Tuesday, August 30, 2022

THE MAIN FEATURE – ROMANIA – DEVA (Day 90 covering 185km to 10,149km)

 This post sees us CRACK THE 10,000 KILOMETRE MARK !!!

 

This post also sees us drive from Sibiu to Deva in Transylvania in Romania via the Red Ravine geological formation, Alba Lulia Walled Fortress and the Măgura Uroiului geological formation. In this post we also visit the city of Deva.

 

Red Ravine (Râpa Roșie) or "red ravine" is a geological and botanical reserve, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) north of Sebeș. Erosion and runoff has given it a prominent, sharp rocky pink appearance in the mountainside, 800m long and 50–125 metres high. It is very reminiscent of Bryce Canyon in the USA.

 

Alba Iulia (Pop 63,536, Elev 223m, Founded 9th Century) is a city, which during the ancient times was the location of the Roman camp Apulum. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1542 and 1690 it was the capital of the principality of Transylvania. On 1 December 1918, the Union of Transylvania with Romania was declared in Alba Iulia, and Romania's King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie were crowned in the Alba Iulia Orthodox Cathedral in 1922. The walled city remains with both Orthodox and Catholic Cathedrals dominating the large open space.

 

The Măgura Uroiului (Uroi Hill) site is a Romanian multi-period archaeological site located on and around Uroi Hill, a 300 metres (984 ft) tall rock outcrop, with an escarpment facing the rivers Mureș and Strei. The site is located about 2 kilometres (1 mi) north of Simeria. It is a strange site, much like The Nut of Stanley Tasmania.

 

Finally, Deva (Pop 61,123, Elev 187m, Founded 1269) is a city in Transylvania that has been occupied by several ethnic groups and characterised by a fortress sitting atop a steep and sudden hill much like the Acropolis in Athens. Most of the classic buildings originally built by the Hungarian Empire were destroyed by the Ottomans and so the city is only left with a majority of ugly communist era buildings. Despite this, the city is under refurbishment including the Fortress and Main Promenade that leads to the Casino. Deva is also the home of Romanian Olympic Female Gymnasts and we were lucky to find the exact place where world-famous Nadia Comăneci trained for Olympic Glory. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0 at the Montreal Olympic Games. During her career Comăneci won nine Olympic medals (5 Gold) and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals. She has lived in the United States since 1989. In 2001 she became a naturalized United States citizen and has dual citizenship, having maintained her Romanian citizenship.

Enjoy this day of formations and fortresses…





















 THIS IS WHERE Nadia Comăneci TRAINED:


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