Tag Archives: Art

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Royal Endeavors – Monumentalist Craiova

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PrincessaPetra @ Nicolae Romanescu House, Craiova

“If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.”
– Yann Martel

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to present this enlightened Royal Endeavors episode, marked by the Monumentalist guided tour of my controversial yet distinguished hometown, Craiova, an exclusive blog post lovingly dedicated to my grandfather, Mugur Iordache, who had recently and graciously stepped into the eternal dimension.

He was a brilliant mathematician and a highly-reputed professor, with a remarkable career which spaned over decades of proudly serving his community by educating many generations of young minds to master the complexity and art of mathematics.

He lead a very respectful, organized life, beat collon cancer for good over thirteen years ago with much pride and courage and never stopped challenging his strength to walk for miles every day in the park until his last one, leading everyone by the power of his example of never giving up.

He was also my greatest Social Media admirer, always dropping encouraging comments while showing off my pics to my grandmother, therefore I strongly feel there is no better ocassion to pay homage to his loving memory than to dedicate the exclusive Monumentalist Craiova fabulous episode to him.

Firstly because there are many misconceptions about my home town, mostly based on violent incidents and bad news in the media, which denigrate its noble and rich intellectual history and elegant architectural legacy. Unfortunately, ordinary people who feed on such news may have no idea about the important landmarks the 6th largest city of Romania prides itself with.

There are countless historical and cultural sites in Craiova that can keep the traveler intrigued therefore my goal is to surprise my audience and lastingly impress it with some of the most somptuous edifices worthy of its time and attention, landmarks which I had the absolute pleasure of visiting during the Monumentalist Tour.

This eclectic journey would not have been possible without the initiative of AIO living and the brilliant guidance of Alexandru Buzatu, my former high school colleague, brilliant architect and devoted guide and of course, the Monumentalist movement.

Let’s now proceed with the discovery of the wonderful Craiova city.

“In Europe the rich are refined enough to act as if they’re not wealthy. That is how civilized people behave. If you ask me, being cultured and civilized is not about everyone being free and equal; it’s about everyone being refined enough to act as if they were. Then no one has to feel guilty.”
– Orhan Pamu

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Royal Endeavors – Heritage Instameet Industrial

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Captured by @Isabelle_Vijiac

“The world is getting more connected through technology and travel. Cuisines are evolving. Some people are scared of globalization, but I think people will always take pride in cultural heritage.”
– John Mackey

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

Time has come again to pleasantly remember the high times I had and valuable acquaintances I made during my second Heritage Instameet Bucharest tour, dedicated to the valuable industrial patrimony, which marks the one year anniversary of Cronicari Digitali and the wonderful subject of another Royal Endeavors exclusive episode.

I am very grateful for having been present at the celebration of this important milestone in the project’s development, dedicated to the awareness and promotion of national patrimony, while exploring and expanding my horizons in regards to what used to be the pride and glory of Romania’s science and industry.

Cronicari Digitali is an educational platform which facilitates the meeting point of millennial digital presence with Romania’s high-esteemed values and traditions, a project which is supported by the National Institute for Heritage and developed by Zaga Brand agency.
Its purpose is to promote cultural patrimony through digital storytelling and the involvement of community. All generations are welcomed to get involved and to become ambassadors of the movement, through sharing their own enlightened vision and stories.

The experts, part of X Generation, do the telling, while the millennials migrate the national cultural identity to the online realms, through a language that can reach us all, with viral engagement, directly on their feed and wall.

The tangible patrimony can be touched, felt and photographed. The intangible patrimony can delight the sight and tickle the thoughts. The natural patrimony is abundantly rich in thousands of colors and musical notes. Patrimony is all around us at the glimpse of an eye and always part of our lives, by being a confession and an expression of values, faith and traditions, independently of who owns them.

Cronicari Digitali is responsible for more than 6 Heritage Instameet tours and several Heritage Trips around Romania covering more than 10 thousands kilometers and over 100 patrimony attractions discovered through the guided tours.
Last time they counted, prior to the industrial Heritage Instameet, their hashtag marked over 8 thousand pictures. I would say these aspects and winning 5 national awards are a tremendous accomplishment for their first year of proudly serving the community through making heritage go viral.

“Let us save what remains: not by vaults and locks which fence them from the public eye and use in consigning them to the waste of time, but by such a multiplication of copies, as shall place them beyond the reach of accident.”
– Thomas Jefferson

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Captured by @mobileshadows

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Royal Endeavors – Heritage Instameet Bucharest

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Ladies and gentlemen,

I am deeply touched to finally reach the strength and solitude to convey a breathtaking Royal Endeavors episode dedicated to Romania’s highly valued cultural patrimony, which I was more than grateful to have intimately discovered thanks to the Cronicari Digitali Heritage Instameet movement. You do not realize how I deeply appreciate the mysterious ways of how the Universe reacts to my wishes and the planets aligning for the opportunity to follow my intuition when I randomly came across Cronicari Digitali page on Facebook and saw what a spectacular tour of Bucharest’s iconic landmarks they are hosting, right in the Gemini season!

The reason I was so thrilled was because I have always included majestic architectural masterpieces into my photo shootings across the years, but I did not know such an instagram movement exists, whose purpose is to unite artists and content creators from all over the country, whose footsteps would be guided on the path to greatness in order to promote the glorious cultural heritage of Romania.

This exclusive tour was a wonderful opportunity for me to find a tribe whose values I deeply share. It was my first Heritage Instameet experience and I was thrilled to be surrounded by people I have so much to learn from. The tour provided insights to four fabulous iconic buildings some of the most beautiful in the country pertaining to Romania’s cultural heritage:

🏟️ Romanian Athenaeum
🏦 National Bank of Romania Museum
🏛️ Frederic and Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck Art Museum
🏠 Ilie I. Niculescu-Dorobanțu Residence

As I am aware the internet is rich in historical facts regarding the monumental architectural gems of Bucharest, I will solely document some interesting facts and a representative pictures I personally took of them in order to incite your insatiable curiosity to find out more by yourselves and to spark the desire to embark on your own Heritage Instameet experience. 

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Royal Endeavors – Basque Country

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Ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to the much expected last Royal Endeavors episode, dedicated to my excellent travel experience and spiritual journey in Basque Country.

We have come a long way together to finally reach this milestone. You know how much I appreciate your patience – I am also deeply involved in the process of living consciously and mindful so please feel free to highly appreciate my time investment and persistant dedication to follow my passion against all odds – there have been quite a few. I am glad the challenges stopped. I am thankful it’s still Mercury Retrograde going on so I somehow have the proper mood to deliver what I have started a long time ago. As much as I would have prefered to split this blog post in a couple of them more, I feel I deserve some space to breathe after I deliver my adventures in wonderland therefore I will keep it cool and short.

What’s being served this time? Everything on point. Let’s dive deep into my cultural tripping around the world with (even) more cathedrals and museums. I know. Just when you though I had seen them all… Today’s menu consists of my delightful experiences in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Valladolid, Pamplona and Palencia. I will start the journey of a thousand pictures by telling you a funny story of how I got stuck between four closed doors in Catedral de Pamplona for a little while, with low phone signal and literally no one to shout to for help. Nothing to worry about. I didn’t panic much either, I thought it was kind of symbolic to whatever life situation I had put myself through and I needed to get out of. I literally can’t stop thinking about a basic coaching question whenever something out of the ordinary happens: “What is this trying to teach me?”. That’s the perfect way to cool off.

So I called our official guide for help after three failed attempts due to the low signal in the two squared meters dark chamber located in a corner of an impressive cathedral which had only a few visitors during the siesta time, but as soon as I heard it could take 10 minutes for him to reach me, the perspective of being stuck there for too long didn’t feel enlightening enough so I finally pushed an enormous door a little bit harder and got myself out. I never shouted for help but I hardly doubt anyone could have heard me. The curious thing is that the door I went through was one of no return. The other two seemed not to have been used at all so there was only one I could possibly use, which was ceiling high and faced the entrance of the cathedral. It was probably a centuries old original intricately carved massive wooden door. I was also extremely happy to have done so by myself, without panic, suffering an anxiety attack or needing extra help. I’ve noticed this aspect about myself – I have no problem to ask for help if I can’t do something on my own but I happen to do that just to know there’s a safe net in case I need it. I rarely get to use it though but the possibility gives me confidence to be in charge of the situation. That’s all I need. I guess everybody needs someone to count on, after all.

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Royal Endeavors – Oviedo

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Hello darlings,

I am extremely pleased we meet again for another memorable Royal Endeavors breathtaking episode, still dedicated to Basque Country – a wonderful occasion to be grateful for the opportunities this country offered to me to get in touch with myself and to discover the many distinguished aspects of a fulfilling life.

As I have previously mentioned so many times in other travel episodes, art and beauty not only raise vibrations to a higher level of (self) consciousness and confidence but also nurture our souls with the divine energy of creation, representing the very core of a luxurious simplicity accessible to the humankind. I know I get deep but let’s hope my example will pave the way of self-discovery and personal development for some, as I believe the academic foundation of having studied Psychology and Education definitely shines out.

I am having a wonderful time lately enjoying a book of Dominique Loreau on The Art of Refinement and Luxury, preaching the priceless experiences of spicing up life with memorable but little gestures or activities that feed the soul, such as traveling to see an art exhibition, sipping coffee or tea from beautiful cups or acquiring only top quality garments which will last a lifetime. Having the chance to admire the stunning masterpieces created by blessed minds and divine hands definitely resonates to the idea of affordable luxury, whose positive impact can bring joy to any heart.

I will start this precious storytelling journey with Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain, an elegant and enchanting city known for its medieval old town and the site of the Gothic Oviedo Cathedral with its 9th-century Holy Chamber. When describing Oviedo the words “Charming” and “Historic” always come to mind. One can feel the sense of history in every step, while discovering the impressive Old District and strolling among Palaces, Churches, Convents and ancient buildings.

We only had a few hours to wonder around, visit the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias (one of the best in Spain) or The Archeological Museum of Asturias, the 13th century Cathedral of San Saviour and eat if we still had time therefore I sacrificed the last to fully enjoy the art.

I only had a big slice tortilla in the last 5 minutes prior to the group meeting before our departure, that being, surprisingly, the cheapest food I ever tasted in Basque Country, which I compensated with my favorite sparkling water, San Pellegrino.

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Royal Endeavors – Comillas

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Ladies and gentlemen,

As the Royal Endeavors travel adventures in Basque Country appear to be slowly coming to an end, I would like to welcome you to this very special edition, exclusively dedicated to the lovely coastal town hosting our 7 nights residence – the wonderful Comillas, one of the most beautiful towns in Cantabria, located at about 50km west of Santander, elegantly highlighted by its cobbled streets, open squares, picturesque beaches, historic buildings and a fine selection of Modernista residences, including the incredible El Capricho summer vila designed by Antoni Gaudí.

If you are wondering about the unusual Catalan Modernism touch of the town as compared to its surroundings, that is due to the emigrants who came back from America with a different architectural vision. Amongst these was the future Marquis of Comillas, who was rewarded this title for his valuable support in the Cuban conflict. He comissioned the majestic Neo-Gothic Sobrellano Palace, where you can admire Gaudí furniture as well, and its chapel – is now the Museum of the Marquises. Moreover, his son build the Pontifical University, which he offered to the pope, gaining the pontifical title in return.

We will start our short tour by introducing the mesmerizing El Capricho, the 19th-century Gaudí-designed chalet with its Mudejar-style tower covered in sunflower tiles, that became the centre of my interest as soon as we could enjoy some spare time to invest in local sightseeing. Don’t get me wrong but each day was dedicated to an organized visit to the representative cities of Basque City therefore leisure time to explore Comillas was rather short. The truth is we couldn’t have had a better residence than this lovely little town with its fascinating tourist attractions – so many architectural masterpieces concentrated in such a symbolic place!

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Royal Endeavors – Bilbao and Santillana Del Mar

My darlings,

It is so good to be back on track by having the uplifted, creative mood just in time to deliver the next Royal Endeavors travel episode at a relatively fast pace, highering the standards on my blog to the now optimal frequency of posting to twice a week.

I have so many great memories in Basque Country, not to mention brilliant pics taken in the time pressuring conditions of organized tours and strict timelines, that I really take my time now in having the best mood possible in order to deliver greatness and also plenty of spare time to invest in writing and editing the material in order for my experience to be conveyed properly.

This royal episode is dedicated to the delightful Bilbao and its fabulous tourist attractions, although I will only stick with the ones I had the pleasure of visiting during those few hours we had available to enjoy ourselves in this remarkable city. Of course, depending on the duration of your stay in Bilbao, you will have many more amazing opportunities to connect to its sparkling vibe and contageous positivity or to enjoy its very tempting offerings.

We will start the marvelous journey with the Santiago Cathedral in the District of Casco Viejo, whose construction began in 1397 until the beginning of the 16th century and underwent a profound reconstruction in the 19th century. This was the first attraction that involved free time allowed by the guide to get the pulse of the surroundings, which I personally invested in visiting it, as you probably already have noticed by now how much I enjoy the solemn (neo)gothic decor, the graceful quietness and the faithful resistence of such majestic temples throughout history.

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