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  ROMANIA
     Klezmer and Folk Dance Tour

Bucharest, Sinaia, Brasov, Sibiu

Folk Dancing,  Klezmer, Folk Music, Art, History, Culture,  Adventure !


Romanian dancers

Romanian dancers

When: October 3-16, 2022
Led by: Jim Gold, Nancy Hoffman,
               Benjy Fox-Rosen, Carl Dimow
               and Lee Friedman
Featuring:
★ 4-days of Klezmer in Sibiu  
★ Romanian and International folk dancing 
★ See Wallachia and Transylvania 
★ Jam sessions!  Bring instruments 
★ Castles, palaces, historic sites, and museums  
★ Breathtaking scenery from mountains to sea 
★ Visit villages, dance with traditional village groups
★ Price includes round trip air, city tours, transfers, hotels, two meals daily, our own private air-conditioned tour bus, all entrance and performance fees
★ See YOUTUBE tour videos 
★ Romania tour a front page story! 

Price: Land Only: $3795 app    Land and Air: $4795 app
*Download itinerary pdf. No pictures.  With pictures
I
can’t wait to go!  Reserve my place with my $200 deposit per person. See registration form and information below.  Or register through PayPal (no PayPal account necessary)

Check out with PayPal


OUR ITINERARY: 
Day 1: Monday, October 3:
Flight from USA to Bucharest on Lufthansa, or airline of your choice.

Day 2: Tuesday, October 4:  BUCHAREST
Arrival in Bucharest. Meet our guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Check-in at the hotel.  Welcome dinner at a traditional restaurant. Overnight in Bucharest .

Day 3-4: Wednesday-Thursday, October 5-6: BUCHAREST   
Half day sightseeing tour of Bucharest is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with the five-century-old capital of Romania. Stopover in the Revolution Square and in the Constitution Square, in front of the Palace of Parliament, Ceausescu’s huge  dream house,  second largest building in the world, surpassed only by the Pentagon building in Washington. We’ll include visits to the Metropolitan Church Patriarchal Church, to the Synagogue/Coral Temple, to the Village and Folk Art Museum Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon meeting with Romanian folk choreographer and dancers. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Bucharest.

Day 5: Friday. October 7: BUCHAREST – SINAIA – BRAN – BRASOV 
Romanian gypsy musicians 1

Romanian gypsy musicians 1


Your Romanian countryside experience will start with a couple of hours drive north to Sinaia; stop-over in this beautiful mountain resort, well-known as the “Pearl of the Carpathians”. Situated on the outskirts of this resort city, amidst lovely sculpture gardens and fountains, surrounded by mountains, Peles Royal Castle is an exquisitely detailed landmark, a masterpiece of German New-Renaissance architecture. Rivaling the castle itself is the beautiful natural setting in which it stands. Once the summer residence of Romania’s kings, this spectacular castle, built at the end of the 19th century, is now one of Romania’s most beautiful museums, displaying priceless collections of weaponry, hand woven silk rugs and furniture, ceramics and sculptures. Lunch en route. A late afternoon drive will have you crossing the beautiful Southern Carpathian Mountains, through Prahova Valley, to Transylvania, to the mediaeval city of Brasov for check-in to your hotel.

Dracula’s castle


Day 6: Saturday, October 8: BRASOV – POIANA BRASOV
After breakfast, a morning walking tour of this medieval town. Nested in the Central Carpathians, Brasov is the meeting point of the three Romanian regions: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania. We’ll visit the Council Square, famous Black Church, largest Gothic Church between Vienna and Istanbul, the Synagogue, and stroll through cobbled streets and alleys packed with boutiques, cafes, shops, and cafeterias. Lunch. Then on to
Bran Castle, widely known as Dracula’s Castle, after Bram Stoker’s  famous novel inspired by the Castle and our harsh ruler, Vlad the Impaler. It was built at the beginning of the 13th century by Knight Dietrich of the Teutonic Order, having a strategic mission being at the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. In the XX century, the Castle became a royal residence. Now it is open for visitors eager to broaden their history knowledge and thirsty of fabulous legends. Return to Brasov.  Enjoy a scenic drive overlooking Brasov to the most Romanian ski mountain resort, Poiana Brasov, for a traditional dinner at a native restaurant with folk music or at a native restaurant in Brasov. Meeting with local Romanian folk dance group. Overnight in Brasov.
 
Day 7: Sunday, October 9:
Morning free in Brasov.  Afternoon departure for Sibiu.

KLEZMER PROGRAM IN SIBIU 
 
Day 8: Monday, October 10:
Morning tour of Sibiu.  Lunch at hotel.
 
1:00-2:00 p.m. HOW KLEZMER WORKS – Carl Dimow offers the basics of Klezmer music. Its history and  some of the distinctive characteristics of Klezmer. Listening to historic recordings from some of the Klezmer greats such as Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras, we will be able to hear the way that the sound was first recorded in the early 1900s.
2:30-3:30 p.m. MARUMURES SONGS from Max Eiskovits’ fieldwork in Viseu de Sus 1938 – 1939. Benjy Fox-Rosen will discuss and demonstrate the amazing collection of Yiddish songs collected by folklorist Max Eiskovits in the final moments before the outbreak of WW2.
4:00-5:00 p.m. DANCE CLASS Lee, Nancy and/or Jim teach Yiddish dances to live music.
5:30 – 7:30 – Dinner followed by an EVENING CONCERT /DANCE PARTY

Day 9: Tuesday, October 11:
Morning trip to see the Open AirASTRA Museum of Folkloric Traditional Civilization situated in the Dumbrava Forest; marvel at the unique old houses with genuine furniture and handmade rugs, clothes wooden craft objects in exquisite colors made by skilled artisans. A short drive from here will take you to Sibiel village for visiting the Museum of icons painted.  Lunch at peasant house in Sibiel Village where local musicians and dancers will greet us. Return to hotel.

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Basic Klezmer styling. The scales and rhythms that give Klezmer its distinctive sound and quality. Nancy and Carl offer the details of Klezmer music through musical examples that they play with Benjy. Bring your instruments if you have them, and join in the exploration of Ahava Raba (Freygish), and Mi shebeirach scales, plus the rhythms of Doinas, Zhoks and Bulgars.
2:00 – 3:00 – Yiddish songs to sing and play – Nancy 3. Hoffman offers some Yiddish songs that are easy to learn and sing along with. Favorite themes in Yiddish folk songs, theater songs and songs of the diaspora. Songs with simple niggunim (chant-like phrases) or repeated chorus sections which you can join in on or listen to. “Roumania, Roumania” can be included, too.
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. MAMELIGE, KARNATZLECH UN VAYN: Yiddish Songs featuring Romanian foods. Benjy-Fox Rosen demonstrates/teaches Yiddish and Roumanian songs about food.
5:30 – 9:30 p.m. Dinner at German Restaurant with EVENING CONCERT/JAM SESSION/DANCE PARTY
 
Day 10: Wednesday, October 12:
 Morning departure for Medias Synagogue (arranged by Mr. Benjy Fox-Rosen.) See the carefully archived collection researched by Benjy’s wife Julie and others. Volunteers guide us through the history and current situation of this unrestored structure.

1:15 – 4:00 – Lunch at peasant house in Sibiel Village. Local musicians and dancers greet us and we sample regional delicacies. Return to hotel.
6:00 – 7:30 dinner
8:00 – 10:00 – EVENING – same location as dinner: Re-enactment of Traditional Jewish Wedding Ceremony with Dancing and Music. Specific dances, rituals and customs of the Traditional Jewish Wedding presented by the Klezmer staff, with everyone’s participation. Instruments and costumes welcome.

Traveling in Sibiu

Traveling in Sibiu


DAY 11: Thursday, October 13 
Morning departure to Sighisoara,. the most beautiful and best preserved, still inhabited, medieval citadel in the central and South-Eastern Europe, listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walking tour of Sighisoara.  Wander through the town’s narrow streets with beautiful original architecture, pass by the Antler House, the Venetian House, original towers and secluded squares; you will feel that, due to the quiet, peaceful atmosphere, time seems to stand still here, trapped in the Middle Ages. Lunch in Sighisoara.
8:00 – 10:00 – EVENING  The music staff will offer a final “show and kvell” playing a diversity of old time klezmer tunes and highlighting the inner workings and details of what makes Yiddish music Yiddish. Ornamentation and variations on Klezmer themes will be demonstrated and discussed. How much is improvised? What kinds of ornaments are used? What is traditional and what is not? Join in the lively musical and verbal counterpoint that will incorporate many of the topics from the 3 day Klezmer Workshop.
 
Day 12: Friday, October 15: 
Breakfast at the hotel. Depart from Sibiu for Bucharest.   En route visit scenic Curtea de Arges Monastery
and dramatic Vidraru dam lake high in the mountains.

Day 13: Saturday October 15: Bucharest
Sightseeing tour of Bucharest is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with the five-century-old capital of Romania. Stopover in the Revolution Square and in the Constitution Square. Visit the Palace of Parliament, Ceausescu’s huge dream, now reality due to the enormous sacrifices of the Romanian people, the second largest building in the world, being surpassed only by the Pentagon building in Washington (in case the Palace of Parliament due to conferences etc. is closed for visiting another museum will be visited instead.) and the Village and Folk Art Museum – the largest in Europe, containing over 110 houses and old wooden churches and 11,000 objects of folk art, transported from all over the country.Farewell dinner with show. Overnight at a 4* hotel in Bucharest.

Day 14: Sunday, October 16: Departure airport transfer for the flight back home.

REGISTRATION FORM:
I can’t wait to go! Enclosed is my registration deposit of $200 per person. Single supplement: $695.  Additional charges:  Service charges: $145.  Gratuities and drinks during meals not included.  Program subject to change without notice. Total refund if cancellation is 90 days prior to departure:  Less than 90 days: No refund Travel insurance always recommended.  Total balance due June 5, 2022

Name________________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________
No. of people_______Phone_(_____)_______________________________________
Make checks payable to: Jim Gold International, 497 Cumberland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666  U.S.A   Phone (201) 836-0362. Web site: www.jimgold.com  E-mail:jimgold@jimgold.com         
 

JIM GOLD INTERNATIONAL:  TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Air Transportation:  International air not included except as noted.
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Responsibility: Jim Gold International, Inc. Of 497 Cumberland Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666 U.S.A  acts solely in its capacity as marketing agent on behalf of its suppliers such as air carriers, ground operator, taxi suppliers, motor coach suppliers, excursion or tour companies and hotels identified on documents supplied in connection with purchase of the tours. Jim Gold International, Inc. shall not be held responsible for any wrongful or negligent acts or omissions by any supplier or other party not directly owned or exclusively controlled by Jim Gold International, Inc. or by the failure of any equipment operated by any such supplier or other party. Jim Gold International, Inc. shall not be liable for any loss, injury or damage to person, property or otherwise, in connection with any accommodations, transportation, or other services, resulting directly or indirectly from any acts of God, dangerous incident to the sea, fire, breakdown of machinery or equipment, acts of government or other authorities, wars whether or not declared, hostilities, civil disturbances, strikes, riots, thefts, pilferage, epidemics, quarantines, medical or customs regulations, defaults, delays or cancellations of or changes to itineraries or schedules, or from any causes resulting from insufficient or improperly issued passports, visas, or other documents passports, visas, or other documents. 
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Jim Gold International, Inc.  497 Cumberland Avenue,   Teaneck, NJ 07666  U.S.A.
Phone: (201) 836-0362    www.jimgold.com      e-mail: jimgold@jimgold.com 
 
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