Interview Francophone
Pour un meilleur 21ème siècle
The unknown Romania!
From Pontus Euxin to Transalpina Highest Carpathian Road!
2026 : Discover the most exceptional, admired destinations in the world: the almost SECRET ROMANIA !
Special edition 2026 : Most Admired Destinations
by the European journal in Paris www.interviewfrancophone.net
member of the Association de la presse etrnagère à Paris
more than 300 international media accredited in Paris
by Ingrid Vaileanu-Paun, rédactrice en chef
Summer time 2026 : What about if Romania could become your Most Admired Destination?
We chose to make you discover the amazing destinations of an almost secret Romania, which opened up to our curiosity and amazement while travelling in a reliable Japanese car that inspired in us an adventurous attitude towards destinations, people, events, and the imagination of future technologies, solutions, and hospitality... In this hot summer of 2026, when all of Europe registered record heat, we drove the beautiful Mazda CX-60 SUV Premium, a wonderful escape partner for a roughly 3000 km press trip to discover exceptional destinations, all sharing in common their beautiful, healthy nature, history, hospitality, inspiration, adventurous spirit, and human emotion!
Dr. Florin Paun, the international innovation expert and member of the French–Romanian scientific diaspora, recomanded us dedicate a special edition for Romania in 2026 and spent his free time in the summer of 2026 (a difficult year for Romania and Europe, caused by wildfires, water shortages, heatwaves, and economic difficulties…) supporting the highlighting of the beautiful destinations less known and that french and Eurooean tourists might enjoy discovering, while at the same time supporting local tourism entrepreneurs at the Black Sea – Pontus Euxinus – and in the heart of the Carpathians at Transalpina, among the most admired destinations in the world!
We were there at the outskirts of the Danube Delta, where it flows into the Black Sea, to witness the record-low water level of the Danube at Cernavodă and to admire the work of the Romanian authorities, military teams, and Nuclearelectrica teams who find solutions every day to avoid shutting down the second reactor at the Cernavodă Nuclearelectrica Plant… During breakfast, we crossed paths with international teams of experts from Japan supporting the nuclear plant in Cernavodă, as they had chosen the same admirable 4-star hotel in Cernavodă, "Imperio" (https://www.imperiohotel.ro), as the scientists, artists, and members of the "smart diaspora" who come to take part in an incredible event held every year near Cernavodă, on the island facing the ancient Capidava ruins — transformed by the energy of about 500 "smart" participating families of all ages into a veritable magical island, reminiscent of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island in the quality of its talks, discussions, and activities, during the several days of the annual Atlantykron experience! At Cernavodă we thought about "The Thinker of Hamangia," a famous fired-clay statuette from the Neolithic (5th millennium BC), discovered in 1956 at Cernavodă. It depicts a man seated on a small stool, elbows resting on his knees and head propped in his hands. It comes accompanied by a matching statuette, the "Seated Woman."
We were there at the Pontus Euxinus – the Black Sea – when stray drones from the war in the neighbouring countries could have led to catastrophic explosions in the Port of Constanța. We have a thought of thankfulness for the Romanian pilots who avoided disasters by neutralising the stray drones.
But for the majority of Romanians, Europeans, and international intellectuals, the Black Sea and Pontus Euxinus mean, even in 2026, more than the unfortunate difficulties. As our confrère journalist John Noble Wilford – several-time Pulitzer Prize winner from the New York Times – showed, Pontus Euxinus might be the source of togetherness and an amazing Old European civilisation – whose ruins from Cucuteni (in Romania) and Trypillia (in Ukraine) remind us of all that could bring us together, not of what could divide us. In the same region, Dobrogea, the Gânditorul de la Hamangia (the Thinker of Hamangia) has inspired wisdom for more than 5000 years BC, as it was carbon dated.
And in order to build cognitive bridges across time from us… Pontus Euxinus and the Romanian Black Sea coast also mean the incredible Vama Veche flower-power resort at the border with Bulgaria, with its energy like a European "Burning Man" — without the burning, but with Air Candles facing the sea… and the most vibrant and joyful dancing event, Gozadero, at the Mamaia resort's welcoming and elegant 4-star hotel "Dorna" (www.dorna-hotel.ro), transforming the vibe of the whole resort into a whirlwind of joy, shared talent, generosity, and excellence of movement — bringing back grace and respect to every human body touched by the sound of Latin music on the Black Sea coast, like a redemption honoring humanity through its beauty and human connections!
We will make you discover the treasures of an unknown Romania, from the Pontus Euxinus to the heights of the highest crossing in the Carpathians – Transalpina – considered by recent rankings and sources as one of the Top 10 most beautiful wild high roads in Europe (5th place in Avis's "windiest roads" ranking, after Stelvio Pass, Italy — score 88; Furka Pass, Switzerland — score 86; Grossglockner High Alpine Road, Austria — score 80; Trollstigen, Norway — score 74; and finally Transalpina, Romania — score 73).
You will probably feel, as we did, the pleasure of driving this extraordinary Japanese technological marvel, this "dragon" — the Mazda CX-60 — with its "Kodo" design line and its unmistakable "Soul Red Crystal" colour, putting the landscapes in an even better light as you advance along the undulations of the Transalpina heights, feeling one with the road, higher than the clouds playing hide and seek with the peaks of the Magic Carpathians, and you will feel the coolness of the same wind caressing the forests and the sheep spread across the Latorița and Galbenu slopes, as well as the gentle petals of the mountains' protected flowers – “Floare de colț” (Edelweiss) – or the noses of the shepherds' dogs trying to recognize human intentions, hesitating whether to bark or not as they approach for a small chat with the shepherd…
These are just some of the emotions and moments you can create by simply driving a wonderful car towards authentic destinations, which are indissociable from human presence and decisions that have sculpted these places, allowing for such escapades as the construction of this impressive Transalpina road, built on the tracks of an old road once called the “King's Road”!
So, welcome with us on this Legendary 2026 escapade connecting Pontus Euxinus – the Peaks of the Carpathians – Transalpina… and YOU… through this special edition, meant to connect people, destinations, and future connections, thanks to our amazing 3000 km drive in what is, from today, a legendary Mazda CX-60 — stop by stop, frame by frame, talks, connections with the most exceptional destinations, people, and possibilities for your future, probable escapades, for you all!
Pontus Euxin !
At this starting point of this human escapade, what do you know about Pontus Euxinus, from the history of the oldest European civilisation to today's beautiful vibe on the Romanian coast resorts and exceptional events connecting the smart international scientific, innovation, and artistic diaspora, locals, and national and international tourists? The phrase "Old Europe" refers to Neolithic Europe, or the portions of the European continent inhabited by people who made pottery and lived in small villages, ate domesticated and wild plant foods, between about 7000 BC and around 1500 BC (when the Bronze Age began in parts of Europe).
We want to pay our respects to our confrère, American journalist John Noble Wilford (https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/science/01arch.html), twice Pulitzer Prize Winner, who wrote about an advanced prehistoric European culture in his famous New York Times article "A Lost European Culture, Pulled From Obscurity" in 2009:
“Before the glory that was Greece and Rome, even before the first cities of Mesopotamia or temples along the Nile, there lived in the Lower Danube Valley and the Balkan foothills people who were ahead of their time in art, technology and long-distance trade. For 1,500 years, starting earlier than 5000 B.C., they farmed and built sizable towns, a few with as many as 2,000 dwellings. They mastered large-scale copper smelting, the new technology of the age. Their graves held an impressive array of exquisite headdresses and necklaces and, in one cemetery, the earliest major assemblage of gold artifacts to be found anywhere in the world.The striking designs of their pottery speak of the refinement of the culture’s visual language. Until recent discoveries, the most intriguing artifacts were the ubiquitous terracotta “goddess” figurines, originally interpreted as evidence of the spiritual and political power of women in society. New research, archaeologists and historians say, has broadened understanding of this long overlooked culture, which seemed to have approached the threshold of “civilization” status. Writing had yet to be invented, and so no one knows what the people called themselves. To some scholars, the people and the region are simply Old Europe.The little-known culture is being rescued from obscurity in an exhibition”; “Old Europe was among the most sophisticated and technologically advanced places in the world” and was developing “many of the political, technological and ideological signs of civilization.” (The Lost World of Old Europe: the Danube Valley, 5000-3500 B.C.)
The Culture ("Old Europe") flourished in the Lower Danube Valley and Balkan foothills (modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, and surrounding regions) starting earlier than 5000 BC, long before Greece, Rome, or Mesopotamia, and had advanced technology: it mastered large-scale copper smelting and built sizable, organized towns with up to 2,000 dwellings. More than this, it created sophisticated pottery, engaged in long-distance trade, and produced the world's earliest major assemblage of ancient gold artefacts found in local cemeteries. It is known for its iconic terracotta "goddess" figurines, reflecting a complex early society that approached the threshold of true civilisation before the advent of written language.
We actually use the emblematic Goddess image dicovered in Cucuteni for the Certificate of Excellence Awards of our annual International Summit in Paris of the Scientific and Innovation Diaspora — the prestigious Gala of Excellence Awards connecting of the European journal www.interviewfrancophone.net inspiring people and projects most admired by the elite scientific and innovation diasporas, promoting Olympic values in all sectors and activities for creating a connected consciousness of recognition and support for beneficial impacts supporting humanity! Among the winners of the Interview Francophone Gala of Excellence Awards in Paris are the President of the World Bank, the President of France, the President of Romania, the President of Moldova, but also the President of the IMF, scientific and innovation inspiring personalities, as well as admirable brands (more details on https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/scientific-and-innovation-diaspora-summit-in-paris).
Vama Veche
At least once in a lifetime, you have to let yourself be embarked on the vibe of music, dance, and euphoria at the Vama Veche resort, which you access by embracing the diversity of exaggerated artistic expression of all artists and interpretations of freedom, which could bring you from one dancing bar to the other, and you find yourself involved in extraordinary discussions about arts, science, writers, technology, well-being, culinary fantasies, esoteric subjects, music, sports…
Meet the fascinating owners of the resort's restaurants and bars, like: "Bolo" (www.bolosteakhouse.ro), the emblematic place open all year long, and his beautiful, almost fairy-tale wife; Ovidiu from "Hambar" (https://hambar.restaurant), with his "Hemingway look" and massive presence challenging your mind and your palate; Adrian, with his nice family at the center of his universe, at "Căminul Cultural" (https://caminulcultural.com), the restaurant he created to make you "breathe" and relax while eating tasteful local soup, especially "cu afumătură," feeling safe amid the hustle and bustle of the dynamic summer resort; or the peaceful, almost magical place of Magda (https://www.facebook.com/LaVamaVeche.ro/), who created an oasis of cob houses, a true haven of beautiful heritage, connection, and protection, embracing you without notice in a serenity of words, thoughts, and tasteful non-alcoholic gin and tonic with herbs from her gardens…
Please note: all these destinations connect you with amazing events, concerts, artists, and scientists, so your visit automatically integrates you into a connected network of new, beautiful possibilities for projects, ideas, moments of pleasant, relaxing conversation, and passionate exchanges… all inhabited by love for human beings and connected consciousness… so an escapade in Vama Veche is, I would say, better described as a destination to meet yourself amid all these potentialities of dialogue, amazement, tasting, and contemplation…
Let yourself be surprised by their culture, intelligence, generosity, and of course, don't forget to taste the local eccentricities of "Scularie" (a little too much freedom, suddenly), La Turcu, and the magical, blue-coloured endemic garfish (Zargan) at the "Pescărie" in Vama Veche, and of course, relax at "Kaluda Beach" (https://www.facebook.com/p/Kaluda-beach-100094509505493/), in the vibe of the hypnotic music and drinks that made it famous all summer long in Vama Veche.
The beautiful host Izabela sums up so well the creation of this destination, like a natural flower growing in a shower of appreciation from the people who come to enjoy the summer sunshine in Vama Veche: "Kaluda Beach started from a dream that was both shy and bold, a little awkward, and has become one of the most appreciated beach bars in Romania — and, without modesty, perhaps in Europe. Everything in our location is created by God and arranged by us, down to the smallest detail; we only use natural elements — wood, plants, olive trees, bamboo, oleanders. The vibe is simple and incomparable, and the energy of the place is alive, given by the fact that we've kept the restaurant vegetarian. We encourage reading on the beach, classical music in the morning, and retro, old-time music parties at sunset. That's roughly how I would describe Kaluda, in my opinion. I am the beach manager, but I pride myself on having left my mark on the other sectors as well," murmured Izabela.
Of course, "Expirat" (https://expirat.org) and "Acolo Bar" (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Acolo-Bar/332612113582518) are among the unmissable dancing bars in Vama Veche, and it is worth experiencing them until the sun rises, when the majority of still-awake dancers enter the waters of the Pontus Euxinus naked, as a morning tradition in the free summer time of Vama Veche, like a renewing gate for the new day to come!
There is also luxury and authenticity in Vama Veche, symbolised by "Escape" and its owner Adriana, who generously makes herself available to highlight and promote the whole Vama Veche resort. "Escape" is an oasis of elegance and serenity, recalling the refrain of Baudelaire's "L'Invitation au voyage": "There, all is order and beauty, luxury, calm, and voluptuous pleasure (sensual delight)."
And if you want to take a part of the Vama Veche vibe and emotion with you, look for the place where you hear a beautiful male voice that will keep you captive to its vibrant tones, almost addictive in its modesty and passion for music, and that could put you instantly in the Vama Veche mood, whenever and wherever you listen again to his songs (Vasi Cîmpeanu at "Peste Noapte Vama Veche").
Anyway, you will find yourself smiling as you walk, and surely dancing, in this magical resort bordering Bulgaria, reminding us that in 2026 the beautiful Bulgarian singer won Eurovision with music composed by a Romanian, and which is like an incantation of magic, like the songs on the Pontus Euxinus Romanian coast, remembering the pagan rituals of the Dacians, whose strength and wisdom made Rome pay them tribute for years before conquering them and dedicating an entire Trajan's Column, in the center of Rome, to depict their eventual successful conquest of ancient Dacia in 105–106…
You can visit ancient ruins in the middle of the towns and resorts of the Pontus Euxinus, like Mangalia and Constanța. Constanța was founded by Greek colonists from Miletus as Tomis (also spelled Tomoi), likely around the 6th century BC. It's the city where the Roman poet Ovid spent his final years in exile. Later, under Emperor Constantine or one of his successors, it was renamed Constantiana, which evolved into "Constanța."
Mangalia, a bit further south, was ancient Callatis, a colony founded by Greeks from Heraclea Pontica (itself a Dorian colony) around the 6th century BC. It was an important trading port on the western Black Sea coast. The name "Mangalia" comes later, likely from a Turkish/Ottoman-era corruption of the name. Both cities were part of the Greek network of Black Sea colonies (Pontus Euxinus), and later became Roman, then Byzantine, territory — the region was known as Scythia Minor in Roman times. Publius Ovidius Naso was exiled to Tomis, where he wrote his famous work Metamorphoses — Ovid's epic poem retelling myths of transformation, completed around 8 AD. In 8 AD, Emperor Augustus banished Ovid from Rome to Tomis (modern Constanța) — the very city mentioned above. The exact reasons remain historically murky, but Ovid himself said it was due to "carmen et error" — "a poem and a mistake." The poem is widely believed to be the Ars Amatoria, seen by Augustus as promoting immorality that clashed with his moral reform laws; the "mistake" was some unspecified act or thing Ovid witnessed or was involved in, never fully explained in surviving sources.
A perfect place to contemplate, like Ovid in Tomis — present-day Constanța — is the Casino din Constanța, one of the most luxurious entertainment destinations, with a famous terrace and Art Nouveau architecture, built in 1910, with a beautiful view over the promenade and the port, offering wonderful, tasteful local fish and wines.
And walk the nice, lively streets of these towns, where you may be surprised at night by local associations organising traditional dances or fairs with high-quality local products, like Essence of Lavender from the Pontus Euxinus in Pecineaga, and be open to accepting the invitations of Romanians to talk about everything, including mathematics, physics… as you might overhear while walking by… "Pourvu qu’il y aie epsilon…"
Strong generous Family, Friends and Sports Spirit: 2 mai, Port Limanu,
If you want to feel a strong, generous sense of togetherness linking family, friends and sporting values, just book a room at "Micul Golf" in 2 Mai, where young fisherman brothers have created a haven of serenity, with rooms offering a view of the Pontus Euxinus so you can watch the sunrise every day, eat at their fishermen's restaurant PIERDS NUS, and enjoy the serenity all day long with pleasant music and friendly conversation between strangers in a hypnotic, peaceful mood... until night falls, and you carry on being spoiled by the joy of the whole team, ready to bring you a good meal or drink to continue this journey of simple things — things that are absolutely perfect in their authenticity!
There is a place on the coast of the Black Sea that saw the growing of the first generations of Stand Up Paddle surfers, thanks to the private initiative of a coach and his family — all athletes — who spent their last 10 summers training children on the beach of 2 Mai... and created winners! David and Dara are now successful young adults in the "smart diaspora" of Europe: winners in sports competitions, and winners in spirit and in their professional projects, but they still keep coming back to 2 Mai beach every summer, bringing together young tourists and locals in trainings and competitions, thus continuing the initiative of Dr. Florin Paun, who was the first to bring two Stand-Up Paddle boards to 2 Mai and offer them to Razvan so he could provide free training to the local children... You can still experience the two SUP boards if you join a "sortie en mer SUP" (sea outing) with Razvan, Venera, Dara and David in the morning — especially since dolphins sometimes come to greet the athletes out at sea, bringing some of their joy and trust for the future peace of the Black Sea waters
Limanu Port
Just a few minutes from 2 Mai Beach, and facing the military port with its impressive grey Army boats, you'll find the hidden oasis of Port Limanu, with intimate, luxurious boats ready to explore the Black Sea coast with courage, excitement and professionalism. This Pontus Euxinus offers colours and rides on the waves of its waters, considered to have therapeutic effects thanks to the specific salinity of the Black Sea — less salty than the Mediterranean Sea, and, as some scientists say, close to "the salinity of human blood."
Limanu is the stage for local legends — nice people who built their own wooden boats themselves, starting in the communist era, and continuing this love for boating with their own children and grandchildren, like a natural passing-down of a passion for sports and yachting, almost like a blood connection. The "Cozia" sailing boat is a legend, and I'll let you discover it yourself by asking the people at Port Limanu about the story, about the legendary Bebe, and about its continuation through his son and grandson — an extraordinary and promising MMA champion in Romania.
Mamaia Resort
Some years ago, Mamaia was voted the Best Nightclub Summer Resort, and the night vibe is still going strong, but the war in Ukraine may be affecting the classic advantages of the Romanian Black Sea coast. A visionary artist, dancer and events producer, known and admired by all Romanians, the inspiring Wilmark and his beautiful wife Ioana decided to bring an amazing dancing vibe to Mamaia by choosing it as the location for the Latino festival: the GOZADERO Salsa Festival! A success that brings music, dancing and beautiful people together on the large beaches of Mamaia, supported by inspiring brands and hotels like Dorna Hotel, where each morning you can have breakfast close to international stars of Latin dancing, who come especially for Wilmark's annual Gozadero Latino Festival (https://click.ro/interviurile-click/wilmark-premiat-la-paris-ce-reusita-importanta-a-2552690.html)
Celebrating 25 years of organizing the Gozadero Latino Festival in Romania (so beautifully presented in the editorial by Daniel Pop — (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/gozadero-most-vibrant-event-at-black-sea), the Romanian-Colombian Wilmark is showing the huge potential of the smart elite diaspora in promoting admirable destinations in Europe, and the great opportunity for Romania to have such smart, talented professionals supporting Romanian quality tourism:
The best place to enjoy Mamaia's cool vibe is "H2O Beach" (such a desirable, fitting name in a 2026 summer suffering from heatwaves and water shortages across all of Europe), where the athletic owners and their team mix daily activities with tourists and make possible the revival of this destination — one that suffered a fire just a few weeks earlier and rose from the ashes like a phoenix. In fact, the nice music, great cocktails, and smart, beautiful team — including an aerospace PhD serving your sophisticated cocktails — could give you the impression of a happy family gathering, where you have only one thing to do: enjoy the summer! And you have expert coaches for enjoying surf, SUP and kitesurf training, thanks to a team that includes a couple from the sharp Romanian diaspora in Bali, coming back to Mamaia every summer to share their expertise and enjoy doing it at H2O.
Atlantykron 2026: On a Danube Island, Science, Philosophy and Space Exploration Meet Beyond the Limits of Convention
From July 31 to August 7, 2026, the 37th edition of the Atlantykron Summer Academy unfolded on "Inelul de Piatră," a small island on the right branch of the Danube near Capidava — located just under a kilometer downstream from Capidava Fortress, whose ruins emerge above the waterline only a few months each year when river levels drop. For more than three decades, this remote setting has hosted one of the world's more unusual interdisciplinary education projects: a summer camp where high schoolers, researchers, artists and scientists live, debate and experiment together, away from the pressures of conventional institutions. This year's theme, "Horizons. Beyond Limits," framed a program spanning clean energy, artificial intelligence, space exploration, biodiversity, geopolitics and the future of education. The edition carried extra weight: the organizing Atlantykron Association was formally designated a UNESCO Association for the 2026–2029 term — recognition, according to general coordinator Sorin Repanovici, of more than three decades of volunteer-built educational and cultural work. A long-running highlight, the NASA teleconference (a tradition since 2012), returned with JPL engineer Ravi Prakash addressing both the Artemis lunar program and ongoing Mars exploration work.
Among this year's featured guests was Dr. Florin Păun, introduced to Atlantykron audiences as an international expert in innovation, strategy and emerging technologies — a description that only partly captures a career built largely inside France's aerospace research establishment.
He is also known as the inventor of collaborative-innovation tools now used beyond ONERA, including the "Demand Readiness Level" (DRL), a market-pull complement to NASA's Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, along with methods such as the "Contract of shared risks and benefits" and tools for identifying and compensating asymmetries in highly collaborative innovation processes. That combination of hard aerospace science and innovation strategy made Păun a natural fit for Atlantykron's cross-disciplinary spirit — echoing the island's broader ambition to put researchers from very different fields in direct conversation with a new generation of students.
Dr. Florin Păun (www.florin-paun.com) is the visionary French-Romanian scientist who completed the theories of two Nobel Prize winners, Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen, through his own discovery and theorization of Multiple Asymmetries — cultural, temporal, interest-based, and means-related. His central insight is that reducing or compensating for these asymmetries in highly collaborative processes such as innovation is what makes it possible to create shared value among all actors involved — in contrast to the highly capitalistic strategies built on Stiglitz's "information asymmetry," which tend instead to produce winners and losers. Dr. Păun also completed NASA's technology-transfer instrument, the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) matrix, with his own DRL (Demand Readiness Level), enabling the hybridization of Tech-Push and Market-Pull strategies across technology transfer, collaborative innovation, and shared-value creation. His research and innovation work in this area is documented across peer-reviewed articles — an H-index of 13 with more than 550 citations — and in books published in Paris, including "J'innove donc je suis!", "Tous Entre-preneurs", "Sky Is No Longer a Limit", and "I, the Xvaluator," among others. Earlier in 2026, Păun received the Henri Coandă Prize for Applied Sciences (link), awarded by the National Lodge and the Romanian Academy circle as one of seven prizes honoring figures across science, medicine, economics and education — recognition tied directly to his contributions in liquid hydrogen technology for the hydrogenation of transport and the wider economy, the same cryogenic distribution breakthrough described above. In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Florin Păun, who is also decorated as Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite by France for his innovations, described Henri Coandă as a role model for him as an aerospace engineer, and used the platform to point toward future Franco-Romanian and European projects — among them, sovereign innovations that could support the "hydrogenation" of the economy in service of Europe's energy sovereignty, a theme he has also carried to the Franco-German Forum organized in Strasbourg by the French journal Revue Passages, led by the highly respected journalist Emile Malet in Paris( https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/prix-henri-coanda-pour-le-franco-roumain-florin-paun). Dr. Florin Păun emphasized meritocracy, research in service of the common good, and Europe's energy sovereignty through the "hydrogenation" of its economy, along with the increase in competencies for tech transfer and collaborative innovation — alongside his newer work on Qualificative AI and the Xvaluator model for safer human-machine decision-making.
A Living Laboratory: The Center for Complexity Studies
That ambition was made literal this year at Atlantykron by the Center for Complexity Studies (CSC), whose team — Anca Berlo, Dr. Florin Munteanu, Eugen Danciu, Cristina Dinu-Popa and Emil Canciu — camped on the island and built a working exploratory laboratory in real time, rather than simply lecturing about research. One strand, the Philosophical Café, ran as a five-session laboratory facilitated by Anca Berlo, addressing how unexamined assumptions fuse with personal identity and provoke defensive reactions when challenged by new evidence. Drawing on Pierre Hadot's "philosophy as a way of life," Stoic self-examination, and the zetetic suspension of judgment, sessions moved participants from binary either/or reasoning toward inclusive both/and, transdisciplinary thinking. The second strand, "Can We Talk to the Forest?", conceived by Eugen Danciu, turned plant biology into a live science show. Danciu built a custom Faraday cage to shield organisms from ambient electromagnetic noise, while he and Emil Canciu captured bioelectric signals from plants and fungi in the 5–30 kHz range. Cristina Dinu-Popa then used PlantWave technology to let visitors touch sensors and hear their own bioelectric activity reshape real-time soundscapes generated from tree leaves and wild mushrooms. When skeptical visitors questioned whether the signals were truly isolated, the team responded with a live comparative demonstration — contrasting noisy readings taken outside the cage with the clean signals recorded inside it.
Dr. Florin Munteanu, of the UNESCO Chair in Geodynamics at the "Sabba S. Ștefănescu" Institute of Geodynamics of the Romanian Academy, supported the experiment throughout and delivered this year's keynote — a personal account of 33 years bringing exploratory science to the island, tied to the 40th anniversary of Basarab Nicolescu's formalization of transdisciplinarity. Munteanu was formally honored during the edition for his decades of contribution to the academy. The island's rhythm mixed research with community life: workshops on crafting, wilderness skills and world-building writing, an AI filmmaking workshop led by Eugen Demeterca, a painting exhibition by Gabi Grosu, live sets from returning favorites "Sigur că Da" , and regular dips in the Danube to escape the summer heat. The Center for Complexity Studies plans to move its bioelectric plant and slime-mold experiments into more controlled settings going forward, while continuing the philosophical inquiry into what its members call "the being of the researcher" — treating the mindset of the scientist as inseparable from the science itself.
"Beyond the Ontological Turn"
On August 3, another visionnary Romanian scientist from diaspora in United States, Dr. Eng. Florin Munteanu delivered a wide-ranging keynote arguing that 21st-century knowledge should prioritize the "architecture of fertile questions" over rapid answers. Drawing on Basarab Nicolescu's concepts of Levels of Reality and the Logic of the Included Middle, Munteanu proposed a "Law of Conservation of Coherence" as a philosophical counterpart to energy conservation, and called for a pedagogical shift from professor to "designer of opportunities" through heutagogy (self-directed learning). He closed with a call for knowledge to be transmitted as a "multigenerational relay," rather than imposed top-down — a fitting metaphor for Atlantykron's own 37-year history as an incubator of free inquiry (for register at the annual Atlantykron : https://complexitystudies.ro/beyond-walls-and-disciplines-a-community-adventure-in-exploratory-science-at-atlantykron-2026/; https://atlantykron.org/2015/)
The founders and organizers of this amazing annual festival, Atlantykron (Alexandru Mironov, Dorin Prunariu, Razvan Haritonovici and Sorin Repanovici), were awarded the Excellence Award at the Scientific and Innovation Summit in Paris in 2025, and their inspiring messages are available on Interview Francophone. (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/scientific-and-innovation-diaspora-summit-in-paris)
Almost Magic: The Concert of Dora Gaitanovici at Atlantykron in 2026!
One of the most extraordinary experiences at Atlantykron, on the island facing the ancient ruins of Capidava, was the concert by Dora Gaitanovici and her band, reminding us of the potential for future success of this world-class talent. She took part in Vocea României (The Voice Romania) and the Golden Stag Festival, and was a finalist in Romania's national Eurovision selection in 2022, finishing third overall and first in the televote with her song "Ana." Her music blends alternative, progressive, and modern rock with light folkloric influences, and she has performed at major festivals across Romania. Dora Gaitanovici and her talented band are preparing their first English-language album this year… The uniqueness of her pure voice and original compositions recalls the quality of sound of the Diva in Luc Besson's "The Fifth Element," and we experienced it as a hypnotic moment of pure beauty, resonating through the forest of Atlantykron like a hymn to excellence, talent, and the will to generously share the fruits of personal effort since childhood! Dora Gaitanovici is now preparing a beautiful surprise for the French and other Europeans, with private, intimate concerts in Paris and other European cities soon, featuring her new album in English and Romanian, but with the pleasure of singing in French as well — as she already did at the Romanian Embassy in Paris in 2023, at the invitation of the scientific and innovation diaspora. Enjoy the magic of the sound Dora Gaitanovici and her band: Universal Music Romania (her label's official artist page): https://umusic.ro/artist/dora-gaitanovici/; Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dora-gaitanovici/1302427497
Towards Carpathians Transalpina
To reach the Carpathians hights from the resorts of the Black Sea coast is easy on the highways and especially while driving a japanesse premium car Mazda CX-60 of the famous “Soul Red Chrystal” which proved to be one of the most admired car during all our press trip of 3000 km in all conditions.
For us today the capital Bucharest is first of all the native town of breakthrough international innovations like Bitdiffender – the European cybersecurity solution - and his founders Florin and Mariuca Talpes an inspiration for all generations of innovators. Bucharest is hosting inspring personnalities like the Accademicians like Dorin Prunariu the only Romanian cosmonaute, active member of the international aerospace institutions having celebrating this year 45 years from the first Romanina flight in the presence of the other interntional cosmonautes. His speech in the beautiful Romanian Academy is a milestone and inspiration for all the 21st century generations for the importance of human nowledge for the futur innovations servicne humanity and peace as From the Space we can sea only one home to share and protect together! (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/45-years-from-the-first-space-flight)
The Accademician Dorin Prunariu (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/astronaut-dorin-prunariu-inspiring-speech-on-ai) tells us how he himself was inspired by another Romanian-German scientist, born in Sibiu, in the Transylvania region of Romania (called Hermannstadt when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) — Hermann Oberth (1894–1989), often called one of the "fathers of rocketry," alongside Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and Robert Goddard, the three fathers of modern rocketry. His 1923 doctoral thesis, Die Rakete zu den Planetenräumen ("The Rocket into Planetary Space"), laid out the theoretical foundations for liquid-fuel rockets and space travel. He later mentored a young Wernher von Braun and worked with him on German rocket programs. Sibiu today honors him with a museum (the Hermann Oberth Memorial House) and other memorials, as he's considered a local hero of Transylvanian Saxon heritage.
All of today's technologies used in rocket science, including the well-known, successful technologies of Elon Musk, are based on and also make use of the collective knowledge of all previous scientists, including the work of this Romanian scientist, who continues to inspire the scientific and innovation generations of the 21st century… but it's important to rediscover, with curiosity and excitement, the origins and contexts of their discoveries, which built the world of today and serve as the basis for the innovative world of tomorrow.
In the capital Bucharest — one of the most stylish and vibrant European capitals, whose details you can discover in any travel guide — we prefer the centrally located Hotel InterContinental Athénée Palace (www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/us/en/athens/athha/hoteldetail), an oasis of excellence and elegance, and the place where international journalists gathered during the Second World War. Its beautiful architecture and wonderful team, along with the hotel's unique view of the Athénée Palace and its exceptional spa and restaurant, make it truly special. (“What else”?!)
Our second option is the “Snagov Club” (https://snagovclub.ro) In the town of Snagov (a 40-minute drive from Bucharest), quiet, elegant hospitality awaits at an exceptional hotel and restaurant with a view of Snagov Lake, connecting us with history... the head of Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, is said to be buried on the island of Snagov Lake. But we also feel connected with future champions, as a National Nautical Sports Base gives athletes access to training on Snagov Lake — so inspiring and admirable to watch while drinking coffee and walking along the lake, between history, sporting values and elegant hospitality.
Our road toward the Transalpina in the Carpathians took us from village to village, like a string of pearls, as we drove with such pleasure the Mazda CX-60 — a symbol of beautiful Japanese design and reliable, high-performance technology, allowing us to enjoy escapades discovering the beauty of this European country, not yet well known, as of 2026, to European and international tourists. We preferred to make a short visit and stop in Slatina, where we visited the surprising Private Museum of Old Romanian and Eastern European Cars. Mr. Radu T. is a successful Romanian entrepreneur who drives a Porsche but is passionate about the charm of old Eastern European cars, including, of course, the first versions of Dacia — and the original, octagonal-building Car Museum in Slatina opens its gates to showcase, like a fashion-show catwalk, more than 20 old cars in a décor worthy of the most beautiful car museums!
We also admired the view of the Olt Valley while having coffee on the "Belvedere" terrace, where, quietly and joyfully, two boys and one girl were working on their summer math homework, reminding us of the quality of education in the Oltenia region, with more Olympiad wins in physics and mathematics — including Dr. Florin Păun, the first from Slatina's Minulescu High School to be selected for the Physics Olympiad, many years ago. We chose the centrally located Bulevard Prestige Hotel (www.bulevard-hotel.ro), ...a perfect place, in addition to the serenity of this destination — a family-owned property of one of the many talented Romanians, a graduate of the prestigious École Polytechnique in Saclay, France, who decided to return to his hometown and welcome us with great pleasure, along with the potential for nice, challenging conversations with other former Ion Minulescu High School classmates.
We also visited a veritable culinary destination in Slatina, offering authentic, natural, bio wheat juice — "Braga" — by the famous Memish family from Slatina, who own the "Atletul Albanez" (The Albanian Athlete) braga shop — the oldest foreign family business in Romania, with a history of roughly 300 years (the family's Albanian ancestors settled in Wallachia around 1700). The most notable visit to their shop remains that of American ambassador James Rosapepe, in 2002. Other notable figures who passed through include writers Ion Minulescu and Eugen Ionescu, historian Nicolae Iorga, actors Amza Pellea and Dan Puric, footballer Gheorghe Hagi, and even former heads of state Nicolae Ceaușescu and Charles de Gaulle. The business was long run by Hashim Memish, who received the title of honorary citizen of Slatina in 2008. The tradition is now being carried forward by his grandnephews, especially Jemal. Don't hesitate to go shopping — even online — for authentic, locally made handicrafts and Romanian fashion brands mixing modernity with traditional craftsmanship, like the local brand "Na Shat Vintage."by the passionate owners Florenta Mushat and her daughter Alina.
We chose to visit Craiova, also the hometown of the French-Romanian scientist Henri Coandă, the father of the jet engine in aerospace, who achieved his breakthrough in Issy-les-Moulineaux, next to Paris — which became the smart, innovative city, a Silicon Valley of Île-de-France, hosting the centers of media and technology companies like Microsoft, Huawei, Orange, etc., and also having hosted two of our Annual Interview Francophone Summits of the Scientific and Innovation Diaspora, bringing together inspiring personalities, professionals in aerospace, medicine, and digital fields, ambassadors, and more. Another French-Romanian connection is the beautiful and powerful artistic value of the rare paintings of Dorin Iordănescu (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/dorin-iormeanu), the French-Romanian architect — a name linked to Henri Coandă — creator of the architectural concept of DELTA-IOR, the first futuristic and ecological architecture in Europe, whose paintings became an exclusive value, having been exhibited both at the Grand Palais in Paris and at the Museum in Craiova. As explorers, you could look forward to finding these exceptional paintings in private collections, in the name of valuable art and artists inspiring a better 21st century. (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/dorin-iormeanu) .
We enjoyed traveling to and discovering the Oltenia region, and meeting inspiring people in this native county of the European father of modern cybernetics, Ștefan Odobleja, who, in 1939, chose to publish his book "La Psychologie de la Consonance" in Paris, in French, and which remains a scientific reference for the future evolution of digital innovations, as noted by Paris's most highly regarded European economist, Emmanuel Lechypre. (https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x41j90p) ...in his special edition on the subject, rehabilitating this forgotten European scientist, as the world better knows the American Wiener as the father of cybernetics, even though this was 10 years after the scientific work of Odobleja. His major work, Psychologie Consonantiste, first published in 1938–39 in Paris, introduced the concept of feedback in psychology, spanning 900 pages and including over 300 diagrams by the author, laying out fundamental elements of cybernetics — a full decade before Wiener's book "Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine," published in 1948. It's the latter work that coined the term "cybernetics" and is internationally credited with founding the field — defining it as the study of control and communication processes common to both machines and living organisms (feedback loops, self-regulation, etc.).
Oltenia is also the place hosting beautiful folk music concerts that capture the flavor of the Romanian soul and emotions, and you can connect with this sensibility of beautiful Romanian culture by listening to the voices of the most admired Romanian folk artists, on July 20th in Craiova, organized by Ana Maria Păunescu (https://apaunescu.ro) the daughter of the national poet Adrian Păunescu, whose poems have the force of resilience, humanity and redemption! The beautiful surprise is also to listen to the amazing voice of Alexandra Păunescu, the granddaughter of the national poet, celebrated together every year on July 20th at the International Adrian Păunescu Festival in Craiova, with thousands of people singing the words and songs together (Alexandra, Romanian-Portuguese, was selected for The Voice competition in Portugal), while Daniel Ștefan, one of the most admired Romanian painters from the diaspora (one of his paintings is in the Mayor's house of Alba Iulia, the post-symbolic city for the union of the Romanians, on the occasion of the ceremony organized by the Mayor and his team to name Academician Dorin Prunariu and Dr. Florin Păun Honorary Citizens in 2025) (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/ceremonie-alba-iulia) Daniel Ștefan is also a composer, accompanying his daughter Alexandra Păunescu on guitar, like a reliable background color in his paintings, bringing out the bright colors of his life: Ana Maria's poems and Alexandra's voice, as a new artistic current mixing emotion, innovation, talent, love and personal effort to make it last, shine, and share it with all of us!
And especially, we visited some of the most admired professional private medical centers in Craiova (honoring the quality of Romanian education in medicine), which not only offer excellence to Romanians in professional medical practice, with the best and most innovative equipment, but also offer the best solutions for European patients — welcoming them to Romania, and by opening clinics in Europe too. In Oltenia, as in other regions of Romania, there are wonderful professional doctors (like Dr. Brădiceanu, Dr. Stoichițoiu, Dr. Cătrinoiu, Dr. Ahmed, etc.) who are finding health solutions for elderly parents, including those of the Romanian diaspora.
The quality and importance of Romanian doctors in Europe is evident today and has also changed the image of Romania in Europe. Carol Davila and Daniel Danielopolu, for example, were founders of Romanian medicine, with their place in European science well established. Romania's contribution to modern medicine owes a great deal to two towering figures who, a generation apart, built the institutional and scientific foundations of medical practice in the country: Carol Davila and Daniel Danielopolu. Though their careers unfolded in different eras and specialties, together they illustrate how a young nation's medical establishment was shaped by, and in turn contributed to, the broader European scientific tradition.
Carol Davila: The Architect of Romanian Medicine
Born in Paris in 1828, Carol Davila trained in French medical schools during a period when France stood at the forefront of European medicine. In 1853, he was invited to Wallachia to reorganize the region's military medical services — a decision that would change the course of his life and of Romanian healthcare. He never returned to France permanently, choosing instead to become a naturalized Romanian citizen and dedicate himself to building a modern medical system almost from scratch. Davila's achievements were foundational rather than narrowly scientific: he established the National Military Hospital in Bucharest, created schools for training doctors, pharmacists, and midwives, and was instrumental in founding the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest in 1869. In doing so, he imported the rigor and structure of French medical education into a country that had, until then, relied largely on foreign-trained practitioners or informal healers. His legacy is so significant that Bucharest's principal medical university still bears his name today: the "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
Daniel Danielopolu: Pioneer of Romanian Physiology
Born in Bucharest in 1884 — the same year Davila died — Daniel Danielopolu represents the next generation, one that built specialized research on the institutional base Davila had created. A physiologist and cardiologist, Danielopolu is regarded as the founder of the Romanian school of physiology and experimental medicine. His research focused on the autonomic nervous system and its role in cardiovascular regulation, work that placed him in direct dialogue with contemporary European physiologists studying similar questions in Paris, Vienna, and Berlin. His findings on neurovascular reflexes were significant enough that a phenomenon — the Danielopolu reflex — bears his name, a mark of recognition within the international physiological community of his time.
A Bridge Between Romania and European Medicine
What links these two men beyond their shared nationality is the pattern of exchange they represent. Davila brought French institutional models to Romania and adapted them to local needs; Danielopolu, trained in this newly built system, went on to produce original research that fed back into the broader European scientific conversation. This is not incidental — it reflects a common trajectory among medical traditions in Central and Eastern Europe during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, where national schools of medicine developed by absorbing Western European methods and then contributing their own discoveries.
Their combined legacy matters for European medicine in three ways:
- Institution-building as a scientific act. Davila's hospitals and faculties were not administrative footnotes but the necessary scaffolding without which later specialized research, like Danielopolu's, could not have existed.
- Integration into international science. Danielopolu's physiological work was recognized and cited abroad, showing that Romanian medicine was not isolated but actively participating in pan-European scientific discourse.
- A model of national scientific maturation. Together, their careers trace the arc many European medical traditions followed: first import and adapt foreign expertise, then generate original contributions that enrich the wider field.
Carol Davila and Daniel Danielopolu, though separated by decades and specialties, together tell the story of how Romanian medicine came of age within the European scientific tradition — not as a passive recipient of foreign knowledge, but eventually as an active contributor to it. Their names, still honored in Romanian medical institutions and scientific terminology today, are a reminder that the history of European medicine is not confined to its largest capitals, but is woven together by figures working at its edges as well as its centers.
The medical solutions developped by Dr. Radu in Oltenia and in Europe (the future clinique in Perpignan in France) are following this innovative french-romanian, european connections based on profesionalism, personal effort and shared competences.
Finally in the Carpathians!: Novaci – Ranca – One of the Most Beautiful Destinations in Europe!
We reached our Carpathian destination, the charming small town of Novaci, at the base of the Ranca resort, up in the heights on the Transalpina national road, in the Gorj region of Oltenia — the native region of Constantin Brâncuși, the famous French-Romanian sculptor who worked with the sculptor Rodin and gave the Romanians his famous sculptures in Târgu-Jiu, including the Column of Infinity, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Table of Silence — an open-air complex just 30 minutes from Novaci, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site this year, in 2026.
Novaci is a welcoming destination offering a beautiful view of the Ranca and Mohoru peaks in the Carpathian Mountains, while enjoying a nice daily walk — either in the gardens, or at the local market, or at the beautiful swimming pool and restaurant in the middle of the green apple orchards at the "Linvidia" resort (booking.com/hotel/ro/invidia.html (rated 9.7 by guests) .which is itself, through its family owners, a symbol of how the smart, talented diaspora can create beautiful shared value in Romania, and inspire the return of professional Romanians back home with wonderful, innovative projects beneficial to all.
You can also visit the local architecture of the Novaci Mayor's House, and meet the dynamic and visionary mayor, Engineer Dumitru Leuștean, and his local team, laying the foundations for the extraordinary future development of the Ranca resort — one of the most climate-resilient resorts facing climate change, as Romanians recently say: "If there's no more snow in the Romanian resorts, you can find snow in Ranca!"
Electric buses to reach the Ranca resort from Novaci are already part of Mayor Leuștean's short-term plan, but the future gondola will bring even more charm and enjoyable experiences for the benefit of locals and tourists. It could also attract future solutions for wellness, medical treatments, and spa services, thanks to the benefits of the fresh air, high-quality water, clean nature, and bio products, as well as the quality and competence of the professional doctors already at Novaci Hospital, attracting a good reputation to the region. This will continue to attract high-quality young professionals, like Notary Crețu, but also artists, journalists, and scientists from the smart diaspora, to settle or invest in this unique, exceptional destination. Novaci High School is also a source of future local talent, with an excellent education and Olympiad candidates in mathematics, and it's a joy to meet the mix of locals and tourists at the nice sports venues in the town of Novaci, like "Linvidia," "Maya Café," etc.
But the even more extraordinary experience begins 20 minutes' drive from Novaci, up to Ranca — a resort born only in the last 20 years — where you drive and climb in the Japanese Mazda CX-60 "Soul Red Crystal" Premium car, zigzagging as it caresses the mountain, until you're above the clouds, with all of Oltenia County at your feet on one side, and the majestic sight of the Parângu, Mohoru, and Păpușa peaks just ahead of you on the other — and you know you've reached the Ranca resort, like a bird's nest protected within the Carpathians. You can hear the soft sound of the sheep bells in the distance, as the development of the resort here has not destroyed the ancient traditions of the shepherds — on the contrary, it has expanded their options for selling authentic products directly to hotels and restaurants, and to the owners of the chalets that have sprung up like mushrooms after the rain over the last 10 years.
Stop the car at the top to take in the view, buy some local products, and have a coffee facing Parângu: your first tête-à-tête with this amazing, imposing, and generous mountain deserves contemplation and acknowledgment, and a listen to the legends surrounding its love story with the neighboring peak, Mândra — a long-lasting platonic love. Parângu and Mândra face each other forever, but never truly touch. To follow the fantasy and imagination further, you could read the fantastic love story in the book written by geologist and engineer Ion Vâlceanu, "Nonea." (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/ion-vaileanu-noneia) ...from the local family, having discovered essential minerals, including gold, in Transylvania, but came back to Novaci and transformed his house and garden into an open-air, free destination for artists, scientists, and journalists, promoting the region, protecting nature and heritage, as well as all projects serving humanity and the common interest. ( https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/ion-vaileanu-noneia).
Now get ready for the ride!!!! Your first crossing of the Transalpina — the King's Road — is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, emotion, and evolution of the soul, as you cannot ignore the power of feeling so close to the heart of the Carpathians while driving this, the highest road crossing the Carpathians!
Transalpina: Above the Clouds … Highest Emotions Across Romania's Highest Road
Somewhere above 2,000 metres in the Southern Carpathians, trees give up entirely and the road takes over — bare rock, open sky, and switchbacks that seem to answer to nothing but the mountain's own logic. This is the Transalpina, the DN67C, a 148-kilometre crossing between Novaci in Gorj County and Sebeș in Alba County. Locals once called it the Drumul Regelui, the King's Road, and before that, the Devil's Path — a nod to how punishing the crossing used to be. At 2,145 metres, its Urdele Pass makes it the highest paved road in Romania, and unlike its more famous cousin, the Transfăgărășan, it still feels genuinely remote.
We tackled the whole route in our Mazda CX-60 and it turned out to be the perfect companion for a road like this — nimble enough for the hairpins, sure-footed on the rougher stretches, and comfortable enough that six hours in the mountains never felt like a slog. Having a car this capable meant we could chase every viewpoint, backtrack for a photo, and take the DN7A detour without a second thought — it's genuinely part of what made these hidden corners of the Carpathians feel reachable. Here's what to look out for, south to north. Novaci opens the route and is worth a slow start rather than a quick pass-through. Nearby lie the Olteț Gorge in Cozia National Park, the ancient caves of Peștera Polovragi and Peștera Muierilor, the 17th-century Horezu Monastery, and Brâncuși's war memorials in Târgu Jiu — the Endless Column and the Gate of the Kiss. Just north of town, Lone Man's Rock is the road's first proper viewpoint: an unmarked hillock with a footpath to the top, from where the DN67C can be seen snaking off into the mountains ahead. Further on, the twin lookouts of Popas and Rânca deliver wide panoramas over the Parâng range — best at sunrise or sunset, when the light turns the ridgelines gold. Then comes the road's centrepiece: Urdele Pass, 2,145 metres up on the Vâlcea–Gorj border. The approach alone — a long sequence of hairpins, climbs and drops — leads onto a 20-kilometre ridge line flanked by five peaks over 2,000 metres: Dengheru, Păpușa, Urdele, Iezer and Muntinu. It's also the trailhead for hikes to Lake Gâlcescu. Coming down the other side, Voineasa Center makes a good pit stop, with a small handicraft market alongside it, and just beyond it, Stâna Ștefanu is a working ranch serving sarmale and papanași — cabbage rolls and a sweet cheese doughnut with fruit compote — at prices that match the setting's simplicity. Travellers with an extra hour can branch onto the DN7A, a detour past Vidra Lake and the pine-ringed Transalpina Ski Resort. The road's second summit, Tărtărău Pass, sits at 1,718 metres — more forest, less drama than Urdele, but a scenic shift in character. From there the route wraps around Oașa Dam, a 91-metre concrete structure on the Sebeș River. The reservoir stays mostly hidden behind pine-covered banks until the dam crossing itself, where the turquoise lake finally comes into full view. The road ends in Sebeș, anchored by its Evangelical Lutheran Church, built across two centuries of Romanesque and Gothic construction. Just outside town, the Râpa Roșie reserve — roughly 10 hectares, protected since 1950 — is a landscape of red sandstone cliffs and canyons carved by millennia of erosion, and a striking place to end the drive.
You can eat bear pastrami if you have the chance to meet the local seller of high-quality products from Brădulet, or you can call them, mentioning the French-Romanian journalists from Paris, France (write to the editorial team for the contacts where you can buy bear pastrami and cheese). The brown bear is a protected species in Romania, but regulated brown bear hunting has been reinstated under a wildlife management law, with the Constitutional Court upholding hunting quotas for the 2026 season, and the framework extending into the 2027 season as well. Romania's government substantially increased the annual cull quota in 2024, authorizing the culling of 481 bears that year to manage "overpopulation," more than double the prior year's total of 220. Hunts are conducted through licensed "ocoale silvice" (forest districts/gamekeepers) under permits and CIC-style trophy evaluation systems, as described by outfitters organizing these hunts.Bear pastrami ("pastramă de urs") is a known regional very valuable and appreciated product with a strong unique tasting.
You can also taste the unique cheese made from buffalo milk — better than Parmesan, as the crystals dissolve in your mouth and give an unknown taste, flavoring local dishes as part of experimental local gastronomy.
The Ranca resort exists thanks to local tourism entrepreneurs like the Mitroi family, owners of the "Ranca Ski" resort hotel and restaurant (link), originally from Craiova, who chose to invest over the last 20 years to create sports infrastructure, hotels, and restaurants, with a beautiful, collaborative vision of sharing their success with all the visitors and owners of tourism infrastructure through their personal efforts. Taste especially the natural fir-tree juice made by Cătălin's mother, while relaxing on the impressive wooden terrace, and also try the local mushroom dish, a Ranca specialty!
Cătălin Mitroi and his father embody an emblematic family strategy: to create, like in a family, what's needed to be shared, and to build protection, stability, and the joy of playing together! This is Cătălin's vision for the future development of this Carpathian resort, which could connect more ski infrastructure and expand wisely and collaboratively, sharing benefits and risks together, by serving a common interest of progress, nature and human protection, joy, and relaxation!
NATO itself has created a base here for the medical care and well-being of NATO soldiers, confirming the quality of the air, water, and nature, with exceptional benefits for health.
In Ranca, the artistic touch from Constantin Brâncuși's native region — Oltenia, Târgu-Jiu — isn't very far away, as the "Hotel Onyx" (link) is an exceptional piece of art, featuring local artists' work, in addition to the amazing views of Păpușa Peak from your room, and the warm welcome from its owner, Vintilescu, and his team — including dedicated employees from Nepal, a country that faced terrible flooding this year, 2026, which makes the open-mindedness and support of Romanian entrepreneurs in hiring conscientious Nepali workers all the more worth appreciating. Onyx is a luxury hotel in the heart of the Carpathians, a very rare gem you can enjoy alongside a nice après-ski party on the terraces of the Mitroi restaurant just nearby!
What makes the soul of the Ranca resort is also the presence of errant dogs that are no longer errant as belong to the larger family of the vilas owners and do not hesitate to accompagny you while trecking in the region which is so generous considering the non nule risque to meet a bear in the wild forests of Carpatians counted about 12 000 specimens insdead of 3000 that ould be a normal convenient for these teritorial wild annimals.
The wonderful work of associations for the protection of stray dogs, and of veterinarians like the wonderful Patricia Paraschiv (all4animalsvet.wixsite.com/cabinetveterinar) veterinary doctor we awarded the Excellence Award in Paris for her efforts and projects to neuter and protect stray animals, and of young artists like the wonderful Dana Oniga, campaigning for clean mountains and animal protection in the Carpathians, is creating a safe and friendly environment, while locals like Costi offer exciting escapades in the heart of the wild mountains of the Transalpina.
You could spend weeks in the Transalpina-Ranca-Novaci area and discover unknown treasures nearby, including wonderful waterfalls secretly hidden in the wild forrest, the local patrimony “Măldărești Cule” and the huge blackberry organic-plantation and the tasteful local gastronomy of the restaurant and traditional villas of Florin Dobrițoiu at "Casa Țărănească" in Măldărești (www.curteataraneasca.ro) who decided years ago to change his life from construction engineer in Bucharest and return to his grandfather's village to create this tasteful and calm oasis, not far from the town of Horezu, where you can buy local traditional pottery made locally, or visit the Horezu Monastery, a UNESCO monument.
You can pass Transalpina to visit the recent ortodoxe women monastery and Schitul Sfantul Ilie in Poiana Muierilor with a beautiful new constructed ortodoxe church in wooded where young nuns will welcome you with beautiful thoughts having choosing this specific life for praying after having been succesful profesionals and travelled the world including Asia .. to come back in the heart of the Carpathians protected just by the 3 sheppared huge dogs and their trust! Humans coould reaveal sometimes like huge monuments of creation if we take the time and clim to discover them.. wherever they are .. including in the heart of the Carapathians passing Transalpina!
If you follow the road toward Petroșani, you can discover the most impressive wooden construction in Europe — "Conacul Rădăcinilor" — a hotel, restaurant, spa, and sports resort honoring the roots of trees... For the first time, you can touch and honor the inside and outside of the trees, and savor the local gastronomy based on local products. Don't hurry, as there's much more to see, including a huge crystal mineral specimen at the entrance, recalling the mining sector of the region during communism, and the generosity of the owner in sharing with every visitor the chance to touch and admire this huge crystal, which legend says brings good luck to see. A must-visit after crossing the Transalpina, the highest road in Romania!
Or you can cross the Transalpina toward Sibiu, where you'll discover an amazing cultural city (mentioned before as the hometown of the father of rocket science, Hermann Oberth), and you can find all the details about it in travel guides. But you can also discover amazing people like Alin Vezure and his inspiring partner, who created a lavender paradise, "Fabrica de Mov." (www.fabricademov.ro) ("mov" = purple/violet in Romanian), a small business registered in Agnita, Sibiu County, and talk to Alin about the veritable philosophy of the plant kingdom, and what it means to live in their rhythm — a symbol of inspiring peace and generosity.
The Transalpina is generally open from June to September/October, closed the rest of the year due to snow. Budget five to six hours, or a full day, to drive its 148 kilometres properly — the road is narrow, unmarked, and shared with livestock and cyclists, so speed was never really the point. Pairing it with the Transfăgărășan takes at least two days, usually with a night in Sibiu between the two, and it's an occasion to visit this beautiful town, associated with another legend. The Pied Piper of Hamelin legend and its Transylvanian connection to Sibiu give an idea of the capacity and willingness to integrate minorities, and of the historical evolution into a common story linking people together and giving them reasons to embrace otherness and differences. According to local folklore, the lost children of Hamelin emerged from the "Almasch" caves near Vârghiș in Transylvania, somewhere near present-day Sibiu. This is offered as a romanticized explanation for the appearance of blond-haired, blue-eyed, German-speaking people in this region who lived by customs from thousands of kilometers away — i.e., the Transylvanian Saxons. The connection to the rat (șobolan): this ties back to the classic German legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin (Rattenfänger von Hameln), in which a piper lures away the town's rats — and then, when denied payment, lures away the town's children as well, who are never seen again. Sibiu's version of the story imagines those missing children resurfacing generations later in Transylvania, offering a folkloric (not historical) origin myth for the Transylvanian Saxons who settled there.
The subject of minority protection and respect in Romania is unique, as, for example, the Hungarian minority has its own political party, which is so respected that it's usually one of the parties forming the majority and enabling easier decision-making in a democratic nation. This subject of differences between cultures has created polemics but also was appreciated for the courage and wiseness to attracte attention of the potentil derive of democratic procedures against diffrences presented with a certain sadness and pudoare in the recent film of the Romanian Mungiu awared in 2026 with the Palme d Or at Cannes – “Fjiord” backed by the Why Not Production we appreciate also for Annette K peniche in Paris. Romanina producers like Mungiu and Randu Mihaileanu awarded Excellencey Award in 2022 (https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/sommet-europeen-2022-palais-luxembourg) at at the French Senate, Palais du Luxembourg, with the Interview Francophone Excellence Awards for the message of togetherness and peace in his films, reminds us that Romania has a valuable source of education in cinematography, and that you can visit one of these sources at Buftea Production Studios... It's at least worth visiting, next to Bucharest, the Buftea Studios, eating copiously at the Studio Buftea Restaurant, and perhaps meeting artists and producers, letting yourself be inspired by this dynamic, elegant town, with great prospects of becoming a luxury, design-forward village bringing together successful intellectuals, artists, and innovators, surrounded by a beautiful forest and close to the European capital, Bucharest.
Gina and Marius, the succesful and inspiring couple in Buftea are veritable ambassadors of this “Buftea Wanted City” where they constructed a dream house inspiring “la belle vie à la roumaine”, luxury, full of friends, family and authentic smile with the sentiment of recognition, satisfaction of “Work Well Done” and humble thanks (the serenity of their Budha statues in their generaous garden) for the business and personal succes based especially on personal effort, talent, competences and trust for serving the commun interest, having the good impact on the lives of the others around.
Romanians are the lucky beneficiaries of all these extraordinary destinations and splendid natural landscapes, full of biodiversity, just a few hours' drive away, and they don't hesitate to enjoy the exclusivity of these tourism offerings during weekends or professional team-building escapades throughout the year.
The role of the smart diaspora is also to remind Romanians of the beauty of their own country and destinations, and to invite their international friends and business partners to discover them too! Romanians spent €10 billion on vacations abroad in 2025 — the highest figure on record, according to National Bank of Romania data cited by Economedia, up from €8.93 billion in 2024. In 2024, spending abroad reached €8.5 billion, a 75% jump from 2023, even though average spending per trip actually dropped slightly. According to Visa's CEE Travel and Payment Intentions Study 2025, about 32% of Romanians planned to holiday abroad this year, with Greece, Italy, and Spain as top picks. Those going abroad stayed nearly 9 days on average and spent about €840 per person per trip, mostly on food, excursions, and souvenirs. Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and France were the top destinations for spending in early 2025. A separate consumer survey found that 29% of Romanians traveled abroad in 2025, with Greece, Italy, and Bulgaria as the top choices, while budget concerns kept 57% closer to home. Average flight prices rose to €133.89 in 2025, from €123.58 the year before, with short getaways costing around €100 and medium trips around €140. Marseille bookings jumped 270%, Malmö 148%, and Palermo 88%. Romanians typically spend about a quarter of their average monthly salary per trip, and Europe remains the dominant destination region, with Asia a distant second.
The beneficial influence of the smart Romanian diaspora seems to lie in their power to keep loving Romanian destinations, to promote them voluntarily, and to share with European and other international people the opportunities to discover and visit Romania, and finally, to enhance places, projects, and collaborations when they decide to invest and return to Romania for good, or just for the holidays.
It's time to follow this creative, positive diaspora and enjoy shared local values with Romanian and international tourists, contributing to the evolution of a new business model and practices in tourism, including human factors, emotions, nature protection, and personal satisfaction, by contributing to the protection and promotion of amazing, unique destinations that inspire joy and peace!
Note: CONTACTS
Do not hesitate to contact our editorial departement at news@interviewfrancophone.net for any furhter contact details to prepare your futur exciting visit of Romanian Most Admired Destinations! During the press visit for this special edition, we connected with more than 5,000 people during events and networking opportunities, both live and online, and our special edition will be read by more than 1 million people over the 3-year accessibility period on www.interviewfrancophone.net, the European reputation journal in Paris, member of the Association de la Presse Etrangère à Paris, with more than 300 of the biggst world media accredited in Paris.
Note: PARTNER
We thank our partner for this special edition, the reliable company RADACINI (www.radacini.ro) ...(meaning "root" in the Romanian language, a symbol that also links the smart diaspora with their native countries), especially its professional leaders and team, for providing and advising us on the best choices in terms of premium cars, and for facilitating and enhancing the press trip, as the design, faithful to the KODO stylistic language, attracted the admiration of the people we met, and enhanced the press photos of this special edition dedicated to admirable destinations in Romania.
Thanks to this special edition, the Road 2026 between Pontus Euxinus and Transalpina — the highest road in the Romanian Carpathians — the image of the highest Transalpina is imprinted with the beautiful lines of Mazda's Kodo design and the “Soul Red Crystal” colour, putting the colours of the Carpathians in the best spotlight.RADACINI has been chosen by the European journal www.interviewfrancophone.net (Membre de l’Association de la Presse Etrangère à Paris avec plus de 300 media accredite MAE à Paris) as reliable partener of Romania and of the Romanian diaspora and their families and friends in Romania and Europe.
Note: DETAILS about Scientific and Innovation Diaspora
More details connected to Scientific and Innovation Diaspora
https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/ceremonie-alba-iulia
https://www.interviewfrancophone.net/scientific-and-innovation-diaspora-summit-in-paris