As a traveler and amateur photographer, I was lucky enough to have lived during the most extraordinary times in the history of travel and, yes, of human civilization. Born in Kolozsvar/Cluj, the capital city of legendary Transylvania, I was raised in the 1950’s, in communist Romania. Since crossing the borders wasn’t an option we could only travel within the country.
My father took me to many trips through spectacular Romania as a young child. I ended up to know intimately the backways of the mysterious Carpathian Mountains, with its deep forests, spectacular rivers and caves. I experienced the pastoral life, pristine, untainted by such blessings of modern civiization such as piped in water or electricity.
I roamed the great plains, climbed on the ruins of fortifications long forgotten by time, scouted the Delta of the Danube River with its spectacular and unique plants and wildlife and became intimate with the waters and shores of the Black Sea. And did lots of reading about travel to exotic destinations and the people who brought them into the spotlight. These were after all, the years of the Sputnik, Laika the Dog and Gagarin! Of Edmunt Hillary and his ascent of Mount Everest, of Thor Hyerdahl and the crossings of the oceans in primitive rafts, of Cousteau conquering the Deep Blue, not to mention the first Man on the Moon!
I started to take pictures back in the 60’s with a simple manual black and white camera, and processed the films in my bathroom lab. At first just to have a memory of the people and the places I visited. Later I became mesmerized with the artistic and communication possibilities of photography.
My family emigrated to California in 1989. In the last 30 years I was able to travel to fascinating places, initially in my home state of California, then to Hawai, and later on, all over the world. I loved to talk about my trips and recalled them by organizing slide shows. And I couldn’t help noticing that people got excited about my travels and started asking lots of questions and even making travel plans of their own.
I remember myself as a child hanging on for every word of the travel stories people were telling. Now, after some years of personal experience, I feel compelled to share with You what I’ve learned.
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