An old lifestyle, a pride
For today’s blog I had some questions for myself. I wanted to post pictures to illustrate a specific old Romanian lifestyle but, I couldn’t find the story. After I made an article on my other blog (with Romanian writings) I suddenly realized that, the man I was talking about there is the best example for today’s visual material.
About Dumitru Dan I want to also talk here,today. I’m sorry because there is less information in English (on the topic) so that, what I put here today, is the sum of those I found. And, the best summary of all is what I found in the Romanian Encyclopedia and Wikipedia.
Dumitru Dan was a geographer, professor of geography and globe-trotter. Was noted that won the world title for walking around the world.
Dumitru Dan participated with three other Romanian, Paul Pârvu, George Negreanu and Alexandru Pascu – all students at the Sorbonne University in Paris – to a contest announced in 1910 by the French Touring Club, a contest for walking around the world( on 5 continents ,except Antarctic), with an offered prize of 100,000 francs. Romanians decided to take up the challenge, using their own money and resources.
Dumitru Dan has managed to finish first those 100,000 kilometers, which he covered in 6 years, from 1910 to 1916. He was the only Romanian one who finished competition, the other three young men died during the trip (Pascu in India, Negreanu in China and Parvu in America).
His performance remained still unmatched, being registered in the Guinness World Records in 1985. The journey took him across 5 continents, over three oceans, through 76 countries and over 1,500 cities. He broke 497 pairs of opinci (specific Romanian shoes) and 28 national costumes.
Beyond the numbers of this unimaginable record today, sits a story about a man from Buzau-Romania which broke 497 pairs of shoes to cross the equator six times, crossed the seven seas and three oceans, won half a million euro, money that has had just 8% of their value, after a war started much too early. He died in poverty, being buried in a cemetery of heroes, under a cros on which, it doesn’t write absolutely anything.
Only the memories of few students who know his story, know to tell who’s there.
