he Apuseni (also known as the Western Carpathians) aren't as high or as picturesque as the Eastern or Southern Carpathians, but they have a long history of Romanian settlement and an array of natural wonders such as gorges and karst limestone caverns. Those of you who are hikers or spelunkers ought to know that although popular with Romanians, the Apuseni are generally ignored (and therefore less crowded) by foreign tourists. Gold and other metal ores have been mined here since Roman times, and these mountains were also a refuge for Avram Iancu's rebels against the Hungarian government in 1848-49.

f Cluj is a diamond--brilliant but with sharp edges--then Oradea is a pearl, equally beautiful but in a more feminine way. I think the river has something to do with it. The Rapid Cris isn't so 'rapid' once it reaches the plain, and it flows through the historic center of Oradea flanked by parks and charming old buildings. Also, the Orthodox Cathedral has a painted sphere below its tower to display the phases of the moon--hence its nickname, the 'Moon Church' (nothing to do with 'Moonies' at all!). Finally, the abundance of Rococo and Art Noveau/Secession architecture completes the feminine feel. The best example of Art Nouveau architecture is the Black Eagle (Vulturu Negru), an old-fashioned shopping mall (purists would call it an 'arcade') built in 1908. The exterior is all curves and ornamentation, while the interior passageway is lit with the help of a beautiful frosted glass roof.

radea (known as Nagyvarad in Hungarian, and Grosswardein in German) is also notable for the number of grand synagogues--three--for a city of its size. There was a large Jewish population involved in commerce here at the turn of the century, as Oradea was an important market town for this area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Sadly, only a few hundred Jews remain, of about 9,000 in all Romania. The 20th century has been a very harsh one for Romania's Jews--this topic deserves a report of its own.

he train to Timisoara on 29 November was after dark, and didn't follow any specific river. I couldn't see the landscape, but my map told me it was pretty flat. The train headed generally south, parallel to the Hungarian border about 10 km west, passing through Arad. I'll mention here that I saw the Hungarian border at Bors (near Oradea), walking on foot the last kilometer and getting a stamp in my passport. Top o' tha' world, ma! Still need to do that for the Republic of Moldova at Ungheni, I'll save it for nicer weather (Go East, Scottie!).

imisoara (Temeszvar=Hung., Temeschwar=Germ.) could well be a city in the U.S.A. if you close your ears, although U.S. cities are seldom planned so well. Timisoara owes its wide streets, tidy parks and mix of neoclassical and Baroque architecture to the Habsburgs. No doubt its role in the events of 1989 have added to its prestige in the West as a democratic and multi-ethnic city. "Today Timisoara, tomorrow the whole country!" was a common slogan in 1989.

nfortunately the weather was cold and rainy, and I had to get my research business done all in one day due to the National Day holiday on Friday, 1 December. One of the faculty members knew Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian (no hyphen anymore, it's ethno-politically incorrect) so we had a little fun mixing up three languages in our conversation. He was worst in English and I in Romanian, so we ended up talking in that third language with the unwieldy name.

ational Day was spent seeing the town. The gray skies were offset by the splashes of blue, yellow and red tricolors everywhere. The Piata Unirii, with a cathedral of every denomination and a plague column, neatly sums up Timisoara in one space. But then the picture of Timisoara is not complete without Piata Victoriei, the Metropolitan Cathedral (begun 1936, completed 1946) and the memorial crosses near the Cathedral honoring the martyrs (many of them young students) of 1989. These memorials are especially moving as the anniversary of the revolution (16 December) nears each year, and wreaths of flowers are laid beneath them.

he main towns along the way from Timisoara to Sibiu on my trip of 2 December were Lugoj, Deva, and Sebes. The middle part of the route passed through the Mures river valley, and the hilly landscape was much greener than northern Transylvania. Between Sebes and Sibiu there were some pretty awesome gorges and mountain peaks, but I missed some good photo opportunities as the result of a more interesting chat with a pretty Romanian-Australian student who was visiting her relatives during summer vacation. Yes, for those of you non-geographers, it's summer in Australia right now!