2 days tour in Romania (part II)

A two-day tour in which you will see a bit of everything! After the first part where we crossed the mountains on one of the most spectacular roads in the world, we enjoyed the tranquility

A two-day tour in which you will see a bit of everything! After the first part where we crossed the mountains on one of the most spectacular roads in the world, we enjoyed the tranquility of nature and admired the ice beauty of the lake Balea, we visited the Corvin Castle where the medieval atmosphere transposed us in other times and we remembered the years of childhood in the Clay Castle, after the imposing beauty of the Red Ravine get ready for a new spectacular article! An article with legends from the Romanian folklore, with a resort dedicated to a god and a city on the bank of the Danube that flows tumultuously, boiling in a gorgeous gorge.

Ready for the second part?

Herculane Baths

Every time I get to Herculane Baths, the same magical atmosphere leaves me speechless. A unique feeling, kidnapping view, and welcoming people. The millenary resort, referred to as “Ad Aqua Herculi sacras ad Mediam”, is now left behind. The passage of time has left its mark on it, and now only the stories remain witness to the glory of long gone times, with princesses and dukes, who came to the most luxurious balneary resort for treatments and socialization. The kidnapping luxury of another time is now replaced by broken walls, vandalized buildings and rusty bridges. Until the find the right investor to bring back the beauty of the resort, the charm of this place will be given precisely by the mystery that has remained between the peeled walls of some buildings that once were the pride of Europe.

Herculane Beath have a huge tourist potential, offered both by the beauty of the area and by the thermal waters that are so beneficial to health. From the resort you can take excursions to the ruins of the Roman Baths, the Hotilor Cave (outlaw grotto), the Steam Grotto, the White Cross, and others.

The bases of the resort were laid in 102 AD. by Emperor Trajan, the Romans introducing the balneary cult taken from the Greeks that they then developed.

On the bank of the Cerna River, between the abrupts of Domogled and Peak Vlascu, remains a forgotten time, which carries the stories of great personalities such as Emperor Joseph II, Emperor Francis I, Empress Carolina, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth (known under the name Sisi).

Orsova

The town is situated on the banks of the reservoir Portile de Fier I on the Danube, in the area of the Cerna river in the Danube. Following the construction of the Portile de Fier I reservoir, the old hearth of the city was completely flooded in 1970. The population was relocated to a new location, including the Danube and Cerna terraces, as well as the southern slope of the Almaj Mountains where it was built an entirely new city (1966-1971).

Danube boilers are a gorge in the passage through the Carpathian Mountains. They have a length of about 9 km and the river slips between vertical and rocky walls, in some Danube areas narrowing up to 230 m. At the base of the limestone wall flanking this portion of the Big Boilers there are two cavities: Gura Ponicovei and Veterani caves. Unfortunately, I did not have time to visit them. But maybe on another occasion I will come and see them because they are really beautiful.

Close to Mraconia Bay, you can admire Decebal’s face carved in the rock. Basorelief represents Decebal, the last king of Dacia, and is the highest stone sculpture in Europe, with dimensions of 55 m – 25 m – width.

The Corcoaia Gorges

In Cerna Valley, 44 km north of Baile Herculane resort, there is a natural reserve that houses the Corcoaia Gorges. The name of the gorges is given by the name of a character from the Romanian mythology. Corcoaia, is an old woman who guides the famous outlaw and hunter Iovan Iorgovan, to the hydra, which he hunt. It is said that the first battle between Iovan and Hydra was held in the Corcoaia Gorges. Our hero cuts one of the five heads of Hydra. He spear the mountain and runs away, leaving behind the strange gorges that are dug in the limestone in the Cerna valley, hoping that he will be able to come back later to rebuild his forces. But Ivan gets ahead of the beast and bathes himself first in the water that rebuilds his strength, and each time he cuts the hidra, one more head. The action was repeated until the hydra, remaining only with two heads, ran in the Cerna Valley to the Danube. People, to thank, have carved here in the mountains, a huge statue now called “Hercules’ bust”. Iovan Iorgovan is a character of Romanian mythology similar to Hercules.

Targu Jiu

The city of Targu Jiu is named after the river, Jiu, which is crossed from north to south. Over time, the river has moved its bed, from Prejbei Hill to the west, forming three terraces that make up today’s territory. When you say Targu Jiu one name comes to you, namely Brancusi.

The monumental ensemble of Targu-Jiu is made up of the Table of Silence, along with the Infinite Column and the Kiss Gate. The ensemble is a tribute to the heroes fallen during the First World War. The three monumental sculptural components, the Table of Silence, the Kiss Gate and the Endless Column, are arranged on the same axis, oriented from sunset to sunrise, with a total length of 1.275 m.