ROMANIA
THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES…
I was super excited to visit the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. They traverse the landscape like a sideways horseshoe through the center of the country, and are home to one of the largest undisturbed forests in Europe.
You can see how my route wound through the mountains in the map…
BUCEGI NATIONAL PARK
One of my first stops was Bucegi Natural Park, which is huge, measuring in at over 80,000 acres. I drove up the mountain, through a colorful sunrise to our hiking trail for the day. The trail was above the tree line where I could really take in and feel the expansiveness of the region. Bella and I trekked to a small hiker’s lodge, where I enjoyed a warm coffee, before heading back and enjoying the cool autumn day.
CHARMING HOMES
Romania has many colorful rural homes that usually have flower and vegetable gardens.
FUN FARMER WEEKEND
I met Mark and Raluca at the free camping area near the Kite Festival in Bulgaria. They had invited me to their country home near Brasov in Romania. Mark and I spent the entire weekend working in their yard. We planted strawberries, pulled vines off structures and created a new composting system. Mark is a 'jack-of-all-trades’ and skilled at woodworking. He completely dismantled, moved, and then reconstructed this old barn onto their property. There are original markings that show how the pieces fit together!
Transfăgărășan Road
The Transfăgărășan crosses the southern section of the Carpathian Mountains and goes over the Făgăraș Mountains. It is the second highest paved mountain road in Romania.
The third photo below shows a bicyclist pedaling up the mountain. It gives perspective on the grandness on these mountains… and the fitness of the cyclist!
There is a section of the road towards the south, where people used to feed the bears. Now there are signs all over saying “Don’t feed the bears!” (thank goodness) but they still come hang out along the road looking for a handout.
MODES OF TRANSPORT
Horse drawn carriages are very common in Romania’s rural areas.
DENSUS
Densus is located towards the southwestern end of the Carpathian mountain range in Transilvania. What attracted me to this area is a historical landmark. The famous stone sulpture features face of Deceneu, a great philosopher, astronomer, and king in the area during the late BC.
Next to the landmark is the St Nicholas Church, one of Romania‘s oldest continuously active churches. I met Vlad, who was staffing his mom’s church table. It was filled with hand made local products which included jams, ratikja and juices. Vlad is a local guide and geologist. He is a wealth of information and leads food, culture and history tours. +40769790369
I also met Christian who is in 8th grade and knows he wants to be a firefighter. He has such clarity, confidence and conviction about his future… it was a joy listening to him!
Vlad connected me with a local vet as I needed to get an EU health passport for Bella. We had an engaging visit with Vet Jacob. I love that he asked: “What is your conclusion about life?” and “What do you think about God?” His probing questions lead to an engaging and uplifting conversation about the meaning of life.
It was such a pleasure meeting these smart, thoughtful and enlightening young people!
CHURCHES
There are a lot of churches in Romania! They range from the small roadside chapels to the large architecturally elaborate painted churches.
Romania has over 27,000 places of worship and over 16,400 of them belong to the Romanian Orthodox church. Romania is over 86% Orthodox.
There is a cemetery called the Merry Cemetery where the grave markers have a depiction of the profession of the person and a witty story about it. The cemetery is still actively used.
TRAIN RIDE
In the northwest Maramures region, is the Mocanita, the last steam forestry train in Europe! It slowly makes its way along the Vasar River Valley. From the train we saw what looked like an idyllic pastoral way of life. Bella charmed everyone in our train car and got along with the dogs at each site. At the end station, we had a long pause for lunch and then headed back.
LANDSCAPE
I could happily spend a lot more time in Romania exploring the landscape, driving the country roads, finding more hiking trails and connecting with locals.
Up next, the Baltics...