Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Cluj-Napoca is located in northwest Romania.  It's about equidistant from Bucharest, Budapest, and Belgrade.  The city is home to about 287.000 people with over 410.000 in the greater metro area.  It's the country's second-largest city and the largest in Transylvania.  

While the city is officially Cluj-Napoca everyone just calls it "Cluj."  The city dates back to 1213, and is located on the site of a pre-Roman settlement named Napoca.  In 1974, the communist government hyphenated the name to emphasise its Roman history.

In 2021, it was named a UNESCO City of Film and joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

St. Michael's Church was completed in 1487 and it is named after the city's patron saint, the Archangel Michael.  It is the second-largest church in Transylvania.

The opera housed was completed in 1906.  Since 1919 the building has been home to both the local Romanian National Theatre and the Romanian Opera.  In 1920, the first two concerts were conducted by the Czech conductor Oskar Nebdal.

The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral is the Orthodox cathedral.  It was was consecrated in 1933.

The State Hungarian Theatre is also home to the Hungarian Opera.  The building was completed in 1910, and renovated in 1961, and is listed as a national historic monument.

The Palace of Justice was completed in 1902.

The Franciscan Church was consecrated in 1290.  It is a mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles with a Baroque tower.

The Matthias Corvinus House was built in 1443 and it's one of the oldest buildings in the city.  Over the years it has been a jail, a hospital and a museum.  Since 1950, it has been a visual arts institute of the local Art and Design University.

The Transfiguration Cathedral was consecrated in 1803.  It is known as the Minorites' Church and in 1924, the Vatican donated it to the Romanian Greek-Catholic Church.

The Evangelical Church was consecrated in 1829.  It also serves the local German-speaking Lutheran community.

The Cathedral of the Martyrs and Confessors of the 20th Century is still under construction.  Work began in the early 1990s and there is no timeline on when it should be completed by.  It is financed by private donations and is expected to cost over €270M.

The House of the Army is functionalist building that serves as a cultural and social centre for both military personnel and the public.

The Central Park was founded in the 19th century.

The Jewish History Museum opened in 2020.

The Neolog Synagogue was completed in 1887.  It is also known as the Temple of the Deportees because Jews were sent from here to Auschwitz during WWII.

We also took a couple of local day trips to Sibiu, to a salt mine, as well as some hiking at the Turda Gorge.

Prague Visit and Dalíbor

One of the gifts I received at my 10th anniversary fiesta were tickets to see Dalibor at the National Theatre in Prague.  So Claudia and I made a weekend of it.  On Friday night we meet up at the main station, checked in to our hotel and went out for dinner and drinks.

On Saturday we did a bit of sightseeing around the city.  

We met up Vilma and Marco who we haven't seen in a few years since they moved to Prague.  It was so nice to catch up.

I had the best hazelnut eclair ever at IF Cafe.

On Saturday night we headed to the National Theatre to see the opera.

Dalíbor is Bedřich Smetana's third opera and premiered in Prague in 1868.  The opera is basically a romantic tragedy and the music was simply incredible.

This morning we caught a train to Berlin so I'll be in Friedrichshagen for a week.  Now to help with Tünde's Halloween costume.

Don Carlos Premiere

Last night was the premiere of Don Carlos at the Janáček Theatre.

The music was composed by Giuseppe Verdi and the poet Friedrich Schiller.

Last night's performance was directed by Martin Glaser and it was absolutely brilliant.  I swear that the theatre scene in this city simply rocks.

Here's a short interview I found out on YouTube with some of the cast prior to the premiere.  It's only in Czech so if everything is not 100% understandable then you have a small glimpse in to what it's like for me here everyday.

©Info TV Brno a Jižní Morava

Sydney, Australia

Many people assume that Sydney is the capital of Australia.  While it is the capital of New South Wales, the country's capital is about 287 km (178 miles) away in Canberra.

Sydney's greater metro population is over 5,1 million making it the biggest city in both Australia and Oceania.

Indigenous people have lived in the Sydney area for over 30,000 years.  In 1788 Sydney was founded as a British penal colony during the first European settlement in Australia.  The city was incorporated in 1842.

Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities in the world.  At least 45% of Sydneysiders were born overseas.  The best way to describe Sydney is as a modern, very gay friendly, European city with a hip Asian vibe.  It's awesome!

Sydney Tower was completed in 1981.  It stands at 309 metres (1,014 feet) and, after Auckland's Sky Tower, it's the second-tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere.

The QVB, the Queen Victoria Building, was completed in 1898.  It is home to some 200 shops.



At the southern end of the building is a statue of Queen Victoria.  It was on display in Dublin until 1947 when it was put in to storage.  It 1987 Ireland gifted it to the city.

The Sydney Town Hall opened in 1889 and it was renovated in 1991-1992. It houses the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney plus council offices.



St. Andrew's Cathedral was consecrated in 1868.  The Anglican cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Australia.




St. Mary's Cathedral was consecrated in 1882.  The Catholic cathedral was designated as a minor basilica in 1932.

The Great Synagogue was completed in 1878.

The Justice and Police Museum was completed in 1886.  The building used to be the local police station and courthouse.

The Australian National Maritime Museum is at Darling Harbour.  It opened in 1991 and a destroyer, a submarine, and a few smaller historical vessels are part of the permanent exhibition.

Hyde Park is 16,2 hectares (40 acres) and is the oldest parkland in Australia.  The Anzac Memorial was unveiled in 1934 and underwent refurbishment in 2018.  It honours the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps in World War I.

The Hyde Park Obelisk opened in 1857.  It is 22 metres (72 feet) tall.

The Sydney Observatory opened in 1859.  The site was once used as a defensive fort.



The Royal Botanic Garden opened in 1816.  It is 30 hectares (74 acres) and a great place to take a stroll.




The Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1991.  It was renovated in 2010 and is home to over 4000 works.






The Customs House building opened in 1845.  Today it is a museum.





The Art Gallery of New South Wales opened in 1874.  It is one of the largest galleries in Australia.




The State Library of New South Wales opened in 1826.  It's the country's oldest library and is open to the public.





Mrs. Macquarie's Chair is a sandstone rock that was hand carved by convicts in 1810.





The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened in 1932.  It is the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge and the tallest steel arch bridge.





It's also the world's second largest, widest long-span bridge.





The Sydney Opera House opened in 1973.  It's the city's most well-known landmark.  It consists of multiple performance venues with more than 1500 performances a year.



In 2007 the Opera House was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.