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June 29, 2004 A trip to Romania, by Ralph W. McDowell
When I arrived in Romania, I had no idea what to expect. After all, only a few years earlier, the Eastern Bloc countries were off-limits to most Westerners, and travelers from the United States were rare. For a first-time visitor, however, I was lucky. With me for much of my trip was Gabrielle Conea of CLS Corporate Leisure Specialists, and when she wasn’t by my side, she arranged for a full-time guide and translator to accompany our group of three Americans. For Gabrielle, a former citizen of Romania, this was the first Romanian hunting trip organized by her travel agency and she accompanied us on the inaugural trip to help iron out some of the inevitable wrinkles. And there were a few, but nothing that would keep me from returning and returning again. Romania is a land of contrasts. Mercedes shared the roads with horse-drawn carts and not far from our Bucharest hotel room with cable TV and fresh fruit and flowers, local residents made due in small homes with neither electricity nor running water. The universal constant, however, was the warm welcome. The people seemed eager to share their culture and hospitality. With Gabrielle, we toured the scenic snow-capped mountain villages of the Carpathian Mountains and the gold-leafed interior of a 14th century church overlooking bustling downtown Bucharest, and sampled as much as we could of everything else in between, including the local cuisine. When bird hunting, the guides – and during our pheasant drives what seemed like most of the population of an entire village – did whatever was necessary to keep birds flying overhead. When a glitch in our planned waterfowl hunt required a change, plan “B” put us on a 35’ diesel-powered boat to “sneak” up on and flush mallards on the picturesque Danube River. A unique adventure. Actually, most of what we did was unique and part of the reason, I suspect, was because the Romanian tourist industry is still immature by Western standards. For those looking for a destination that’s not “touristy” and sometimes a little rough around the edges, Romania is an unspoiled treasure. Decorated centuries-old monasteries and dark castles await unhurried exploration; produce and handmade crafts at reasonable prices fill roadside displays; traditional dishes and regional wines in rural and urban restaurants satisfy both hunger and curiosity; and the country’s abundant wildlife from the boreal forests to the Danube Delta challenge the skill of hunters from throughout the world. Romania’s former isolation has preserved much of its historic culture, but with the country’s haste to catch up to the standards and wealth of the European Union, its uniqueness will undoubtedly suffer. Check it out before the Mercedes outnumber the horses. Ralph W. McDowell |
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