TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Romania is a country rich in art nouveau and Viennese Secession inspired architecture. Many of which are not yet totally reconditioned back to its old glory. Such as in Oradea, a city near the Hungarian border which I visited last year in May, I found many of these stunning buildings. I love the colourful old trams in Oradea. There are very few tourists in the city and I really felt walking around between the locals which is a very nice experience. The Raiffeisen Bank Agentia Vulturul Negru, stunning in Viennese Secession. With a touch of art nouveau design, the building appears more feminine. I have a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts with a major in Interior Design, which sadly I do not practice anymore, but a part of this previous life will always remain in me. This is one of the reasons why I love travelling to many European cities. I enjoy seeing and appreciating the stunning architecture in the continent whilst travelling back in time and learning about its history. I just ca...

Calea Republicii is the main shopping street of Oradea. It is a pedestrianized street that reminds me of Rua de Santa Catarina in Porto, Portugal. I don’t know, I just had a Porto déjà vu moment whilst strolling on this street. This is the pedestrianised shopping street, Calea Republicii. Because Romania is a developing country and is still muddling its way through its communism past, many beautiful architecture in Secession Viennese style are left rundown or are pending for restoration. The local government badly need funding or investors to come and help develop the city. The ramshackle buildings and shabby sights are everywhere and many of the much needed to-be-restored buildings are on this pedestrianised shopping street. Oradea was under the Austro-Hungarian Empire for a time which is why the city has many architectural style influence from Secession Viennese. It’s really such a pity to see fine-looking buildings left to ruins. But I am sure better days are coming an...