Any American traveling in England needs to remember that, despite the shared language and many other bonds, the two cultures can be quite foreign to one another. And one of the times that becomes most clear is when they sit down to share food. People in the two nations have different ways of holding their knives …
Hungary has a rich culinary tradition – and not just in the sense of being the result of many intertwining cultural influences. Hungarians make filling and flavorful food, heavy on meat – especially pork – and featuring plentiful spices, garlic, cream, and fruit. The best-known Hungarian dish is goulash, a substantial stew in which chunks …
The area of Romania known as Calata (in Romanian) or Kalotaszeg (in Hungarian) may be rich in traditions, but it also has some unexpected sides. In among the sleepy Transylvanian villages and farms, the well-preserved medieval churches, and the peasant handicrafts, there are a few unusual things that stand out. For one, there is the …
Gherla, Romania is a town with 24,000 inhabitants and a character all of its own. Its downtown is little changed since it was first laid out in the 18th century by a community of Armenians who settled here in Transylvania after fleeing invading Tatars. Though a settlement has been here since the 13th century, the …
High in the Apuseni range of mountains in western Romania, between the cities of Cluj-Napoca and Deva, lies a dramatic area rich in wildlife and full of geological curiosities. It is inhabited by hardy villagers skilled in logging, woodworking, precious metal mining, and rearing sheep and cattle. They are the Moti people (pronounced motz), and …
Sic, Romania, is a town with an appropriate name. Editors write “sic” to tell readers that what they have just read is intended, even though it may seem like a mistake or misunderstanding. And if you visit this town, you may find yourself needing constant reassurance that your eyes are not deceiving you. Everywhere you …
Hunedoara, Romania is the location of an amazingly well-preserved Gothic castle that looks as if it dropped out of some fairytale. With a drawbridge, a moat, pointy towers, colonnades and gargoyles, all that the Hunedoara Castle lacks is a resident dragon. And it seems fitting that it is located in the evocative region of Romania known …
To walk in the center of Oxford, a city just fifty miles from London, is to walk in the footsteps of the renowned University of Oxford’s many notable alumni, including: kings, saints, prime ministers, Monty Python performers, and the writers who brought us Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Rather than being set aside in a separate …
Calea Victoriei, a major street running north-south in downtown Bucharest, has many bookstores, some of the best hotels in Bucharest, and fashion stores. This elegant, tree-lined, meandering street is a quieter walk than the thundering thoroughfare of Magheru-Balcescu-Bratianu. At number 141, on the right-as you walk south, is a gorgeous mansion built in 1905, housing a …