5 "courses" of fun, in Timisoara!

It suddenly occurred to me that I've never (so far) promoted my home-town and it really has lots of fun stuff to offer tourists :)
So I guess it's time to do this; to try to bring out the best in the area, or what I see as the best means of having some fun in and around Timisoara (yup... time to look it up on Google, I don't plan on adding extra information about it's location :P)

Why 5?
Because it's... round? :D
Because all articles tend to start with numbers "10 ways to ..." or " 20 best vacation locations..."
I guess there's a certain philosophy to choosing the number... you can't just choose any number cause it doesn't feel right :-)

So... my goal is to find 5 fun activities, along the way (nope, I did not make a list in advance, to count them ;;) )
Here goes!

#1 For "breakfast" , the first course of fun - metaphorically speaking - I have in mind a wake-up & energizing activity: a bike ride in the "Green Forest" of Timisoara. It's situated in the north-west city exit. There are multiple bike-trails to follow (actually there are 4 makes trails, just for the sake of completeness ;;) ). So, quite enough to keep you busy for a couple of hours :-)
It you're just visiting and didn't bring the bike, there are several rental options in town. IVelo is one I surely know about. The city has 'evolved' quite much during the past years e.g. bike lanes, rennovation of old town center.
While you are in that area, don't miss a short tour of the Village Museum. During a pleasant walk on the it's alleys you will discover a large variety of old traditional houses from this region [called Banat] , including a wooden Church and a School. Every spring, this place hosts a very nice international music and art festival, called PLAI.
The city Zoo is also located in this area. This is only for your information because personaly I do not encourage visits where animals are caged and animal freedom rights are broken.

#2 As an "appetizer" , after enjoying the forest area (N-E end of the city), I suggest a tour of the Old Town. As you can guess, it's located in the heart of the city. You may read or hear from the locals that Timisoara is also known as 'little Vienna'. This is due to it's specific architecture, baroque style. Right in the heart of the old town, you can find the so called "Baroque Palace", that hosts a permanent art-collection and also temporary collections (Museum of Art). I've never been on an actual guided tour of Timisoara so I can't really recommend anything experience-based. I know there are some travel agencies and also some free-guided tours available. But if you're not really interested in the history and all that, just wondering around (with a map), can be just as fun as a guided tour... You can walk through the Union Square, Opera Place up to the Cathedral while at any point you can stop at a terrace for ice-cream or a cold beer :) the center is "crowded" with options :)
There's an impressive collection of images taken from the air, available via EyeInTheSky page [photo source].

#3 As we've finally reached "lunch", the most important "meal" of the day (still figuratively speaking :P), it's a very very tough battle on what to suggest... I've finally decided to suggest a combination of walking + eating :) Here's what I suggest, exactly... When you come to Timisoara, the Bega shore is an absolute "must see". Bega is a small river (more like a channel) with some very beautiful parks and gardens along it's banks. These are also very close to the city center. The Children's Park was renovated and 'refreshed' not very long ago. As a child, you can choose among the many attractions (most of them for small children). Very close to this park, there is the "Roses Park" that is also worth a walk, along the Bega shore, especially during the warm seasons when the beautiful flowers color the whole park. Walking along the Bega shore, you will find some very nice restaurants where you can enjoy "a lunch with a view" :) Places like "Riviere" or "Gradina Banateana" are just at one side of the "Roses Park", while down the river there is another nice place, "Porto Arte" and on the other shore you can find a nice (and more fancy) restaurant called "Flora".
The bike lane continues down the river, exiting the city and continuing up to the Serbian border.
If you've already got a bike for #1, you can use it to explore the outside of the city, up until you get bored and come back :-) There are about 35km till the border, from what I remember.

#4 It's been a long ride, but "desert" is finally here! What do people think about first, when it comes to a good meal? ...desert (some think about wine though ;;) but I'm gonna go with desert this time)... I knew what this would be, even before the others. Well, if it's fun you're looking for, let's go for the Room Escape Games. When I first discovered the room escape games (I've dedicated some articles also on my blog to this type of fun-activity), there wasn't any available in Timisoara. There were some in Romainia but in different cities.. So it was my dream last year to open a Room-escape game in Timisoara. But, seems that I'm not CEO material :P I just have a lot of ideas but putting them to practice proves to be very very hard :P (apparently that MBA didn't fix me much :P).
Anyways, my point is that a Room Escape Game opened up in Timisoara and I was more that excited to be among the first customers :) or players. Now there are 3 games in total, provided by ExitGamesTimisoara. All 3 scenarios are very interesting and quite hard (I've played over 14 games in the last year in several cities and I can clearly say that the ones in Timisoara are among the best half).
In case you decide this "desert" suits you, let me tell you Bon Appetit! or Good Luck! :)

#5 A beautiful day spent in Timisoara. The sun is preparing to set... and I'm thinking... the last course of fun in Timisoara... what should "dinner" - metaphorically speaking - consist of!? Hmm.. Still so many choices left :)  Well, I've give it some thought and I guess it's just fair to go with a "pub crawling" :-) We should start at the Theresia Bastion area, that offers - besides a very nice architecture - several bars, pizza-place, music clubs. The palette goes from Jazz club, to retro music, latin evenings to chill-out bars... And if this doesn't cover it, there are several other options nearby, in the Union Square or City Center. Timisoara has quite a colorful night life, the latin spirit :) I like to say that the locals are genuine party people :D
Have fun!!!

[source EyeInTheSky]

Our little collection of dance-memories

Over the years, we got more and more involved with dancing .. in a good way :)

We started attending contests, shows and so on... part of the stuff was carefully documented by one of my colleagues, so below there's a little collection of some memorable moments from our "dancing career" ;;) it could have been a career had we started 10-15 years earlier :D as kids ;;) but well, as they say, better late than never :D

Back in 2011, we attended a dance show called "Dancing around the world".. I remember we were dressed up as cowboys (we = the group of adults taking dance classes as hobby).
There is no youtube recording of that show... or I couldn't find one. However, in 2013 we did another show. Our group danced in "Shrek"-themed costumes :)
There is some "online evidence" of that ;;)
Rumba group showdance
Waltz group showdance

We also attended some Flashmobs; in the one linked here, we're more in the background (the real stars were the professional dancers), but the whole thing was nice and a nice experience, even for an adult :-) After this, there came "dancing in the street activities" and all sorts of nice experiences. Unlike the competitions (that are... how should I say... competitive :P of course), the shows require team-work, synchronization and a very good collaboration. That's why I prefer shows over competitions... even though only competitions help you "grow as a dancer"... and that's like mandatory for a dancer... to evolve!

More recently, we found a new Dance group for adults and proof that we've blended in, are the moments below :)
Jive rueda showdance
Bachata group showdance

We've also attended several competitions (for adult social dancers) as I mentioned... but we have a lot of space for improvement :)
Competitions for adults (that did not start sport-dance since childhood) are less complex that the real "sport dance" competitions, but are pretty tough for an adult who did not grow up playing sports. For us, it's a great achievement so far... and learning :) ... but that will be the subject of another day's blog entry ;;)

Funny (but true) facts about taking up social dancing

Social dancing is just that: 50% socializing, 50% dancing :) it comes with new friends, dance-evenings, parties, dance shows, even dance contests for the most passionate and daring adults (this goes in the direction of sport dancing)
All in all, it's great, especially for extroverts... Dancing makes us happier, more optimistic, better in some many ways...
However, to have "the whole package" you need the right school and the right crowd :-)

From crowded "low-level" dance schools, to professional Sport-dance clubs, I've experienced it all...I've gone from trying to convince all my friends to join dancing classes, to having to swallow all kind of excuses :) to making new friends an the dance-floor, in dance-school and basically anywhere where there's a dancing event ongoing :-) because a hobby is what brings people together.

A lot of people don't really get "dancing as a hobby"... :-) Like the look of a person, after you've told them that you and your husband/friend are taking dance classes and you're even sometimes attending dance competitions... Some people look up at you with admiration :) These are the people who understand passion, who've lived it (perhaps on dancing, perhaps on other sport..or other activity).. But then, there will always be others who will make a long face... and just say "Dancing?!" while actually thinking "Dancing?! now why on earth would you pick such a hobby, why can't you go to the gym like a normal person... and why oh why are you dragging your husband - against his own will - into this dancing - what-ever nonsense?" ... this is all so funny for me, cause they are the ones "not knowing what they are loosing " :)

 Truth is that not all people understand dancing, not all people want to understand dancing, not all people are "dancer material"; some people prefer not even to try, other find various excuses, that - in time - I find more and more funny...
People have preconceptions... they have impressions that are really not true... so, let me clarify some of stuff :-)) so, if a friend asks you to take up dance classes, before you say "no + the lamest excuse ever", please consider the following true facts about dancing :-)

If your excuse is "Oh.. umm.. I can't attend a dance class, because I have always had two left legs", you should know that all people have "two left legs" before their first dancing class. So, instead of de-motivating yourself, tell yourself this: "Ohh come on, man up! That is the whole point in taking a class :D if I knew how to dance, you would not need to take the class in the first place." ... before your pissed off friend says to you "Oh, so I bet you didn't go to school in the first grade cause you didn't know the letters and you had two left arms, right?!"

"I've tried attending a course but the teacher told me I have two left legs" - If you've ever heard this during a dance-class, never - but never - go back in there. Actually, ask for your money back, cause that teacher is stupid. His/ her job is to turn the "two left legs" into "two right legs" , so the teacher is too lame to do his job, to explain everything in an understandable way.. as I said: this is not funny, but said for that dance instructor. Find a professional club to pick up dancing.

"My dance partner told me I have two left legs"... so, don't give up dancing, just give up that partner :-) while learning, tolerance is a very very valuable tip ;;) Remember there will be conflicts, toe-stepping, but since it's "social dancing" , consider that it's a lot of "socializing", before you actually reach "dancing" :))

If you are truly interested in taking up a dance class, find the right place for you, depending on what you want... Don't be afraid to search some more, it you don't "blend in" with the first dancer-crowd :)

"I don't understand the music" -excuse... Well, nobody really understands the music before their first class .. or before the first 3-month course :) some of us.. not even after the first year :P... now that I've already said so much... I can admit (without too much shame :P) that it took me years to actually understand the music :-) I attended a contest dancing - one of the choreographies) totally out-of-music (ok.. in my defense, it was among our first contests).

Or when a guy says "Dancing?! That's for girls.. I took up football." and you can only hear: "Dancing? Why would I hold and dance with a beautiful girl, on the dance floor, when I can go and run around with the crowd, chasing a ball" :-) Well, this is mean. I do support any sport activity, but I don't support people (or parents) who think that "football is for boys, dancing is for girls".. Oh well... :-)

And last but not least... "that guy" who's way too "manly" to join dance classes, but complains when some random dancer invites his girlfriend to the dance-floor - and she likes it ;;) or "that girl" who was too busy to take dance classes and now some cute guy comes along to invite her to dance and she's excited but way too worried, about her "two left legs" :))

Social dancing is somewhere between "nice to have" and "mandatory" ... not "math-mandatory"(because math is mandatory :P ) but more like "social-mandatory" ;;) if you know what I mean :)
So, think twice before saying "no" to dancing... or well, think as many times as it takes for you before you say "yes" ;;) This activity is clearly worth at least a "drive test" :) of let's say one month...

Magnificent Istria

We considered many possibilities for our vacation :-) We wished for a nice place that also offers cycling possibilities... I wished (as always) to meet and greet the sea :)
Ah.. my deep love of the sea... a vacation without the sea, seems so unnatural... so "not vacation-like" material :-) I'm not trying to suggest that I don't enjoy occasional inland city-breaks, of course I do (as you can see it in my other blog-posts :) )  but "the vacation".. "la vacacion" ... the minimal 7 days vacation must include a sea of some kind :D
So... we've finally decided to give the Istrian region of Croatia a try! OK... for a person who enjoys cycling and loves the sea, I found this location "only" perfect ;;)

After just one or two weeks of planning ahead, we were off to our little adventure, in Porec, Istrian region of Croatia. Bikes packed in the car and all :) I must say that the resort we choose, had a lot to say in the overall impression and feeling of this vacation. It was actually at Porec town's south exit, very close to the beach. It was within a walking distance from Porec port and town center (15 minutes walk through a very nice park).

I can still feel the refreshing breeze in my hair... and smell the sea-breeze mixed with a pine-aroma from the park while cycling along the Istrian coast...

During the day, we would cycle along the coast, south or north from Porec, just the "right" amount for two people tired from their office jobs :-)
During the afternoons we would relax by the pool, or by the sea, with a book / mobile app game in our hands :-)
During the evening we would take long walks in Porec... or stay in the resort and enjoy a lovely evening with shows, dancing and live music... or simply enjoy a colorful spectacular sunset by the sea...

I have been to Croatia several times, but I must say, this region was a really pleasant surprise and I recommend the Porec region... If you wish, you can simply relax on the beach and forget about everything, let go of your thoughts and worries and just enjoy the sea. If however, you are a more active person, you will find plenty activities to choose from. Starting with the more "common" like visiting the old town Porec or bike-riding, or playing sports like tennis, mini-golf and so on, to the more complex or skill-requiring :) like water-sports...
I must say I was quite impressed as it was the first time I saw water-skying and surfing sports complex. I would have tried it myself had I stayed longer... well.. I'll put it on my to-do list :-)

On the last day there, we took also a quick tour of Rovinj and I can confirm (what I also heard from others) that the town's worth at least one afternoon's visit ;) chill and relax on the shore.. next to the blue blue sea...