The commune of
\nArieseni is one of the entrance points to the Apuseni Nature Park. The active
\ntourism offer is very diversified, ranging from summer-time hiking to ski
\ntouring in winter, along established tourist routes. One can also practice
\nclimbing, cyclo-tourism, and alpine skiing on the Vartop ski slope during the
\ncold season. Also, one shouldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the caves where
\nthe access of tourists is allowed, and, weather permitting, people can enjoy
\ncanyoning, rafting and kayaking in fast waters. Also, the area boasts important
\ncultural and heritage assets.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Today’s
\ninstallment in our regular Traveler’s Guide series is devoted to the
\nprize-winning contest Alba Iulia – the city of the Union. Our contest marks
\n100 years since the territories predominantly inhabited by Romanians got united
\nin a national state. As for the area we’re heading towards today, Arieseni in
\nthe Apuseni Mountains, traditions have not been altered by modernity there.
\nCustoms and traditions make a fascinating show for each tourist, but
\ntraditional cuisine should not be ignored either. All dishes are prepared with
\ningredients from the farms of the local guesthouses. And you shouldn’t worry
\nabout your silhouette either, according to Carmen Preja, a tourism advisor with
\nAlba Iulia’ s National Tourism Information and Promotion Center.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Carmen Preja: You
\ncan burn all the excess calories you stored by visiting all sorts of tourist
\nsites, especially the natural ones, such as Dealu cu Melci ( the Snake Hill),
\nthe Pisoaia Waterfall, Detunata Cheala and Detunata Flocoasa, which are
\nbotanical and geological reserves, and extraordinary karstic formations. There
\nis a Nature Park of the Apuseni Mountains, and we have been working very well
\nwith the rangers in the area, who have very beautiful headquarters and can
\noffer additional information about tracks and routes. Summer is perfect for
\nhiking and a growing number of tracks has been homologated and marked as such.
\nThe Mountain rescue Service – Salvamont – takes care of them and we hope we can
\nlive up to the standards that are normal for our times. As regards winter
\nactivities, there are ski slopes, and lots of facilities. Tourists have access
\nto little wooden chalets with modest amenities, but also to four or five-star
\nunits, which can provide sauna, Jacuzzi and other special services.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Dealul cu Melci -
\nthe Snake Hill – is more than just a simple curiosity. It is a palaeontological
\nnature reserve of national interest. From a geological point of view, It is a
\nunique area, approximately 60-70 million years old, and traces of 35 mollusk
\nspecies have been found there. Back in the day, the territory was covered in
\nthe warm waters of a sea, the Tethys Sea, providing the necessary conditions
\nfor such creatures to live. It was only the sediments that were left, which got
\npetrified in time. However, one should not miss another two important sites.
\nSpeaking about that, here is Carmen Preja once again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Carmen Preja: The Scarisoara Cave is home to Europe’s
\nsecond largest glacier. It is a special karst phenomenon nobody should miss.
\nAlso, we should not forget about the Avram Iancu Memorial House, where the
\nitems on display remind us of various objects that our grandparents had in
\ntheir homes. The area is very picturesque, and the hosts’ hospitality is
\nextraordinary. I strongly recommend that you come and visit these places.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ioan Mocan is the
\nowner of the ‘Casa Motului’ guesthouse, and one of the sponsors of our
\nprize-winning contest. He will help us learn more about the Arieseni area. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ioan Mocan: The area is rich in cultural, historical
\nand natural sites and assets: caves, waterfall glaciers, churches, monasteries.
\nFor instance, Rosia Montana is more than, 2,000 years old. It hosts an
\nunderground mining museum, unique in the world. We also recommend that you
\nvisit the town of Abrud, which, again, is more than 2,000 years old. The young
\ncan also hike all their way to various sites and can go rock climbing. For instance, they can climb the gorges
\nknown as ‘Cheile Galbenei’ or ‘Cetatile Ponorului’ (the Ponor Fortress),
\ntowards ‘Groapa Ruginoasa’. Groapa Ruginoasa
\nis a natural phenomenon, actually an erosion of the land, which grows by 2
\nmeters every year. It is spectacular and it resembles the Grand Canyon in the
\nUS. I would also recommend the Vartop Glacier. It is natural and it is not lit,
\nso visitors need flashlights to enter. The glacier is home to some insects that
\ncannot be found anywhere on the surface. It’s extremely interesting.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Apuseni
\nMountains area is well-known for its crafts, wood carving in particular. In
\nTara Motilor, for instance, there are 200 years old houses. The locals speak of
\nan ancient secret: correlating the phases of the moon with wood carving. But
\nthere are also other things that are of interest in the area, as Ioan Mocan,
\nthe owner of the ‘Casa Motului’ guesthouse told us.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Ioan Mocan: Even
\nhere, in Arieseni, there are two museums and also there are ladies who work at
\nhome and make various items. Their husbands, too, make traditional wooden
\nobjects, using old carving techniques. So, visitors can watch the items
\ndisplayed in museums, but they can also learn how to make such items, in
\npeople’s homes. And this is valid for other places too, such as Avram Iancu,
\nVidra, Tarsa or Poiana Vadului. The largest event in the area is the rural
\ntourism fair in Albac. Craftspeople from Transylvania and from all over the
\ncountry come to the fair. Also, we have the wood carver’s day hosted by the
\ncommune of Horea around August 15th. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ioan Mocan has
\nalso told us that tourists come from all over the world:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Our
\nguesthouse is a 4-star facility, with 30 rooms, all equipped with wireless
\ninternet. Upon request we organize traditional evenings, with traditional songs
\nand dances. We also organize mountain trips and we provide transportation in
\n8-seat vans. Tourists can also play table tennis and we also have a conference
\nroom. We’ve had tourists from Japan, Brazil, Costa Rica, South Africa, from all
\nthe countries in Europe, and also from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the US and Canada.
\nWe are also organizing events to celebrate the Union Centennial. For instance,
\nwe invited the Alba Iulia Philharmonics and they gave an one-hour concert.
\nPeople had tears in their eyes, they could not believe that something like that
\nwas happening on top of the mountains in Romania. So, I warmly invite all the
\nRRI listeners to come to Romania, come to Alba Iulia, and of course,
\nparticipate in the contest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
To end, let us
\nremind you that the deadline for the participation in our contest is June 30th,
\n2018. Good luck to you all!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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