Constanța I (3/29/2026)

Sunday, March 29, 2026

This morning we boarded the motor coaches for the three-hour trip to Constanța, the port where we would embark on Viking Rinda for our Danube River cruise.

We arrived in time for lunch that began with a Vegetable
Consommé, then Kent had the BBQ Baby Back Ribs

I had the Penne al'Arrabbiata

Blueberry Cream Cheese Slice was Kent's choice for dessert

I had the Chocolate Mousse

The included afternoon shore excursion was Constanța On Foot, but we were taken by motor coach into town because of the tricky long walk through the working port.

We were dropped off by Mural Wanda
(2023? by Wanda Hutira) (KSS)

Constanța is Romania's largest port on the Black Sea,
which was so rough today that we were splashed by the surf

Comandamentul Naval Militar/Romanian Navy Command
Headquarters (1879-1881 as Hotel Terminus for the
Danube and Black Sea Railway that was later
replaced by the Danube-Black Sea Canal

Bustul lui Mihai Eminescu/Bust (1934, by Oscar Han)
of a 19C poet  and writer from Moldavia, who was considered
to be the most influential figure in Romanian Literature (KSS)

A view of the rough surf at Cazinoul din Constanța/
Casino of Constanța with the port to the left

Farul Genovez/Genovese Lighthouse
(originally built by traders from Genoa in 1300,
rebuilt 1858-1860 by the Danube and Black Sea Railway

Faleza Cazinoului/Casino Promenade

Constanța sewer cover

Casino of Constanța (1910, by Daniel Renard in
Art Nouveau style) was reopened in 2025 after five years
of renovation, having been abandoned since 1990

Sea-inspired design with sculptural reliefs of
waves, shells, and sea creatures (KSS)

At the top of the column is a ship's prow

Acvariul din Constanța/Aquarium of Constanța
(1955-1958, by Daniel Renard as a restaurant for the Casino)

We were lucky to enter the Casino before
its evening closing, with its Art Nouveau details

During the recent renovation, a small wooden box was
discovered with a letter written on a piece of a cement bag;
Ion Cristodulo addressed this note to his son to wish
him a Happy Birthday; other prisoners also wrote notes
or wrote their names on beams in the structure

Computer view of the note

Chandelier above the grand staircase
in front of stained glass windows (KSS)

Another unique chandelier in the grandballroom;
during World War I the casino was used as a hospital

Huge "clam-shell" window lets in light on the north side

More chandeliers above the two symbols
of the city of Constanța; a ship and lighthouse

Clam-shell window on the inner south wall

Some rooms held examples of Art Nouveau
works; the chair was designed by Queen Maria

Irises (by Queen Maria of Romania)

Basement exhibit: History of Underwater Diving (KSS)

The Depths of the Black Sea on a stratified model

Ovid's Metamorphoses: An immersive show about the creation
of the world, gods, humans, love, war and destiny, inspired by
the masterpieces Metamorphoses and Tristele: Letters from
Pontus by the great Roman poet Ovid, who was exiled here

Helix lucorum/Turkish Snail, a native in the Black Sea area (KSS)

Catedrala Arhiepiscopală Sfinții Apostoli Petru și Pavel/
Archbishop's Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul is located next
to an archaeological site of Roman ruins (KSS)

Front of the Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul
(1883-1885, Alexandru Orăscu and
Carol Benesch in a Greco-Roman style)

The interior was designed by Ion Mincu,
including the chandelier; the dome over the
sanctuary features the Virgin Mary and apostles

The central dome traditionally depicts the Christ Pantocrator

Apparently the original paintings (1883-1885, by
George Demetrescu Mirea) of the saints were considered
religiously improper as they were done in realist style with
clothing of nobles; the paintings (1959-1961, by
Gheorghe Popescu) were redone in Neo-Byzantine style,
resulting in the church being re-consecrated (KSS)

A worshipper kisses the icon of Mary (said to be
wonder-working), in front of the iconostasis carved in oak

Relics of St Astion were discovered in 2001

Reliquary of St Panteleimon (he appears
to be holding a cell phone!)

Carved doorway of ants

Marea Moschee din Constanța/Great Mosque
of Constanța (1910-1913, by Victor Ștefănescu
in Neo-Egyptian & Neo-Byzantine styles,
with a Neo-Moorish minaret) was
commissioned by King Carol I

Casa cu Lei/House with Lions (1895-1898, by Ion Berindei
in Eclectic or Italian Renaissance style for an Armenian
merchant) was often a hotel; Hotel d'Angleterre where the
poet Mihai Eminescu was said to live in the attic, but also this
hotel catered only to the privileged, for intimate rendezvous

Primăria Constanța/Constanța City Hall (1912-1921, by
Victor Ștefănescu in Romanian National style) was later
a post office and now the Muzeul de Istorie Națională și 
Arheologie/Museum of National History and Archaeology

Statue (1883, by Ettore Ferrari, but not erected
until 1887) of Ovid, the Latin poet, who was
exiled here for unknown reasons and died in
Constanța, reinforcing the "latinity" of Romania

Former Mercur Hotel (1913-1916, in
Eclectic or Neo-Romanian style) became
the Banca Națională a României/
National Bank of Romania in 1948

To be continued.

Mogoșoaia Palace and Snagov Monastery (3/28/2026)

Saturday, March 28, 2026 (continued)

For once we chose an optional excursion: Snagov Monastery & Mogoșoaia Palace: Romania's Houses of Retreat.

The motor coach drove past the Arcul de Triumf/
Arch of Triumph (1935, by Petre Antonescu) that honors the
heroes of the War of Independence and World War I

We also passed Monumentul Aripi/Wings Monument
(2016, by Mihai Buculei) that is dedicated to those
who fought for freedom in Romania throughout
the almost 45 years of communist regime

Before building a palace, first a church is built:
Biserica Sfântul Gheorghe/Church of St George (1688-1902)
was commissioned by Constantin Brâncoveanu

Palatul Mogoșoaia/Mogoșoaia Palace (1698-1702) for
Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, who
lived here with his family until they were executed by
the Ottomans in 1714; its façade is dominated by 
traditional staircase balconies, columns with capitals, and
 arcades that have come to be known as the Brâncovanesc
style or Romanian Renaissance style

We first visited the former cuhnia/kitchen...

...that is noted for architectural elements
designed for ventilation

The kitchen space was being used for an exhibit
featuring Romanian fotbal/soccer

The Guest House or Villa d'Elchingen (1870, commissioned
by Nicolae Bibescu) that later housed writers while
Martha Bibescu, a writer herself, owned the palace and was
also responsible for renovating the entire property in the 1920s

A Venetian-style loggia (an open-sided
upper-floor balcony features ornate, slender
columns and intricate floral carvings)
is a feature of the Brâncovenesc style

Mogoșoaia Palace is now the Muzeul de
Artă Brâncovenească/Museum of Brâncovenesc
Art with the sculpture Maternitate/Motherhood
(2021, by Virgil Scripcariu) that depicts
St George as a baby

The Ice House would be filled with blocks of ice
cut from Lacul Mogoșoaia/Lake Mogoșoaia

Lake Mogoșoaia behind the palace (KSS)

The western loggia with stone carvings of
flowers, birds, and dolphins

More of the western façade overlooking the garden

This must look fantastic when all the iris bloom! (KSS)

A sculpture left from Pădure de Porțelan/
Porcelain Forest (2007, by Daniela Făiniș) (KSS)

These carvings feature the double-headed eagle that was
supposedly part of Martha Bibescu's family coat of arms;
however, the Lahovary coat of arms has two regular eagles

19C fabric from India made of flax, wool
and silk; the Museum of Brâncovenesc Art
was exhibiting a collection donated by
the family of Liana & Dan Nasta

Notice the visitors are wearing shoe covers
to protect the flooring

The color is better in the photo above; much of the
foyer floor was covered with tiny tiles of gold foil
sandwiched between glass

Vintage gramophone (KSS)

Romanian aviator uniform of George Bibescu,
the husband of Martha Bibescu (KSS)

Spiral stairway

Carved and painted door

Cycle Ecce Homo: La flagellation de Jesus
(17C engraving by Albrecht Dürer)

A tapestry depicting Constantin Brâncoveanu and his
family; he stands to the left with his four sons, and his
wife stands to the right with the seven daughters

Prince Constantin was told that if he and his sons wanted to escape death, they had to convert to Islam and pay a large sum of money. Constantin didn’t have the money required by the Ottoman Turks, and did not wish to convert to the Muslim faith. Since neither torture nor threats induced the prisoners to forsake Christ, the Turks sentenced them to death. Before his own execution, Constantin was forced to watch the beheadings of his sons. His wife and daughters were forced to view the execution, then they were imprisoned and later exiled.

Prince George Valentin Bibescu
(2020, by Kateryna Rudakova)

Princess Martha Bibescu
(2019, by Kateryna Rudakova)

Fireplace

18C wedding dress

After another 45 minutes or so in the motor coach, we arrived near Mănăstirea Snagov/Snagov Monastery (est 1408).

The monastery is located on an island on Lacul Snagov/
Lake Snagov, which was reached by a pedestrian bridge

New monastery buildings

Entrance gate as part of the fortifications
(c 1456) built on order of Vlad III
(the Impaler, but as Prince of Wallachia)
in addition to a prison for traitors (KSS)

Mircea cel Bătrân/Mircea the Elder was a
Wallachian Prince who founded the monastery

Vlad Țepeș/the Impaler

Goats, and what's that? An emu?

Monastery Church (1521, in Byzantine
style with Romanian elements) (KSS)

No photos were allowed inside the church, which contains a tomb for Vlad III aka Vlad

Țepeș. Although Vlad III requested to be buried here, there is no evidence that he actually was laid to rest in Snagov. Now historians are saying he may have been buried at Comana Monastery, which a) was founded by Vlad II; b) is closer to the battlefield where he was killed and beheaded, and c) supposedly  a headless body was found there. It is believed that the Ottomans took his head to be displayed in Constantinople.

Brâncovenesc spiral columns (KSS)

A well, and beyond are the new monastery buildings
as they hope to bring in monks and begin anew

Caretaker's house (KSS)

Swan planter and dog houses (KSS)

Troiță/Traditional Romanian Orthodox cross

Next: Constanța, Romania.