21st Curtea de Arges International. Poetry Festival,
Installment 3
15 July -18th July
Day Four Curtea de Arges International POETRY Festival
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| Vidaru Daum (Dam), Curtea de Arges |
Saturday, July 15, 2017
08,00h: - Breakfast (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş).
- Free Program
15,00h: - Lunch (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş)
18,00h: - POETS FROM WALAHIA
- ANNIVERSARY TIME - THE WRITER
DUMITRU M. ION TO 70-YEAR-OLD
- INTERNATIONAL POETRY RECITAL
place: - Bassarab’s Hall of Municipal Muzeum, Curtea de Argeş.
21,00h: - Dinner (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş)
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| Alina Baiasu (translator-interpreter), Carolina Llica, Dumitru M. Ion (poets/organizers), and city official |
On this Saturday, after a few hectic days, our morning and afternoon were free and some had arranged for outings the night before.
The morning greeted us with steady rain, but after breakfast, the spread which was always a large variety (an assortment of cold cuts, sausages, eggs--boiled, fried, omelette, scramble, cereal, fruit, tomatoes and cucumbers, cake tea or coffee), Quito Nicolaas, Fiona Templeton and I decided to go in search of the Arges River which we eventually found.
We took a few photos on the way to capture our surroundings. We were able to admire some of the local architecture.
By then we were soaked through and the river had disappointed. It was one-third of its original size because a dam had been built and the wáter drained away or diverted.
After an hour of walking around in the rain, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. We were shocked that it cost only 5 Romanian Leu (1.50 Euros each) for the three of us.
After an hour of walking around in the rain, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. We were shocked that it cost only 5 Romanian Leu (1.50 Euros each) for the three of us.
After lunch, we had our third recital, however, Quito Nicolas was under the weather and could not join us. He missed his turn at reciting his poems from the anthology.
That evening after dinner, we celebrated Dimitru Ion's 70th birthday with delicious cake. It was followed by some dancing. local band provided music.
Day Five Curtea de Arges International POETRY Festival
Sunday, July 16, 2017
07,00h: - Breakfast (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş)
09,00h: - TRIP TO CARPATHIAN: VISIT TO
MONASTERY CORBII DE PIATRA( 9th century)
* On Dracula's Trace - Fortress of Dracula * Vidraru Daum
15,00h: - Lunch
21,00h: - Dinner (Hotel Posada)
- Recital: Romanian Traditional Dances
Corbii de Piatra is a Roman monastery located in the village of Jgheaburi. It was built in the 14th and re-established in 1515. The church of the monastery is dug in the rock( sandstone ).
(Wikipedia)
Next to the church, dug in the rock, is the trapeze of the monastery, the monastery's dining room, a cave-like space in the rock, which tradition says was used by Neagoe Basarab as an open court to make judgments public. (Wikipedia)
It is located 400 m from the center of Corbi, on the left bank of the RivDoamnei ( Arges County ). This locality is certified as the home of Corvinesti. (Wikipedia)
The ruins of Voicu's castle, the father of John Corvinus , can still be seen here. The cave church of Corbii de Piatra was dug into the massive rock wall, about 30 m tall and 14.5 m long.
(Wikipedia)
Next to the church, dug in the rock, is the trapeze of the monastery, the monastery's dining room, a cave-like space in the rock, which tradition says was used by Neagoe Basarab as an open court to make judgments public. (Wikipedia)
It is located 400 m from the center of Corbi, on the left bank of the RivDoamnei ( Arges County ). This locality is certified as the home of Corvinesti. (Wikipedia)
(Wikipedia)
We climbed up the rugged stairs to the cave where we saw an altar of worship and paintings of Saints or venerated people.
The monastery was reopened in 2003 and since then daily services are held there by the monastic order.
After exploring the cave and admiring the structure, we bought souvenirs and that included fresh goat cheese bought by Canadian poet, Valérie Forgues. The cheese was generously shared among the group of poets.
After the tour of the monastery, we continued on our excursion and paused for a break at the very large, impressive restaurant. There we saw a large wooden statue of Dracula and a sign warning of the danger of black bears.
From there, we continued to the Vidaru Daum (Dam) from which Dracula’s Fortress was within walking distance. We were told that getting there would require walking up 1,500 steps. This was a cause of worry for some of us with bad legs and knees.
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| Vidaru Daum (Dam |
Vidraru Dam was completed in 1966 on the Argeş River and creates Lake Vidraru. The arch dam was built with the primary purpose to produce hydroelectricity. (Wikipedia)
The dam's height is 166 meters, the arch length 305 meters and it can store 465 million cubic meters of water. The reservoir has a total shoreline (perimeter) length of 28 km. (Wikipedia)
On the way to visit Dracula’s castle, we stopped at the kiosk to look at souvenirs and to buy roasted and boiled corn.
After enjoying our corn, we were told that the walk to Dracula’s castle had been canceled due to mudslides and wild roaming bears. They could not guarantee our safety.
A lot of tourists were disappointed that day. With that, we returned to Hotel Posada where we had lunch.
The dancers were later joined by the guest poets.
Day Six Curtea de Arges International POETRY Festival
Monday, July 17, 2017
08,00h: - Breakfast (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş).
10,00h: - BOOKS LAUNCHING and Poetical Recital
place: - Culture and Arts Centre «George Topîrceanu »
Curtea de Argeş
12,30h: - VISIT TO PRINCELY MONASTERY (16th century)
13,30h: - RECEPTION OFFERED by Her Eminence
CALINIC, Arhibishop of Argeş and Muscel.
- CEREMONY OF JOINING OF NEW MEMBERS
OF THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY ORIENT-
OCCIDENT
place: - Master Manole’s Hall, the Archbishop/ Royal Palace
of Curtea de Argeş.
15,00h: - Lunch (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş).
19,00h: - INTERNATIONAL POETICAL MEETING
- Awarding of Prizes of the International Academy
Orient-Occident
- The closing of the 21st edition of Festival.
place: - Bassarab’s Hall of Municipal Museum of C. de Argeş
22,00h: - Dinner (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş).
(See the first installment of this blog.) We have come full circle
Below are selected photos from the last active day which you will also find in installment 1 of this blog. See the above link.
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| Winning poets (Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Antigua and Barbuda) holding their prize. |
Day Seven Curtea de Arges International POETRY Festival
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
07,00h: - Breakfast (Posada Hotel, Curtea de Argeş).
08,00h: - GUESTS’ DEPARTURE TO BUCHAREST
On this day, poets from 34 countries shared their last breakfast together.
All packed, we brought our suitcases downstairs to Hotel Posada’s lobby and around 9:00 am. we boarded the awaiting buses for a three-hour ride to Bucharest. This journey took us through many parts of this busy city.
Some poets were flying home immediately while others flew off to explore other European destinations.
Some fond memories of the Curtea de Arges 21st. International Poetry Festival.
Second and third poem in Poesys 21 Anthology,(Antologia Festivaluluiinternational Noptile De Poezie De La Curtea De Arges, 2017 volume I
Like Mami Wata in Hiding
You are a volcano.
Scalding words flow.
Your taunts, a barrage
of molten threats
hardening like lava
in memory.
I have become
an island unto myself,
the latest born
of your rancor.
There is already
an archipelago—
trails of your spewing
you lay claim to.
It ashes our sky,
blots the beauty of our moon.
Will the fire in you ever die?
I hear you grumble,
hear your distant rumble.
Who is the new object of
your sulfuric spilling?
I hide like Mami Water*
in the bowels of the sea.
© Althea Romeo-Mark 24.05.15
*Mami Water- water spirits venerated in west, central and southern Africa, and in the African diaspora in the Caribbean and parts of North and South America. They are usually female but are sometimes male mermaids in West African folklore
Birth Announcement
New life within
tells me it is ready
to see the world.
The unexpected labor
may last minutes,
or hours perhaps,
will bring pain and joy.
Delivery is lonely.
The surprise birth
reveals itself
as I lie in bed
musing on the beauty
and horrors of this world.
This is not the first poem
I’ve brought to life.
It has many siblings.
As the creator
I must shape the way it lives,
show it a path of light.
© Althea Romeo-Mark 02.11.2016.
International Poetry Festivals bring people who under normal circumstances would never meet together. These venues provide an opportunity for people with a common interest to share their work, ideas.
There are intellectual and cultural exchanges in a new stimulating environment.
Ready audiences are provided. The audiences can consist of the poets themselves, university students, people in a small village, or a large city who are given the joy of listening to poetic performances.
In some cultures, the audience becomes part of the telling by joining in a natural response to the words and music they are listening to or the audience can be thousands in a country where poetry is part of the people, where poetry comes naturally to the people.
International Poetry Festivals are cultural exchanges where the poet becomes an ambassador of his country, people, and local traditions.
New friendships are formed as a result of these exchanges and new opportunities can come as a result of them. The result is uplifting, the result stimulates individual growth, the result is the strengthening of the common bond among poets around the world; it is a bond that remains unbroken.
I would like to thank Dumitru M. Ion and Carolina Llica and the International Academy Orient-Occident for inviting me to the 21st. International Festival Curtea De Arges Poetry 2017.
It was a great opportunity and an invaluable and unforgettable experience.
It was a great opportunity and an invaluable and unforgettable experience.
Althea Romeo Mark, poet, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, USA, Liberia (West Africa) and Switzerland
Born in Antigua, West Indies, Althea Romeo-Mark is an educator and writer who grew up in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. She has lived and taught in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, USA, Liberia (1976-1990), London, England (1990-1991), and in Switzerland since 1991.
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| Front cover |
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| Back cover |
Carte Blanche
Spare time
is a canvas
to be painted on,
a canvas on which
bucket-lists become
masterpieces
of joy.
This freedom
so terrifying
a venture for some
that the paint brush
becomes a
herculean weight
never lifted.
© Althea Romeo-Mark , 21.5. 15
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