Square was the name the square got in the XVI century and served as the main entry way to the Kremlin. It 1650 the square received the name Krasnaya Ploschad.

Red Square: Lenin Mausoleum. Moscow

Lenin Mausoleum on the Red Square. The original wooden mausoleum was replaced in 1929 with the granite and black labradorite stone that we all and thousands of people see today and make photos of.
Lenin died in 1924 and its embalmed body is inside for public eyes…

St. Basil the Blessed in Red Square, Moscow, Russia

St. Basil the Blessed was ordered to be built in 1552 by Czar Ivan IV in glory of the fight against the Tatars.
Before i ever came to Moscow this was maybe the first imagine I had of the city, Red Square and this church.

Pushkin Fine Arts Museum: Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Moscow

This is an amazing museum that I enjoyed very much to visit. Many of its collections are amazing and you can see great sculptors as great painters from all different times in art history. Great Van Goghs and great Matisses along with Picassos can be seen.
By the time I visited it there was this video from Bill Viola taken place and also this huge exhibit called “RUSSIA vs ITALY”, given a short view of Italy art scene in the Renaissance period. So a few Leonardos could be seen.

At the time my ticket costed 150 rubbles as i am a student.

Christ the Saviour Cathedral interior - Moscow

The Christ the Savior Cathedral was destroyed in December 5th, 1931 by Stalin’s order because a decision was made to build there a “Soviet Palace” for state meetings. The first plan was to build a 415 meters high building with 80 meters Lenin on the top. A swimming pool was build instead. this is how incredible the story of this cathedral actually is. Destroy to build a swiming pool!?
The Cathedral was rebuild during 1995 - 2000.

The inside is just impressive… worth a visit.

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Moscow

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is located on the Moskva River bank near the Kropotkinskaya Metro station on the Volkhonka Ulitza, and is a fabulous quite recent building that many people deslike of course but that many like.

The Original Christ the Savior Cathedral was built between 1839-1883 in memory of the Russian victory towards Napoleon by Konstantin Ton in XIX century. Made by Russian architect, founder of the called Russian-Byzantine style.

Bus to Moscow, Russia Transportation

Info taken from Way to Russia website
Arrival / Departure by Bus
Schyolkovsky Bus Terminal, Moscow
Telephones: (+7 095) 468-0400, 468-4370

The main Moscow bus terminal is located just next to Shchyolkovskaya metro station (the last station to the east on the dark blue line). You can get a bus to almost any Russian town and city from there. When you get inside the station, you’ll see signs in English and Russian in front of you. The timetables of the buses and ticket sales offices are on the right, the luggage storage rooms and cafes are on the left. You can leave your luggage for 20-30 rub ($0.7-$1) a day, the luggage storage is closed between 23.00 and 6.30, and they have a break from 14.00 to 15.00.
The Shchyolkovskaya bus station is opened from 6.30 to 23.00.
For bus schedules between Moscow and other cities featured on WayToRussia.Net guide, see Transport / Domestic Bus Schedules.
Directions: go to Shchyolkovskaya metro station (the last station to the east on the dark blue line), take the first carriage from the centrum. As you walk out, there’ll be many stalls and little shops around, and a bit further - a large building with “Avtostantsiya” written on top. That’s the bus station.

Website: http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/ArrivalDeparture.html

Trains to and from Moscow

Info now taken from Lonely Planet website
Moscow has rail links to most parts of Russia, most former Soviet states, numerous countries in Eastern and Western Europe, and China and Mongolia. Moscow has nine main train stations, all with metro stations on the spot.

Website: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/moscow/get.htm

Getting There and Away: Moscow Russia

Info now taken from Lonely Planet website, as it is very useful and good info here it is:

If you’re coming in from an overseas flight, Sheremetevo-2 is the airport you’ll fly into; there are also four airports to handle travel to domestic destinations and the ex-Soviet states. There’s a network of comfy-enough buses that run to places within about a 700km (435mi) radius of Moscow. The city also has 9 main rail stations, and you can jump on trains to most parts of Russia and Europe as well as China and Mongolia.

Sheremetevo-2 airport, 30km (20mi) northwest of the city centre, handles flights to and from places outside the former Soviet Union. There are daily flights by numerous airlines to and from nearly all European and many other world capitals, and many provincial cities, too. A flight from London or Paris takes about three hours, from New York about 10 hours. Four Moscow airports are devoted to flights to and from places within Russia and the other ex-Soviet states. Check-in for flights within the ex-USSR is supposed to close 40 minutes before take-off, but be sure to reach the airport well before that.

International flights from most Moscow airports incur a departure tax which is included in the price of airfares. You can get to all five airports and the city centre cheaply by a combination of bus and metro or suburban train, but if you’re going early in the morning or late at night, or have a lot of baggage, you’ll probably need a taxi. The easiest approach is to arrange an airport-city transfer through a travel agent; you’ll pay no more than an average taxi fare.

Moscow has rail links to most parts of Russia, most former Soviet states, numerous countries in Eastern and Western Europe, and China and Mongolia. Moscow has nine main train stations, all with metro stations on the spot.

Buses run to a number of towns and cities within about 700km (435mi) of Moscow. Buses are reasonably comfortable but to most places they’re a bit slower than trains, and less frequent.

Website: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/moscow/get.htm

By Car: St. Petersburg to Moscow 713km

I drove myself from St. Petersburg to Moscow. I got out of St. Petersburg around 6pm and got arrived in Moscow around 12pm the next day after I stop to sleep a few hours on the way.
The road consitions are bad altouhg it is supposed to be the Intra-states highway conecting Leningradskaya Oblast’ + Novgorodskaya Oblast’ + Tverskaya Oblast’ + Moskovskaya Oblast’.
All the way from St. Petersburg is about 713km with really bad road conditions, bad weather (in my case as I went in winter time), lots of insane truck drivers and small LADA drivers passing like rockets. I was stop by police once and nothing really happen, just the normal police check out asking for the papers and passport.

On the way out of St. Petersburg there are many Radars and police controling the speed, so go slow even if you dont see the speed limit signs. Always inside city limits I went about 50km/h or 40km/h when signs told so. In major roads I have never passed 80 or 90km/h.

On the picture you have one of the first things i remeber seeing when entering Moscow. This huge dirty truck and the war memorial on the left side as I was waiting for the lights to go green. Yes Yes remeber that even with all cars passing some crazy guy can come against you passing his red light!
Enjoy driving in Russia hehehe and good luck. Just open your eyes and you´ll be fine.
I drove total 4680km on my trip…nothing happen and im still more sharp than before hehehe.

Site for road distances in Russia

Moscow By Metro: Metro yes is the good way

Yes this is the way of going around Moscow. Moscow is big and its subway its one of the biggest and the oldest in the world. It runs quite good and youll end up going everywhere you wish around the city centre and its suburbs.
Tickets cost 13 rb and you have a paper electronic ticket to go with.

SUBWAY MAP OF MOSCOW

Moscow By Taxi, Car: Car traffic

This is the most insane way of getting around Moscow. If you wish to get a few more white hairs please go ahead. As I arrive in Moscow knowing nothing about where I should go or not, I had to go a bit inside the city to get some information on how to get to my hotel. As i found out I shouldnt have made so far and had to go back a dozen of kms again.

As I got stuck in traffic i had to wait at least 1h30m to go out of it and go back on my way. This wasnt too bad as my experience going out of Moscow direction Vladimir took me almost 3 hours a bit after dark… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!

Map of Novgorod Region, Russia

You can notice the biggest city Novgorod on the north western part of the map.

I took this map out of the website:

http://nw.priroda.ru/novgorod/img/map_big.gif

Novgorod´s Kremlin

This Unesco city is a place to visit. Lots of monuments and its relaxed atmosphere is indeed amazing to experience.
Novgorod´s Kremlim

Novgoro´s Kremlin backs back from the middle of the XI century and is one of the most beautiful of kremlis inside Russia and best well preserved. By the middle ages old wooden ramparts would discend from the old fortification facilities. Stone buildings came on the early XIV century

Vyazhishchi Monastery

The Vyazhishchi monastery is located north of Novgorod maybe about 20km north west, in the Russian region of Novgorodskaya Oblast’.
It amazing Summer devotion St. Nicholas Cathedral that dates back from 1685 is really beautiful and the side monastery with green decoration is something you should visit in this region.
This monastery is located a few kms north from Novgorod sightly to the left off the road to St. Petersburg. This is a really off the beaten path as it is actually located inside a old and enormous still active factory complex. You have to ask permission to this gate guard to go inside the complex and still drive 6 kms until you get to the village of Vyazhishchi, where this beautiful monastery is located.

Novgorodskaya Oblast info

Present Novgorodskaya Oblast was formed on July 5, 1944. The area is 55,3 thousand sq. km. (0,32 % of the total area of the Russian Federation). The distance to Moscow is 606 km with a major road that is a hell of a confusion if you are driving. I did this road twice and last time i was almost during a snow storm.

The region includes 2 districts: Leninsky and Oktyabrsky.

Earlier the region was a part of Leningradskaya Oblast. Since XVIII century the region was included into the St.-Petersburg province. In 1727 the Novgorod province (existed till 1927) was separated from the St.-Petersburg province.

Transportation: Europe -> Africa Ferry - Boats

This is the fastest way of going to Morocco. The Boat just takes half hour. When i go by car I always go to Ceuta cos gas is half the price than in Spain and Morocco. Ceuta is an independent city that belongs to Spain. Tax-free zone.
The boats going from Algeciras to Africa are quite different depending if you’re going to Ceuta (Autonomous spanish city in North Africa) or to Tangier (First Moroccan city on the North). Boats going to Ceuta are good quality, fast, clean and the ones going to Morocco directly are 3 times slower, not dirty of course (sometimes the bathrooms stink), but built maybe 30 years ago. instead of actually spending 30 minutes inside the boat you can spend up to 3 hours. Its up to you. If you’re going by car you should avoid tangier because is much quite easier to enter from Ceuta, but if you’re going walking and public transport you should go to tangier. price to tangier is a bit cheaper also.

The other option is to go directly from Tarifa or Algeciras to Tangier. This way all the passport formalities will be done inside the ferry boat. As soon as you arrive you’ll be already in Morocco so you don’t need to do much about border formalities.