Mărţişor fever

There are just a few day till Mărţişor celebration. The buzz has already started in the town!
But wait, most of you probably have no idea of what Mărţişor is, how could you?
Mărţişor is an authentic Romanian tradition, celebrating spring, on the first of March.

This old tradition consists of people offering each other a small gift called Mărţişor, made up of red and white twisted string from which a small talisman is tied.

Artisans and craftsmen are already out on the streets, offering their products placed in beautiful little boxes or pinned to a small card.

Some are hand made using ecological stuff, like the one in the first picture bellow, than another with a small gemstone and others, made of all kind of figurines.

Mărţişors are inexpensive gifts but these amulets usually go together with a bouquet of flowers.
The delicate snowdrops, the first flowers of spring, are the favorites of this day, though most men want to show their love choosing more expensive flowers.
Tulips, hyacinths and roses will cut another big hole in their wallets, besides the one left by Valentine's day.
A happy day for the flower vendors too, they will not miss any occasion to exploit peoples soft spots.

Read more >>

Winter in the mountains

Mountain road in the Carpathian Mountains.
It was late autumn, last year when this picture was taken.
High mountain roads are always closed from autumn till spring on the Carpathians due to heavy snowfall.

If you like snow and winter scene see these pictures too.

Read more >>

Simple things-red Valentines rose

Still looking for a Valentine's Day gift for your partner?

Looking for expensive gifts is a waste of time, it's little things that really count in love.
When you really love someone, every day should be Valentine's day but if you need a day for re-affirming your feelings, just remember, the little things are that really count.

"Love's reason's without reason."

~ William Shakespeare

Besides simple gestures and compliments showing your appreciation and telling your partner how lucky you are for having him/ her in your life, the most thoughtful and meaningful gift would be a simple one.

Is there any stronger symbol of eternal love than a red rose?
A box of chocolate can be a great gift too, we all have a soft spot for chocolate.

"Love is not just looking at each other, it's looking in the same direction."

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Read more >>

Black-headed Gulls in winter

Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) breeds in most parts of Europe and Asia, but also in coastal eastern Canada.
They are the most common gulls living in our country, found on a wide variety of habitats such as shallow waters, lakes, ponds, rivers, in the Danube Delta and at the Black Sea.
Some part of the gull populations are resident and others are migratory, moving southwards in winter.

In the last years Black-headed Gulls are unusual winter guests in our town, sharing our Somesul Mic river with the ducks. They are extremely noisy birds but they are a great joy for children, happy to feed them with bread.

What's interesting about these birds is that they change the color of their plumage according to the season.
In summer they have their breeding plumage on. Adults have a chocolate-brown head (erroneously mentioned as black), the body and wings are pale grey, with black tips on the wing feathers. The bill is red with a black tip, and the legs are also red.

In winter they lose their black hood, their head becomes white with just a blackish spot behind the eye or two dusky blurred bands on the crown.

The young of the Black-backed Gull have a different coloration too but only during the first winter. Juvenile have buff to darker brown markings on the upperparts and upperwing and black bands on their tail.
Also, their feet and beaks are reddish brown, while the adults have vivid red feet and beaks.

In the next picture there are three young gulls and an adult. The coloration on the juvenile wings is very well visible.

Gulls are elegant flyers, its a great pleasure for photographers to capture their flight.

Here is how they look like in their breeding plumage in summer.

See photos of seagulls from last winter.

Read more >>