Rivne, Ukraine

Picture By: ukrainetrek.com 

by Yulia Vashchuk

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is rich in cultural wealth and natural resources. Rivne is a city in northwest of this beautiful country. It has the status of the regional center, but it still remains as a small quiet town with a sincere, friendly and open people. You can see a lot of them walking in a nice square in the center of a town. If you arrive in Rivne and have nothing to do just go to its center. There you will feel what you are ready to do. Everyone who gets there feel friendly atmosphere and ease in your heart.

At a first glance the rhythm of life there may seem slow but people live here an active life. They just know how to relax if they want to do that. Young people engaged in a variety of sports. The most common are speedway and football. Basketball, volleyball, rugby, baseball and hockey are also popular. World Women's Checkers Championship  was in Rinve in 2011.
There are a few museums in Rivne. The most interesting and newest is an Amber Museum. Amber is known for its healing features and is produced in Rivne region.
If you like cultural centers you can visit Drama, organ hall, cinemas and art galleries.

Other ways people spend leisure time here are ice skating, rollerblading, skiing and skateboards. A lot of people visit gyms. In summer you can ride a bicycle or have a picnic. There is a beach on a river Ustya. In the end of spring people begin to spend a lot of time there having picnics and getting a suntan. Going out of town for a picnic is also very popular. There are a lot of woods there. If you wish you can pick berries and mushrooms there.
There are a lot of cafes and restaurants in Rivne. So if you feel freezzy walking in Winter you can find some quiet place to drink coffee, hot tea or to eat some tasty Ukrainian or non-Ukrainian meals. If you like fast food there is McDonalds and a lot of cafes serving pizza. You can have a picnic in one of the squares if you wish.
If you wish to have fun you can visit one of the disco clubs or karaoke.
There is a brewery and a bakery in Rivne. So you can try a lot of tasty things from there.
To get to their job people mostly use buses, trolleybuses and cars. But some sporty men use bicycles. It is easy to get to their work for people who live out of town because there are two bus stations and a train station in Rivne. To the closest places buses go every 15 minutes.
Religions of citizens mostly are Orthodox and Catholics. But there are nearly 26 of other confessions.
What to avoid there? Do not share how much money you have with the robbers. ))
Foreigners are frequent guests and always leave the city with lots of positive experiences.

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Alba Iulia, Romania

Alba Iulia,  The Fortress of Transylvania

By Bogdan Alexandru Suciu 

             Alba Iulia is a city full of wonder , the heart of Romania, the fortress of Transylvania. This city , without doubts , had the biggest and the most important role in the history of  Romania . From Alba Iulia the nation began to flourish.
Alba Iulia is located in a tourist area and it is very attractive to travelers, who are  received and welcomed with great hospitality on this land. The tourist potential of the area finds its reflection in a broad constellation of evidence of  a past millennia, expressed in chain monuments of architecture and art, in a variety of natural beauties.
  Alba municipality was in ancient times a human civilization hearth where specific Romanian folk customs and traditions exert a special attraction for tourists from home and abroad.
If you are new on this land  , there are a variety of  possibilities to develop. So here are some great attractions for the passionate tourists. One of the most interesting things to see is the exchange of guard ceremony that takes place on Saturdays and on Sundays at the Third Gate. The entire ceremony takes place as it used to be in the medieval period, when Alba Iulia was probably the most impressive fortress from the Eastern part of Europe.

During this ceremony , the riders with their horses  and the soldiers use to march and surround  the fortress to the delight of the public that come in large numbers.

Alba Iulia is full of other attractions for example The Orthodox Cathedral, known as Coronation Cathedral, is the artistic expression of our national unity achieved by the Act of 1918. The building has a shape like a Greek cross. The entrance to the church is through an open porch with large arches, supported on four columns with capitals.
Another very important historical monument located near the Orthodox Cathedral is The Roman Catholic Cathedral built in the thirteenth century. It is the most valuable monument of early Transylvanian medieval architecture, harmoniously combining the elements of the Gothic and Roman architecture.

Near the Roman Catholic Cathedral we can find the statue of Michael the Brave, one of the greatest rulers of Romania.  There are many other monuments , historical buildings , National Museums where you can find valuable objects from ancient times that have more than 2000 years of existence , the union Hall, the Old part of town and a very big fortress surrounded by channels , caves and caverns and if I will mention them all probably I will not finish today with the enumeration. Another thing that I would like to say and emphasize is that only the entire fortress has more than 10 tourist routes and during these routes you can ride horses and drive using the  medieval carriage.
In the end I would like to mention one more monument. Having a great importance for the Romanian culture the Library Bathyaneum is a major  historical objective for Alba Iulia. It is known worldwide for its collections of great value representing manuscripts and rare prints
So what are you waiting for? Do not waste your time ! Come and visit Alba Iulia, The Heart of Romania !

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