Olivia-Petra Coman's Blog, page 5

Anglia şi de ce de abia am aşteptat să plecăm

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What did Tunisians turn into art?

You maynot necessarily think of all the items listed from my perspective, but you mayfind it interesting.

 

Traditionalaccommodations

Some ofthe most beautiful and well-restored traditional accommodations I’ve seen throughoutmy travels are in Tunisia. I’d encourage everyone to stay in such a placerather than choosing a resort because supporting local businesses and cultureis important in our too-globalised world.

 

Blue

In manyshades, blue is no longer a Mediterranean/sea thing, but the contrasting colourof choice to the whitewashed coastal buildings. It is so vibrant that it getsunder your skin while visiting Tunisia. You will associate it with Tunisiaafter your trip is over.

 

Fondant

Tunisianstook this dessert and levelled it up. I’ve had many astonishing fondants inTunisia!

 

Hospitality

Most ofthe people we interacted with in Tunisia were present, their intentions wereclear, and they were genuinely interested in making us feel welcome and talkingto us without an agenda.

 

Joy

Most ofthe Tunisians enjoy life. They know how to cherish the simple things; this isthe reason they smile a lot. In the (adapted) words of one of our kind waitersin Mahdia: ‘Tunisians can be the poorest; still, they will walk with their headhigh, with a positive attitude’.

 

Théà la menthe

MyMoroccan memories got heightened. Mint tea is not a beverage in Tunisia; itisn't a dessert either. It is an experience! Try it aux pignons (Isavoured one in northwestern Tunisia).

 

Lovefor cats

Livingwith a large cat family means I notice cats all around me. In Tunisia, theyhelped and guided our steps, so we started ‘following the cats’. They wereeverywhere. Gladly, people are very fond of them. Sights of people eating with atleast four cats around (and feeding them, too) are not uncommon.

 

I alsofelt joyful in Tunisia. 😊

Relaţia mea cu Scoţia prin 6 locuri de basm: we’ve reconnected

 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Return to Africa: Tunisian surprise

I rarelyprocrastinate. Well, when talking about a trip to Tunisia, I did.

Havingheard so many bad and ugly things about the northernmost African country, Itried my best to stay away. In the end, I could not resist an attractivelong-layover ticket.

Afterthe shock and disappointment in England [to be continued], we found tranquillityin Tunisia.

I liketo observe. I look at people. Undoubtedly, they were extraordinarily polite tous, but they seemed kind to each other, too. You don’t have manyopportunities to do that when you adhere to mass tourism. The Bezness focustheir activities around resorts, chain hotels, and tourism operators. [Imanaged to watch this classic before heading to Tunisia.]

Theonly time I felt close to the atmosphere I expected to witness after readingtens of accounts about broken hearts and emptied bank accounts (hence theconnecting piece) was in Monastir. About ten km of resorts (and a practicallyresort-linked airport) later, arriving in town to get some sweets, we stumbledupon male Tunisians who were arrogant and felt entitled.

Otherthan that, the dark and heavy energy of Morocco and the Bezness and scammingof Egypt and – for the memories’ sake – Jordan were not there. The aggressivevendors were lacking, too!

Yes,people are poor, but they’re still enjoying their lives; this makes them richer thanothers in so many ways!

Theyrespected my clothing choices. I never felt stared at, rather pampered.Negotiations included at least a smile; the prices were friendly. The food wasdelicious (but a bit spicy for my taste).

Catswere ubiquitous. The shoreline was impressive!

We managedwell in French [many people spoke English, too] everywhere we travelled exceptfor the northwest, close to the Algerian border, where Arabic is the norm.

The thingI didn’t like? The garbage. The streets, parks, and surrounding areas of somemedinas are full of litter. So are the roads close to the cities. Sadly, the publicbeaches are also affected. On our last afternoon in Tunisia, the beaches wevisited were so dirty that we refused to go for a swim.

Andeven from this point of view, around Beja and almost all the way to Tabarka, the roads andscenery are spotless, green, and very pretty! Talk about surprises!  

 

Ourconclusion? ‘micuL, I think we managed to travel around Tunisia in anon-commercial way!’

De ce?

Ideea să scriu această postare interactivă, caun fel de jurnal volant, mi-a venit recitind o schiţă scrisă de mine. Recunoscînsă cimentate în ea încercările la care am fost supusă după plandemie, cândparcă toate s-au accelerat. Privesc cu ochi şi mai critici chiar şi chestiunileîn care nu mergeam orbeşte înainte – căci nu mi-e felul –, poate doar şantajatăemoţional.

Aşa că vă invit să reveniţi aicicând aveţi plăcere şi să citiţi ce-am mai adăugat.

 

25.04.2024—

De ce este musai să mergem laşcoală?

Nu putem învăţa singuri? Nu putem învăţa ceea ce ne place sau interesează?

 

De ce este încurajată căsătoriadintre oameni?

De ce are dragostea nevoie de contracte?

 

De ce a avea un animal sănătosechivalează în mintea celor ce şi-l doresc pe lângă casa lor cu a fideparazitat, vaccinat, sterilizat, chipat (şi lista poate continua)?

De ce îi hrănim cu otrăvuri ca să elimine paraziţii? De ce îi vaccinămîmpotriva a ceva ce nu există, şi anume, virusurile? De ce îi sterilizăm,nelăsându-i să îşi trăiască vieţile aşa cum au fost date de Univers?...

 

Doar pentru că alţii o fac sau orecomandă sau ne este lene să căutăm soluţii alternative (se aplică în toatecazurile de mai sus) sau că ne este frică să facem lucrurile diferit faţă dealţii?

Opreşte-te. Întreabă-te. /va urma/

Fata Morgana, Jordan’s Finest

Wasit safe to travel to Jordan? I asked myself almost nine years ago, as itsneighbouring situation deteriorated, as Europe seemingly started living underterror.

Aforum post was published, in my attempt to shed some peace into the hearts ofmy friends and parents, who didn’t want me to go. Following a set ofencouragements, raving about how welcome I’d feel in the kingdom, there was aweirder reply. It talked about drugs, rape, and deceit. I didn’t want tounderstand it then or maybe I was simply rejecting the negative of my futurevoyage. By the time I decided to reread it, the moderators had already removedit.

 

Iflew to Amman and expected the trip to reiterate my time in Iran, one year anda half prior. Apart from the ecruesque shades of Old Amman and Shobak Castle,Jordan felt flat in my heart. I dreaded the hassle, I managed to look beyondthe fake smiles, yet I didn’t give in to pessimism.

 

Thencame Petra. Free teas on a restaurant terrace facing the hotel. Piercing gazesof the local beaus. Advances I would not accept. It made me smile – these guyswere trying to trick ME… the girl who had practically talked about and settledrelationships her whole life. 'Causehoney your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen’ lingered on the edgesof the window cases as I went to sleep, in one last attempt to make me changemy mind for the following day.

 

Ididn’t. The teary eyes of the donkeys in the soulless Wonder of the World mademe continue fast to the south, to the desert, into Wadi Rum. More storiesemerged. This time, about secret places underneath the stars, weddinginvitations, and fine gossip through the adjacent village. It sang about heartsshattered by sand spouts, about promises unhonoured.

Inneed of water to calm me down, I moved farther south. To Aqaba. The Red Sea washiding colourful secrets underwater. The orangeish sunsets innocently submittedby e-mail seemed surreal at first. Their sender pushed on, pretty sure he hadmade a new victim, and took the story of his love to new heights. Destiny wasin the cards, entangled with talks of his miserable life, trapped in the dramathat feels synonymous with Jordan. He made me understand that there was indeedsomething far more dangerous than terrorism in the Middle Eastern country: lovescamming women for money. Or sex. Sometimes visas.

Idid get asked for a consistent amount in the end.

Luckily,I had also played my part well.

Behindevery strong woman, there are life experiences that have shaped her and thereis a wise man.

Unfortunately,many other women dreaming of ‘happily ever after’ get swept off their feet bythe grand words of decadent romance …until they see them turn to dust.

 

/older unpublished piece, as an introduction to the trip to the country where it all started/

Despre fluturi | Episodul 15

Iarna aceasta a fost cum a fost. Ba ger de au crăpat pietrele, ba căldurăde am zburdat în tricou. Nu am înţeles nimic.

Poate că nici voi.

Însă vă doresc să înţelegeţi primăvara ce, tradiţional, a început şi să văfie inimile pline de bucurie! <3

 

Voi merge mai departe cu ultimele întâmplări din 2022, de prin Portugaliaşi România. Sunt în urmă cu istorisirile, însă vom ajunge la zi. J Important este să reuşesc să vă transmit dragostea de oameni care adăinuit în sufletul meu chiar de a fost mult-încercată. Este valabilă şireciproca; dragostea care sălăşluieşte în atât de mulţi oameni din jur vainunda lumea dacă ne vom încrede în ea.

 

Ca să înţelegeţi legăturile, urmăriţi semnele din acest articol (♥♦♣♠ **) şi din cel pe care-l citiţi.

 

Despre fluturi | Episodul 15

Ajunseserăm în Lisabona. De ziua mea. Păstrasem rochiţa subţire ce-opurtasem dimineaţa în Capul Verde. Nu mi-era frig. Treceam pe lângă insalubrelesuburbii ale capitalei portugheze.

Aveam să ajungem în Sintra.

Doar pe drumul de la frumoasa gară-nspre cazare urma să simt răcoarea.

Dar nu m-am dezminţit! Marcel a găsit un restaurant tare cochet, cu terasă.Am profitat de ea! J

Ne-a servit o domnişoară tare drăguţă! Era unul dintre Sferturile CupeiMondiale – nu o urmărisem; deşi mare iubitoare de fotbal, consider că s-aîndepărtat mult de jocul inocent ce produce bucurie –, însă eram încântată căse împlinise ce simţisem: Croaţia eliminase Brazilia. Şi draga mea Pauli,aflată la Zagreb, ţipa fericită la telefon.

O făcusem curioasă şi pe chelneriţa noastră. Chiar îi mărturisisem că nu aşfi crezut că este portugheză (sunt şi ei diverşi!). Îi explicasem că nu mămanifestasem foarte strident pentru că cei mai mulţi susţinători îi avea Braziliaîn Portugalia şi nu doream să îi întristez. Apăruseră două păhărele cu vin dePorto pe masă.

Iar când a aflat că mă serbez, draga de ea a mai adus unul.

 

Tot în Sintra, magia continua. Poposeam la una dintre cele mai faimoasepatiserii din oraş, ce servea dulciuri tipice. În efervescenţa în care eram,menţionasem cu bucurie că este ziua mea şi îmi apăruseră în plus, lângă queijadas achiziţionate, şi două travesseiros din partea casei.

Aşa de bine mi-a picat acest gest! <3

 

Revenirea după 14 ani într-unul dintre oraşele noastre preferate a fost dela început marcată de lumină (chiar de cerul era cenuşiu). Şi multă prietenie!

Ştiam că urma să fie scurt. Scurt şi intens.

Cazarea noastră, într-o altă zonă faţă de unde stătuserăm prima oară, neoferea nişte vin de Porto în semn de bun-venit. Ne servea o tânără plină decandoare, instructoare de kitesurfing, aveam să aflăm, printre altele.Pasionată de călătorii. Şi foarte sufletistă şi vorbăreaţă.

Chiar şi după cină (şi revenirea mai târziu la hotel) am stat să povestim.Am avut despre ce, apoi am mai povestit şi prin mesaje.

Ne-a rămas prietenă. <3

 

♥ ...i-am dat drumul, involuntar. Mi-a scăpat şi capătul lesei a făcut unzgomot mare, aşa că s-a speriat şi mai tare şi a luat-o la sănătoasa. Eu m-amblocat (mi se mai întâmplă faţă în faţă cu un şoc mare), iar Marcel, apucând-odupă Linu, a pierdut-o şi pe Kara cu tot cu lesă, însă ea a rămas nemişcată,aşa că am „recuperat-o” şi băgat-o în rucsăcel.

M-am dus repede după Marcel. Şi tata a făcut acelaşi lucru. Dar l-am găsitsingur, fără Linu. Cu toate acestea, ştiam că îl vom găsi, nu aveam niciundubiu. După cum a spus şi el, nu am fi plecat de acolo până nu l-am fi găsit.<3

Am umblat în sus şi-n jos pe lângă case, refăcând traseul, apoi, am începutsă întrebăm oamenii ce ne ieşeau în cale dacă nu au văzut cumva un pisoi gri.De treabă au fost cu toţii, dornici să ajute.

La un moment dat, îi văd pe Marcel şi tata venind, cu rucsăcelul turcoaz allui Linu, care părea plin. Era foarte speriat, iar ei doi erau foarte răniţi.Mi-au povestit cum îl zărise tata pe Linu, cu lesa înfăşurată în jurul unuitufiş. Spunea că eu şi cu Marcel trecuserăm de multe ori pe lângă el, fără să îlvedem. Mersese la el să îl ajute; iniţial, a fost cooperant, apoi, când l-aluat în braţe, în starea în care era, a început să îl zgârie, aşa că l-a ţinutcu haina lui. Asta până l-a găsit pe Marcel, care avea rucsacul cu el. A fostgreu să îl bage pe Linu şi l-a rănit foarte tare, însă plecarea noastră de laStrei a fost tot în 5.

 

♦  Poarta era deschisă doar pe jumătate şi labilete nu era nimeni.

[Între noi fie vorba, a fostgreu. Recuperarea psihică a lui Linu a durat un pic peste o jumătate de an.Devenise foarte anxios, nu mai dorea să stea afară, se zburlea la auzulfiecărui lătrat, apoi primii pui ai familiei urmau să îl dea din nou peste cap,căci credea că ne pierde dragostea şi atenţia. Tot dragostea l-a făcut să îşirevină; astăzi este un tată curajos, exemplar şi foarte iubitor.]

Lângă poartă am dat peste domnul care se îngrijea de parc. I-am povestit ceam făcut şi cum am intrat, iar el ne-a spus că plecase doar pentru puţin timp,închizând doar poarta pentru accesul auto, însă nu a dorit să ne ia niciun ban.<3 

 

♣ Mai am şi-acum jir.Drăguţe au fost toate interacţiunile – cele cu domnul ce se îngrijea de sit,care a căutat jir cu noi, ca să putem gusta cât mai mult; cele cu oamenii cucare ne-am văzut pe drum şi cu care ne-am minunat de frumuseţea locului, decăldura din decembrie şi de panta destul de neîmbietoare şi cele cu câinii-ghizi,cu care ne-am jucat cu drag. Ţi-e greu să laşi în urmă acest loc.

 

♠ Domnulcare se ocupa de sit a fost foarte prietenos, ne-a povestit despre el cucandoarea tipică neamului nostru, apoi s-a pornit şi ne-a însoţit în toatepunctele importante ale Cetăţuii. La final, s-a străduit să ne dea chiar elsugestii cu unde puteam mânca. Ne-am despărţit cu un zâmbet şi o vorbă bună.

 

Şi cam pe aceeaşi direcţie am făcut-o şi eu de anul respectiv. Plin de celemai mari provocări. Le depăşisem oare? Liniştea ce-i năpădea pe Kara şi Linupărea să mă asigure că da.   

Highlights of my trips to Maramureş undisclosed so far

Thereare so many insights [in my opinion, at least!] that I’d like to gather in asingle article for places explored more than once.

Itmeans you started to know and perceive them differently – more like a local,less like a stranger.

Oneof them is Maramureş, my beloved Maramureş!

Canyou believe that the oldest suggestions from this piece date to 2017 (when weeven got the chance to travel to Ukraine and visit Mukhacevo)? Read on to seewhat I’ve come up with [I tried sorting everything by towns and/or subregions]!

 

Baia Sprie

Lacul Albastru or the Blue Lake is a beautiful turquoiselake (when we visited – namely, mid-April) at the end of a short but pleasanthike near Baia Sprie.

Baia Mare

Fora delicious dessert and a refreshing lemonade, head to Trio. They have a great little terrace outdoors during summer.

GreatItalian restaurant Cinquecento offersa great selection of food and drinks (gluten-free dishes, too), plus a shadyterrace for lazy summer afternoons. The service is impeccable.

Onlya 5-minute walk away, you’ll find Muzeul Satului or the Village Museum.Covering a huge area, it is dotted with old houses from Maramureş. Allow atleast one hour and a half for exploration. Wear comfortable shoes.

Reachableby local bus, Firiza Lake Resort is,first and foremost, a water sports centre. You receive a card upon check-in(and you keep it for access and discounts). The people working there arelovely, the views are magnificent, the rooms are cosy, and the breakfasts aredelicious. You get to go on boat rides or kayak if the water level’s right. DidI mention the tasty dishes served by the resort’s restaurant?

Intermezzo:Mukhacevo (Ukraine)

Wedid go; our day trip from Breb to Mukhacevo was terrific. It was the only timewhen Ukrainian border guards didn’t try to suggest bribing them would be inorder.

Theroads leading to Mukhacevo were beyond bad. On the other hand, once we got toour destination, Palanok Castle wasworth the drive! Erected in the early Medieval period (allegedly, 10thcentury), the castle is located on a formerly volcanic hill.

Iloved the locals selling handicrafts fromthe castle to downtown. You could buy gingerbread, handmade soaps, and evenEaster ornaments (Easter Sunday was, after all, only a few hours away).

Somevery kind locals (I would speak to many in Hungarian; the youngsters spokeEnglish) suggested a good restaurant for late lunch/early dinner – Bograch. The food was tasty. Plus, I hadthe chance to drink a glass of Georgian Saperavi.

 

Maramureşul istoricor Historical Maramureş

Framedby the mountains, the oldest and most traditional part of Maramureş alwaysgives me goose pimples when I visit. It’s that great, from nature to the peopleand their customs!

 

WhileBreb may not be my favourite villagein Maramureş (it has become a tad commercial), a walk on its hills is splendid;I encourage you to enjoy one!

Poienile Izei is a village with a big heart, a curious setting, and beautiful surroundings.

Ieud will always bepart of the places dearest to my soul discovered while travelling. I can’t keepaway from its old church for too long.

Vişeu de Sus is a quintessenceof the Maramureş landscape to me. If you stop in the area, there are severalhill walks that you can enjoy. One of them is along Valea Vinului, over the river, up the road. You’ll find the oldmineral springs as the final destination.  

Ifyou need to relax after the hike, go for a soak at Mirage (outdoor pool with a beautiful backdrop in season; indoorcentre for the rest of the year).

Fora quick (non-traditional) bite, there’s Thor– vegetarian dishes included –.

Andthen, for those with a sweet tooth, Mignonwill be waiting downtown Vişeu de Sus. The small terrace is the perfectexcuse to have a cup of coffee or a lemonade and breathe in.

Cadou de ziua celui mai drag călător, ver. 2022 & 2024

 🎈 [va urma]

Croatia Island Hopping: Korčula

I had heard about Korčula Islandfrom my dearest Pauli. At first glimpse, it gets pretty hot on the islandduring summer. Could September be a good month?

Our morning clearly said ’No’ asit started raining in our base town of Neum. We had bought our ferry tickets toKorčula a couple of days before, as we decided to travel there as footpassengers, but we were not sure we’d make the trip.

 

From where to go

When we reached Orebić, the sun was so hot that I tookmy rain jacket off. With a short ferry trip to Korčula (around 20 minutes, maybeless), this is a great hub. If you are not taking your car along (of course,you could, but we decided to focus on Korčula Old Town this time around), thereare parking meters in the port parking.

  

Reaching Korčula OldTown

There are shared taxis, taxis, andeven water taxis, but they charge very high rates. So, like many othertravellers, we chose to walk. There’s a 35-minute walk into town. It is a very pleasant one (even in high heat),as it passes many scenic spots. 

 

My highlights in KorčulaOld Town

I can’t remember the store’s name,but it’s on your right, as you enter Korčula Old Town when coming from theferry port. It sells fantastic T-shirtswith a local design.

Cakes are tasty, but the gelatosand sorbettos at Glacier"Kiwii" are delicious (my favourite was the mango sorbetto)!

To the right of the sweet shop,there is a small but cute art galleryrun by Igor; he makes jewellery anddecorations from olive wood. We had a very interesting talk and stayed friends!

You’ll have to ask the localsbecause its location changed, but you’ll find a small and lovely Borovo shop in Korčula Old Town! I washappy to find a beautiful pair of shoes on sale (and Marcel offered to buy themfor me ♥).

A walk through the lacy town can never be a bad idea, especially asyou can find interesting items to take home as gifts. 

 

Impressions

I didn’t know what to expect butwas so pleasantly surprised!

The people met here were some ofthe friendliest in Croatia; the entire Old Town has a bright and light energy.

I would love to return and explore somemore!

P.S. We beat the GPS by 10 minutes when Marcel decided to catch an earlier ferry and get to a certain beach. I was very proud of myself.   

Where next?

We saw Drače as we drove to Orebić and decided we’d return. As it was notour first time doing this last year, we did and had a wonderful swim at PlažaDrače, which became one of my favourite beaches in Croatia! 

The landscape wowsyou, it is unpretentious, and has that Pelješac Peninsula laidback vibe (whichI love!). Moreover, Marcel spotted SUTVID, where he had his fill of seafood.