Impressions from the winners of the RRI Contest on C. Antonovici
Algerians Muahmed Goumidi and Abdel-Kader Khalil are the winners of the grand prize offered by RRI for the contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici.
Ana-Maria Cononovici, 19.05.2016, 15:20
Algerians Muahmed Goumidi and Abdel-Kader Khalil are the winners of the grand prize offered by RRI for the contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici. The prize consisted in a 7-day trip, between April 15th and 30th 2016, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi. So they went to Gorj County. We revisit monuments, monasteries and special places, inviting you to find out why our guests said that Romania is among the most beautiful countries in the world.
It was our guests’ first time in Romania. Their visit started in Targu Jiu, according to Muahmed Goumidi: “We saw all of Brancusi’s works, extraordinary works, such as the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Chairs Alley. We also visited Hobita village and Brancusi’s house, as well as a Christian cemetery, and those were some of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen. We visited wonderful caves and also Tismana Monastery, the town of Motru and the village of Cocorova, in Dolj County. In addition, we took a boat ride to see Ponicova Cave, Muierilor Cave, and Decebal’s sculpture on the Danube, on the border with Serbia. We also visited Mraconia cave, the town of Drobeta Turnu-Severin, the port and the museum in town, and then we took a tour of Targu Jiu and the Art Museum.
In fact, any tourist should start their visit in Targu Jiu. There you can find the Gate of the Kiss. It is a space that takes you to another world. On the pillars of the gate there are representations of the motif of the kiss, which can be perceived as an eye as well. It looks within and, according to the museum’s curators, it looks within the souls of visitors. It is one of the most important works by sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
If you take the same road, you reach the Chairs Alley. The chairs mark the road to the Table of Silence, a peasant table. The sculptor saw it as the place of departure for future combatants, future heroes. This work in stone is one of the most often visited. And let us not forget the Endless Column, a true spiritual testament of the great artist. It is a monument dedicated to heroes, just as the rest of the great ensemble. After that you can head to the mountains, just like the winners of our contest did. They went to the northern part of the county, the perfect destination for people who love adventure tourism, or love to take spectacular photos. Gorj County has 2,000 caves. Mountain tourism is its strong point, offering the possibility for spelunking. There are also areas perfect for paragliding as well as rafting, cycling, or sports fishing.
It is a complete destination, according to one of our winners, Muahmed Goumidi: “We went to an area that was truly superb, with eternal monuments created by Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi, who left his mark for eternity there, with his beautiful and uplifting art. In truth, we saw extraordinary things, we are happy for seeing the charming scenery of Romania, this beautiful country. I could say that Romania is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, which should be visited, people should enjoy its wonderful landscapes and its ancient tourist monuments.
Equally delighted by the trip was the other winner, Abdel-Khader Khalil: “I would like to thank Radio Romania International for organizing this important contest, the contest about Constantin Brancusi, which was quite special. And here we are, among you, in Romania. Our first visit was to Targu Jiu, in Gorj County, which is a tourist area. And the first impression I would like to talk about was the good reception we enjoyed, from the airport until we got to Targu Jiu. The first tourist attractions we visited were the works by sculptor Constantin Brancusi, The Avenue of Heroes monumental ensemble, which the sculptor made upon commission from the National League of Gorj women. It is truly astonishing, because the ensemble is made up of four works, The Chairs Alley, the Table of Silence, the Gate of the Kiss, in addition to the Endless Column. This was on top of the fact that we visited many villages, among them Hobita, where you can find Brancusi’s house, the house he grew up in, where we saw how people used to live back in those days. We had the great honor of visiting this famous house.
Another advantage of visiting Gorj county is that, as opposed to Romania’s intensely promoted areas, no matter when you schedule your visit here, you won’t have issues with accommodation. Targu Jiu has a number of hotels, B&Bs, big and small, for all budgets. You find four and three star hotels, and many rustic B&Bs in villages. The hosts are always happy to receive tourists.
This was what Muahmed Goumidi enjoyed the most: “What struck me first was that the Romanian people is a tranquil, special people, who love tourism, and who adapt easily to the needs of tourists coming from all over the world. We were astonished, when we arrived in Targu Jiu, to see that the city is very tranquil, full of well-organized people. The Romanian people impressed us, they are exceptional. To conclude, I would like to thank RRI for all its efforts to inform the Arab world on Romania and about all political, economic and cultural events. Efforts have been made to inform the world on Romania, on its civilization and its beautiful traditions. I thank you very much, and I invite all listeners in the Arab world and beyond to listen to RRI, and get to know Romania, either up close or from afar, because it is a beautiful country with a very old civilization.
Therefore stay tuned to RRI program, and take part in our contests. You will have the opportunity to get to know special places, nice people, old traditions and customs, having a truly special experience.
(Translated by Calin Cotoiu)
