Essential Ceausescu The Life of Romanian Communist Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu: Road to Hell Paved with Good Intentions A black dog licks at a puddle of blood in which two old people lie, executed on Christmas day in the Targoviste garrison, Romania. Following a kangaroo trial, a special tribunal sentenced them to death by shooting in December 1989 for "serious crimes against the people of Romania." He died instantly. The woman died a minute later, after the execution squad's paratroop captain furiously emptied another round in her. Thus Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu's five-decade journey...

Transylvanian Saxons The saga of a civilization in 4 parts: colonization, splendor, decline and today's touristic heritage Underdeveloped country seeking investors - this was the slogan of Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism. Like flowers competing for pollinators, its states outdid each other in advertising economic privileges and legislative facilities to attract Western investors. The different governments which took turns in the last 15 years in the Victoria Palace from Bucharest did not bothered to go beyond mere declarations of good intentions; but, while TV channels broadcast...

RAW GYPSIES Nine true stories Limbos and another seven or eight Gypsies from Mocirla ("The Swamp"), on the outskirts of Romanian town Buhusi were at old Sava's pub again last night, gathered around a 2 $ bottle of liqueur. One of them had just come back from Italy: a very big guy, with a tight shirt, with a mean face, with expressionless, predatory eyes that looked you right in the brain. And they were celebrating this interlop's return home. Then, another one came down from the hill, with clay on his head, dead tired. He had worked all day at sticking together a house with clay for 3 $. And...

THAILAND WINTER ESCAPE We are Catalin, Adina and Vladimir: a family with a small child, on a tight budget, looking for a tropical destination that's cheaper than back home. We live in Romania but we like spending our winters in Thailand. WE'RE IN LOVE WITH THIS COUNTRY Not so much with its perfect beaches, its tropical jungle, or the warm breath of the Indian Ocean, but with the humanity awoken in us by its relaxed, Buddhist, modest, smiling inhabitants. Because the gods cannot bless everyone with all of their gifts, Thai people themselves are also blinded by Westerners, venerate fair skin...

Dear Reader, You should know from the very beginning this is not an exhaustive, academic paper on Romania; nor is it a travel guide of Romania. I'm a simple journalist and this is just my own private Romania - a subjective puzzle of all the things I know from experience to be interesting for foreign tourists. I've been working for the Romanian edition of National Geographic for over ten years. Mostly because of my job I've met many foreigners - either when they visited Romania or when I went abroad. I guess now I've got more friends from the other side of the Earth than from my native land....

Vlad and the Vampire: The Double Life of Dracula Romania is best known to the world as Dracula's country. But go there and ask about Dracula and you'll be puzzled. The Count remained until very recently unknown in his own homeland. Romanian communists banned all vampire fiction until 1990. Even nowadays Romanians have a schizophrenic attitude towards Dracula. They are tempted to transform Dracula into a tourism agent to cash in Western money, but at the same time they're afraid they may be bartering away their history. Romania's problem is that Dracula lived for real. He was neither a...

Am inotat spre larg cu mintea goala, atent doar la ritm. Cand eram gata sa fac cale-ntoarsa, m-am trezit intr-o intersectie de valuri inspumate, aruncat de colo-colo ca o ganganie. Cu cateva minute inainte totul parea roz: descoperisem o plaja superba la Marea Egee si m-am aruncat in apa razand... Ultimul val m-a lovit ca un ciocan si am simtit apa sarata in gura. Oare chiar ma inec aici? Stop-cadru Sa lipim langa scena asta o partida de inot in piscina. De ani buni inot cu regularitate intr-un bazin din Bucuresti: cuminte, linistit, safe, pe partea dreapta a culoarului. In bazin si-n afara...