This week we explore North East Transylvania.
We see some stunning scenery, painted monasteries, wooden churches, and the Merry Cemetery.
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The Detail:
Distance Covered: 468 miles
Financial: Fuel £128; LPG £18; Parking £6; Groceries £81; Household £4; Alcohol £13; Zeus £10; Personal £11; Eating Out £15; Entrance Fees £6; Total £292
Stopovers: Ghidut [2 nights]; Vadu Moldovei; Campulung Moldovenesc; Desesti; Sapanta; Vama
In North East Transylvania are the regions of Maramures and Bucovina, separated by the section of the Eastern Carpathians known as the Rodna Mountains.
As we explored the area, we discovered some gorgeous mountain scenery, the painted monasteries of Bucovina, the wooden churches of Maramures, and the Merry Cemetery at Sapanta, right on the Ukrainian border.
Ghidut
A rather slow start to the week this week. We had a lazy couple of days at the parking outside Ghidut. We did pop down to Castle Laazar, but it was closed for a wedding. What a beautiful place to get married!
Oh, and whilst out walking we had our first “close” encounter with a bear! We didn’t actually see the bear (fortunately), just its fresh prints in the mud, and not very far from where we were parked either!
Lake Ursa
Lake Ursa, so called because it resembles a bear skin, is not a natural lake. Rather it was formed when the salt mine on the site collapsed and subsequently filled with water.
The whole area is rich in salt deposits, and the water in the lake has a high salinity, which increases with depth. Fresh water from the many streams in the area enters the lake and forms a layer over the saline. This fresh water layer acts as a magnifying glass and insulating layer. Heat from the sun warms the saline up to a temperature of around 35 C, a phenomenon known as a heliothermic effect.
This combination of salinity and heat means the town of Sovata, where the lake is located, has flourished as a popular spa destination. The downside of course is that it is a hugely popular tourist destination.
Walking trails have been completed around the complex of lakes with woodland trails, viewing platforms, information boards and signposts. Once you start walking on these trails and get away from the busy town it’s actually quite pleasant.
This is where we finally tried, and fell in love with, langos…..a savoury dish – fried dough topped with garlic sauce, sour cream & cheese (Carol also had bacon lardons) Yummy.
Carol also tried a cozonac which is a fried dough cone, dessicated coconut on the outside with banana, coulis and ice cream inside. Nice but we preferred the savoury dish.
Cheile Bicazului
To get to the region of Bokovina we drove across the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. Specifically, the Hășmaș Mountains, heading east on the 12C to Bicaz then following the 15 along Lacul Bicaz and round towards Targu Neamt on the 15B.
We didn’t have anything in particular in mind, just a leisurely, scenic drive. And it certainly didn’t disappoint.
As we climbed up into the mountains on what I have to say was one of the poorer roads so far in Romania we kept noticing road signs stating a length limit. We were curious as to why, but it was quickly put to the back of our minds.
Then we got to Cheile Bicazului. This is a scenic river-carved gorge with a winding 8 km stretch of road bordered by steep cliffs. The length restriction suddenly became clear.
And oh my, are they spectacular. Towering limestone cliffs, massive overhanging rocks, the burbling mountain stream, narrow roads, and blind bends make for a truly unforgettable experience.
Of course, however, being Romania the whole area around the gorge has become very commercialised, with souvenir shops lining every available space around the gorges, and coachloads of people walking the roadside (the coaches couldn’t get through), which somewhat tarnished it a little.
Bicaz Dam
The Bicaz Dam is a reinforced concrete structure built in the 1950’s with a hydro electric power plant.
The reservoir formed by the dam is the largest artificial lake in Romania; it manages river levels downstream, provides fishing, attracts tourism, fuels the power plant, and controls flooding. The drive alongside the reservoir is actually very pleasant, with plenty of scenic views across the water to the mountains beyond.
At the far end of the lake is the Viaduct Poiana Teiului, a rather picturesque bridge connecting Moldova, Bucovina and Transylvania.
The Painted Monasteries
The main reason for the drive across the mountains yesterday was to get to the North East of Romania, where you can find the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina.
Dating back to the 15th century these Monasteries have their exterior walls painted with elaborate frescoes featuring portraits of saints and prophets, scenes from the life of Jesus, images of angels and demons, and heaven and hell.
These frescoes are representations of religious events designed to make the story of the bible and important saints more understandable to the local villagers.
Deemed masterpieces of Byzantine art, these churches are one-of-a-kind architectural sites in Europe.
Elsewhere in Romania, the call to prayer is announced with an elaborate ringing of the bells. However, whilst there we could hear a kind of drumming sound. This was a monk tapping a beam with a mallet, issuing the call to prayer.
The tradition started during the siege of Moldova by the Ottoman Empire when the Turks forbade the ringing of bells. The striking of wooden or metal bars, known as “toaca”, became the norm instead.
We visited Voronet and Moldovita Monasteries. There are, however, many others in the area as well. The best-preserved are the monasteries in Humor, Moldovita, Patrauti, Probota, Suceava, Sucevita, and Voronet.
Parcul Natural Munti Maramuresului
From the Bucovina region we headed back across the mountains towards Maramures.
We chose the 15 as it’s a smaller road, and therefore, we hoped, less busy. There was still a fair amount of traffic, but nowhere near as much as the major routes and I was able to crawl along at our normal snail’s pace, just pulling over occasionally to let others pass.
Heading East to West, as we did, it is a gentle climb up to the highest point, following the course of the Bistra River.
It is a road often used by bikers because of the sweeping bends East of the summit and tight hairpins on the Western side.
The route takes you through the Natural Park of the Maramureș Mountains, the largest in Romania. The views getting more and more spectacular the higher we climbed. Forest-shrouded hills, snow-topped mountains, lush meadows, and rushing streams.
The road passes through the Prislop Pass, the highest point being at an altitude of 1416 meters.
Because the road follows the course of the river you hardly notice that you are slowly but surely getting higher and higher. Until eventually, the snow covered mountains get inexorably closer and closer. Bearing in mind that it was the middle of May, there was still snow in the forests along the roadside as we approached the top.
At the summit, the views are stunning in every direction. There are the usual tourist attractions at the top, and a monastery, but it wasn’t as commercialised as other places we have been.
The living museum of the Maramures
As we descended into Maramures we gradually started to notice a change in the surroundings. It was like taking a step back in time.
More and more wooden houses started appearing, with magnificent carved gateways. Locals cutting hay with scythes, and draping it over wooden stands to dry in a technique dating back to the middle ages. Ladies in the towns and villages wearing local colourful dresses.
Its wooden buildings, traditional lifestyle, and clothing make Maramureș as near to a living museum as can be found anywhere in Europe. It is also refreshing to find somewhere in Romania which isn’t driven by commercialism.
The Wooden Churches of Maramures
The wooden churches of Maramures started appearing in the 17th century as a response to the prohibition against the erection of stone Orthodox churches by the Catholic authorities.
The churches are made of thick logs with amazing craftsmanship. There is usually a tall, thin tower on the Western side, above the entrance, and a huge shingle covered roof dwarfing the rest of the building.
Eight were listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. These are: Bârsana, Budești, Desești, Ieud, Plopiș, Poienile Izei, Rogoz, Șurdești. What I hadn’t appreciated, however, was there are many more, with one in almost every town and village we passed through.
Manastirea Borsa Pietroasa
We stopped briefly for lunch at the Pietroasa-Borșa Monastery, high in the Rodna mountains. A steep, narrow road up from the village of Borsa brings you to this modern wooden Monastery, built in 2007. Amazing craftsmanship is evident throughout the small complex, which has an air of peace and tranquility.
Church of the Holy Paraskeva
We parked up for the night in a small car park close to the Church of the Holy Paraskeva at Desesti. This is one of the 8 wooden churches listed by UNESCO.
Amazingly it is unspoiled by commercialism. There is no parking charge, the ubiquitous tourist shops elsewhere in Romania are conspicuous by their absence. It is peaceful and quiet, with just the sound of the birds, the church bells (which admittedly rang their call to prayer at 6am for about half an hour) and the occasional passing car.
The Merry Cemetery
The Merry Cemetery at Sapanta was our next destination. Located just a mile from the Ukrainian border,
Around the magnificent Church of the Assumption there is a unique cemetery, known as the Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel in Romanian). Instead of having a headstone, each grave is marked with an intricately carved oak cross, painted dark blue to symbolise heaven. On each cross there is also a painted image and a verse carved into the wood which tells a little about the person who lays there.
Each cross is the work of a single man, Dimitru Pop. He alone carves each one and decides on the image and verse inscribed on it.
It certainly is a unique place, and even though I don’t read Romanian, many of the images on the crosses tell stories of their own. It’s a wonderful tradition and a lovely way to remember those who have passed.
Oh, and guess what….. there is a rather lovely modern wooden church in the town too. Which we just happen to be parked right next to for the night……and no bells until 9am on a Sunday morning – bliss!
A quiet end to the week
From Sapanta we drove along the 19, which goes alongside the river Tisa, which is the natural border with Ukraine. At one point you are literally a stones throw from Ukraine. Nothing to see of course, but an odd feeling being so close to a country that you know is at war.
It was lovely to see people walking to the local church dressed in the traditional clothing of the region. Brightly coloured skirts, white shirts and headscarves for the ladies and black trousers, white shirts and a black woolen waistcoat with bright blue trim for the gentlemen.
We also passed through the village of Certeze, described as the richest commune in Romania. There certainly were some very impressive properties there
We ended up close to a country lane in the middle of a forest near Vama. A little noisy at first. A family were enjoying a BBQ nearby (with loud music), and there was a fair amount of passing traffic to the “stinking spa” a little further up the road. There were also a couple of groups of ATV’s enjoying the forest tracks. But none of that spoiled it for us, and it quietened down later in the afternoon.
Some menu highlights from this week
Click on the picture for further information. If you would like recipes or further information let me know in the comments
As before, There is so much more we saw and did that I haven’t included here – you’ll just have to go see it for yourself!
I haven’t gone into great detail about anything in particular in this post, so if you would like me to expand on anything please leave a comment and I will endeavor to write another separate post on the topic.
Happy Motorhoming.
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