Travel Through Doors and discover the best doors as seen in my 2020 Thursday Doors blog posts. Thursday Doors is a blog feature everyone can take part in, initiated by Norm who later presented the baton to Dan.
Dan has a Badge Idea contest for Thursday Doors running until 11:59 pm Thursday, December 31st (North American Eastern Time). Check his website for rules and maybe give it a try! The last image in this blog post is my entry.
Ans so it began, my journey around Europe (okay, mostly Romania) for Thursday Doors. We first traveled to Brasov, with The Church Door, a (very) short story:
The Village Museum of Bucharest was next, with its carved wooden doors. We looked at a few and also at what their carved symbols mean:
My all time favorite must be this 500 years old door from Corvin Castle who even made it through the great fire of 13 April 1854:
We looked at Corvin Castle’s Coat of Arms too and at two rather grand doors embellished with jambs, tympanum and pinnacles, and at a short history of door knocking – find it all here. And we returned in a second visit here.
And on we went to travel through doors with a guessing game! Bucharest or Paris?
Small shrines can often be found in Romania, build so that weary travelers can have a moment of peace, for thought, for prayer, for palliation. This is a shrine from Brasov, before reaching the Black Church as you would stroll down a winding road from Șcheii Brașovului:
The second image above reads: ‘This cross was raised in 1761 by Gh. (Gheorghe) Anania and restored in 1992.’
Our next travel stop was at a monastery built for peace, Snagov Monastery, where we looked at medieval plots and at revenge:
Snagov Monastery has seen a long an troubled past. Monks settled on Snagov Island, this snake shaped lake, during the times of Mircea the Elder, Mircea cel Batran, Vlad Dracula’s paternal grandfather and ruler of Wallachia during the 14th century.
Next we visited Brancoveanu Monastery at Sambata de Sus, a Romanian Orthodox monastery in Brașov County, in the Transylvania region of Romania, renowed for its white-washed walls. At the end of the 17th century Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, built a stone church (1688-1714) in place of an older wooden one:
If you wonder how a Wallachian Voievode built a monastery in a different principality, know that the hamlet and the land on which the monastery was built belonged to Preda Brâncoveanu, his grandfather. Who even built a small wooden church on it in 1654.
For a chilling stop we traveled next to Fagaras Castle to see its Iron Maiden, this symbol of medieval violence:
Bran Castle means many things to different people. To me, it is a door to heaven.
Legend says that the Doors to Heaven are here, in Bucegi Mountains, near Bran Pass and Ialomița Cave. That is you climb that peak on a clear winter night, you will be welcomed by a meadow underneath a dome of stars. And the doors to Heaven will be revealed to you. You will know it by their starry pillars, and by the energy that will seep into your bones:
It was only fit to travel to a snowy place around the day of Saint Nicholas, December 6th, and we did so through a short story about Saint Nick and the meaning of the first snow in Sighisoara:
We said good bye and so long to 2020 with A Winter Story for Thursday Doors:
Lastly, my suggestion for a Thursday Doors badge:
Interesting.
Thank you so much, Martie 🙂
Happy for your visit.
Thanks for entering the contest and for bringing us along as you travel. You have some lovely photos and some great doors here.
Thank you, Dan. 🙂
Visiting the ‘Thursday Doors’ blog posts is always such a treat!
They really do take us around the world.
They are all so beautiful and/or loaded with history and meaningful stories from the past. Maybe I should send you, in contrast, the pic. of my apartment building’s entrance. 😀
I have a picture of my parent’s apartment building too, and I do remember it well.
Nevertheless, these are still door from Romania and I am proud to feature them. 🙂
Hugs, Jo 🙂
Hugs back to you!
A wonderful collection of doors, Pat. I’m impressed by the 500 year-old door. Thank you for sharing your travel stories and photos. #ThursdayDoors
Ah, Natalie, isn’t it a little miracle? It survived four fires that engulfed most of the wood beams and roofs of Corvin Castle.
We were so lucky to be able to see them all. Don’t grasp it’s full meaning til you can’t do it anymore.
Here’s hoping to a 2021 with some traveling 🙂
Thank you so much for visiting, Natalie.
Wonderfully atmospheric doors, Patricia. Hugs on the wing.
Wow, thank you so much, Teagan.
I am happy to hear that 🙂 And kind thanks for your visit. xx
Hmm, hard to choose a favorite, Pat. I think the castle door is my favorite and the Iron Maiden door one I would try to avoid in person, although its horrible history is interesting.
janet
Ah, thank you, Janet 🙂
Yes, the castle door is my favorite too.
I wonder what stories the doors our generation leaves behind will tell.
In my area, rather boring ones, I’m afraid, if the doors are any indication. Of course, attractive doors are also expensive, so I can’t blame so many being strictly functional.
Beautiful doors, Pat.
Thank you, Teresa 🙂
That Corvin Castle door is very special.
Oh, yes it is 🙂
The stuff of legends!