We are a hospitable nation, at least in the field...of the hospitality industry? Are the other important cities in the country and Bucharest registering a true boom? What connections are there between transporters and accommodation structures? Can we handle the competition at European and global level? You will soon find answers to these questions and many others, from famous foreign and Romanian specialists in tourism.
„Romanian Hospitality Forum”, organized under the patronage of the Ministry for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Commerce, Tourism and Liberal Professions , on May 26th, at “Hilton Athenee Palace” hotel in Bucharest, is the first conference that debates the issues related to investments in the hotel industry. The event shall focus on investment opportunities in the Romanian hotel industry, a country that has known an economic boom and on the quick expansion of the hospitality industry.
Romania must become a favorite destination for investments in Eastern Europe, after Russia and Ukraine. With many investments in highways, airport and harbor infrastructures, a country ready to welcome the investors in hotel industry, on a market that does not own enough rooms. Romanian Hospitality Forum... Read More >>
If the Revolution of 1989 meant the death of communism and the rebirth of democracy, turning Romania towards the West, getting into NATO put a definite end to Soviet influence in this East-European country. It was the beginning of a firm, stable, long-term alliance with the United States and the other member countries of NATO.
The NATO Summit took place in Bucharest this year, and made the city the center of the world, for a couple of days. “If we talked about movies, Bucharest would be Hollywood. If we talked about the Olympic Games, Bucharest would be Beijing”, says a NATO ad on TV. The most important political leaders of the world came here and talked about the strategy for Afghanistan, a clear-cut vision for the Balkans, with a stable Kosovo, about the next NATO enlargement stage, with new countries to be included as members, about the anti-missile defense system, energy security and defense against cyber-attacks.
What was not discussed – in fact, the Romanian authorities are the ones who should have done so, although there is ... Read More >>
We know that our planet is more than 4560 millions old.Argentinean Patagonia has proved to be a true “Land of Promise” for zoologists, paleontologists and for all those fascinated by the “splendour and decadence” of the giant reptiles who dominated our Planet for more than 180 millions years. The recent discovery of new fossils in Patagonia attracted scientists as well astourists worldwide.
The dinosaurs discovered in Argentine are one of the oldest species known and are famous for their impressive dimensions, and for their spectacular adaptation capacities of their way of life and their food regime. The first temporary scientific multimedia exhibition to present the dinosaurs from Patagonia can be seen at the Antipa Museum until June. This extraordinary exhibition, which has travelled around the world and was presented in Europe only in Torino and Budapest, includes 16 dinosaur species. The Romanian visitors will have the privilege of being the sole Europeans to see the reconstruction of the Buitreraptor gonzalensis species, the little “bird-dinosaur” discovered recently in South America.
Kylie Minogue, will perform in concert in Bucharest on the 17th of May, at the Cotroceni stadium. She will wear several garments designed by the famous designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, as announced by the organizers of the event, Emag!c Entertainment.
For her new world tour, called "KYLIEX2008", Kylie plans to adopt a more sophisticated and less provocative look.Jean-Paul Gaultier personally will be responsible for this new look.
“The new garments are very sophisticated – the passage to another level", declared William Baker, the private stylist of the Australian artist. Kylie and Jean-Paul have already met in Paris to discuss the newwardrobe of the diva. The French designer also created wardrobes for Madonna for the tour "Blond Ambition", in 1990.
Kylie Minogue started her career as an actress, after the success of her first two singles, “Locomotion” - which stayed on topof the charts in Australia for six weeks - and "I should be so lucky" - which brought her fame in tops worldwide - Kylie decided to focus exclusively on music.
This exceptional performance will include some of the best ballet dancers in the world, in a premiere performance, in Bucharest of the “Novaya Opera" Theatre from Moscow. The ballet assembly consists of 45 dancers, many of whom have won prestigious ballet competitions. The Russian Imperial Ballet was created in 1994 at the initiative of Mayei Plisetskaya, who until 2004 was the Honorary President and General Adviser to the troupe.
The peony festival is a festival in the Comana area, in May, marking the beginning of the nature’s revival. The Comana Forest, where the Romanian peony grows freely, is 30 kmfrom Bucharest, it is aforest with many different types of trees, very common in the past in the Plain of Burnas. The peony festival usually starts with a religious ceremony, a military ceremony and flower wreath deposition at the monument of the English heroes near the Comana Monastery and is followed by a field festival, organized by the regional authorities and local residents.
Thursday, the 15th of May/ Friday, the 16th of May
RobertoBenzi (born in 1937) conducted the symphonic orchestra of the George Enescu Philharmonicin Bucharest for the first time in 1958. Since then, he has become a good friend of the Romanian musicians. After a brilliant international career, the Italian conductor, born in Marseille, returns to Bucharest with a refined French music program including works of Lalo, Poulenc, Ravel. The star of the evening will be Nicolae Licaret, playing the cymbals, who in September 2008 will celebrate 40 years of collaboration with the first and most important musical institution in the country.
Each spring, in May, jmEvents revitalizes the musical stage of the Capital reuniting in Bucharest more than 300 musicians from 45 countries. Unique in Romania, the series of concerts and contests bears the name EUROPAfest and represents, through the 15 editions, a real success in country branding. The festival takes place under the High Patronage of the Royal House and has UNICEF as a partner. The events were announced in April by Princess Margareta and Prince Radu, by the UNICEF representative in Romania,Edmond McLoughney, the vice-mayor of Bucharest, Gheorghe Razvan Murgeanu, the director of the Italian Cultural Institute „Vito Grasso”, Alberto Castaldini, and the director of the Hungarian Cultural Centre,Andras Beke-Mihaly.
For one week, between the 7th and the 13th of May, EUROPAfest breaks the cultural barriers, creating a space of dialogue and freedom of expression through music.
The historical centre of Sibiu has thrown shy glances towards the Square from the beginning, the cereal market, has watched centuries of mysterious encounters, has seen beheadings and infamy pillars for 233 years, centuries of blinding, bloody centuries, centuries of intolerance marked by the "box for lunatics”, in 1724.
From the entrance in the Big Square of Sibiu, "the eyes of the city" are following you, watching you persistently searching for the good or the bad will of the visitor that enters into the multi-morph past architecture and history. From all the corners of the square, the houses, the palaces, the churches welcome you with dignified glances thrown from the daring roofs and impregnated with the life of over seven centuries. The small windows from the roofs of the historical monuments in the Big Square are symbolically called “the eyes of the city”.
In summer, Cismigiu is very popular for the cool air, for the lake full of boats and for the shadow of the old trees; in autumn, for the warm colours, the trench coats and colourful scarves of the young ladies and hot chocolate, in winter for the lake turned into skating rink, and in spring is very popular for the state of nature itself.
Yesterday, because I was “in the area”, I decided to stop in Cismigiu for a walk. Here, the enthusiastic spring spread joy to all its visitors. The pansies, roses, violets, hyacinths and trees were all blossomed. A dance, a spring symphony, together with the perfume of this season…
As I was walking through the oldest public garden of the capital (17 hectares) I discovered statues with own histories, playgrounds for children, full of joyful kids; and then, a place more isolated, as if it was especially created for the lovers; La Cetate (By the Fortress), a corner for retired persons in the first place, but for all who love board games and chess: the Corner of the Chess Players, a terrace with probably the best cotton candy: La Buturuga (At the trunk)…
As I continued my walk on the alleys bordered by blossomed trees, I passed near Eminescu’s spri... Read More >>
Having opened its gates on April 23rd 1998, as a five star hotel, Crowne Plaza Bucharest Hotel celebrated “10 years of crowned success”. On this occasion, Mr. Gheorghe Copos, owner of Ana Hotels S.A., and Mr. Pierre Boissel, General Manager of the Crowne Plaza Bucharest Hotel, had the pleasure to receive their guests, on April 16th, at 7 p.m., at Crown Plaza Hotel, to share with them this exceptional celebration. The hotel team guided us this evening through different happenings which took place in the hotel ground floor locations:Symquisite Orchestra, Los Platanos – Mariachi, Belly dance and Arabic live music, Italian songs with the tenor Adrian Mocanu, Indonesian dance, Opera moment and theme dance. Every room had the specific mark of the country it represented. The food, the ornaments and the dancers were in perfect harmony, creating a select, refined atmosphere: the sea-food room was decorated with lemon and mandarin trees, the mexican room with cactus plants, and so on.
I don’t have much free time to become a shop addict, but – as a woman – I need to go shopping at certain intervals in order to feel good with myself and especially to avoid the wear out feeling. And since spring has begun – the sun shines differently, removes the “dust”, demands for fresh, bright colors – I definitely must go shopping.
I have the gift of enjoying small details, small accessories so that there's no need for me to run after astonishing wardrobe changes to feel in trend with the season. Due to the final remainder sales, some bargains in fact, I took a walkabout through the shops on Friday, at the end of a working week, because I was out of Bucharest for the weekend. I also had a good reason: I needed an elegant, evening shirt, preferably satin-gloss. When I don’t have too much time, and generally I can’t afford too much free time, I take the classic route (for me at least), meaning, I start in Romana, I visit the well-known shops on both sides of Magheru Avenue, and after that, I take the subway (if not by foot) to Unirea Shopping Center, where I go to my favourite shops. In Romana, I take a quick look inside the Dika shop (the clothes are not really my type, b...
In my days, around thirty years ago, the snack for the lunch break was made up, without too many variations, of a sandwich and fruits. No chocolate, no chips (supposing that they existed in that period). "Pufarine” (expanded cereals) or “pufuleţi” (expanded corn) at most. And maybe some crackers. I often asked myself when I grew up what was wrong with our parents not to give us cookies, pie, chocolate etc. for lunch? That was their habit, that was the way they knew it should be. Well, that was how it was supposed to be.
We did not have snacks only at schools. We also had them at home, at certain hours, between meals. My parents’ and my grandparents’ used to do that and that was a common thing in that period. Not only for rich people. This snack thing is not at all at random and a light meal was not and is not a whim or pampering. But it is only now that I came to understand why. Due to the fact that nutrition is one of the main concerns of the modern world, I have found out from competent sources, of course, that the snack is in fact the main source of nutrients of our diet. That is why all diets pay special attention to snacks. Nutritionists say that the fruits and vegetables eaten bet...
On Friday, the 21st of March 2008, a ceremony was held in Craiova to celebrate the signing of documents regarding the ownership transfer of Automobile Craiova to the Ford Company, in the presence of President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu. The privatization contract was actually signed in September 2007, when the American manufacturer undertook an obligation to perform direct investments amounting to EUR 675 millions in order to upgrade the production facility and to supplement its workforce to 7000 – 9000 people. Constantin Botez, vice-president of the Authority for State Asset Recovery (AVAS), said that “Ford took over 72.4% of the Automobile Craiova shares, and AVAS received EUR 57 millions, according to the company privatization contract”. John Fleming, general manager of Ford Europe, stated that “this unit will join 7 other assembly facilities and 13 production facilities for engines, gears, casting, forging, blanking, parts and components (including joint venture companies) throughout Europe. All our facilities are characterized by the highest quality and efficiency standards. With the EUR 675 millions investment we are determined to transform the Craiova facilities into a ... Read More >>
Although there are some important aspects that have not changed in the Romanian Capital in the last years (sidewalks are still not clean, there are no bicycle tracks, there isn't enough lighting on the streets, nor enough parking places), Bucharest occupies the 14th place among the top of European cities which are preferred by the citizens of other countries who live there, as Roxana Lupu tells in her articlein “Evenimentul Zilei”, titled “The Capital, More and More Loved by Expats”. The city is more and more appreciated thanks to the quality ofsecurity, housing and health and this is the reason why expats want to work and even settle here, the same thing being true for another East-European city,Bratislava, the Capital of Slovakia, as shown in a study by ECA International, a Human Resource company.
“There are better restaurants, more concerts by international stars, more shopping. Life has improved considerably”, says Tom Murray, who came to Romania 15 years ago and has become a successful businessman in the textile industry. He also believes that, even if prices have gone up a lot recently, life is still cheaper here than it is in Western Europe or in the United State... Read More >>
The Bucharest clubbers’ community is, indeed, growing and growing, confusing the older generation and bringing satisfaction to taxi-drivers workingthe night shift. Leisure activities are thriving, bringing with the constant emergence of new clubs, cafes, bars and restaurants standing. The Romanian capital has a lot to offer in this respect and an evening walk through downtown Bucharest or the lively student neighborhoods (Grozăveşti and Regie) shows plenty of cars and plenty of taxis, most of them surely being driven towards one of the many clubs in the city or, late at night (or early in the morning, if you wish) to the different Communist-style neighborhoods where clubbers actually live: because in the clubs and discos, it’s often the case that late birds get the worm and not the early ones…
Some years ago, at the end of the ‘90s and the early 2000s, Bucharest offered a rather desolate image at night: with a small number of clubs and bars and a wide gap between the haves and have-nots or, better said, between those who could afford to spend the evening away from home and those who could not. At the time, one of the greatest disadvantages for night-life in the Romanian capital was, besid... Read More >>
I was not in Bucharest during the NATO Summit, which was probably just as well. I am sure that traffic in the city was even more impossible than usual. I was not able to follow the meeting closely enough to know what other benefits Romania may have received, but one thing is certain. After the many daily communiqués heard on TV, the radio, or seen in print, no one will confuse Bucharest with Budapest again! Spring is here, with the summer heat sure to follow. It is the time to plan your vacation, or week-end excursions, and if you are staying in Romania, our Bucharest Tours division is ready to help. (see ad this webpage).
Looking at our “events” page made me think back to my early days in Bucharest (1993), when the only evening activity was a trip to a casino, or perhaps to the only disco in town. Today, Bucharest has truly joined the other capitals of Europe. Its on the concert tour map, and indeed has hosted major stars who skipped other cities in the region to come to our City.
