DANCE AND CULTURAL TOURS TO ROMANIA 2008

The prices include:

• Transfer from Bucharest to final destination and return.
• Half boarding in a luxury 3*** hotel (breakfast and lunch or dinner, depending on daily programme) in a double bedroom with bath/shower and toilet.
  (Supplement for a single room: EUR 105.-).
• Dancing-lessons from Romanian dancing-teachers accompanied by live music.
• Excursions by touring-car. Participation in a variety of activities such as:
  meeting and dancing with dance ensembles, visiting museums, participating in
  village festivities, etc.
• Free entrance to the museums and exhibitions named in the programme.
• Accompaniment by Silviu Ciuciumiş and an English speaking guide/interpreter.

Not included:

• Return-flight to Bucharest, airport and security taxes.
  With regard to the high interest in these tours and the advantageous flight tickets on early booking, we advise you to register as soon as possible.
• Cancellation and travel insurances (you are requested to make personal arrangements).
• Personal spending, spending on alcoholic drinks, etc.

PROGRAMME OF THE TOUR TO PITEŞTI, 26 April – 3 May 2008

• Flight to Henri Coandă (former Otopeni), Bucharest
• Transfer by touring-car to Piteşti, 120 km. Seven overnight stays in a LUXURY 3*** HOTEL

Sunday 27th April

• Excursion to the valley of Râul Doamnei:
  - Visit to the workshop of a potter and a tunner in the village of Costeşti
  - In the shepherds’ village of Corbi** (Easter Sunday):
  - The place were God from the palm of his hand placed the first people on earth (legend). From a rock hewed church Corbii de piatră (the stone raven) – unique in Romania with an orthodox and a catholic altar, and the oldest paintings in authentic Byzantine style from 1330
  - Open-air tribunal for public lawsuits (1512-1521)
  - The table and the bones of the giant, the wolve’s tooth, waterfall la mama Uţa
  - Performance by the shepherds’ ensemble** (dancers and flute-players). Shepherds’ meal and party

Monday 28th April

• Dancing-lessons*
• Visit to the places of interest in Curtea de Argeş, a.o. the Royal Court: the first great feudal monument erected in Wallachia, well preserved, contains the royal church with highly valuable frescoes (1352) and the cellars of the royal residence (1340)
• Visit to the Church of the Curtea de Argeş Monastery (1517). World-famous for its remarkable spirally carved towers and brightly coloured paintings. Manole’s Fountain (1804) in memory of the legendary builder of the monastery. The Manole Hall with medieval art objects
• Performance by ensemble Argeşul, dancing party together

Tuesday 29th April

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to Costeşti. Performance and party with Caluş-dancers from ensemble Mugurelul

Wednesday 30th April

• Dancing-lessons. Musical instrument-makers T. Cioculescu and C. Arsenie. Performance by his students
• Excursion to the city of Piteşti: visit to the daily market place and the royal Church (16th century)
• The Argeş County Museum in the former prefecture (1896). Trivale Parc: Trivale Hermitage (17-19th cent.) and the Master Manole-monument. Performance by ensemble Dorul, party together

Thursday 1st May

• Excursion to the city of Câmpulung. Museum of ethnography with o.a. the house of Gabriela Clonţ
• Visit of the cave Dâmbovicioara
• Performancy by the men’s choir Doruri muscelene in the village of Mihăeşti
• Meeting with the children’s folklore group Doruleţul in the village of Berevoieşti

Friday 2nd May

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to the village of Goleşti:
  - Visit to the houses of grand boyars from the Goleşti-family (1640) and to the church (1646) with the tombs of Golescus. Exhibition of folk art. Visit to the open-air museum of vineyards and orchards
  - Visit to the Turkish Baths (1780), the only bath of its kind in this country entirely preserved
• Excursion to the village of Priboieni: traditional houses, ethnographic museum, ţuica-brewery
• Excursion to the village of Bârla: performance by village group Floricica. Performance, party together

Saturday 3rd May

• Transfer by touring-car to Bucharest. In Bucharest a.o. old city centre, palace of Ceauşescu, peasants’ or open-air museum. Flight from Henri Coandă (former Otopeni), Bucharest

PROGRAMME OF THE TOUR TO TÂRGU MUREŞ, 11 – 18 October 2008

• Flight Schiphol, Amsterdam – Henri Coandă (former Otopeni), Bucharest.
• Transfer by touring-car to Târgu Mureş. LUXURY 3*** HOTEL

Sunday 12th October

• Dancing-lessons*
• Excursion to the city of Sighişoara (14th century), that has been preserved in its original state: visit to the citadel with original defence walls (14th century) with 9 watch towers, 150 dwelling houses (16th century), the house of Vlad Dracul (father of Vlad Ţepeş alias Dracula), the History Museum, the “Church on the Hill” (15th century, on Gothic style), the Evangelical Church.
• Excursion to the village of Chendu**: Visit to the church and to the houses of the villagers, meeting with the local folklore group, performance and dancing-party together with dinner.

Monday 13th October

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to the village of Voivodeni (majority of Hungarian citizens): Hungarian folklore group, performance, dancing-party together. Visit to the workshops of artisans (wood, leather, cane, pottery)

Tuesday 14th October

• Dancing-lessons
• In the city of Târgu Mureş: the palace of culture (architectural monument, beginning 20th century) which accommodates the County Museum, with archaeology, history, fine arts and a “mirrors’ hall”. The Museum for Ethnography and Folklore. The Bolyai-Teleki memorial collection located in the county Library (empire-style building, 18th century)
• Performance by the professional ensemble Mureşul

Wednesday 15th October

• Dancing-lessons
• Excursion to the village of Valea Largă, concert by a traditional orchestra. Potter, village of Band
• In the village of Zău de Câmpie: meeting with the local folklore group (with căluşeri-dansers), performance and dancing-party together. Interpretation of old songs by Miron Ştefan.

Thursday 16th October

• Excursion along the Mureş-valley: visit to the castle in the village of Lăpuşna, the workshop of a flute-maker. The musical instruments factory and the Museum for Ethnography and Folklore in the city of Reghin.
• Visit ti the village of Hodac: meeting with the traditional folklore group Hodăceana (children, youngsters, adults and oldsters), performance and dancing-party together.

Friday 17th October

• Dancing-lessons and special opportunity for dance notation and video-recording
• Visit in the city of Târgu Mureş: The citadel (17th century) with the Calvinist Church (15th century). Visit to the “Big Cathedral” with the biggest painted surface of all orthodox cathedrals in Romania, and which is the second biggest orthodox church in Europe.
• Farewel party together with the ensemble Mureşul

Saturday 18th October

• Transfer to Bucharest. Places of interest in Bucharest: Farmers’museum, Romanian Episcopal church, Caşin-convent, Cişmigiu-park, etc.
• Flight Henri Coanda (former Otopeni), Bucharest - Schiphol, Amsterdam

* During the spring-tour the dancing-lessons will be given by Dorin and Cătălin Oancea with dances from Muntenia. Autumn-tour dancing-lessons from Molnár József with dances from Mureş. The lessons include dances from the villages we visit, so that we can dance with the local people.
**In general the dancing-groups perform, followed by a shared party with music and dance.

EXTRA: singing-lessons, surprises SUBJECT TO MODIFICATIONS