Week-end Escapade Part II: Transalpina and Surroundings

The second day of my week-end trip started with a short stop in Sibiu, my personal favorite city in Romania. A nice surprise was the traditional pottery fair, open in the middle of Large Square. Lots of beautiful ceramics creations from Harghita county and not only to choose from. We did not have much time, so we were back on the road shortly.

            Our destination was Transalpina, located in the Parang Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians. It connects Sebes, north of  Parang Mountains and Novaci, in the south. Stories say that the road was built under King Carol the 2nd and rebuilt during World War II by German troops and is known as The King's Road among the locals. Its highest point is Urdele Pass, where the elevation is 2,145m above sea level. Given the high altitude, the road is closed during the cold months of the year. I found it to be even more spectacular and demanding than the Transfagarasan, although, all in all, I liked the latter better.

            We stopped to take pictures and feed a cute group of donkeys along the way. They seemed to love apples!

I saaaid: Give me my apple! :)

Now that's more like it!

            Although it was getting late and we had a long way ahead, we could not have missed ‘Muierilor’ Cave (Women’s Cave or Pestera Muierilor, in Romanian), since we were in the area. It is the first electrified cave in Romania (1965) and arranged for visiting. The cave was sculpted in the Mesozoic limestones on the south part of Massif Parang, by Galbenul river. The cave's name, as the old inhabitants of the Baia de Fier called it, comes from the fact that in ancient times, haunted by the war when men went to fight against those who invaded the country, women and children were hiding in the cave, protected and undiscovered by invaders. Attractions of the cave: The little Dome, looking like a gothic dome formed by precipitation of calcite, Altar Room, Altar Wave, The Pulpit, The big Candelabrum and The Gory Stone, called like this because the red iron oxide leakage, Woman Wave, Great River,  Palsy Waterfalls, Stone Lace, The Gate, Guano Hall, Turkish Room, lots of stalactites and stalagmites. There is a colony of bats in a dome of 17 m high and a real cemetery of cave-bears remains, in the Bear Gallery, as well as a human skull, radiocarbon dated to age between 40,000 and 30,000 years. The cave has a length of approximately 7000 meters, out of which only 940 meters are accessible for tourists.

            Someday I will return, to visit the ‘Polovragi’ cave and the town of Horezu, with its trademark: the Horezu ceramics.

            I hope you enjoyed the virtual trip I took you on. Thank you for reading!

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Week-end Escapade Part I: Transfagarasan

Last week-end was filled with adventure- just the way I like it! We indulged ourselves to a road trip, away from the crowds and noise of the city.

We started early, on Saturday morning, with Curtea de Arges Cathedral. The legend says that architect Manole was unable to finish the walls, and, therefore, prince Neagoe Basarab threatened him and his assistants with death. At last Manole suggested that they should follow the ancient custom of placing a living woman into the foundation- and that she who first appeared on the following morning should be the victim. The other workers warned their families, and Manole was forced to sacrifice his own wife, the only one who showed up to bring her husband food. Thus the cathedral was built. When Manole and his masons told the prince that they could always build an even greater building, he had them stranded on the roof so that they could not build something to match it. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof, but, one by one, they all fell to the ground. A spring of clear water, named after Manole, is said to mark the spot where he fell.

Very close to it we found the 'Domneasca' Church (Biserica Domneasca), finished in 1352:

We continued over the spectacular Transfagarasan, the second-highest paved road in Romania. Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu and the second highest, Negoiu. You can see what the guys from Top Gear thought about it here- go to minute 6:17.Of course, there is a lot to see on the way:

Poenari Citadel or Poenari Castle (Cetatea Poenari in Romanian), is a ruined castle in Romania, on the cliffs of the mountains (at a height of 860 meters),notable for its connection to Vlad the Impaler and erected around the beginning of the 13th century by the rulers of Wallachia. Its placement on a cliff, near a canyon formed on the Argeş River valley, close to the Făgăraş Mountain,  is not nearly random. From this citadel one can have easy and permanent control of the surroundings. The location offers the advantage of good scouting of the area.  Due to its size and location, control of the castle was difficult to take, even by natural forces. Access to the ruins is made by foot, climbing 1480 steps through the woods

. It is not hard to climb those stairs but it takes time to do it. However, I can promise you that the effort id totally worth it, as you will be rewarded with an amazing view!

And back down. Check out how high I had just climbed!

Next stop: Lake (and Dam) Vidraru- an artificial lake, created in 1965, in the shadow of Fagaras mountains, by the construction of the Vidraru Dam on the Arges River.

The Statue of Prometheus

Last but not least, Balea Lake (Romanian: Lacul Bâlea), a glacier lake situated at 2,034 m of altitude in the Fagaras Mountains, Sibiu county. It is accessible by car on the  Transfagarasan road during the summer, and the rest of the year by cable car from the 'Bâlea Cascadă' chalet. Another attraction is the Balea waterfall, but we got there too late to photograph it by daylight.

Capra Waterfall

                ...And a little treat for you. Have you ever tried one of these? They are delicious!

Curious to read about the rest of my trip? Stay tuned, as day two is set to follow in a following post.

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Ocean Mist Cosmetics Mineral Make-Up

EN:

Ocean MistCosmetics is a family-owned cosmetics company, mainly focused on make-up and skin care products. They are also committed to enhancing one's most beautiful self through mineral make-up. Mineral make-up is more than just a trend- it means natural, healthy products, that can only benefit your skin in this less and less healthy environment.

I always wanted to try mineral make-up and now, after seeing the vibrant hues and amazingly creamy textures of the Ocean Mist Cosmetics products, my curiosity for more has seriously been stirred.

You can get a better look in the haul below. From left to right: Pink Mist Blush, First Kiss Blush, Sea Fan Blush, Vanora Blush, Reflection Eyeshadow ( a lovely shimmery hue, the picture doesn't do it much justice), Volcanic Eyeshadow (breathtaking), Planet Earth Eyeshadow, Uncontrollable Eyeshadow and Sagender Eyeshadow. I will show you a close-up of the Tawny Foundation in a future post, because the hand haul was not accurate enough. 

RO: 

Ocean MistCosmetics este o afacere de familie, o firma de cosmetice bazata in special pe comercializarea de produse pentru machiaj si ingrijirea tenului. Sunt dedicati, de asemena, sublinierii frumusetii naturale prin machiaj mineral. Acesta reprezinta mai mult decat un simplu trend- inseamna produse naturale, sanatoase, care nu pot decat sa aduca beneficii tenului nostru, expus unor factori externi din ce in ce mai nocivi.

Mi-am dorit dintotdeauna sa incerc machiajul mineral, iar culorile vibrante si texturile extrem de cremoase ale produselor Ocean Mist Cosmetics  nu au facut decat sa-mi starneasca si mai mult curiozitatea. 

Le puteti admira in detaliu in haul-ul de mai jos: De la stanga la dreapta: Pink Mist Blush, First Kiss Blush, Sea Fan Blush, Vanora Blush, Reflection Eyeshadow (un auriu shimmery, mult mai frumos decat in poza), Volcanic Eyeshadow (o nuanta superba), Planet Earth Eyeshadow, Uncontrollable Eyeshadow si Sagender Eyeshadow. Va voi arata fondul  de ten mineral, nuanta Tawny intr-o postare viitoare, intrucat haul-ul pe mana nu a fost foarte relevant in cazul sau. 

EN:Which one is your favorite? Have you tried mineral make-up? Have a relaxing week-end!

RO: Care e favoritul vostru? Ce parere aveti despre machiajul mineral? Va doresc un week-end linistit!

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Toleriane Teint La Roche Posay

RO:

            Despre fondurile de ten Toleriane Teint, special concepute pentru tenul sensibil, in cele doua variante, v-am povestit anterior aici. Varianta adresata tenului mixt si gras, Toleriane Teint Mattifying Mousse Foundation are la baza Perlita, un ingredient activ, anti-sebum, cu o putere de absorbtie de 5 ori mai mare decat cea a talcului. Promite aspect matifiat de durata si rezistenta la transpiratie, inclusiv in conditii de umiditate extrema, cum ar fi sauna, de exemplu.

            Textura acestui fond de ten este diferita de tot ceea ce am incercat pana acum. Este o spuma aerata, fina, de consistenta matasoasa, care, in contact cu pielea, se incalzeste si se transforma complet, devenind una cu aceasta. La aplicare, in primele cateva secunde, nuanta pare mai inchisa (lucru mentionat si pe ambalaj), insa prin intindere, se deschide si se adapteaza frumos nuantei tenului. Este disponibil in 4 nuante: 01 Ivory, 02 Light Beige, 03 Sand si 04 Golden Beige. Eu o detin pe cea de-a doua.

            Gradul de acoperire este mediu. In cazul unui ten cu probleme este necesara aplicarea unui al doilea strat si completarea cu un corector in zonele afectate. Este destul de rezistent la transfer, nu am observat urme suparatoare pe suprafata telefonului sau pe haine. Zona T incepe sa luceasca dupa aproximativ 4 ore, insa daca apelati la servetele matifiante si putina pudra, fondul de ten rezista impecabil o zi intreaga. Nu incarca tenul, are un aspect natural, matifiat si un finish fara cusur, conferind acea stralucire sanatoasa pe care eu o caut in orice produs de acest tip. Mai mult decat atat, ofera tenului senzatia de confort pe intreg parcursul zilei, uniformizand fara sa incarce, sa oxideze sau sa „stranga”. Am citit pareri pe alte bloguri cum ca ar evidentia zonele uscate ale tenului (aripile nasului, colturile gurii sau zonele descuamate), insa eu nu am avut probleme de acest tip- probabil si pentru ca tenul meu nu este uscat si am mereu grija sa-l hidratez corespunzator inainte de aplicarea fondului de ten.

            Un detaliu important, mai ales in contextul verii, este faptul ca are SPF 20. Nu contine conservanti, parfum si are o formula non-comedogenica. Varianta de 30 ml este disponibila in farmacii, la pretul de aproximativ 70-80 RON.

EN:     

            I already told you about the Toleriane Teint Foundations, especially formulated for sensitive skin, here. The version for combination to oily sensitive complexion, Toleriane Teint Mattifying Mousse Foundation, is based on Perlita, an active ingredient, anti-sebum, with an absorbtion power 5 times bigger than that of talcum. It promises a durable mattified look and resistence to perspiration, included in severe humidity conditions, like the sauna, for instance.

            Its texture is different from anything I’ve tried so far. It is a delicate, aerated foam, with velvety texture, that, when in contact with skin, heats up and transforms completely, adapting to it. In the first seconds after application, the shade appears to be darker, but when distributed evenly on the skin, it brightens up and unifies beautifully. It comes in 4 shades: 01 Ivory, 02 Light Beige, 03 Sand si 04 Golden Beige. I personally own the second one.

            It offers medium coverage. In the case of imperfections, the application of a second layer and even an additional corrective product is necessary. It had a pretty good resistance to transfer, I haven’t noticed any disturbing marks on the phone or on clothes. Four hours after application, the T zone starts shining, but with some mattifying napkins and some powder, the problem is solved and you can enjoy a flawless effect for the rest of the day. It has a natural, flawless finish, with that long lasting lightness that I am searching for in any foundation. It unifies and mattifies complexion, keeping it comfortable throughout the day. I have read alternative opinios about it stressing the dry areas (such as the sides of the nose, mouth etc.), but I have not experienced anything as such, probably because I am careful to properly hydrate my face before application.

            A significat detail, especially in the summertime, is the fact that has SPF 20. Its formula is also preservatives and fragrance-free. The 30 ml version is available in pharmacies for approximately 70-80 RON.

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