Browsing Category: Culture

A Behind The Scenes Look at Romania

An Inside Look At Romania | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

Image via unsplash.com

This week, I want to share with you an inside look at Romania presented by the one and only Rick Steves. There’s so much beauty and history to this country, sometimes words just don’t cut it. But pictures do. Videos even more so. It may be less than a half hour long, but this is an in-depth look at the country, the culture, and the outside influences that helped shape it into the country I know and love today. And I’m not the only one.

Looking for more? Though it’s not Romania specific, Rick Steves does have an Eastern European Travel Guide you can pick up to assist your next trip to Romania.

Looking for something a bit more specific to the country? You can one of the many travel guides focused on Romania here, here and here.

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{Galerie} Winter in Romania

Winter in Romania | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

header via Augustin Lazaroiu

Sometimes words just don’t do a beauty justice.

Most of the time I hate everything about winter—the snow, the cold, the gloomy gray—but there’s something magical about how winter transforms Romania. It’s straight out of a fairytale, and I’m ready for my story to begin.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here’s some visual reading material 😉
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{Guest Post} Inside The World’s Most Ridiculously Extravagant Communist Building: The Palace of Parliament – Bucharest, Romania

Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

An Nou Fericit!
(Happy New Year!)

Well… we made it. 2016 was pretty rough. For all of us. Here’s to a better 2017!

I was thrilled to stumble upon an article filled with high-quality images of the famed Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. It’s a point of feature in my new novel One Thousand Stars That Bind, and I’m sure most don’t realize how absolutely beautiful it is, even though it’s a representation of such a dark time in Romanian history. Communism, that is.

Since I don’t imagine I’ll be able to take a trip to Romania any time in the near future, I reached out to Nate at Yomadic.com to see if he’d let me syndicate his blog post right here on From Dill To Dracula. I’m thrilled to bring share an inside look at what’s considered the second-largest administrative building in the world (second only to the Pentagon, mind you). Nate shares more facts about it, so I’ll let him take it from here.

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Top 5 Innovative Vampire Novels

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Being a vampire novelist/fan/obsessor, I tend to gravitate towards those types of stories in my reading free time. It has nothing to do with me being Romanian… okay, so it might have something to do with me being Romanian. Vampires are in my blood. Pun absolutely intended. A few years ago I was asked to put together my top five most innovative vampire novels. Since it fits with the folklore of Romania (obviously) I’ve decided to syndicate it.
Also, this GIF is TheBomb{dot}com:

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Let’s Talk About Dracula {Prelude}

Let's Talk About Dracula | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

header via FreeImages.com

This is a prelude for my soon-to-come Let’s Talk About Dracula series (those who know me knew this had to be coming soon. I’m kind of obsessed with vampires). Until then, and to get us all in the appropriate frame of mind, I wanted to share some of my favorite memes/gifs/puns having to do with the infamous Vlad the Impaler. I hope these haven’t been circulated too well on the world wide web because they’re really best enjoyed the first time around.

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Modern Romanian Artwork

Modern Romanian Artwork | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate my love of Romania in my interior decorating; a simple, yet effective, way to scream loud-and-proud, I’m Romanian. This is me! I love traditional artwork (post on that soon), but for my hanging wall of paintings, I felt a more modern representation of Romania and its culture would fit best.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some of my favorites:

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Mărțișor {Welcoming In Spring}

Martisor / Martisoare | From Dill To Dracula www.FromDillToDracula.com

One of the traditions I remember most growing up, although never having participated in, is the mărțișor (pronounced mart-e-shore), which translates to little March (martie meaning March in Romanian). Beginning on March 1st, and continuing through the month, the mărțișoare are handed out to women (and, in some regions, men, as well).  The mărțișoare is a thin, red and white cord, sometimes with a little charm affixed to it. Those without a charm are meant to be worn on the wrist, as a way to herald in Spring. Even though we’re well past March, I like to wear my mărțișoare as a piece of jewelry. It reminds me of Romania and is a great conversational opportunity  to share this unknown cultural treasure with others. 🙂 The charms each have a special meaning, for instance, a chimney sweep is said to bring good luck to those who you meet on your way.
Funny meaning for a chimney sweep, huh? But sweet, nonetheless.

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