The 1st Gate of the fortress of Alba Iulia

The 1st Gate of the fortress of Alba Iulia

Having the shape of a triumphal arch with three entrances, this is the fhirst of three gates that secured the acces from the eastern side, from the lower part of the city.

Made from carved stone the Austrian coat of flags is centerd on the upper side of the gate, in the left there is a statue of Venus and in the right one representing Marte – god of war in greek mithology.

Also there are other sculptures representing Hercules fighting Antheus, Enea carrying her Anchise or Perseus holding Medusas head.

The 1st Gate of the fortress is an important symbol of the city of Alba Iulia and hopefuly it will be seen as an international site-seeing point.

The first official record referring to the Sibiu area comes from 1191, when Pope Celestine III confirmed the existence of the free prepositure of the German settlers in Transylvania, the prepositure having its headquarters in Sibiu, named Cibinium at that time.[2] It was probably built near a Roman settlement, one that would be known during the early Middle Ages as Caedonia.

Milestones in Sibiu's history

Numerous street signs in Sibiu are bilingual (Romanian and German)
1191 - Mentioned for the first time in a document of the Vatican, under the name "Cibinium" (due to the river Cibin that flows through the city)
1292 - The first hospital in the Kingdom of Hungary, present-day Romania was opened.
1380 - The first documented school in the Kingdom of Hungary, present-day Romania.
1494 - The first pharmacy in the Kingdom of Hungary, present-day Romania.
1534 - The first paper mill in the Kingdom of Hungary, present-day Romania.
1544 - The first book in the Romanian language was printed in Sibiu.
1551 - Conrad Haas' experiment with rockets.
1570 - Transylvania became an independent principality
1671 - Methane gas was discovered near Sibiu.
1782 - Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein discovered the chemical element tellurium.[3][4]
1788 - First theatre in Transylvania, present-day Romania.
1795 - The first lightning rod in Transylvania and in Southeastern Europe was installed in Nagydisznód (present-day Cisnădie).
1797 - Samuel Hahnemann opened the world's first homeopathic laboratory.
1817 - The Brukenthal Museum, the first museum in the Transylvania, present-day Romania, was opened.
1867 - Principality of Transylvania becomes part of Hungary, from Dual Monarchy Austria-Hungary
1896 - The first use of electricity in the Austria-Hungary, present-day Romania, and the first power line in Southeastern Europe.
1904 - The second city in Europe to use an electric-powered trolley.
1918 - Union of Transylvania and Romania. Hermannstadt/Nagyszeben became part of Romania
1928 - The first zoo in Romania.
1941 - Saxons lost their historical majority in the population
1989 - The third city to take part in the Romanian Revolution.
2007 - European Capital of Culture 2007

Historic facts provided by Wikipedia

Per Aspera Ad Astra

A DEAD MAN’S THOUGHTS – The steps of the prophet1921

I’d cling to the times hand so I can feel

it’s rare pulse of moments.

What is now on the earth?

The same stars still flow over it’s brow in flocks

and from my hives

still the swarms of bees fly towards the forest?

You heart are silent-now!

Long has passed

since you reverberated in my low chest

a sun in every morning

and an old sorrow at every dusk?

A day?

or maybe centuries?

At only three feet above me there is light.

Flower with their milk bosoms press my clay.

If I could

I’d reach my hand and gather them in a wisp

to bring them down to me

but

the earth maybe doesn’t have flowers anymore.

My thought and the eternity are alike

like twins.

What kind of world will twists today in the day’s surges?

Often a deaf sound makes me startle.

May it be the brisk steps of my sweetheart?

or is she dead too?

for hundreds and thousands of years?

May it be her small and gabbling steps

or on the earth is autumn

and some ripen fruit fall musty, heavy,

on the grave

came undone from a tree who grew from me.

LUCIAN BLAGA

Macro Pictures - Twigs and webs

Macro Pictures - Cherry tree

Macro Pictures - Dandelion

Waiting for the rain - Ampoita, Trascau Mts., Romania

Situated only 10 km (6 miles) from Alba Iulia, the Ampoita valley is a heaven for mountain climbers and trekkers as well. The path trough the mountains goes along the course of Ampoita river. The river carved this beautiful landscape trough the calcareous rock and brought with it sediments in which trees and plants caught root. Milions of years of ecological process resulted in this natural wonder that we can enjoy, unfortunately, just for some decades..



...and then, was rain. Clouds started forming over the valley. Mountain clouds, form quickly and vanish as well. The weather is very unpredictable because of the termic inversions and watercourse airflows. It's always good to have a raincoat or a tent...



...and boots. You'll find it irresistible not to climb on the rocks. This will be of great help when you climb. A rope is unnecessary because the terrain permits you to reach the summit of the cliff using just your hands and feet. It's a bit tricky but when you get there, you know it was worth doing it. Up there, you feel you can touch the sky. Magnificent I tell you, truly magnificent

Well well.. I got up here. But does anybody here how do I get down?

Mistery - Ighis Lake, Medias, Romania

Wonderful sky you might say, but this lake's story lays underwater. Al dough the lake is man-made (I was standing on the dam when I took the picture), in it live strange species of fish and snakes. what's so particular about this creatures is their unusual size. Fishermen caught there some sheat fish measuring in length about 2-2.5 meters(6-8 feet). I didn't believe that until I saw with my own eyes one of this "monsters". It was about 1.5 meters (5 feet)long and weight about 70 kg(140 lbs). Some professional divers went there to explore the lake but they didn't got far and they came back to the surface, packed their equipment and went home saying that they never seen such big snakes or fishes. Locals continued the story and told others that the divers also saw cranes and coffins and all sorts of crazy stuff down there. what is important is that the lake is used by the children in the summer to swim and in the winter to skate and is vital for some fishermen who make their living by selling the "monsters" caught in the Ighis

Waves - Alba Iulia, Romania

Waves of light at midnight in Alba Iulia. It's just Christmas lighting. Well this is just about what any drunk would see after a couple of six-packs. I wasn't drunk I tell you.. it's the camera's fault these pictures ended like this. Well maybe I was a little dizzy, but this proves that there is a bit of art in anyone of us.. drunk or cunning

Smoke on water - Oasa, Parang Mts., Romania

Sunset - Dealu Mare, Apuseni Mts., Romania