Romania

Kutrubes Travel planned an exquisitely complicated tour for me through “eastern” Europe, and I started out in Romania.

Country Information:

The capital of Romania is Bucharest and the country has about 20 million citizens. The official language is Romanian. Christian denominations are the primary religions, with the dominant religion being Eastern Orthodox.  

Jim’s Perspectives:

A wonderful place to visit in Romania is Libearty Bear Sanctuary Zarnesti in Brasov. This is not a zoo; it is a bear rehabilitation center to help declining bear populations, especially brown bears which are virtually extinct in many parts of Europe. Travelers who love outdoor challenges will also enjoy Parc Aventura Brasov, an adventure park filled with fun challenges for navigating the forest area.

Also worth a visit is Peles Castle in Sinaia, a magnificent castle where the rooms are styled differently with architecture and furnishings influenced by other countries in Europe and the Middle East. On busy days there can be a long wait, but once inside the views are gorgeous.

This is a country that I definitely want to return to visit the fantastic castles!

Austria

Country Information: The  Republic of Austria, founded in 1804! The capital is Vienna. About 8.5 million people live here and the primary languages are German, Slovenian, Hungarian, and Austrian German. In Austria there is religious freedom, but many Austrians are...

Gambia

Country Information:  The capital of Gambia is Banjul. There are approximately 2.5 million people living here. The official language of Gambia is English. The majority of Gambians practice Islam.  Major exports of Gambia are peanut products, fish, cotton, and palm...

Mongolia

Country Information: The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar and the official language is Mongolian. About 3.5 million people live here. Mongolia used to be more heavily dominated by folk religions such as Shamanism, but today, most of the population follows Tibetan...