Romania

What comes to mind when you think about Romania? Perhaps Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was inspired by the infamous Vlad the Impaler come to mind. Or perhaps you think about their recent admission into the European Union. Or maybe you know somebody who knows somebody who works with a Romanian guy, and that would be about it.  To be honest I didn't do a lot of research for my travel photography trip to Romania. I just wanted to go there; despite warnings the police might stop you for no reason and corruption is a day to day thing. Fortunately, all of this turned out to be false (or old) information, or at least I wasn't affected by it.

Of course Romania is still one of the poorer countries in Europe so in some parts I really stood out from the locals. Although most Romanians are driving around in Dacia's, I did see a lot of expensive cars (e.g. Audi Q7, VW Touareg,  Mercedes, etc.). It appears taht the middle class still needs to be created there.

For me Romania was one big surprise. The people are very nice and very proud. The landscape is really something: mountains, swamps and woodlands ... it's all there. The culture is wonderfully welcoming and very upbeat. Because of the history of communism, it sometimes reminded me of Cuba. The girls are among the most beautiful in Europe. (Too bad I don't focus on model photography! ;)

Enjoy the photos, and think about Romania when choosing your next holiday destination!

Editor's Note: Thumbnails are links to larger images

About the Author

Wilmar Dik is a travel photographer working out of The Hague, The Netherlands. His work is sold via Stock agencies and his own website www.wilmarphotography.com (with over 8500 photos). Photos shot by Wilmar have been used for travel brochures/guides, newspapers, direct mail/brochures, retail books, magazines, advertisings, posters and postcards.

Wilmar can be contacted at wilmar@wilmarphotography.com