Day 8 – Botiza to Ieud
15.15k
After a fairly leisurely breakfast of yogurt and
honey, bread and jam, hot milk and coffee, we set out from the pension to walk
over the hills to the main village of Botiza and on to the neighbouring village
of Ieud.
Our host Tudor led the way for the first part of the
walk. Good job too, as the route was complex – invisible paths leading to clear
tracks that were promptly left behind again – and probably only understood by
someone who had spent a lifetime wandering these hills. We reached low summits,
followed ridges and dropped into valleys, meeting shepherds and skirting
haystacks on the way.
Near Botiza, Tudor took us to a small house that
belonged to Maria's uncle until he passed away earlier in the year. Maria's mum
was there, 75 years old and still working in the fields. We had a brief
chat and a look round the house: but clearly, the loss of her brother was still
very emotional, so out of respect we didn't stay too long.
Descending into the village, we said goodbye to Tudor
and met Dan who had the lunches. We had a brief look round the village,
including a rug/fabric weavers, then set off up the hill on a lovely path
through pasture dotted with haystacks and fruit trees.
At this time of year, there are millions of apples.
Some are for eating, but mostly they will be used for making Palinka, the
favoured way of “preserving” the abundant crop.
On reaching the saddle, we stopped for lunch with one
of the best views you could image, a small sheepfold behind us and oodles of
silence. With great food too, it was bliss!
Unlike some of the paths we followed, the route we
were now on had recently been re-signed and clearly way marked. Apparently,
this was the work of a German man who had settled in the village and who was a
keen hiker.
From the saddle the route took a detour from the way
Ramona knew, so we decided to follow it. It was lovely as well, contouring
round the valley under a higher summit, then following a ridge with wonderful
views all round, especially from the final summit where we were greeted with a
360 degree panorama.
Our descent into Ieud led through pasture, meadow and
wood, until a final narrow path brought us out beside one of the larger
churches. We made our way through the village, crossing the river before
meeting Dan and the van beside another small wooden UNESCO heritage church.
Originally built in 1364 it has also been
painted, but in this case directly onto
wood, not as frescos. Restoration had taken about 8 years, but the beauty was
undeniable and quite different from painted monasteries we had seen before.
Next we popped into the nearby ethnographic museum
which mainly focused on use of hemp as a fabric and also held a collection of
traditional household items.
Returning to our digs, we had another delicious meal –
White bean soup, stuffed cabbage leaves (Sarmarle) with sour cream and
raspberry and apple cakes. There was homemade hooch, too, and wine, and we
enjoyed a convivial evening with Ramona, Dan, Maria and Tudor swapping stories
and showing photos, the evening chill kept at bay by the stove and the warmth
of the hospitality.
Day 9 – Botiza to Glod and transfer to Hoteni
9.00k
We had another superb breakfast of coffee, homemade
yoghurt, pancakes, bread, jam and honey, plus a vegetable paste called Zacusca
made from aubergines, peppers, etc, that is a bit like pizza topping (and is
another example of how to preserve an end-of-season glut of produce).
Afterwards, we said our goodbyes to Maria and Tudor
and set off up the hill behind the house under gloomy skies. We passed a few
ladies heading out into the fields - today's work seemed to be gathering
potatoes.
Descending into the village of Poienile Izei, we
visited another UNESCO church: this one a small wooden example from around 1780
whose interior had not been restored and whose painted walls were black with
the accumulated grime of 230 years of candles and prayers.
Moving on, we climbed the next hill and fell in for a
while with a local chap who was keen to set us on the right path. As we walked,
conversation flowed via Ramona, and we got a brief snapshot of life at this end
of the village.
We joined a dirt road for a while then headed off
across a scrubby meadow before becoming locationally challenged in a small band
of trees. Losing the path did give us the chance to see deer and a fox, so
worthwhile in the end!
After backtracking slightly, we descended to a gravel
road that we followed down hill and into the village of Glod (which apparently
means “mud”) where Dan was waiting with the van, arriving just before a squally
shower swept through.
We headed down the valley and made for the town of
Sighetu Marmatiei, right in the north of Romania on the border with Ukraine. We
had lunch at a nice traditional restaurant (goulash soup and potato rosti)
before having a quick look round the town centre including the market, where
sweet paprika tempted us into purchase.
Moving on, we took a side trip following the border to
see what is known as the Merry Cemetery, where the headstones are wooden and
inscribed with a short biog of the person’s life in a humorous style. Some were
self-congratulatory, some slightly acerbic (one was to a mother-in-law along
the lines of “please go quietly so as not to wake her”) but the majority were
gently comic and mostly respectful.
Returning to Sighetu, we then made for our pension in
the village of Hoteni. We had a quick wash and brush up before dinner – 4
courses, but we could choose as much or as little as we wanted, so not too
overwhelming! We had bread and Zacusca and cheese to start, then pork and
cabbage soup, grilled pork with garlic and potatoes, and chocolate cake to
finish. Pretty good!
We also had a glass or two of wine to help it all
down, and started the meal with a glass of eye-watering home-made pear brandy and
the traditional salute of “noroc!”
Tomorrow, weather and brandy permitting, we are hoping
for a mountain walk!
Day 10 – Gutai Mountain
12.90k
Breakfast was again ample, but today we were also
choosing our own lunch from the table so we could basically take as much as we
needed – something of a relief as we had been overfed for several consecutive
days!
We began with a half-hour drive up to a 900m pass on the main Sighetu-Baia Mare road where Dan dropped us off, and after a couple of minutes searching behind a large pile of road gravel, we picked up a wide, clear trail through the woods.
Soon, the trees thinned and the views opened out, and
we moved into more open ground peopled by shepherds and other walkers (it being
a Saturday).
An old road Roman road traverses the mountain, and
after a stretch of walking on the cobbled track we struck off across the grassy
slopes and took a steep, rocky path through Beech woods beside the outcrop of
the “Rooster’s Crest” to emerge on the summit where we stopped for lunch.
Gutai mountain is not particularly high in reality –
or even Romanian in terms at a shade under 1500m – but it stands well proud of
the surrounding land. The ridge looks impressive from below and is a dominant
feature on the skyline when down in the valley.
After a break for lunch, we made our way along the
ridge on narrow paths through low, woody stemmed growth primarily of juniper
and bilberry. It’s flatter than might be expected, and takes in minor outcrops
on the way until, at the far end, a second more substantial summit is reached.
The ridge is more curved than appears from valley
level, with a dog-leg to the right after the second large outcrop towards a
group of 3 smaller tops. We followed the path towards these, skirted round the
base of each, and began to descend into the woods once again.
Once we had reached more level ground, we took a short
snack break then began the task of following the path off the mountain without
confusing our route with the many logging paths in the woods.
A bit of checking was required here and there by
Ramona, but we made good progress and eventually reached the road where Dan
wasn't waiting with the van - he'd parked a few hundred metres further down the
road where another path crossed. No problem, though – we were soon reunited.
Heading back towards Hoteni, we called at another
village to view a house that was for sale. Nothing special, you might think,
but it was interesting nonetheless as what we saw was an authentic wooden house
of the Maramures area.
We learned a bit about house buying – apparently,
houses can be sold either as we do here – house, gardens, etc – or just as the
house alone, which can be dismantled and shipped elsewhere! In fact Ramona and
Dan bought their house in Hoteni, then dismantled it and rebuilt it in their
home town like a giant jigsaw.
Returning to our pension, we had another lovely dinner
– this time starter, soup, cabbage and sausage and a cake to finish, with
Palinka and wine – and chatted away into the evening like old friends.
Day 11 – Busteni to Breb and to the airport.
6.25k
Today was the final day of our trip, but thanks to a
late flight home we had the morning free to make use of.
After another lovely breakfast, we left our pension
and drove to the next village of Busteni. As it was a Sunday, what better way
to begin the day than with a visit to church – this one painted, as others have
been, but different because it is still in use as a working church.
Preparations for the morning service were well underway as we peered inside for a look round. Besides the painted decoration, beautiful fabrics hung from the walls and draped around the furniture, and the priest was making his final preparations in the calm before the service.
In the churchyard, an elderly lady was standing over a
grave, muttering softly to herself. For a moment, we thought we had unwittingly
intruded on an intimate moment – perhaps she was remembering a lost
relative or passing on gossip to her late husband. But no: as she turned towards us, we
caught a glimpse of the mobile phone tucked beneath her headscarf, and the
illusion was shattered. Maramures, Romania in fact, is full of such
contradictions.
Walking over the fields towards Breb, the bright, sunny
morning was increasingly warm, and the mountains all round, including Gutai,
looked glorious.
No walk in Romania is complete without a flock and the
ubiquitous sheepdogs. This time we were hidden on approach, so we waited until
we could be sure the shepherd could call them back before proceeding.
Soon, we reached the track into Breb. William Blacker,
author of Along The Enchanted Way, spent time here, and owns a house in the village.
There is also another house owned by the charity ARTTA that renovates old
traditional houses, and we got permission to look inside. There was plenty to
do to the two dwellings there, but the setting was gorgeous in the autumn
sunshine and they will no doubt be attractive guest rooms in due course.
More time ambling between these delightful villages
would have been lovely, but our trip was almost over. Setting off from Breb, we
drove over the mountains towards the flat plains further south, stopping
briefly by a stream for lunch and again in Dej for an ice cream.
Then, almost before we knew it, we were at the
airport, and it was time to say our goodbyes to Ramona and Dan. We'd had a very
special time, helped greatly by the brilliant guides and drivers who were friendly,
fun, informative and patient with us all the way through, and who made our
visit all the more memorable.
This trip was everything our previous Romanian outing
had promised but failed to deliver. In fact we were really smitten, and, God willing, we will return one day to experience more of the traditions, history,
culture and warm hospitality we’d been privileged to encounter this time.
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