Since late summer, or rather autumn with June temperatures, is still lingering in Dobrogea, we decided that, every weekend, we would visit as many localities as possible in Constanța and Tulcea counties. We chose this period with the hope that we would not find the tourist attractions crowded, precisely to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. The commune of Topalu had been on our map for a long time, but until now we had avoided planning a trip to the Danube. The stars aligned and Topalu became our favorite destination.
I couldn't find any accommodation, and the only restaurant in the village is actually a birt
The first step after choosing the destination was to look for a place to stay. I scoured Google, searched on the Topalu City Hall page, asked our fisherman friends if they knew of any guesthouses/households that also offer accommodation, and everyone's answer was NO. It is strange that those who visited the localities that make up the Topalu commune spoke highly of the settlements on the banks of the Danube.
In the end, we managed to stay in the house of friends of friends and thus solved the problem of sleeping overnight. Move on! After the place to stay, the next step is to look for places where you can eat or households where you can buy local products to cook. Unfortunately, the offer is limited to only one place, the pub in the center of Topalu, where you can eat small and traditional Danube cheese. Yes, maybe I was a bit ironic, but either the people there live off poaching, or no one has yet opened their minds to the fact that local tourism can secure their future. And so, the trip to Topalu turned into a trip with bags full of food bought in Constanța.
The "Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă" Museum and the oppressive silence in the absence of a guide
The town of Topalu hosts the “Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă” museum, perhaps the only one in Romania that brings together 228 works of modern art, as the lady who sold us the tickets at the entrance told us (10 lei for adults, 2,5 lei for pupils and students). According to information provided by the representatives of the Art Museum of Constanta, in 1960, Dr. Gh. Vintilă (1898 – 1978) donated 228 works of modern Romanian art to his native commune, Topalu, in order to create a public collection of great interest and originality. Following this donation, the Dinu and Sevasta Vintilă Topalu Art Museum was established in the same year in the doctor’s parental home and became a section of the Constanţa Art Museum. The museum hosts works by the most important Romanian creators – Nicolae Grigorescu, Ştefan Luchian, Nicolae Tonitza, Theodor Pallady, Gh. Petraşcu, Nicolae Dărăscu, Jean Al. Steriadi, Camil Ressu, Alexandru Ciucurencu, Dimitrie Paciurea, Oscar Han.
The art collection, valued at over 2,5 million euros, is the subject of a lawsuit that keeps moving through the country's courts. In short, Mario Vintilă, who claims to be the heir of Dr. Gheorghe Vintilă, the one who donated the artworks, is trying to obtain the collection, and the Romanian state is trying to preserve it. The museum is open daily, between 09:00-17:00. At the entrance you are taken over by a security guard who scans your temperature and immediately after you buy your tickets you will find a table with disinfectant. I did not see any announcement regarding the maximum number of visitors who are allowed to enter the museum at the same time. Since we were five adults and two children, we all entered without problems. The collection is impressive, but if you do not have the necessary studies, the explanations of a guide or at least a brochure with the history of the artworks and information about those who created them would be welcome. I recommend that the Art Museum invest in an audio guide in Romanian/English/French, especially since the 2020 summer season was unexpectedly good in terms of museum visitors. Information confirmed by the museum employee herself.
The idyllic landscape full of garbage
The sunset on the bank of the Danube is spectacular! As in a painting, the sky and the water play in a symphony of colors. Maybe this is the memory that should stick in your mind when you get to Topalu.
But unfortunately, in the morning hundreds of blankets, bottles, plastic bags and beer cans thrown by locals and fishermen are revealed. A sea of garbage covers the green bank of the Danube.
The area can be exploited for tourism, and the relief seems to urge you to discover everything on the saddle of a bicycle. Which you have nowhere to rent locally! Just as you won't find any pontoons set up for fishing, although hundreds of people from Constanta were on the banks of the Danube.
The liter of must and the Capidava fortress
The commune of Topalu is in a recognized wine-growing area, and the wine obtained here has won many gold medals. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic also led to the suspension of wineries visiting programs. And yet, the owner of a vineyard wouldn't let us leave the winery gate without giving us two liters of must. (Thanks! That was awesome!)
Happy that we will drink must obtained only a few hours ago, we headed to the Capidava fortress, located only seven kilometers from Topalu. The information obtained from the official websites of the institutions in Constanța was a bit confusing. Yes, it was open, and the handover report had not yet been signed due to a file orchestrated by the DNA prosecutors. I risked it and arrived at the gate of the fortress. We were met by a beggar who, after receiving a cigarette, explained to us that the citadel was closed, but that he would illegally lead us among the ruins. I chose not to!
We would love to come back to Topalu, but we won't do it anytime soon if things don't change for the better. Perhaps these lines will be read by a local, county or national decision-maker who will start projects to polish the forgotten diamond on the banks of the Danube.
