Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bands, while the colored mosaic-style shingles on the turreted spires create dynamic
geometric patterns. It's a young church (built 1936-46), but the atmosphere gener-
ated by its strong associations with the 1989 Revolution complements the somber
spirituality of the interior, dominated by three gigantic chandeliers that float above the
regular stream of worshipers. Since 1956, the cathedral has held the relics of St. Joseph
the New (in a box to the right of the entrance). Joseph, the patron saint of the Banat,
was born in Dalmatia in 1568 and became Metropolitan of Timi @ oara in 1658; he
apparently had the gift of prophesy and could perform miracles, bringing on the rains
which quelled a great fire that once threatened the city. In the basement, there's a
museum (with irregular hours), exhibiting religious icons, some 500 years old.
B-dul 16 Decembrie 1989 and B-dul Regele Ferdinand I.
TIMI! OARA AFTER DARK
For event listings, pick up a free issue of 24-Fun Timi @ oara , in Romanian with frag-
ments of English, but which gives a fairly good idea of what's on and where.
Timi @ oara enjoys strong cultural associations and is proud of having independent
German, Hungarian, and Romanian theaters; first up on the list of highlights is an
opera or drama at the National Theater and Opera House (Str. M â r â@ e @ ti 2;
& 0256/20-1284 ) For an evening of classical music, head to the other end of Pia $ a
Victoriei to find the State Philharmonic Theater ( Filharmonia de Stat Banatul;
B-dul C.D. Loga 2; & 0256/49-2521 ) to the left of the Cathedral. Tickets for both
venues are available at Agen $ ia Teatral â (Str. Mara @ e @ ti; & 0256/49-9908; Tues-Sun
10am-1pm and 5-7pm) just around the corner from the Opera House entrance. For
jazz, the best place is Jazz Club Pod 16 (Pod Pia $ a Maria; & 0729-945-397;
www.jazzclubpod16.ro), which has something to look forward to every night of the
week; look out especially for an outfit named # apinarii.
Komodo (Str. Gheorghe Laz â r; & 0722-279-177; 9am-late) is the city's best
lounge bar, slickly designed for a chic crowd; there's a dance floor downstairs and the
music varies from retro to house, but the atmosphere in the cocktail lounge is decid-
edly “Buddha Bar.” To get your spirits up, order a Velvet Hammer or Playa Azul;
caipirinhas and caipiroskas are the best in the Banat. Komodo occupies an unmarked
building; look out for the round streetlights out front.
7 Maramure@
The northern county of Maramure @ (pronounced mah - rah- moo- resh), situated on the
Ukraine border, is widely regarded as a kind of living museum; lifestyles and culture
have changed little in well over a century. Village life is surreal, defined by working
horses, carts laden with hay, elaborately carved wooden gates, and people in traditional
costumes. Aside from an otherworldly way of life, the most celebrated of the attrac-
tions here are the famous Maramure @ wooden churches, a number of which are now
inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. And as if wood-hewn churches in time-
forgotten villages were not enough, Maramure @ is also blessed with an idyllic setting,
its backcountry roads providing surrender-to-the-moment journeys through valleys
torn through majestic mountainscapes, the most famous perhaps being the Rodna
Mountains, good for hiking and adventures far away from humanity.
Described here is a plan for exploration of the loveliest parts of Maramure @ , discov-
ering its traditional villages, a selection of churches, and two of the most idiosyncratic
attractions in Romania, the Merry Cemetery of S â pân $ a, and the Prison Museum in
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