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Author Topic:   Anybody home?
Maria
Moderator
posted 05-10-2004 01:54 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Hi, I'm Maria, 18, from Romania. I'm an art student, actualy I'm in last year of highschool and going to Art university this summer. Any would be artists out there? any passionate soul?
Or perhaps we coul talk about art.
Or about making jewellery.
Or about... wathever you want!

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 05-11-2004 04:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Maria! Wow - we seldom have visitors from Romania at CQ. Sorry, but I'm not an artist at all (writing's my profession). How comes that you're here at Castles On The Web? Any interesting castles near to the place where you live?

Maria
Moderator
posted 05-12-2004 06:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Well hallo!
I'm here because about five years ago I had a crush on the Middle Ages.
No castles right near me just a dissapointing graveyard (from the point of view of those who thing Transylvania is spooky). But... Cluj is a pretty old city, oldest building from 1450 and there's plenty of heraldics on almost every central building. One of them even has a stone beehive with bees on it.
And I can recomand a great castle, it's in the center of the country, at Sinaia, the Peles Castle. True, it was buit at the beginnings of the XX century, by Romania's firts king, Carol the first (I think it translates Charles), but it's great, it's beautifully decorated, worth seeing.
And there are the german castles, of Bran and Hunedoara. Plus many others.
Two years ago, the National Olympiada of Art took place at Miercurea Ciuc, center of the country, built by Hungarians and I spent a lot of time drawing the two castles there, Lazarea and Ciuc. If you wish, I can write more about it.
What do you write about?
Maria

[This message has been edited by Maria (edited 05-12-2004).]

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 05-12-2004 10:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
Aviation. Has nothing to do with castles, but I'm a newspaper journalist with a bureau at Zurich's International Airport, writing about all that happens at the airport and around it, (airlines, pollution, politics, angry people that hate to be woken up by planes at 05:30, etc.).
But in my spare time, I write a lot about castles, creating new sections for the largest castle-site in german language on the internet, www.burgenwelt.de. I think we've got some romanian castles there too, but my speciality are the castles of Switzerland. And there were and still are many of them – about 1500.

Maria
Moderator
posted 05-12-2004 12:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
I went to the site you mentioned. It has 31 Romanian castles. It was funny, because I don't speak german, not a word, but I managed. I found a castle in a village near me, Banffy castle. Which reminds me there actualy is another Banffy (I think he was a Baron or something)castle in my city, only I've never really thought of it as a castle. It now hosts the National Art Museum. If it's any use, I can send pictures and document a little. People can't spend the night there, but it has a restaurant.
I did a little journalism myself, trying to start a highschool newspaper. Only I gave up, because there was only me and my sister working, and exams were coming and every teacher suspected me of writing it with his enemy-teacher... The French teacher actually made a scandal because I had placed informations about the British Library on the first page... And it was only a school newspaper! I can imagine what problems you might have...

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 05-14-2004 03:53 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
People always tand to think that a newspaper has to write what they think is right. I know these problems very well. Esp. before elections, politicians can make a lot of problems if they think you did not write correcly about them (as supermen) or if you did not place their face on the front-page if they held a speech...

About that Banffy-Castle. If it's medieval and you would like to see it online, you could write to Olaf Kaiser, the owner of the Burgenwelt-site (info@burgenwelt.de).

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-11-2004 07:18 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Maria, I just graduated from highschool last year. I'm 19. It's great that you're pursuing art. It's just a hobby of mine, so now I'm trying writing. I thought if I couldn't paint the world I could create my own by writing it down. I hope that doesn't sound silly. I wish I could say I lived in an exciting place like Romania, but I'm in the United States, in Indiana. Not a lot happening around here.

#fred10#
Member
posted 07-11-2004 09:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for #fred10#   Click Here to Email #fred10#     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Hawkeye. Just curious--you said you live in IN. I used to live there, close to Lake Michigan, in Michiana Shores. The lake was about 3/4 mile from our house. I grew up there as a kid and loved it!

I'm now living in Wellsboro, PA. There is not alot to do either, small town, but being married and having a house and quite a bit of property--well, there's always plenty of work to do!

I think no matter where you move, there's always something we don't like. I certainly wouldn't want to live in the city! But, that's just my thoughts.

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-12-2004 01:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Hallo Hawkeye!
No way writing can be silly! I do that myself. I gloriously started a novel when I was 12 and I keep rewriting it every year(mainly because I find last years ideas a bit naive). But I find short prose better and easier to handle (any chance I can see what you write?). It's a way of escaping reallity (like thinking about castles...). I also do poetry (I have published a book - uuu this sounds great, but actually it's a very thin book, not muck to look at). So if you like writing, just stick tot it. You never know when somebody reads it and goes WOW, life works in misterious ways.
You think Romania to be an interesting place?Hm. Well... what can I say? It depends on the perspective... I have friends who say it's not, it's dull and dirty and you don't get money for your value. They want to leave. On the other side, there are many places tot see, traditions to discover, nice people, even future chances if you know where to look. I don't think I want to go away. It would be great to study abroad, but I would return.

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-12-2004 01:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Hallo Fred
You wouldn't live in a city? Well, I wouldn't trade the city for anything! But you should see this city to understand... It's a bit old fashioned (the center), no skyscapers, plenty of medieval buildings, oh and a few modern ones they built without considering the suroundings. Around the center, there are more modern buildings and the comunist heritage (bloks of flats. Ugly bloks).
But this might be just my opinion, because the only experience I had with the country was at my granmother, in south. Let's say, just imagine medieval accomodations.
But many people are now starting to buy land in the country and building modern houses, so...

[This message has been edited by Maria (edited 07-12-2004).]

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 07-12-2004 07:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
city / town / country... it doesen't matter as long as there are enough castles around to visit.
Most of the year I spend in Zurich, where you have it all: A lake, a medieval centre, but also everything a modern city needs, and forrests and hills to reach within 20 minutes from the centre. But then I spend also a lot of time in the Alps, in an old house in the Engadin-valley. There it's the opposite: Complete silence and mother nature all around. Lucky me that the Zurich-area as well as the Engadine are stuffed with castles.
So I like it both and don't want to miss the city as well as the country-life.

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-12-2004 11:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
WOW Merlin! (I just searched Engadin-valley with google).
I guess every place is nice if you like exploring. For example: my sister (she's 17) came home one of this days and told me she had found two giant gryphons in the city. I rushed off next day, with my camera (father insists it's his camera, for some reason). And I followed my sister's instructions and I found a gate with two little gryphons, and I laughed a bit. Then I entered and stopped laughind because in the yard there was a second gate, with two LARGE gryphons and a vulture. I'm posting the picture, only I guess it'll take some time until people can see it.(It's from the Banffi Castle in Cluj, the back yard).

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-13-2004 02:13 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Hey fred. I don't live anywhere near the lakes. I live is southern Indiana. It's pretty humid here, and there's just not a whole lot around. To do anything really fun you have to travel for hours. I wish we had something like a lake, but you know what they say "life's what you make it". You said you live in PA. I have relatives that live up there in the Pittsburgh area. I go up there to visit them sometimes, but it's usually just for the holidays. No matter how far they live family is important.

And Maria, thanks for the encouragement. If you're really interested in what I'm writting, or if anybody is, just e-mail me. I think my e-mail address is in my profile. Right now I'm writing a fictional story. I guess you could call it an action/adventure/fantasy. It's like you said, it's a way to escape reality. It's got knights, dragons, magic, and that sort of stuff in it. It's a long story though.

Hey Merlin. Where is Zurich? It sounds like fun place to visit.

#fred10#
Member
posted 07-13-2004 09:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for #fred10#   Click Here to Email #fred10#     Edit/Delete Message
Hawkeye,

Your right! Life is what you make of it! I didn't live near the lake for too long. I was born in Chicago, I guess that's why I don't like cities too much. Chicago is nice to visit, like the Museum of Science and Industry and the Shedd Aquarium, but it's dirty and lots of crime. I like to be able to walk around in the evening and not worry whose behind me.

When my parents separated, I would have been 4, Dad stayed in Chicago at the University, and my brother, mom, and I moved by Lake Michigan. We moved to PA when I was about 10 1/2. But, I loved the lake! We did sometimes get terrible weather, hail and lots of snow, I guess because of the lake effects.

Pittsburgh is about 4 hours away or so from where I am. Southwest, I think. I'm closer to the NY state border. And I think Zurich is in Switzerland--lucky Merlin! I would love to have so many beautiful castles to explore! American castles, well...I'll keep my thoughts to myself!

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 07-14-2004 04:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
Yep, Zurich is in the german speaking part of Switzerland. There's a panorama-view of the centre at: http://www.zuerich.com/panorama/de/index.php?PHPSESSID=2bd1a05d56007ce88e7d8bffc806adbd#

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-14-2004 02:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Fred,
You're right about the big cities. They are dirty, and do have a lot of crime. I've visited Chicago, New York, and Phillidelphia. They are cool places to visit, but I wouldn't want to live in them.

Merlin,
Thanks for the link. I looked around for a bit, but I don't speak German. I understood a little like the hotel reservations and stuff, but as far as sightseeing information. I didn't understand a word. It did have some good pictures. I still want to visit that place someday. Thanks anyway.

#fred10#
Member
posted 07-14-2004 09:20 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for #fred10#   Click Here to Email #fred10#     Edit/Delete Message
Hawkeye,

For Merlin's link, if you look towards the upper right hand corner, there should be the word English. Just hit that so you can get the English version. Very interesting link!

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-15-2004 02:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Hello again. I put all of you an the map, hehe.
Speak about big cities... I think New York and Romania have the same population number. So I don't think we have what you call big cities. The only reason for which I would like to live abroad (meaning Western Europe or U.S.A) is that you have a better acces to information, like books and stuff. It took ages for Harry Potter to reach Romania, and they translated it as badly as they could(just don't get me started...) Right now I'm desperate for Terry Pratchett books (they've started translating them here and they are doing it right, thanks God). But they are translating a book per year. Which means I'll be 40 when they reach the book I'm interested in. And English books are really hard to find.

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-15-2004 02:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks Fred.
That made it a lot eaisier to understand. It's a pretty cool site. I really enjoyed it.

Hey Maria, I was reading over the posts again, and you said you had a book published? Is there anychance it made its way into America?

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-15-2004 02:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Noooo. It's in Romanian and it didn't even reach the shops. I got 100 pieces to give away or sale or whatever I want. It had something to do with education ministery.

[This message has been edited by Maria (edited 07-15-2004).]

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-15-2004 03:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Maria,
So if I wanted a copy I would have to buy it off of you through the mail?

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-17-2004 02:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
I can send it, but it won't be of much use unless you speak Romanian language. If you are really interested, I can translate some poems and post them somewhere.

Is your e-mail address available?

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-19-2004 03:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Maria,
I don't speak romanian, but if you could translate some for me that would be great. I don't have a homepage or anything like that, but if you want to send it e-mail that would be fine. My e-mail is in my profile here.

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-25-2004 02:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
I DID IT! I'm now officialy an art student!

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-25-2004 02:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Which means I have just passed my exams!

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 07-26-2004 04:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
Wow, congratulations! Was it hard to pass this exam? And hey: Do they really examine on Sundays in Romania???

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-26-2004 11:27 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Noo, they give the results on Sundays...
Was it hard to pass? It was a four days exams, 5 hours drawing on Tuesday after live model(man), on 50x70 cm2 paper. Same thing on Wednseday, only girl for model, and oh, we had to draw in claire-obscure (difficult in pencil). Painting on Thursday, 5 hours (different girl as model). Interview on Friday, had to bring portofolio containing work from previous years.
It wasn't really difficult, because I was actually enjoing drawing and stuff, but it was tiresome. And there was also the expectation, was I goig to enter budgeted palace or was I going to have to pay? Was I going to enter at all? But it was fine in the end...
Maria

P.S. Merlin, thanks for asking...

Levan
Moderator
posted 07-26-2004 07:00 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Levan   Click Here to Email Levan     Edit/Delete Message
Well done Maria!

I was an art student once (silversmithing, jewellery and horology) - great experience - make the best of it!

After many years self-employment I'm now working as a business writer and technical illustrator with Reuters. Still good to be rewarded for being creative.

Levan

[This message has been edited by Levan (edited 08-02-2004).]

#fred10#
Member
posted 07-26-2004 10:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for #fred10#   Click Here to Email #fred10#     Edit/Delete Message
Boy! We need to start a new topic for posts! This is getting long!

That's great Maria! It always feels so good to accomplish something, especially if it's something you want to do!

Levan, just out of curiousity, what is horology? I hope that's not a dumb question, because I really don't know!

Hawkeye
Member
posted 07-27-2004 12:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Congragulations!
It's good to hear. I studied art once, but I'm not sure what the term claire-obscure is? It sounds a little familliar, but I'm not sure.

Maria
Moderator
posted 07-27-2004 01:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maria   Click Here to Email Maria     Edit/Delete Message
Hallo everybody.
Jewellery, Levan? What kind of jewellery? Metal casting or just work with metal, over the fire?
I'm going to do... book illustration! This is what I'm specializing in.
Horology... in Romanian, "horologiu" means a big clok... am I even close?
Claire-obscure... well... I DON'T KNOW!
I do now, but not at the time the subject came at the exam... It means you have powerfull contrast between light and dark. All I could remember was that it had to look like Rembrand or Caravaggio, it tured out that I was right.

Levan
Moderator
posted 08-02-2004 09:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Levan   Click Here to Email Levan     Edit/Delete Message
Maria - you're right - Hora is Greek for "time/hour/season" (where the English "hour" originates).

"\Ho*rol"o*gy\, n. The science of measuring time, or the principles and art of constructing instruments for measuring and indicating portions of time, as clocks, watches, dials, etc." Merriam-Webster

Whilst at college I specialized in making silver travel clocks - usually my clocks were inlaid with gold and used precious stones for the numerals. I also used materials such as titanium (which I anodized to produce metalic rainbow colours). I used all kinds of metalworking techniques.

I'm facinated by clocks - have you ever seen the Harrison Chronometers which were used to determine longitude? Absolutely beautiful. I guess these have a special place for me as I'm also a sailor.

[This message has been edited by Levan (edited 08-02-2004).]

Hawkeye
Member
posted 08-02-2004 01:31 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
That's intresting. I didn't know that's where the word hour comes from. Well you learn something knew everyday!
Is clock making just a hobby, or a living?
And what was that thing about longitude lines? I never heard how they do that. I didn't even know there were instruments to mesure them.

Merlin
Senior Member
posted 08-03-2004 01:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Merlin   Click Here to Email Merlin     Edit/Delete Message
There's a superb book about Harrison and his chronometers:

Dava Sobel: LONGITUDE. By Walker Publishing Company Inc. 1995.

Also available in german:
Dava Sobel: LÄNGENGRAD. Berlin Verlag 1996.

Levan
Moderator
posted 08-04-2004 03:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Levan   Click Here to Email Levan     Edit/Delete Message
Ahh, a wee career history...

I trained with the intention of silversmithing and clockmaking to be my main living. I did do this for a little while, but realised that it was the creative elements of design rather than craftsmanship that satisfied me most. I then became a techical illustrator and writer for inventors wanting to submit new ideas to the patent office.

I now utilise my creativity in doing technical illustration and trying to find ways of explaining technical and business concepts in ways that are easily understood. I also have the opportunity of developing new and better ways of doing things - sometimes this is business process development, other times it is designing computer systems and such like.

I think you'll find that if you are creative you will find many different and satisfying ways of expressing your creativity - some more obvious than others - you can't help innovating.

Levan
Moderator
posted 08-04-2004 03:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Levan   Click Here to Email Levan     Edit/Delete Message
I agree with Merlin about the book - superb!

This is a simplistic explanation, but Longitude is essentially a measure of time - the time of day is determined by the rotation of the earth (that's why there is a time difference between the US and Europe).

Technically longitude is the anglular distance on the earth's surface, measured east or west from a meridian (or north-south line) from Greenwich, UK, expressed in degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds.

In former days - folks only knew how far across the Atlantic they had got by working out the time.

Levan
Moderator
posted 08-05-2004 10:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Levan   Click Here to Email Levan     Edit/Delete Message
Some information on Logitude and Harrison's chronometers:
http://www.harrisonclocks.co.uk/home.htm
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/site/request/setTemplate:singlecontent/contentTypeA/conWebDoc/contentId/355/viewPage/2/navId/005001000002
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/btp/greenwich/greenwich_audio.shtml

Hawkeye
Member
posted 08-06-2004 02:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hawkeye   Click Here to Email Hawkeye     Edit/Delete Message
Thanks for the websites Levan. That first one is really helpfull. I knew about Longitude and Latitude, but I never knew how they were thought of. That first link explained it really well.

Thanks for the book suggestion Merlin. I'll try looking for it my local library. Do think they'll have it? I'm not exactly in the position to be ordering things off the internet right now, so I'll just have to check it out at a library for now.

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