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Bucegi Mountains are Romanian’s best kept secret.
Nature Reserve protects the entire 300 sq km of the Bucegi mountain range. The reserve contains a variety of forests and abundant botanic species. The Carpathian Mountains are among the least spoilt mountains in Europe, with alpine pastures . About 1350 floral species have been recorded beech trees cover the northern foothills of the Southern Carpathians and fir and common spruce trees dress the slopes above 1000m. Alpine forests rich in sycamore, maple, popular and birch can be found at altitudes between 1200m and 1500m. Juniper tree, little willow and bilberry bush are dominate in the sub alpine forests above 1700mn the Carpathians. It is also known that home to The Bucegi Mountains are best approached from the resorts of Busteni and Sinaia. The city of Brasov is the best accommodation and orientation point for travel in the Southern Carpathians the wood peck Romania’s most famous ski resorts are Sinaia, Predeal and Poiana Brasov.

They are fully developed resorts, with cable cars, chairlifts and modern resort hotels. The ski season runs from December to Getting lost in the Bucegi Mountains is difficult, thanks to a network of marked trails, while most cabanas are open year around to shelter hikers and cross-country skiers. The only danger is the weather: winter is severe and summer thunderstorms are dangerous. From Busteni, one can take the cable car up to Cabana Babele (2206m). From Babele a trail leads to the giant memorial cross at 2284m (one hour, marked with red crosses). Alternatively a trail (3-4 hours, blue crosses) leads from the lower cable-car station to Cabana Caraiman (2025m). From Babele chalet one can hike south following a yellow stripe trail to Cabana Piatra Arsa (1950m), or north following a yellow-marked trail to Cabana Varful Omu (2505m). North of Babele the scenery becomes dramatic, with dizzying drops into valleys on either side.

Travelling on the arms, canals and lakes at the mouths of the Danube, tourists will undoubtedly wonder about their birth, about the genesis of the entire ecosystem of the delta. Indeed this is a real realm of passionate problems, wich required considerable efforts for the scientists. We contend this, because passionate scientific debates were held on the genesis of the delta, hypotheses were advanced, wich could be confirmed or invalidated by obvious testimonies alone.

Geographic Location

The Danube Delta lies at the intersection of parallel 45o Eastern latitude and the longitude 29o East. The northernmost point of the Romanian delta is the locality „Chilia Veche” (latitude 45o 25` north) and the easternmost the town of „Sulina” (longitude 29o 42` east), also being the easternmost pint of Romania.

As a geographical unity, the Danube Delta has the following limits:

• To the north → the Buceag Highland
• To the south-west → the Tulcea Hills
• To the south-east → the Black Sea

Relief

The Delta is a wide-stretched surface, we could even say an even area with an average altitude of only 0.31m. The low parts within the region are in the beds of the arms and lakes on the:

• Chilia arm (-36m)
• Sulina arm (-18m)
• Saint Gheorghe arm (-26m)

Then the lakes:

• Belciug (-12m)
• Rosu (-2,5m)
• Gorgova (-2,5m)
• Matita (-2m)

The highest altitudes are on the Chilia bank (6,5m), Letea bank (13m), as well as in the area of the Caraorman dunes, in the region of the Razelm lagoon complex, where the rocky islands of Bisericuta (4m) and Popina (49m) are located.

Hidrography

The hydrographic network of the delta is of a particular interest from the geographic, economic and tourist point of view. The hydrographic network supplies the lakes with water, with mineral and organic substances brought by the water, and secures travel to areas where it is not possible to go on foot. This network includes: the Danube arms, backwaters, and canals. As to the arms, they are four, of which only three have mouths at sea: Chilia, Sulina and Saint Gheorghe. The Tulcea arm is defined between the two “ceatals” (as the arms ramifications are called there) Chilia and Saint Gheorghe. The Tulcea arm and the Chilia arm initially were one of the two delta arms. Later on, the other two arms separated: Sulina and Saint Gheorghe. In order to avoid certain confusions, some researchers consider that only three arms should be taken into account: Chilia, Sulina and Saint Gheorghe. The Sulina arm has lost its initial natural character due to man’s

Intervention. At the beginning it was dredged just at its mouth soon after 1858, and later  on all along its course, that is between 1880 and 1903, when due to the lay out, its length was shortened from 83.8 km to 62.6 km. By the improvements made by building groins, lighthouses, and laying slabs and beacons a.o., this water course has lost both its old aspect and the name of arm, being put down on maps and papers as a “canal”. The improvement and upkeep work at the Sulina canal was not confined to the mentioned period alone it was continued, since it is a waterway of international importance, being part of the Danube’s maritime sector with a total length of 170 km.

The hydrographic network is quite complex and the reader will be able to pursue it easily both on the map and on the sketches showing tourist routes.

Flora and fauna

The vegetation of the delta grows in various suroundings: flowing water (rivers) , standing water (lakes, swamps), land liable to overflooding, banks, dunes, beaches. It is estimated that the Danube Delta includes about 1,150 plant species.

Plancton – floatin microscopic plants – and zooplancton – floatin microscopic animals – are quite abundant both in flowing and standing waters. Plancton is used by fish for food. The speed of flowing water does not allow the growth of large plants. Various algae species populate this dynamic medium, their number reaching some millions in one cubic metre.

When people think about Dracula and Transylvania, a fear filled their minds. Dracula was born in November of 1431 in Transylvania (Romania). His given name was Vlad, and during his lifetime, his enemies named him Dracula. It was derived from drac, a Romanian word that can be interpreted as “Devil”. After becoming prince, he invited 300 boyars to a banquet and killed those using spikes, and left their bodies there for a few days. Dracula seized the boyars’ property and passed it out to his supporters. In 1462, Sultan Mehmed II retaliated by invading Walachia with an army three times larger than Dracula’s. Dracula was forced to retreat to his capital, Tirgoviste. He burned his own villages and poisoned wells on the way so the Turkish army wouldn’t have any food or water. When the sultan reached Tirgoviste, he saw a terrifying scene, remembered in history as “the Forest of the Impaled”. There, outside the city, were 20,000 Turkish prisoners, all impaled. Dracula’s subjects respected him for fighting the Turks and being a strong ruler. He’s remembered today as a patriotic hero who stood up to Turkey and Hungary (not as a vampire).

Romania is situated in Central Europe, in the northern part of the Balkan peninsula and its territory is marked by the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube and the Black Sea. Climatic conditions are somewhat modified by the country’s varied relief. Romania lies between 43º 37 ‘ 07“ and 48º 15 ‘ 06“ Latitude North and 20 º 15 ‘ 44“ and 29 º 41 ‘ 24“ Longitude East.
Parallel 45 º Latitude North (midway between the Equator and the North Pole) crosses Romania 70 km north of its capital and meridian 25º Longitude East (midway between the Atlantic coast and the Urals) runs 90 km west of Bucharest. The climate of Romania is a mild with four seasons clearly distinguished.
 Romanian’s climate is temperate

Because of its position on the southeastern region of the European continent and the very changeable configuration of the baric field makes the territory of Romania accessible to a very large scale of air masses, adding to the climate the transition character:
 oceanic influences to the west and center of the country
 continental influences from north with frosty winters and less rain, to the south and southeast
 in the extreme southeast, Mediterranean influences offer a milder, maritime climate
The continental character of the Romanian climate, with an important range of temperature both in the diurnal and in the annual cycles, is related to the country position on the continent (at 2 000 km from the Atlantic Ocean, at 1 000 km from the Baltic Sea, and at 400 km from the Adriatic Sea) and also to the shield effect of the mountains.
The average yearly temperature is 8 – 110 C in the agricultural area and decreases to -20 C on the summit of the Carphatians. The frost-free period varies from 200 – 240 to 100 – 120 days.
In the agricultural area average precipitation varies between 400 and 800 mm/year, while in the mountain area precipitation rises to over 1200 mm/year.
The extension of the territory over almost 50 in latitude leads to quite important differences in temperature between the south and the north of the country for the air temperature, while the 100 extension in longitude leads to only reduced such differences. If the mean annual temperature in the south of the country is ca. 110 C, in the north of the country at the same altitude the values for the same parameter are lower with ca. 30 C. Between the west side and the east side of the country the temperature difference is only ca. 10 C (100 C in the west, 110 C in the east). The differences of the precipitation are more important, from about 700 mm in west side of the country to less than 400 mm in the east side.
The altitude imposes differences up to 140 C for the mean annual temperature between south low-level extremity of the country (11.00 C) and the Varfu (point, peak, top) Omu (-2,70 C), the highest weather station in the Romania.
• Avarage temperatures in different parts of the country are:
Summer Winter Average
Black Sea Coast 20,0 2,4 11,2
Bucharest 21,8 0,6 11,2
Predeal (± 1.000 m) 14,5 - 4,5 5,0
Danube Delta 20,8 2,3 11,5

• Average year temperature for Bucharest, the coast and the Mountains

Bucharest The Coast The Mountains
February -1C (31F) 1C (34F) -10C (14F)
March 4C (40F) 3C (39F) -3C (26F)
April 11C (52F) 13C (55F) 5C (41F)
June 21C (69F) 24C (75F) 9C (49F)
July 23C (71F) 26C (79F) 13C (55F)
August 22C (70F) 26C (79F) 11C (52F)
September 18C (65F) 22C (70F) 8C (47F)
October 13C (55F) 17C (62F) 5C (41F)
November 5C (41F) 11C (52F) 0C (32F)
December 1C (34F) 6C (43F) -3C (26F)
May 17C (62F) 19C (66F) 6C (43F)

Mamaia is the most famous resort on the Romanian seaside. Located at N Constanta between the Black Sea and Lake Siutghiol, is the season with the largest capacity of accommodation. Mamaia is a resort with a very dynamic development in recent years is building several new hotels, restaurants and shops complex. Every year, tourists were used to the fact that ii Mamaia resort welcomes you with something new – palm trees, Aqua Magic, fountains arteziene, Telegondola, buses etc. supraetajate.

History:
Mamaia was inaugurated in 1906 and soon became the most important tourist destination for tourists from Romania. An important development has experienced in years of communism, when they built more hotels – at the time very modern – Dorna, Bicaz, Siret, Patria, National Union, Miorita. In 1968 was inaugurated the biggest and modern hotel complex, consisting of hotels: Venus, Riviera, Astoria, Metropol, Majestic, Minerva and Mercury, giving a total of 2700 beds. Until 80 years has known moments of glory, became a resort Mamaia frequency and foreigners. After 90 years entered a decline, but lately has become the new “Pearl of the Romanian seaside.

Beach:
Mamaia is only by a very large width and length of beach over 8 km. The beach has fine sand, and the entrance is very water line. In large part the beach is granted and is arranged with sezlonguri and shadows – for a price, but there are large portions of the beach where they can stay without paying. During the summer season, the beach is clean every day.
In patches are installed on the beach lifeguard points. Salvamarii are well trained and ensure daily between the hours of 08.00 – 20.00.

Accommodation and meals:
Mamaia currently offers multiple possibilities of accommodation in hotels and tourist villas from 2 to 5 stars. As in recent years has become small in the months July-August, have built several new hotels, offering services and quality facilities: Hotel Malibu, Hotel Royal, Hotel Florida, Palm Beach Hotel, Hotel Laguna, Hotel Elegance etc.. Some of them are located on the shores of Lake Siutghiol an unexplored area of the resort before. Because the tastes of tourists and claims increase, more and more hotels have arranged space for treatment and relaxation, with pools, saunas, fitness halls, sports.
Terraces and restaurants are numerous, the entire string faleza and offers tourists the opportunity of serving complete meals or individual dishes in two large bathrooms. However, there are some areas that are focused more restaurants: Casino, Holiday Village and Pearl.