Try to imagine a medieval fairy tale village and then turn that village into a small city and then bring it into the 21st century and you have Cluj-Napoca or as the German residents and tourists here refer to it "Clausenburg".

Filled with a warm and hospitable population, the city of "Cluj" (the shorten name of the town), is a delight. The city, a business, artistic and cultural capitol of Romania, is also considered by many as the country's best maintained, cleanest city.

I believe that Ina, a tourist to Cluj from Macon, Georgia, described the city best when she said

"It's a mixture of old and new, of tradition and experimentation, definitely a destination for people breathing the past and the future with the same breath."

Thanks Ina, I couldn't have put it better myself! This city is definitely worth a visit, or as a place to live.

After spending several days in nature and several days in the city, the only thought on my mind was how wonderful it would be if you could live in both nature and city simultaneously. You can, the places are called Brasov-Predeal-Sinaia.

Brasov-Predeal-Sinaia

Brasov (Brashov) is Romania's best known, year-round resort mecca. A city in bloom, Brasov offers an old and new city putting a variety of attractions and conveniences at easy reach. There is a new international airport under construction that will allow visitors to bypass Bucharest and fly right to the heart of Transylvania. 

The city makes a great base for travel to resort towns and natural landmarks in the region. My favorite resort station in the area is the charming village of Predeal.

Predeal often surprises tourists to Romania as it is one of the few towns in Romania that looks like it is newly constructed. Many of the buildings were constructed after the 1989 collapse of communism and the new town which has sprung up here looks like a Swiss village with a touch of Romanian flair.

I happened to have met several Swiss tourists while I was in Predeal. They told me that they have been coming for several years now to Predeal, as the environs are very familiar to what they are used to back home, but with prices a mere fraction of what they would have to dish out in Switzerland for a similar vacation.

From there, it's just a little further south until I reach Sinaia - technically outside of Transylvania - it is still considered the "Pearl of the Carpathians (the famous Romanian mountain range)." This resort town is home to Peles Castle, one of the most stunning and well-kept castles in Europe and open almost daily to the public.

This resort town is not to far outside of Bucharest, which we will pass by, as we follow the route of the new highway and travel on to our next destination, another natural wonder of Romania. All this before the highway veers off into two directions; one towards the Black Sea port of Constantza, also home to a large US military base, and the other towards Bulgaria and the highway which connects Europe with Turkey and Asia.

The Danube Delta And Environs

At the end of the great river Danube's 2,860 km ( 1788 miles) journey from the Black Forest mountains in Germany to Romania's Black Sea coast, a natural paradise spreads out in front of you. Over countless centuries the silt brought down by the river has enlarged the Delta into a network of channels, lakes, reed isles, tropical woods, pastures and sand dunes that now cover nearly 5,640 sq km. (2,200 sq miles). This amazing wetland shelters over 300 species of birds, countless species of fish and, 1,150 kinds of plants It is no wonder that UNESCO designated the Delta a "Reservation of the Biosphere".

For 5,000 years a small community had lived in harmony with the Delta's extraordinary ecology, making a living on fishing, breeding livestock, and reed harvesting. The villages, crossed by the waterways, seem untouched by time. As a visitor you can explore this astonishing retreat of natural silence and calm by boat, an experience which feels very much like entering the living pages of a National Geographic Magazine article.

You could even make your home or second home inside such a magical place. For example, the Danube Delta town of Salina would be an excellent place to settle. Reachable today only by boat, a new road will soon make it reachable by land as well. The town has been nearly abandoned with approximately 3/4 of the population having left, leaving a few thousand inhabitants. This has led to great bargains on land and home construction. When the new highway is a reality, European tourists looking for a safari-of-sorts will quickly choose this incredible natural reservation over similar options found only in Africa. 

This opportunity, like many others now available in Romania is exceptional and available in the short term. With the help of real estate experts in the region, I have compiled more details on these rare opportunities to be found in the first quarter 2005 publication of Escape Artist's sister publication, Real Estate Quarterly, set to be published in early March. Reader's are also invited to contact me directly regarding this or any other questions or comments about Romania.

As wonderful as all of the above destinations were and are, my favorite stop along the way of the future highway was at the house of a simple village man, quite like the one pictured here.

I had gotten a little off track and a lot lost and decided to knock on the door of a hut-like house that I had noticed in the corner of my eye. A little old man, half bent-over, came to the door and I proceeded to ask him for directions. He insisted that he would gladly give them to me, right after I drank some homemade wine with him. He proudly raised his glass and uttered the following beautiful words "My long lost friend, I have very little to offer you, but whatever I have is yours. You are always welcome here." The old man and I spoke for what must have been two hours as he shared with me his life experiences and I with him my more limited ones, both in Romania and in America. He told me that in Romania, people had little money, yet at the same time, they did not have much need for money. I looked out his window towards rolling hills, grazing cattle, gardens and wildflowers all set against the backdrop of towering mountains, and I wondered if I might ever be as rich as he. At least I can say now, that I am working on it.

I'm not quite sure where along the route the little old house was, but maybe you'll find it on your journey here. If you do, please tell the kindly old man that lives there that I haven't forgot him and that I thank him again with all my heart for pointing me towards the road to Heaven.

Answers To Questions From Last Month's Article

In response to last month's article "Romania: Europe's Next Hot Spot and Final Frontier", I received a number of questions and comments. I decided to address several of the more common as well as the more unique questions below:

Q: Interested in Romania and was wondering which spots are the most romantic and family oriented....
     - Marcelo, Location Undisclosed

A: I believe Romania is an excellent tourist location. Its tourist potential and the ease that it affords to the traveler will continue to advance in the upcoming years, thanks to a growing investment enviroment. It also offers to the traveler a number of very romantic and family-oriented vacation possibilities as well as adventure vacations and more. Today it is without a doubt Europe's best travel bargain, hands-down.

There are a number of excellent sites to check out to learn more about what Romania has to offer to the tourist. Some of them are listed below:

http://www.turism.ro/english/
http://www.romaniatourism.com/
http://www.romania.org/
http://www.inyourpocket.com/romania/en/

There are several excellent tourist agencies to deal with relating to travel in Roamania that I would be happy to recommend to anyone interested.

Q: I have a small company and I cannot afford to pay American salaries to run the needed customer service. Could Romania be an option for me to outsource my customer service center?
   - Charles in Illinois

A: A number of smaller to medium-sized Western companies are indeed finding that they cannot afford the rising cost of customer service centers in their respective countries. Romania has become an increasingly popular choice for such companies (as well as larger ones), the highly educated work force and positive investment climate is attactive to the investor. Western companies setting up businesses has help support the Romanian economy and allowed Western businesses to stay in operation in their home country, providing jobs and services there as well.

Romania's European location makes it a more attractive choice then many of the alternatives and the fact that so much of the population is fully bilingual, often without a noticeable accent, makes it a rising destination for outsourcing customer service. Salaries are much lower than in North America and Western European countries and telephone services for such operations are readily available. To see more on outsourcing Click Here

Q: I am need to have some minor plastic surgery but honestly, I'd like to keep it a secret from my friends and colleagues. Romania sounded like a beautiful place in your article and more advanced then I thought. Do you know if it offers good facilities for plastic surgery?
   - Name Witheld in Pennsylvania

A: Romania is already a premier choice for many Europeans and Israelis who want plastic surgery. To Americans and many others, it remains a well-kept secret.

In Romania you will find well-qualified, Western-trained doctors in small private clinics that offer state-of-the-art technology and equipment. In fact, you are likely to receive better care in Romania than in the US for a fraction of the cost. You will benefit from hands on care in immaculate conditions. You will even be given a personal mobile phone number for your English-speaking doctor so you can reach him/her at anytime!

The total cost for your procedure will be only 20-30% of what it would cost in the United States or Western Europe.

Q: I met a Romanian dental student the other night at a party. He told me that there are a number of Romanian students studying here to be dentists back in Romania. What are the facilities and conditions like over there? Are the prices similar to here in the States?
   - George in Connecticut

A: My friend recently had a root canal and porcelain crown put in at a more posh Romanian dentist's office. It cost him 200 Euro or less than $300 USD for the entire procedure. His dentist was trained in the United States. The facilities were first-class, top notch and completely sterile. The prices as you can see from above are well less than in the US: in my experience dental costs have been 25% to 50% less than in the States.

Q: Isn't Romania famous for it's spas? I remember reading somewhere about "natural healing springs" and some doctor who is world-renown for her spa and anti-aging treatments developed in Romania. Do you know anything more about this topic and  especially the doctor and her spa?
   - Carol, New York

A: Romania is blessed with curative waters and natural healing springs such as the famed Baile Herculane and Calimanesti-Caciulata Spa. Both date back to Roman times and were reportedly used by Napolean III. After a experiencing a decline during the communist-era, they have now been privatized and are making a come-back.

The doctor you are thinking of is Dr. Ana Aslan and her spa and company are named Gerovital. Gerovital offers anti-aging treatment as well as treatment for acne and other skin problems as well as a cosmetics line. Her products are used by a number of celebrities and dignitaries worldwide. They have been tested by the FDA and found safe, but are only available in the United States through Canada at 10 to 20 times the actual cost.

Gerovital offers two treatment centers and spa, one in the Bucharest suburbs and the other along the Black Sea coast. Both facilities are luxurious and offer comprehensive therapeutic treatment; mud baths, massage, paraffin, and application of anti-aging or other skin beauty treatment products.

The cost at these facilities is about 1/10th of that in Western Europe and start at just under $1,000 for a one-week treatment including full room and board. Such treatments could be combined with plastic surgery and or dental work done elsewhere in Romania.

Q: Is Romania a good place to look for love?
   - Name withheld in Minnesota

A: In one word, yes! Women are wonderful the world over, to that there is no doubt.  Romania is no exception. Men who come here from the West often comment about the "extremely beautiful" women they saw and or met while in Romania, above anything else. Romanian women carry a combination of the features and characteristics of both European and Latino women. This provides them with an air of exoticness and familiarity at the same time.

Their contradiction further develops as they retain traditional values basedon family and marriage while influenced by the European enlightenment that rightfully promises women the same opportunities for career and self development as men.

The best way to meet Romanian women is through qualified on-line dating and matrimonial services. I can provide you with more information.

Q: Any opportunities over there to start a business or is the market already saturated?
     - Ryan in Dubland, Ireland

A: In many ways the opportunities currently found in Romania are greater to those in the US, United Kingdom or elsewhere in Western Europe. Put quite simply, Romania is not yet a saturated market. Anything that works in the West seem to go here. Ideas that don't seem novel at all to a Western, like laundromats, become multi-million dollars ideas when introduced in this booming market.

The introduction of a credit system as well as the fact that it is new - meaning most Romanians have very little debt, makes them very good customers to serve.

Q: We are in the final stages of moving from New Jersey to Europe but Paris is simply too expensive and as you know the once almighty buck ain't no more. Very interested in getting additional info., especially on cost of living etc..
   - Bob and Ellen, New Jersey

Q: I am interested in purchasing property for investment but also to have an interesting place to live and explore for part of each year....
   - Kathy in Alabama

A: The opportunities and the speculation in Romania is excellent. Check out my upcoming article in Real Estate Quarterly coming up in early March 2005.

As a result of the unexpected number of individuals who have contacted me regarding real estate opportunities both for investment and relocation purposes, I am organizing an orientation tour to Romania for those interested. The costs will be as attractive as possible and the tour comprehensive and personalized.