Sunday, November 24, 2024

Waiting for Season 2 of Squid Game

Here is a meme a I posted some time ago on the Picture Punches site after watching Season 1 of the great South Korean show 'Squid Game.' 

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Hiking On The Hills


 
            

           

       The dark autumn shows its face
       Winter will soon take its place
        So much time to spend inside
        Short days, long nights to abide.

       Yet, not even a cold, gloomy day
       Can take my great mood away
       When I go out on the hills
        For a journey full of thrills.

        Hiking on a dusty trail
        Among bushes, thorns and hail
        I move at a steady pace
        Till I find an open space.

       I have reached the awesome top
       So I can relax and stop
       Take a long look at the sight
       That will fill my soul with light.

       On a vast plateau I stand
        It's all I've hoped and planned
        Splendour everywhere I see
        On the hilltop I feel free!

     

Sunday, November 17, 2024

The Silence of Cathedral Square



         THE SILENCE OF CATHEDRAL SQUARE
 
         by Sebastian Onciu

        As the day turns into night
        And the darkness start to reign
        City becomes full of light
        Banishing the gloom and pain.

       As I'm walking through the square
       In the early evening hour
       I can feel the chilly air
       Blowing in my face with power.

       Hardly a soul to see
       Even in the heart of town
       Everyone appears to flee
       As if it were still lockdown.

       Lonely it is how I feel
       In this cool and stunning place
       Lack of people seems unreal
       Some would call it a disgrace.

      So much silence may seem strange
      Seen from below or above
      Yet there's nothing I would change
      I'm still in the city I love!
 
    

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Bucegi- The Mountains of Myth and Mystery



BUCEGI- THE MOUNTAINS OF MYTHS AND MYSTERIES

Traveling in the heart of the Bucegi Mountains represents an unforgettable experience for any person looking for stunning natural views and a little bit of mystery.

It is no doubt that Romania has to offer to those who visit it some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in Europe, and among these the Carpathian Mountains are famous for their incredible beauty. The Bucegi Mountains, which are part of the Southern Carpathians, represent a huge tourist attraction for people who visit the Prahova Valley and who come, among others, to see two of the most impressive elements of nature in Romania: the Sphinx and Babele(The Old Ladies), two spectacular rock formations shaped by wind and rain throughout millions of years which can be found in the Bucegi Plateau, at an elevation of approximately 2000 metres above sea level.

To reach those amazing figures, one must first choose how to travel there. The most frequent option is represented by the Busteni cable car, which takes the travelers from the foothills of the mountain to the top in a short period of time. Unfortunately, due to the large number of tourists who are eager to reach the Bucegi Plateau even in normal week days, one must wait for quite a long time before entering the cable car, but luckily for me there was another choice available at that time: a trip by a four-wheel drive vehicle, which represented a relatively new alternative for tourists. I chose this option because I didn't have to stay in a queue to buy tickets for the cable car and the price of the trip was exactly the same as that of the cable car.

The road up to the Bucegi Plateau, which used to be a dirt road until recently, is quite exciting and it offers an incredible scenery; there are also some deep ravines which make the journey more exciting and even dangerous in some parts. The asphalt ends close to the top and the last portion of the road is full of stones that force the drivers to slow down. Eventually we reached the plateau in good conditions and climbed to its two main attractions, the Sphinx and Babele.

The Bucegi is believed to be Kogaion, the holy mountain of the Dacians, the ancestors of the Romanian people, and the place on which their supreme God, Zamolxis, lived in a cave.

Although the location of this mountain is still a mystery and there are several other mountains which are associated with Kogaion, there is definitely a mythical feeling a person experiences when seeing the Sphinx, the product of millions of year of constant work from nature and one of the symbols of Romania. It perfectly resembles a human head, and when you stand close to him you have a strange feeling that you're in the company of a Dacian warrior who is ready to fight until death to protect its land from invaders.

The 8-meter high and 12-meter wide rock will certainly stun every tourist who will be even more amazed after seeing Babele, some strange mushroom-shaped rock formations situated just a few metres away from the mighty Sphinx. It is almost unbelievable that these rocks were shaped by nature and not by human hand.

Besides these two amazing rocks,the tourists who come to the Bucegi Plateau can also take an one-hour trip to the Heroes' Cross on the Caraiman peak,a memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives trying to defend Romania in World War I; unfortunately I didn't have time left for that trip, so I could only admire the majestic cross from the Busteni resort, at the foothills of the mountain. It is also definitely worth seeing from a close range.

  The Bucegi Mountains Plateau,with its fabulous nature-carved rocks, is a place of incredible splendor and another proof that Romania is an amazingly beautiful country. Once you visit them, these unique places will always remain in your heart and make you come back!

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Back Into The Woods

     



              BACK INTO THE WOODS

                 by Sebastian Onciu 

         Back into the woods I go
         My heart's glad, my pace is slow
         There's no sorrow and no ache
         I love every step I make.

        In the shadow of a tree
        I'm alive, I feel so free
        I walk on the dusty trail
        There is no way I will fail.

        
       I am where I like the most
       Nature is my gentle host
       Worries are all left behind
       Nothing but joy in my mind.

     Magic forest, green and wide
     Be my light and be my guide
     Make me fearless, make me strong
     To you I'll always belong!

     


Sunday, November 3, 2024

Mountains Calling

 


                 MOUNTAINS CALLING


                 by Sebastian Onciu 


         Sometimes my mind dreams of escape

         Into a magical landscape

         Of lofty peaks that touch the clouds

         So far away from noise and crowds.


        My daring journey takes me high

        To where the eagles boldly fly

         Among strong winds and chilly air

        Into the world around I stare.


      

        I can see it all from here

        There is no mist, the view is clear

        With vast plateaux and winding trails

        And glacier lakes from ancient tales.


       This scenery that looks so great

        Meant to enthrall and fascinate

        A stunning giant work of art

        Will stay forever in my heart!

Knowledge Seeker

                                 From the lands of fun and sunshine      To the deep, dark underground      I'm eager to cro...