robertop's VirtualTourist Home Page

I was born in a country which
faced long years of communist regime.Everyday's life followed a
monotonous path ,in a rather greytoned environment,sort of isolation and lack of regular contacts to ordinary people from abroad were common.
The media ,surveyed,focused
just in the single wanted and ordered direction ,unbiased information an exception,TV reduced to only one state channel.
Travelling was a nice dream,
a favour just for the few.Limited to
business trips,organized tours to some of the neighbouring communist countries.No passeport in your posession.the lucky ones to get one had it deposed with the authorities,which handed it over to them only before starting a allowed trip.So you never knew if next time you still "deserve"to travel and your passport will be handed over to you or refused.
To those living in the western world this might seem a bit unreal,
but in fact,those were the days we lived my friends !

By the end of the eighties,
"perestroika",the spectacular fall of
the Berlin Wall,the velvet uprisings and quick changes in several east-
european countries.made us feel that also in my country something was in the air and changes will come.
This happened by the end of 1989,when a majour and vigorous uprising crashed the regime,but regretfully in a bloody turmoil,with the sacrifice of many young and
innocent lives.
The winds of change reached us finally and now everybody had to learn what freedom really is and how it can be upheld.

Now freedom governs our lives,the long blackout is over.
Unbiased information reaches daily in large amounts and from various sources,pouring into our minds ,helping us to make our own judgements and express our opinions whatever these are.
A wide variety of newspapers and magazines.lots of private and independent TV -and radio stations,
cable TV airs up to 60 channels from all over the world is to millions of households(the Discovery channels,National Geographic,BBC World,CNN.,TV 5,Euronews a.s.o.
Romania is marching straight
towards EU membership, in 2007who could have dreamt of this here in the late eighties ?

Economic constraints are present in a society striving to get
over the hardships of introducing market economy.But more and more
people manage to travel abroad,
everyone having now the freedom of keeping his own passport,without any restriction .It does not matter if they are backpackers,join organized tours or economic tours for the young,make private visits or participate in luxury cruises,they all are keen to know the world and meet people from the countries visited without any restrictions.
Twice a year Bucharest hosts in April resp.October the International Tourism Fair . a big number of Romanian and foreign tourism agencies offering practically any trip
you want both to Romania and abroad.
Romania is a country with many attractions,a destination which will attract certainly more foreign tourists in the years to come

Me and my family did benefit from this breakthrough,travelled a lot each year since 1990.
My site is dedicated to the numerous places we have seen and people we met during these extensive trips,as a tribute to freedom of travelling.