Archive for the ‘Cluj’ Category

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Roxette @ Cluj

Monday, July 23rd, 2012

Yes, Roxette had a concert here in Cluj and of course we could not miss it. Yes, it is a quite old band, but after this concert I have to say they still are capable of moving the crowds (sorry for the poor quality):

Anyway, there are two things I want to point out with this post: the football stadium of Cluj, Cluj Arena, is great! Although it has been open for a while this is the first time I actually have visited it as a spectator: the arena looks great, lighting is great and after managing to get out relatively quickly, I have to say it is also very well designed functionally. Additionally, the evening lighting is great:
Cluj Arena
The second thing is the relatively good opinion of the band about Cluj that they talked about on their facebook page and on their blog. So, yes, Cluj is a surprise to many visitors from the rest of the EU and by this I mean a good surprise, not a bad one 🙂 .

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Swimathon

Wednesday, July 11th, 2012

Lately I started to swim a lot. So much in fact, that an old friend invited me to “give some laps” to their organization. So how can somebody give laps? Well, let me tell you: somebody came up with the great idea to promote swimming and also non-profit organizations by searching for sponsors who would give as much money to an organization as the number of laps that “their swimmers” can swim in an hour. So how much for a lap? That is something to be decided after the total amount of money is in (and, no, I do not know how much money was generated 😛 ).
Swimathon

That’s me in the center ;D.

The event is called Swimathon and it was organized in one of the local olympic-size swimming pools (50m) in Cluj. Non-profit organizations could sign up with their swimmers so that potential sponsors could choose them (there was a few week period of “promotion time” before). My friends’ organization is called Scoala pentru Viata (School for Life). They do special lectures for students, giving them knowledge about some of the things which are not thought at school. I think the idea is great and, knowing that he can really devote himself for good causes, I decided to swim for my friends’ organization. We (me, my friends’ brother and a group of seven people swimming in relay) have gathered on our three dedicated lanes a total of 159 laps, which I hope will bring them enough money to continue the good work they are doing 😉 …

So, why did I write this post? I just think it is a great idea and these things should be promoted. I really enjoyed myself there, I really hope I have been able help the organization, I really hope that this event will go on every year from now on (this was the 2nd edition as far as I know) and I really hope that such ideas will be spread to different areas in life in the future: do sport, do art, do whatever you enjoy while also helping others…

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A weekend inTokyo

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Well, it’s true, we’ve had our dinner at a place which is known to many people… in Cluj. Mainly in Cluj, because it is actually a Japanese restaurant that I am blogging about, which is named after the capital city of Japan. I am saying that it is known to many people here, because it has actually been around for 9 years now, but I have never been there (shame on me 🙁 )
Tokyo

Image reused from this blog

I decided to write about it, because I think it is a special restaurant in Cluj which goes along well with some of the other ones I have already presented. It offers of course traditional Japanese food which is served in a very Japanese environment (although the waitresses are not even Asian… they do wear kimonos…). As one might expect it is not the average go out and fill yourself type dinner: it offers a great exception to all the traditional food one might eat around here.

The prices are OK, considering we payed 35/45 RON (€7.7/€10) for a small/normal Japanase plate. The plate included a soup, vegetables, sauces, sashimi and of course a 7/14 piece sushi combination. I have to say the food was great (especially the soup) and contrary to my expectation even I got full by the end of it and sadly did not have enough room left for a delicious hot ice-cream (a delicacy I tried when I was in the U.S. working in a Japanese steakhouse). Another thing to mention is the humbleness and kindness of the waitresses, I think it really stands out from the usual way of serving food in restaurants in Cluj (and that is not that bad at all to start with).

So there you have it, a short summary of yet another special restaurant in Cluj. Just try it if you are here once, you will not be sorry.

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A new way…

Monday, June 11th, 2012

.. Subway! At last this fast-food giant opened it’s first restaurant in Cluj. The last time I ate at Subway, was when I was in the U.S…. and that was a long time ago. Granted here in our country there is no big need for healthy eating (we do that by default 😛 … sort of… ), but it was a nice change to see such a restaurant being opened next to KFC and McDonalds.
Subway Logo
Subway offers a real option to choose from: the other two are just the same food with slight differences, this one is the real change. What’s more important: Pepsi is back in town (I really see no more reason to go to KFC since they do not work with Pepsi anymore 😛 ). I know it is only my personal favorite, but I really had the chance to compare the differences between Coca-Cola and Pepsi this time and boy there was a BIG difference.

Anyway, enough bragging around, just go check it out. Go to Iulius Mall in Cluj (if you’re there) and try it out: make your own combination of ingredients for the sandwich take some chips and Pepsi to complete your menu and enjoy a healthier way of eating fast-food. And if you can, do this on the 16th/17th of June, cause you’ll get the 1+1 for free combination for any sandwich 😉 !

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Some Green Stuff

Monday, June 4th, 2012

While the whole city is jubilant over the official opening of the renewed central park of Cluj, few people actually read the newspaper about the opening of a brand new park in the city. The park was actually opened to the public by the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca by arranging one of it’s own parks as a place of relaxation and retreat on the hills of Zorilor city-quarters.

Access to the park is not that easy, though: the main entrance is at the back of a set of flats near an area of old garages next to Gheorghe Dima street:


View the new park in a larger map

The park itself is still ‘fresh’, meaning that there are few places actually covered with grass and for now people can enjoy the view of the city (an excellent view towards the new stadium), the brand new alleyways among the tall trees and a small playground in the middle of the park. Anyway, I guess it is best to look at the photos:
Park Cluj Zorilor
Park Cluj Zorilor
Park Cluj Zorilor
Park Cluj Zorilor
.. and then go pay a visit 🙂 .

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