SuomeksiRomanian villages and painted monasteries
Dates: 5-13.6. and 15-2.8.2009. Duration: 9 days and 8 nights.
Route: Helsinki Bucurest Moldova Bucovina Maramures Sighisoara Brasov - Bucurest Helsinki.
Flights:
June: 5.6.09 Finnair AY 727 Hki 16.50 Bucurest 19.30.
13.6.09 Finnair AY 726 Bucurest 13.00 Helsinki 15.40
AUGUST: 15.8.09 Finnair AY 725 Hki 9.40 Bucurest 12.20.
22.8.09 Finnair AY 726 Bucurest 13.00 Helsinki 15.40
Price 2 050 e
- accommodation is dbl rooms: hotel Opera in Bucurest 1 night, monastery hotel in Neamt 1 night, hotel Bucovina Loundge in Vama village 2 nights, guest house Bella Doina in Maramures 1 night, hotel Sighisoara 1 night, hotel Casa Wagner in Brasov 2 nights, breakfast and 1 meal / day,
- city tour in Bucurest,
- guided tour in the monastery of Neamt, the grave of St Paisi Velitskovski,
- Agapia convent and Sihastria monastery, the grave of Cleopa Ilie,
- painted convents of Voronets, Suceavita and Moldovita, tour in Suceava town,
- tours in Maramures, the cemetery of Happy people, farms, handicraft people, wooden churches like Bogdan Voda,
- Sighisoara old town, the castles of Brazov, Sibilel small town, glass icons, old cemtery and church,
- guided tour in Sibiu, (culture town in 2007), Brunkenthal Art Museum,
- flights Helsinki-Bucurest-Helsinki, all transfers, local guides and specialists, tour leader from Finland,
Hotels
Hotel Opera locates in the center of Bucurest. It has been totally newly built a few years ago. They have 33 rooms with bath/shower, satelite TV, internet, minibar, phone, air condition. There are a good restaurant and a bar at the hotel. www.hotelopera.ro
Monastery hotel in Neamt locates just beside the monastery. It belongs to and is kept by the monastery brothers. The rooms have beds, toilet and shower. The rooms are cosy and clean and the hotel is in very peaceful surroundings. www.orthodoxphotos.com
Hotel Bucovina Lounge locates in the village called Vama in Suceava region. Hotel in in the hills of a mountain, which has a beautiful view over the village. Near Vama there are three famous painted convent such as Moldovitsa, Voronets and Suceava which all are functioning convents and famous of those paintings outside the church.
www.viaromania.eu
Guest house Bella Doina in Maramures is a small and cosy accommodation having a delicious kitchen and very friendly athmosphere. It is in the village called Vadu Izei by a small beautiful river. Accommodation is like in a family in double rooms in the house where the heart is the kitchen and dining hall.
www.viaromania.eu
Hotel Sighisoara locates in the town Sighisoara in its older part having rooms for smaller groups and beeing very special accmmodation. Old Sighisoara is a beautiful old town having narrow streets, small shops and cosy resturants. www.sighisoara.com
Hotel Casa Wagner in Brasov locates in the center of the old, historical town by the market square. The house has been built already in the 14th century, where was located German bank in its early days. The building has been renovated and the hotel is nice and cosy. The rooms are in two floors having all fascilities. www.casa-wagner.eu
Itineray
DAY 1
At 14.00 meeting the group and tour leader at Helsinki airport. At 16.50 flight to Bucurest arriving at 19.30. Transfer to the hotel Opera for checking in and dinner.
Day 2 At 8.00 breakfast. City tour in Bucurest including the presentation of history, architecture and life today in this capital of Romania. There are stops in the center of Ceausescue Palace and so called Hidden Corners, which are those old buildings and places saved from Ceausescu time. Visit the old Stavropoleos church built in the 17th century. The tour ends to the street Lipscan where possible to have some lunch of just coffee before returning back to the hotel to live the hotel and start the tour to Neamt monastery.
It takes around 7 hours to get there, so there are 2 stops by the road one in Focsania and the other near Piatra Neamt.
Around 20.00 arrive at Neamt monastery where checking in and dinner.
Day 3
After breakfast it is possible to take part in the service at the monastery visiting the grave of St Paisi Velitskovski. Neamt monastery has also a very good monastery shop.
At noon the tour continues to Agapia convent where guided tour visiting icon painting room and weaving hall. After a coffee break we continue to Sihastrian monastery which is known of the famous spritual fartehr Cleopa Ilie. After a tour in the monastery we continue to Vama village where dinner and checking in the hotel.
Day 4
After breakfast depart for the monastery tour where the first destination is Moldovita convent around 30 km from Vama to the north. The convent has been totally renovated They were building pilgrimage hostel there in 2008. All these painted monasteries are the objects of protection by UNESCO because of these very valuable frescos which have been painted outside of the church walls in the 15th century during the time of Petru Rares, the famous Romanian King. The main themes are basicly the same in all these monasteries, but there are also some secial paingings in every monastery. In the south wall there are the painting of Life Tree of Jesus and description of the akatistos hymn of Our Lady. Also there are the destruction of Konstantinopol and description of Old Testament like Creation of the world and life of prophet Moses.
In Moldovita convent there is one of the best conserved painting of the Life Tree of Jesus, which consists of many tiny pictures forming one colourful painting. Also the Feasts of Our Lady and the siege of Konstantinopol have been very Here well presented here in Moldovita. In the east end of the church there is the painting of many layers starting from the paradise on the top coming down via the birth of Christ to Apostolic time and the great spiritual farthers of the world.
From Moldovita we continue to Suceavita convent where a guided tour. Here is one of the famous painting called "Ladders" which discribes the road to the Heaven based to the holy writings of St Efraim the Syrian. Also there is the painting of Last Judgement which is very well preserved.
From Suceavita we go on to Suceava town having lunch or coffee break and some free time for shopping.
The last monastery is Voronets which in on the way back to Vama for overnight. The most famous painting in Voronets is the Last Judgement at the end of the church. After a tour we return to Vama where dinner at the house of egg painter with presentation her work.
Day 5
After breakfast depart over the Carpathians to Maramures. On the road we visit Maria, the lady who is very talented with handicrafts and her house is full of her work from her life time. Also we have a lunch with a local lady, who has a guest house and a lot of handicraft.
Maramures is known of high wooden churhces which also have a lot of paintings inside them. One of those is the church of Bogdan Voda, which is very well preserved having old frescos painted to its wooden walls.
In Sighetu Marmatiei there is so called Happy cemetery, very decorated with wooden monuments. In the evening arrive at Vadu Izei where accommodation in Bella Doina guest house with dinner.
Day 6
After breakfast we visit the villages nearby meeting handicraft and local people who make living by farming, making plumberry wine, breeding horses and living very traditional way of life. At noon we continue our tour to the south to Transilvania driving over the mountains visiting the beautiful old Greek-Catholic wooden church. There is a stop in Cluj where Nokia opened a new factory. In the evening arrive at Sighisoara for overnight and dinner.
Dat 7
After breakfast a guided tour in this old town visiting the castles of Peles and Bran (ouside). Sighisoara was the place of early kings and rulers from 11th century when the first saxon merchants arrived here invited by local Hungarian people. Old center is the object of protection by UNESCO.
From Sighisoara we continue to Brasov where checking in at the hotel. Dinner in the castle restaurant with music program by Gasteljiin orhcestra.
Day 8
After breakfast tour to Sibiu town, which was the culture town of Europe in 2007. Guided tour including the Brunkenthal art museum.
In the afternoon visit Sibilel town where visit the exhibition of old glass icons, the church and cemetery. Return to Brasov for dinner.
Day 9
Early breakfast and depart fot Bucurest where at 13.00 flight to Helsinki arriving at 15.40.