Archive for October, 2010

Campulung Offroad Stage 2010

Posted in LifeStyle with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on 18 October 2010 by Watcher Romano

I have just returned from the Campulung 2010 Offroad Championship Stage. Nothing interesting, very badly organized, bad lodging conditions (thank God we chose not to stay at the official hotel). The tracks were the opposite of what I like: they were quite easy, but dangerous. I prefer them to be difficult but not dangerous (to only have the risk of breaking the car, as opposed to dying).

We did pretty well in the first day, given that we lost 30 minutes with a flat tire and some other 15 on a wrong turn: we started 14th and arrived 8th. However, in the second day our winch broke when we needed it the most, so we had to be rescued by the Duster team (the maximum shame), and then had to abandon the race.

Here are some photos:

 

There go 30 minutes

There go 30 minutes

 

 

Even worse - GTC could not start (he's already 5 minutes into the time)

Even worse - GTC could not start (he's already 5 minutes into the time)

 

 

What a champion looks like

What a champion looks like

 

 

Day 1 track - 2000 meters altitude

Day 1 track - 2000 meters altitude

 

 

Day 1 Finish line, Rausor Dam

Day 1 Finish line, Rausor Dam

 

and some movies:

Day 1 track:


Day 2:
Here comes trouble



Superalfie does it:

“our turn”:

Maximum shame:

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Never seen a Woman, huh ?

Posted in Life Beats Film, Travel with tags , , , , , , on 13 October 2010 by Watcher Romano

Traveling around in Valcea county, I visited the Govora monastery. What really caught my eye in this monastery was a very odd depiction of St Mary:

Govora - Odd Depiction of St. Mary

Govora - Odd Depiction of St. Mary

I am not sure whether  the painter never had seen a woman before painting this, or was gay, or had succumbed to the old-time idea of men impersonating women on the theatrical stage, but I find this really creepy. What do you think ?

I have to tell those of you who are on my blog for the first time that I generally shoot beautiful and interesting places :-) . Do check back soon (via RSS or email )

Culele de la Maldaresti – The Fortified Mansions at Maldaresti

Posted in Beautiful Romania, Travel with tags , , , , , , on 11 October 2010 by Watcher Romano

Among the famous churches, caves, saltworks, mountain lakes, thermal water springs and the Capatanii Mountains, there are several other quite unique attractions in Valcea county. In the close vicinity of Horezu lies an unknown history lesson:  the fortified mansions in Maldaresti. I personally have visited Horezu something like 5 times before I got to this place, and it’s a shame, because there are things to be learned from this visit.

I never knew we had fortified homes in the first place. Mind you, these are not ‘castles’, but ‘mansions’ or ‘villas’. Homes of local landlords, or summer houses for the era’s rich and famous. And they felt they were at danger of being attacked, but not necessarily by foreign invaders…

I find the idea of painting one’s portrait directly on the wall very unpractical, but also being proof of determination: the owner just KNEW he would not ever change the wall color :-) )

Please visit the official site of the Museum, with historical data (Romanian language).

These photos belong to the beautiful Romania category. I should also warn you that I post photos from travels around the country (and the world)  quite often, so it’s a good idea to subscribe (via RSS or email ) .

Offroad with X3M Ramnicu Valcea

Posted in LifeStyle with tags , , , , on 10 October 2010 by Watcher Romano

I just got back from an offroad day with the special guys from X3M Offroad. We had a very nice day, with great a track: difficult, technical, but not dangerous: the worst you could do was break something, but nothing serious.

This is the official thread of the trip, and I took the liberty to show these pictures / photos of me in action:

Watcher, mud, X3M Valcea

Watcher, mud, X3M Valcea

How i got there:

And a very tricky lateral incline (see the Jimny) :

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Land Cruiser Fun

Posted in LifeStyle with tags , , , , , , , , on 4 October 2010 by Watcher Romano

September the 18th was the birthday of a very good friend of mine, the infamous Stroe. We gathered at Ruxi’s place in Bran to celebrate his passing from the young to the not-anymore :-) With this occasion we also did a bit of offroading (softroading) :

If you like the offroad, there are more posts like this here on this blog. Also, be sure to check back frequently, or better yet, choose to be automatically notified (via RSS or email ) whenever I post something new.

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