Themes

The Christmas of 2012 was a superb trip to Belgium: Bruxelles and Ghent.

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. Trams are usually lighter and shorter than conventional trains and rapid transit trains.

Caput Mundi is a Latin phrase taken to mean "capital of the world". (literally: "head of the world", see capital, capitol). It originates out of a classical European understanding of the known world: Southern Europe, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. Because of the enduring power of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire, and the Roman Catholic Church, in this sphere, the city of Rome has been known for centuries as Caput Mundi.

A Greek colony named Callatis was founded in the 6th century BC by the city of Heraclea Pontica. Its first silver coinage was minted approximately 350 BC. In 72 BC, Callatis was conquered by the Roman general Lucullus and was assigned to the Roman province of Moesia Inferior.

The Transfagarasanis the second-highest paved road in Romania, and considered by some to be the most dramatic. Built as a strategic military route, the 90 km of twists and turns run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti.

Dobruja is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast.

Alba Iulia (formerly Bălgrad, Gyulafehérvár, Weißenburg/Karlsburg, Apulum, Alba Iulia, Carlopolis, Erdel Belgradı) is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania. Alba Iulia is historically important for Romanians, Hungarians and Transylvanian Saxons.

Cluj-Napoca (Klausenburg, Kolozsvár, Castrum Clus, Claudiopolis), commonly known as Cluj, is the second most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. In 1790–1848 and 1861–1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.

...because blue is my favorite color and it looks good on walls.