Ciao Timisoara!

Sitting on the chair in the train to Timisoara, this trip has the taste of coffee, the flavor of dark chocolate with oranges, the green color of the fields and of the forests, the glow of the sun and the sound of Keira Knightley and Adam Levine playing the soundtrack of the movie Begin Again. Who said that a nine hours journey has to be boring? Here is a short video of the trip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaOHY0yLNf0

I am really happy that I eventually got to visit Timisoara! It is a beautiful city, definitely unique, showing the traveler another perspective of the complex Romanian background.  I will keep it in mind also as the city of pigeons (I did really see many funny ones), kids (I really think they have a good birth rate) and bikes (the locals use bikes in everyday life, not just for fun). What amazed me was the preservation of the old buildings belonging to the 18^th-19^th century, with their colorful, beautiful architecture.  The weather was nice to us, but kind of moody, ranging from hot sun to fast rain. Regarding the period of stay, I would recommend two nights as enough to see most of the important places, but it also depends on your own rhythm.

To make it easier, I will organize the places that I find worth visiting in a list. However, dear traveler, it is not about the sightseeing spots you check, but on actually watching them and the people that pass by, interacting, feeling, in your own way.

• Piata Victoriei (Victory Square) – a large place with beautiful architecture, many cafes and restaurants. Close by, you may find the Central Park, the Orthodox Cathedral and many other small interesting streets. Sitting on a bench in the Central Park, reading, I heard around five languages being talked next to me and I think this says a good thing about the degree of internationalism of the city.

• Piata Unirii (Union Square) – it displays a baroque style. Here, you may see a beautiful Catholic church which personally remembers me of Igreja Nosso Senhor do Bonfim from Salvador, Brazil; and also the Museum of Art of Timisoara. Unfortunately, at this time, the square is under construction, just like the Liberty Square and other surrounding streets, so we could not fully enjoy their beauty.

• The Museum of Art of Timisoara – it contains exhibits of both Romanian and foreign painters, as well as a smaller collection of modern art artifacts.

• The Park of Children – it is really well designed and maintained! There are a lot of fun areas, from hammocks to castles and Indian huts.

• The Park of Roses – it was designed by Wilhelm Mühle at the end of the 19^th century and attracted the fame of Timisoara as “the city of roses”. Personally, I think it resembles a bit to the Gardens of Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Really relaxing and enchanting for the eye-sight.

• The Bastion ­Maria Therezia – it is the largest piece of wall preserved from the Fortress of Timisoara of the 18^th century. Don’t imagine you will have to go through rocks and cold rooms! It has been transformed into a useful place, being home to many cafes, some shops and even clubs at night.
  

•  Iulius Mall – it is a very good place to spend time if you are a shopping person or if the weather is bad. It is spacious, the prices are adequate and it has an entire floor dedicated to the Food Court. However, the Cinema offered quite few and restrictive options.

Food plays an equally important role in any trip, isn't it? You may try the Restaurant Lloyd, in Victory Square, which has a beautiful terrace, or the Intermezzo Restaurant, a few meters away from Union Square, if you want to taste some good Italian food. Ah, and don’t forget to eat some ice cream – there are lots of places to buy it in Victory Square and everyone seems to enjoy it!

After three full days which I had the impression they were actually four or five, I made my baggage and went in the 22:10 train to Bucharest. I have taken an additional step in knowing and understanding my own country. Now, at the end, I will tell you, like the locals say instead of “Hello” and “Good-bye”, Ciao!

Grace of Monaco - snapshots from a remarkable life

Recently, I started to fall in love with the cinema. I believe it can open your mind to things that you would have never thought of, or make you ask yourself valuable questions.

I want to share with you a movie that inspired me. Grace of Monaco. It appeared in 2014, with Nicole Kidman starring in the role of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. There are so many things to learn from this movie – of course, the message that it transmits differs according to your personality. For me, it was a matter of international relations, the power of a women, as well as sacrifice and work that accompany anything that seems prestigious and shiny.

Princess Grace changed her status from actress to princess by marriage with the Prince of Monaco, in the second half of the 20^th century. Though you might expect to see a movie that unrolls all her life, it actually comprises only a relevant period of it. Despite the fact that at the beginning of the marriage, Grace is torn between the love of acting and her new role in the monarchy, she eventually shows that, by embracing the change, she succeeds to bring vital help to the State of Monaco, in a period of crisis.

Being a State leader might seem a beautiful dream but, in reality, it becomes a matter of strong will and hard work. Nothing worth having comes easy. This is how Grace Kelly managed to remain in the minds and memories of millions of people. Moreover, the way in which Nicole Kidman brings to life this story is breathless.

All in all, I strongly recommend this movie. It is inspiring, it keeps you constantly attentive, it teaches you a piece of history.

Movie Poster

Nicole Kidman in the role of Grace Kelly

The real Grace Kelly

Into the spotlight

My name is Anda Radu and I believe in the power of ideas. I am 22 years old, but more I can’t tell you about me. Why? Because my life is so dynamic that it would be impossible to describe a steady activity that I have.  There are so many interesting things happening, so many ideas that come to my mind and a constantly stronger desire and drive to write and to share them with the world.

One may wonder why I chose these words to represent my personal blog: Energy. Ideas. Change. Let me tell you that they are not randomly picked up from the dictionary, but do have a meaning in strong connection with my view upon life, that will also be expressed through this blog.

Energy. Because it embodies the energy that I put in every day of my life, into the ideas that evolve from the grain to the project and eventually into the dreams that later on will become reality. In my opinion, life is worth living only if you invest energy in it… dreams will not come true only with luck, but also with hard work.

Ideas. Because I strongly believe in the power of ideas and information. If we want to have control over our lives, we need to be open-minded, to have the courage to explore new territories, to try new things or simply be informed about what is happening around us. This way, we will become step by step stronger individuals. Dare to think, dare to debate, dare to discover!

Change. Because my entire life is about change. When I was 9 I moved to Campina, when I was 18 I moved to Bucharest, at 20 I lived for two months in Brazil and at 22 I will move again, this time to Vienna. And this is just one example. Positive change is the key to a better future and we should embrace it, not be afraid about it.

I hope that now you understood at least a bit about my mindset. More, you will discover on the way. So, what can you read here? Well, it might be a cool movie or a nice book that inspired me, an important event in my life that triggered some ideas, a trip that I did and much more. You will also have the chance to see the perspectives of a Romanian that is moving to Vienna – challenges, discoveries, maybe advice. However, it all depends on how life will turn out to be for me. Nevertheless, always expect something positive.

All these being said, I embark on a life-long journey by writing this blog. I know when and where to start, but I have no idea where it will end. I will put all my energy, gather all my ideas and make this journey a life-changing one!