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05. 04. 10. - 16:00

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05. 04. 10. - 16:00

´Romania is not a plastic tourist attraction´

Romanian Times

"Romania is a country and society, not a plastic tourist attraction," summed up American Professor John Petersen, who was one of the tourists to take part in a trip to Transylvania, organized by the company Bredeson Outdoor Adventures.

He added Romania was a "memorable adventure."

The Transylvania hiking trip consists of seven days in the famous region organised by Deborah Lewis, who includes Transylvania in her hiking trip offers.

John Petersen recalled: "I enjoyed Sibiu, where I spent time, and Brasov - a lovely city. Sighisoara was also beautiful, as was the rolling countryside and surrounding small villages. I am a great fan of Ursus beer and drank plenty while there. "

"My feeling was (and still is) that Romania is a great "undiscovered" place to go, that it has lots to see and wonderful out-of-door venues."

"What impressed me most was that Romania ‘fits together’. It is a culture and has a sense of place, with great landscape as a setting."

"It is not a plastic tourist attraction, but a living, breathing neighborhood that is fascinating to engage, see and enjoy."

John Petersen worked in Romania in the mid-1990 as a consultant to USAID, an agency of the US Government, but then he spent most of the time in Bucharest.

His first trips to Transylvania made him want to return there:

"I was impressed by the natural beauty, the architecture, the history and the people."

The mix and the history of the different cultures in Transylvania is one of the attraction points for Deborah Lewis too, who included Transylvania in her offer of hiking trips at her company, Bredeson Outdoor Adventures.

Deborah Lewis said: "I am particularly interested in the Saxon history and cities, the fortified churches, and the continuing German influence."

"I loved the rural landscape with wild flowers, the wonderful old barns and stacks of hay, the farmers we encountered on our walks, the beautiful fields bordered by fences."

"I speak German and had a wonderful conversation with the older woman who was our tour guide in one of the fortified churches and her memories are very poignant as she describes both her older world and the world of her grandchildren."

Deborah believes the effort to celebrate the villages in Transylvania and to promote arts and crafts as a sort of agri tourism are "interesting and wonderful."

"I loved the contrast between the horse buggies next to the road with fast sports cars going by. "

"The hilltop castles were also very beautiful. The wild nature and the closeness of bears is quite wonderful. "

The communist "left overs" - like unattractive factories and farm communes - "were a shocking contrast to the beauty of the rural landscape".

Until now, the Transylvania trip is the only hiking trip organized to Romania, by bredeson.com. Deborah said all trips are tailored to the group’s needs.

A Transylvania itinerary included seven days of hiking and traveling through rural areas and intact medieval villages. The trip includes a peek at Transylvania legends, too. Peles and Bran castles are included in the itinerary and the story of ruler Vlad the Impaler, the model for Count Dracula, is disclosed. The Unesco World Heritage city of Sighisoara and the medieval fortified churches in Viscri are other wonders to be discovered. Also, a trip on the famous Transfagarasan road is a purely adrenaline voyage.

Deborah Lewis said: "This package cost $2500 per person double occupancy and has an all inclusive land price: airport pick up and drop-off; all meals; transportation by mini-bus; entrances to castles; guided hikes; hotels."

"My tours are available to any English speaking guests. I could also offer private tours to guests in other languages since my local guides usually speak other languages as well."

For more information, please check : www.bredeson.com and http://www.bredeson.com/outdoor_adventures/hikes/hiking_transylvania.html.

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