The Romanian restaurants and gastronomy.

Although international cuisine is available in better quality restaurants, make sure that you savour the local Romanian dishes. Romanian cooking is rich, tasty and substantial, as befits a country were all food is still naturally grown, where fruits and vegetables follow their normal season, and when the winter is cold.

Pork is a special favorite, but you will find good beef, veal, and chicken too. They are delicious simply grilled. Typical Romanian specialties include a range of soup " ciorba ", a sour soup made from fermented bran , bacon, potatoes and beef or chicken. Hearty stews such as " Tachitura Moldoveneasca " are accompanied like many Romanian meat, and " Mititei " is small grill sausages perfumed with aromatic herbs. Among Fish dishes sample carp on the spit, a local specialty in the Danube Delta.

A range of excellent white and red Romanian wines of the famous vineyards of Murfatlar, Cotnari, Jidvei, Dealu Mare, Odobesti, Valea Calugareasca, accompany local and international dishes to perfection, while " Tuica " the local plum brandy is often drunk as a digestive. But beware, it carries a sting in its tail! The local Romanian beers are excellent.

Active tourism - flight by parachute.

More than 40 places of this kind are to be found in Romania. Among the most famous are Prahova Valley, especially the superior side of the valley (around 150 in the north of Bucharest), Bucegi Mountains, Hasmas Mountains with Bicaz Gorge, Apuseni Mountains, and Vatra Dornei, and the areas near the sea – the north of the coast. To fly by parachute in Romania you need a valid legal pilot licence. If the own equipment is used, it has to have an ID certificate and a paper issued by the Romania’s Airclub. In Vatra Dornei area the flights are safely done in parachutes with two places (byplace), the tourists being accompanied by highly experienced pilot-instructors. The transport to the mountainous peaks is done with a special 6X6vehicle, whose renting tariff is included in the price. The participants – six people. The taking off areas from the mountains surroundin Dorna Basin are perfect and safe, the mountains having round ridges, grass and the speed of the wind in the legal limits. On Dorna Basin, many excellent thermic currents are to be found, allowing those who fly to do it for hours, and also dynamic currents, turning the flight into a real pleasure. 7-day training courses can also be attended in Vatra Dornei. Professional equiments are provided The beginning of such a course requires a group of minimum six people. The courses begin with theory, video classes, and the real flight on the spot with different sizes parachutes. In the end, the long flights are performed. The transport on the spot is provided by a 6x6 vehicle. The month or the programme are settled in accordance with the number of the participants. The costs are around Euro 50. More info at : Sport Hotel *, RO-725700 Vatra Dornei,33 REPUBLICII STREET Tel / Fax: 0230/371.567, Mobile: 0723.82.93.01, ADVENTURE TOURISM CENTRS ROMANIAN RAFTING VATRA DORNEI