9/29–Peles Castle and last night on this tour in Bucharest

Today is our last day on this portion of the tour, and we can’t believe how fast time has flown.  We’ve thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this trip (well, ok, maybe not the Tulip Tower hotel, but still), and are sad to see it come to an end.  But, before we get all melancholy, we still have today and tonight to enjoy. So, up and out we go, on the bus by 8:30 to start our journey to Sinaia, the Carpathian mountain location of the Peles Castle, home to King Carol I of Romania, the birthplace of King Carol II (giving rise to the phrase “cradle of the dynasty” which Carol I called the castle) and the eventual site of King Michael’s forced abdication in 1947.  It is one of the most impressive castles, and a reportedly a highlight of any visit to Romania.

It is yet again a gorgeous day in Romania – we have been so lucky with the weather – making the quick (only an hour) drive to Peles all the more beautiful through the mountains.  We arrive and make our way down the steep little approach to the village outside the castle grounds, then walk through the pathways to the front of the immense Neo-Renaissance building.  It’s a huge Alpine castle, looking like something you would find in Germany more so than here – and rightly so as the architect who designed it did so with a mix of German architectural philosophy and Italian elegance.  Built in 1883, the palace served as a summer residence and hunting preserve for the royals, and became the first castle to be fully powered by locally generated electricity.

Cristina herds us into a huge snaking line in the courtyard of the castle and we take our turns buying the ridiculously expensive photo fee (it’s 35 lei, which is only $8US, but when you are used to paying 10 lei, or about $2US, it seems a bit exorbitant).  But, we’re here, so no sense not taking photos if we can – and in the end it is the right decision as the inside of the castle is every bit as gorgeous and grand as the outside.  Once inside the castle (which is really more palace than castle), we pass through rooms and rooms of gorgeous woodwork, art and furniture.

First we enter through the Hall of Honor, the main reception hall with a 3 story atrium soaring above us with intricately carved walnut wood balconies, alabaster bas relief panels, wood “mosaic” landscapes encased in gold frames and this stunning 2 story corner spiral wood carved staircase seemingly floating up out of thin air.  It’s all topped with a ceiling of stained glass windows created in the late 19th century specially for the house.  It is said that the Queen actually drew the designs for all the stained glass and sent them to Germany to have them custom made. 

From this grand entrance we move to the armory hall with its displays of chillingly scary weapons and a full size coat of armor for horse and knight in the corner of the room.  The coffered ceilings are adorned with more carved wood and inset with different coats of arms. There is a stunning copper (maybe?) bas relief of the battle for the Acropolis in 1396 inset into the top of the fireplace hearth  along with beautiful chandeliers hanging over the entire room.

As we continue on our journey, the opulence just continues with incredible stained glass windows, more beautiful walnut wood carvings, King Carol’s study filled with original furniture, his writing desk and a German bisque porcelain fireplace.  The New Room for Audiences contains even more carved wood set into the walls and pillars, as does the Music room, with its colorful and detailed stain glass windows depicting Romanian fairy tales, along with portraits painted by Queen Elizabeth herself.  I’m particularly taken by the adorable little wooden angels placed here and there around the room, on a built in wooden shelf, playing their instruments.

We move onto the Florentine room, which is richly (if not gaudily) appointed with, you guessed it, all things Italian.  From the carved gold plated ceiling to the carved bronze doors, the huge fireplace of Italian marble and the chandeliers of Murano glass –its a Neo-Renaissance cornucopia of Italianate design.  Including some absolutely fabulous marble inlaid cabinets of ebony wood and semi-precious stones.  Gaudy, but so palatial, and I guess Royal, in its own way!

The dining room is massive (as you would expect from a Palace) with seating for 36 on chairs with Cordoban leather seats.  It’s very dark and masculine, with gold and crystal wall decorations and oddly recessed (well, not recessed, but strangely attached) lighting and chandeliers.  There is also the “Moorish room,” a huge long salon inspired from the Alhambra Palace in Spain, with carved ceiling and massive Moroccan rug. Of course, what palace wouldn’t be complete without the Turkish room, this one with silk covering the furniture, the walls and ceiling and stained glass windows with Turkish scenes. Then we’re back to the Hall of Honor, shunting off down a marble corridor to peek into the Royal Theater room, with its gold upholstered chairs and frescoes painted on the ceiling and walls.  Phew! That’s a lot of Palace to cover in a short period of time.  It really is an incredible feat of blended architecture and interior design, even if it is impossible for me to wrap my mind around someone actually living there.  (Sort of like the Biltmore – I can’t imagine anyone living there either!)

Disgorged out into the courtyard on what is now a cloudy day, we wander back to the little village, passing the stately Lion statues with which Sunny just must have his time, 

and up to the Pelisor Castle, built by King Carol I for his nephew, the future King Ferdinand and Queen Marie.  There is a separate entry fee here, and we’ve decided we’re a little castled out, so while Pam and Kevin decide to tour what has become known as the “Queen’s Palace” (because of her total control over the interior decorating in what she referred to as “her dream house”), we along with Ray and Jimmy head back into the village looking for lunch.  We stop at the Carol Gastro Bierhaus, figuring, when in the Carpathians…..but unfortunately they are only serving breakfast. So, instead of trying to go down to the cafe overlooking Peles Castle, we just hung out at the Bierhaus with our breakfast of champions – beer for Ed, wine for Jimmy and me, Coke for Ray.  

Then its back on the bus to settle in for our 2 hour plus ride back to Bucharest.  Cristina keeps us occupied with a running history of the area, starting with the oil and grain that were produced here and important to German, about the agreement with Stalin, how Romania entered into WWII, about Operation Tidal Wave and the B-42 bombers that attacked the oil fields in Romania, how Bucharest, Constanta and Brasov were all bombed in 1944, then onto the Russian invasion.  She also talked about Moldova and how they were torn between Russia and Romania, but the Russians kept forcing people to move about the country in an effort to strip them of their identity and culture, and today, even though independent, there is still al large Russian influence.  It sounds a bit uninviting, even though Cristina says Moldova is opening up to tourism.  It is making me think twice about visiting to try to research our family heritage – the maternal side of which comes from the area around Kipeshka, Moldova (what was once Bessarabia).  Will have to give that some additional thought!

At any rate, it makes the trip go faster, and before we know it, we are back at the Hilton Garden Inn and checking into our room – which has a huge steel structural beam across the width of the window wall!  It’s totally wild.  We knew the building was old and restored, but this is the physical evidence of just how much restoration – and shoring up – they had to do to make it occupancy-worthy.

After freshening up, we assemble in the lobby for our walk through old town to the Hanu lu Manoc, the oldest inn in Europe, for our farewell dinner.  We are seated in the downstairs wine cellar amongst the arched brick walls at a series of communal tables.  There the wine and beer flows as we feast on a chicken and vegetable salad (big enough for a meal), then grilled chicken skewers for me and pork cutlets and mici for Ed, then chocolate cake for dessert.  We toast to our new friendships and to Cristina who was such a wonderful guide, and to our shared experiences.  We are each given lacquered eggs from Voronet as a souvenir of our trip together, and bid each other a bittersweet goodbye as we finish out an excellent trip.

We were not sure what to expect from this organized tour, because of course we were absolutely spoiled by our India trip – group size (only 18) and guide (Bhanu will always come first in our hearts!!) – but this trip couldn’t have been better!

Successfully navigating our way through the throngs of people filling the Old Town, we retire to our steel beamed room ready to begin our new adventures on our own in the morning.

9/28–Surprise picnic and Brasov Dinner

Heading back to Brasov, we take a detour out past Rasnov, rising above the flat plains of farm and sheep land, and into the mountains to drive past beautiful forested hills and the popular ski resort area of Poiana, where Brasov residents come to ski.  A very nice drive up into the mountainside with only the one little town, and single cottages scattered here and there.  Forty-five minutes into our drive, we stop at a scenic pull over on the top of the mountain range with a great long view into the valley of Brasov.  It is a beautiful sunny day, and the vistas are marvelous – but so also is our surprise picnic of local meats and cheeses which Cristina has all laid out in plastic tupperware containers accompanied by homemade Tuica – the plum brandy – made personally by Yuntz.  In addition to our treats, we all get keepsake shot glasses to take home – after we’ve had our fill of the rocket fuel otherwise known as Tuica.  Ay yi yi!  And Yuntz keeps pouring it!  You don’t want to say no, because you don’t want to offend him – but one is more than enough for me. 

This is a lovely little break from the bus riding.  It’s easy to enjoy stretching our legs and milling around at the top of the overlook while we feast our stomachs on the excellent snacks and our eyes on the gorgeous scenery.

All too soon its time to go, as we saddle up and make the now quick trip down the mountain into Brasov.  We have the rest of the afternoon free, so Ed and I strike out into town in search of shoes (this is supposed to be the best place to buy shoes – as is confirmed by my friend Natalie!).  Strada Republicii is undoubtedly the best place to shop, every other store is a shoe store (Cristina was so right in not walking us down this street yesterday afternoon!).  Ed and I stroll up and down, looking at different options.  I’m really just looking for some comfortable walking/hiking shoes that can double as casual evening shoes as well and I do find one perfect pair, but unfortunately, they don’t have my size.  So off we go, but strike out not finding anything else of interest. I’m not in the mood for boot shopping (which is what Natalie has told me will be the best), so we just give up on the project and wander around through the packed shopping streets, window shopping and enjoying the beautiful day.

Back at the hotel later, we meet Jimmy, Ray, Pam and Kevin for a drink then head over to Sergiana, a restaurant we had scoped out before leaving for the trip – and one that Cristina recommends (she bought the meat for our picnic there).  It’s located downstairs in what might have been some sort of a cellar at one point in time, but now has a ton of different rooms and dining areas with cool arched ceilings and brickwork walls.  We had gone by earlier in the day to ask about reservations, which the girl at the desk said they didn’t take, but they would be waiting for us “in location” when we arrived later.  Cute.  Except not so cute when we did arrive and the same girl asked us if we had reservations, which of course we did not, and she said it would be 20 or 30 minutes to wait.  But if you don’t take reservations….then why are you asking….and why are other people on your list for reservations?  Frustrating!

But, we decide to wait it out because A) it is supposed to be a good place, B) it is really, really close to the hotel, and C) we just didn’t want to go out wandering through the town looking for an alternative. We sat ourselves down around this weird little short bar in the middle of an alcove, tried to order pre-dinner drinks, didn’t work, ended up just watching the craziness going on with a fully packed restaurant and people coming and going.  Finally we were seated at a table in the bright “white” area of the restaurant (as opposed to the dark, stone walled area of the restaurant) which proved best because we could actually see the menu and what we were ordering! 

The food was fabulous.  We all got different things, the Gulyas soup (much more reasonably priced tonight) for Ray (plus maybe a chicken breast? Now I can’t remember who had what!), Pork Schnitzel for Jimmy, something else I can’t remember for Pam and Kevin.  I had Sarmale – I’m not missing out on these delicious little stuffed cabbage rolls, and Ed had the Ceaunu lu Tusa – which was basically pork-palooza on a plate.  This huge serving of pork belly, homemade sausages and pork ribs served with polenta and sauerkraut.  Oh my God!  Delicious – but HUGE!  Add in great beer and wine in these cute little pitchers and we were all quite happy and sated at the end of the meal!

Afterward, we walked with everyone back to the hotel, but then continued on down the street to take night shots of the Brasov Prefecture building, so beautifully lit, looking like it was bathed in gold. Then over to the Romulus and Remus wolf statue, in silhouette, back lit by the Metropolitan museum.  So beautiful at night!

Then it was finally time to return to the hotel, to once again luxuriate in our room, this time with the door shut and a very restful – and peaceful – evening full of undisturbed sleep!

9/28–Bran (Dracula) Castle and Lunch

The much hyped, much awaited Dracula’s Castle is only moments away. But first, some background:  This will be the most crowded site we have visited. Cristina has made a point of telling us this – and to Gate 1’s credit, virtually everywhere we have been has been blissfully empty of the hordes.  But this is Dracula’s castle and one of the huge (if not biggest) tourist attractions in Transylvania. The history of the castle is far more interesting than just the “Vampire” aspect (which of course is all fiction).  The castle was built in the late 1300’s as one in a series of fortresses that protected the Transylvanian border.  Placed at the top of the Bran Gorge, the castle was in the perfect location to withstand attack, and after Romanians took control of the area, it served as the control point for the most important entry into Transylvania.  It wasn’t until 1448 that Vlad the Impaler (the Prince who Bram Stoker based his Dracula story upon) was even mentioned in the area – and he was never actually in residence here at the castle, at least not according to historians.  But, as stories go, Vlad was the son of Vlad Dracul – Dracul meaning devil, the name the senior Vlad was given due to his coat of arms which had a dragon like devil on it.  Vlad being the son was “dracula”, meaning son of Dracul.  Thus the name. The whole Vampire thing is just a made up story that Bram Stoker created in 1897 after reading historical documents that called Vlad the Impaler “blood-thirsty.”  He was a cruel warrior, impaling his opponents without actually hitting any of their vital organs so they lived for days, impaled on a stake in the ground.  There were accounts where warriors did drink the blood of their enemies to gain their powers, but while that and the impaling is nasty and cruel, its not the blood sucking vampire that is so popular among cult fiction today. 

As Cristina reminds us, Romanians don’t know anything about Vampires. They don’t exist in Romanian folklore, and there is not even a Romanian word for vampire.  However what superstitions they do have are Strigoi and Moroi, two supernatural beings that are dangerous and come back from the dead to haunt you.  They feast on the souls of the living, the Moroi in particular feast on the souls of babies.  And while Vlad the Impaler was reportedly a believer in these superstitions, that was about the extent of the supernatural connection.

Thus, the castle, while part of the real Dracula (Vlad, son of Dracul) legacy, its historical value is far more important as a study in how the Romanian country was divided, attacked and then brought together time and time again.

So, moving on with the historical aspect of the castle, in 1918 when Transylvania became part of Greater Romania, the castle was “symbolically” offered to Queen Maria, who loved the area and fell in love with the castle.  She had it fully restored and turned it into a residence for the royal family.  It has been handed down through generations of the royal family, was, of course, taken by the communists as the royal family fled, then eventually (it took until 2009) reinstated to the current heirs of the royal family, Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdelena and Archduchess Elisabeth.  While the royals worked hard to get the castle back, they are now apparently ready to move on to other things and are looking to sell the castle (anyone have a cool $80 Million US they want to invest?).  A wrinkle in the whole works is that if anyone can claim heritage to the royal family and the castle, Romanian law says they have the right to take the property.  It seems Prince Charles is very fond of the area, has vacations homes there and loves to visit, and there are also reports that he is a descendant of Vlad the Impaler. If it is the case, and he so desires, he may be able to take the castle from the existing royal owners.  Romanian intrigue!  Guess only time will tell.

We’ve learned our castle history, now it is time for our in person visit.  We arrive at the foot of the castle in the mess of traffic and people and buses that Cristina has warned us about.  Although she and Yuntz say they are surprised that there aren’t more buses in the lot, it is still packed with people.  We make a quick convenience stop, then work our way through the gauntlet of cheesy souvenir stalls at the entrance to the castle gates.  Everyone cooperates with Cristina’s constant admonishments not to shop now, we’ll have time later, and we all file into the castle grounds to make our way up the steep slope to the entrance. 

The castle rises dramatically above us on the steep slope, its natural rock base making it appear to rise magically from the mountain top.  As it turns out, the whole castle is an unusual shape, due to the those rocks that form its base. we get in line to move into the castle, up a slam packed set of wide stairs and finally enter into an anteroom with a display of all the castle residents beginning with Ordinul Cavalerilor in 1211 through Vlad (of course) in 1431 and finishing with the Archduke and Archduchesses who own it today.  Its actually a really nice exhibit that helps you visualize the history of the place.  There are tons of placards with information on them strewn about the walls, but it is so crowded you can barely see them, much less be able to read them!

Moving onward Cristina leads us on a tour through the small cobblestone courtyard, into vestibules and rooms used for greeting visitors and to the large drawing where to the “secret stairs,” which is a narrow staircase literally carved into the rock that supports the castle.  It’s narrow and everyone goes through here to reach the upper floors, so photos are not allowed (because it would cause way too much of a bottle neck).  They are serious about the no photos, as there is a guard standing there to ensure the no photos rule. Of course the photo bomber doesn’t listen and stops on the stairs to take pictures, backing up the whole line and being yelled at by the guard, which makes no impression on him whatsoever.  Sigh.

Emerging from the stairwell we find ourselves in what I think was the King’s quarters which has a small bed and desk and chairs, then on through numerous rooms with modern day comfy furniture juxtaposed against earlier dark wood tables and chairs.  There are gorgeous 19th C stoves with beautiful tile designs used for heating in many of the rooms, a music room, the Queen’s bedroom, a small dining room area, called the Saxon room, with another beautiful tile wood stove.  It just goes on and on, room after room as we wind our way through the upper floors of the castle, weaving in and out of the hallways, interspersed with fantastic views down into the courtyard, but also out across the soaring Carpathian mountains and down into the little town of Bran below (where there is some folk festival going on with sheep and food stalls and tons and tons of people!).

While not the scary, spooky idea you would have in your head when thinking about Dracula’s castle, it is nonetheless a beautiful example of Gothic architecture, and it would be absolutely amazingly wonderful if not for the crowds.  The design is fascinating to me – all odd angles and wrapping around itself with multiple levels and towers and little niches we can’t even begin to explore.  Cristina tells us they have a raffle every Halloween where the winner is allowed to stay in the castle overnight.  I’d love to win that! Just for the night to have this whole place to yourself?  It’s especially appealing after we walk down this one staircase which squeaks and creaks so spookily, you just know it’s the sound you want to hear when you are staying overnight alone!  But then my hopes are dashed as Cristina tells us that we’d have to sleep in a tent or something like that.  Huh? I was planning on sleeping in the King’s bed, thank you very much!  Oh well, guess that means we aren’t coming back for the raffle.  Bummer.

Tour complete, we decide not to partake in the additional cost Medieval torture instruments exhibit or the Time Tunnel tour.  They aren’t that pricey, but we’re ready to wander, take some more photos and eat. Of course, eat!  After a few minutes in the courtyard (I do really love the atmosphere in the little space – minus the people), we troop off down the lane to find spots for castle long shots from the lawn. There is a perfect spot behind the tea house, on the side of the little lake at the bottom of the hill where we all partake in our own Castle photos – Jimmy with his Dracula fangs in place!

Now it’s a search for food.  We’re released back out onto the streets of the tiny little village that services all the tourists and it is crazy busy.  We peruse a couple of restaurant menus, interestingly enough spy a Brazilian Flag hanging from the eaves of one establishment (Rafa!  We are always thinking of you!!), but in the end decide to just retrace our steps to the arcade where the bus is parked and eat at the little restaurant right in the front called Cramele Recas – or Galeria Bran (take your pick – menu says one thing, receipt says another!).  It’s packed in here too, but we manage to find seats at a cheater bar with some others from our group. Pam and Kevin eventually joined us too and we all had a wonderful meal, chatting and eating.  While it was definitely a tourist trap, the food was actually pretty good.  Ed had Gulas – which was good and meaty – and more like a stew than the soup version, served with really good fried hash brown type potatoes – and I had the best Sarmale of the trip so far – nice and sour with this great big slab of perfectly cooked bacon on the top.  Yum!  Plus really good pours of wine.  The only downside was the fact that Ed’s meal was super expensive – 42 Lei which is about $10US!  It was good, but not worth it at that price, even in a tourist trap.  But otherwise – it was quite a delightful little meal and a nice end to our Dracula adventure.

Now, back on the bus we go for the ride back to Brasov.

9/28–Rasnov Fortress

So, our wonderful hotel room, which we were so happy to be in and pleased with the location off the main road turns out to be sandwiched between two churches, one of which is about 100 yards from our balcony door, and both of which ring the church bells every hour on the hour, all through the night.  Aw, jeez (excuse the pun).  With the door open to keep the room cool, well, all we can say is we guess two out of three ain’t bad (don’t sing!) – luxurious, cool – but not peaceful!  Tonight we keep the door shut regardless of the temps!

Onward to breakfast, which is quite the spread, and totally wasted on me, but everyone else enjoys it. Then onto the bus, where Pauline is excited because she didn’t get stuck in the staircase, so we are all on time and happy as we head out into the chilly morning to visit the Rasnov Fortress, set high above the town of Rasnov (which means village of Roses). This fortress was built in the 1300’s when the Saxons asked the Teutonic Knights, the Order of the Black Cross, to settle here to offer protection to the town, which kept being attacked and annihilated by intruders because of its strategic placement on the commercial route between Walachia and Transylvania.  The Saxons gave the Knights supplies to build the fortifications, and the Knights gave them protection. The fort was unusual in this region because it was designed to be a refuge for extended periods of time. Similar to the first fortified church we visited in Calnic, this fort is much larger and at one time had over 80 houses where all the villagers could stay, a school and chapel where locals could hide during sieges.  In the long history of the fortress, passed from the Knights to the Saxons to the Romanians, it is one of the only fortresses that was never conquered.  

We arrive at the bottom of the hill to the fortress and hop on the little choo choo train that takes us up the hill, past the Dino Park where kids come to play on the huge Jurassic Park like dinosaurs (and where Cristina repeats over and over again, do not get out, and where of course the people sitting next to us ask, is this where we get out?) and finally to the fortress on the hill which is really large and imposing looking from this vantage point. We can see why the Knights built it up here on the hill! 

The exterior and interior ramparts are quite apparent as we walk up the long hill to enter into the fortress. First, we enter through the exterior wall gate and curve our way up the path (and over rocky outcrops if we want to take a short cut, in through the interior ramparts to access the village.  It’s so amazing!  Just a teeny little smashed together medieval village.  All cobblestone and cute houses safe within the huge stone walls, sitting at the apex of this hill with fantastic long views out across the valleys.  You can imagine the Knights up here ready to protect the villagers (even though it definitely looks different down below now with a little more development that needs to be protected than in the Knights’ times) looking out over the valleys waiting for the Turks.  

With free time to wander around, we go into a little display room in one of the towers that has old weaponry as well as a fireplace and cooking implements, then meander our way out into the village for the views.  It is breathtaking.  The hint of fall color in the trees, fog streaming over the valley below, seemingly creeping its way up the mountainside to the fortress, perfectly framing the ruins of walls and little rooms on the exterior walls.  I’m completely taken with these fortified churches and villages.  Totally fascinating!

I could stay up here all day, but we have the main attraction coming up:  Bran Castle, otherwise known as Dracula’s Castle.  Back on the train, back on the bus – we’re off to see Dracula!

9/27–Brasov walking tour and dinner

Another hour or so of driving through already harvested farmland plus a brief comfort stop and we finally arrive in Brasov for the evening.  While Yuntz takes our luggage to the hotel, we embark upon a walking tour of this gorgeous medieval town. One of the seven fortified cities, Brasov has a population of over 300,000 and was once an important crossroads for East and West trade routes. Under the Saxon rule, Romanians didn’t even live inside the fortifications, but settled separately outside the town walls.  After the wars, the Romanians took back the city and for a while, during the communist period, it was even called Stalin City after Joseph Stalin. 

The architecture here, is once again, very Bavarian, which relates to the fact that the Saxons ruled here for so long.  Everywhere you look, the buildings are colorful and have ornate facade features, like intricately carved balconies or window trimming.  Incredibly picturesque!

We begin our tour at the First Romanian school where we are met by the animated priest who runs the museum and possibly the St. Nicholas church next door as well, but I’m a little hazy on that detail.  At any rate, he launches into a very entertaining presentation on the school (started in the 11th C), the classroom, and quizzing us on our Romanian history knowledge (the Romans, the Germans, the Austrians) .  It’s all quite fun, and he and Cristina obviously get along famously, laughing at each other over shared Romanian conversations.  We know they do this frequently, but it really doesn’t seem rehearsed – the presentation is much more spontaneous, and so still sweet and funny.

While in the “classroom” we learn all about the rare books and documents that are housed here.  At the start of WWII, the church priest took all the books and hid them in the church tower to protect them from the invading armies. He died and no one ever knew that the books were hidden, they just assumed they were destroyed in the war.  The priest giving us the presentation somehow stumbled upon them 50 years ago and has been studying them ever since.  There are over 6,000 books and some 30,000 documents in Greek, Latin and Romanian – and he’s plowing his way through them (I can’t recall how far he has gotten, but I seem to think he’s finished the books and is a ways through the documents).  The books are so rare because many of them were printed right here in Brasov on the first printing press in Romania. 

Which is a perfect segue for us to move into the next room where the printing press is located.  Here, the priest shows us how to use the press, how each press sheet is carved from wood and that the press has been used to print 39 books, each of which takes 2 years to complete.  Phew!  That’s a lot of dedication right there.  He shows us one of the wood blocks that has been engraved, then shows us the sheets that have been printed from it – of course they are for sale – and of course we buy the sample sheet and a booklet about the school. How could we not?  We are happy to support the museum and this wonderful man in his endeavors to keep the museum and printing history alive and well into the future.

Moving on to our walking tour, we pass through the outer courtyard of the church and notice fabulous “murals” that have been painted inside alcoves on the church wall.  Each drawing features a scene of Brasov, almost a pencil sketch, which is a terribly creative way to showcase the town and the artwork, and we can’t believe we missed them when we arrived (aren’t we attentive to detail!). Moving on into the city, we pass brilliantly colored buildings, lovely little cottages with the brown “shake” roofs (just like my pottery houses!) and stumble across some military recruitment fair at a school that has an experimental plane revving up on the huge playground.  Pretty cool.

Approaching the entrance to the old town, we reach the Schei gate, built in the classical arch style in the early 1800’s to accommodate tall trader’s carts that couldn’t fit through St. Catherine’s Gate, one of the original gates to the city. It currently still handles all the traffic in and out of the old town from this section of town.  It stands to reason that our next stop is St. Catherine’s Gate, sitting side by side with the Schei Gate.  Built in 1559 by the Tailor’s Guild, it is the only gate to survive since the medieval period.  It is was the only gate Romanian citizens could enter, and it is here that they were forced to pay a toll that enabled them to enter the city to sell their goods.  

Moving into the old town proper, we pass by the only synagogue in Brasov, a colorful and ornate building set back in an alcove type lane and built in 1901.  There was a large and active Jewish community here in the late 1800s/early 1900s, numbering as high as 4,000 in population. WWII saw many Jews leave for Israel, and there is now a population of about 200 Jews who continue to maintain the synagogue.  Next to the synagogue is Strada Sforii which means String Street and is the narrowest street in the city (and possibly one of the narrowest streets in all of Europe).  At only 44 to 53” wide, it was built as a way for firemen to reach different parts of the city and can be traced back to the 17th C. Now it’s a tourist attraction, but fortunately, because we are on a schedule and following Cristina, I don’t have show everyone my claustrophobic cowardness by actively not walking down that teeny weeny alley.

Onward we march!  To the courtyard of the Black Church, once the largest church in Romania, but now 2nd largest since they are building the new cathedral in Bucharest to be the biggest and best in all of the country.  This church was built in the late 1300s, was looted and damaged by Turkish raids in the early 1400s, then received its current name, the “Black Church,” after a fire in 1689 that almost razed the entire town and blackened the walls of the church (which withstood the flames).  It is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture with huge walls and equally huge Palladian stained glass windows soaring above us.  There are smaller turret type stone structures affixed to the sides, which I want to call crenelated towers, but those are typically defensive towers, so I’m not sure that is correct – but its what I think of when I see them – and with this churches history of attacks and looting, maybe the priests did take to bearing arms out of the little lookouts! At any rate, it is one gorgeous structure, topped off by the clock tower with colorful tile accents.

And, since we came upon the church from the back, we get the surprise reveal of the Piata Sfatului opening up in front of us at the foot of the church. This is the huge main square of the old town, anchored by the House of Council (Casa Sfatului) at one end, the Black Church at the other, ringed with shops, cafes and restaurants, and filled with people.  It is here, according to legend, that the Pied Piper led the children of Hamelin after the city refused to pay him for ridding the town of vermin (not a bad place to end up, if you have to be kidnapped and led away from your family that is).  On the sides of the square, peering down on the town buildings from up high are Mt. Tampa, with a picture perfect view of the Brasov sign (like the Hollywood sign, complete with night time lighting), and the White Tower (Turnul Alb), which once was used to guard the city, but now can be accessed and climbed for what has been described as fantastic views over the city – but what also has been described as something for the very fit and active.  We’re passing on the mountain climbing for this trip!

Once in the main square, we are set loose for 15 minutes to wander and take photos. We are actually set loose because the ladies want to shop and have been harrassing Cristina no end, particularly about this wonder anti-aging cream that can only be bought here in Romania (it may be illegal – or at least not FTC approved – in the states).  There is a store here on the square that Cristina says is the best place to buy it, so most of the ladies crowd into the store, while the rest of us meander.  We use the time to circle the square, take some great photos of the very active fountain, with the White Tower in the background, more pictures of cool Romanian houses and buildings I intend to turn into pottery houses and the facade of the Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary, squeezed in between KFC (of all things) and a Western Union office. If you can overlook those annoying details, the building itself is eye catching with its black and white horizontal brickwork on the ground level topped with tan and what appears to be faded red horizontal brickwork towering up the rest of the stories.  Moorish looking brown wooden windows, a mosaic of Jesus and an octagonal tower complete the look of this orthodox cathedral in the middle of the market square. 

Completing our circuit, we find a bench to relax upon while the ladies finish up their shopping. Eventually Cristina shoos them out of the store and, being the very smart girl that she is, we detour off the main pedestrian shopping street (to avoid losing anymore ladies to shopping temptations) and finish our tour on the major thoroughfare through Brasov.  This makes walking to the hotel quick and painless!  Checking in, is of course, a breeze. Cristina hands out the keys and we head off to our rooms – in elevators that are pleasantly large and far faster than our previous residences.  As happily surprised as we are with the elevators, the room overjoys us! First of all it is huge with a monstrous king sized bed, large desk area and a raised seating area, complete with love seat, by the full length picture windows that leads to a little Juliet balcony. And while, no, there is still no a/c, its cold enough now we don’t need it and we are luck enough to be facing the back of the hotel with a peaceful little pedestrian square right below us.  Heaven!

We organize quickly, navigate our way to the grocery store, freshen up then meet in the lobby for our walk back to the Luther Brasserie, a beautiful little restaurant with gold trim, elegant chandeliers, high backed velvet booths and arched ceilings painted sky blue with white puffy clouds, located on the square for our group dinner.  What appears to be a surprising choice for a group dinner with smaller tables of 4 and a few larger 6 or 8 tops, ends up being a sumptuous meal starting with an excellent bruschetta for me (because I traded the cheese starter for it), the aforementioned cheese appetizer for Ed and then pork ribs for both of us that were fall off the bone, melt in your mouth delicious.  We sat with Ray and Jimmy, who did not order anything vegetarian tonight and was more than pleased with his main meal, and all groaned at the sight of the sumptuous apple kuchen-like dessert topped with ice cream.  We made a valiant effort to clean our plates, but I for one was far too full to even make a good showing of it!

Afterward, we strolled our way down Strada Republicii, the main shopping street (where Cristina has told us the best shoe shopping can be found) and circle back to the hotel – effectively taking the long way home (don’t sing!), and easily walking off a wonderful dinner.

Back at the hotel, we luxuriate in our hotel room, stretching out, enjoying the peacefulness and looking forward to a wonderful cool evening in that comfy bed!

9/27–Onesti, home to Nadia Comaneci, and Targu Secuiesc

We are on the move once again.  Bags out in the morning, breakfast in the bizarre ballroom space that is accessed through one door hidden in a dark alcove that is opened (unlocked) precisely at 6:30, no matter that it says 7:00 on all the materials.  As per our usual, we are lined up waiting a little before 6:30, then in seats as soon as the doors open. Yesterday it was a complete zoo review in there, hardly a space to be had by 7:00am, today, crickets!  Obviously another large tour group has left and it is us and a few others.  Makes it better for the seating, and I guess the food, not that I care, I’m only interested in hot water for my instant coffee.

Breakfasted, showered, bags out and down to the bus, we’re ready to say adios to the Central Plaza – as are quite a few of our travel partners.  We’ve had room swaps, people stuck in the stairwell because doors are locked (using the elevators is next to impossible, they only fit 4 people and are slower than molasses going uphill in the winter time), no air, lack of kettles.  Suffice it to say, it’s not been our favorite place, so we are ready to move on.

Finally all settled, we head out to Onesti, home of Nadia Comaneci and the first major gymnastic complex in Romania.  The ride will take about 2 hours through what is apparently non-descript landscape because there is not a picture to be had of the entire drive – except for the snail and swan sculptures made out of tires at our pit stop. 

What we did do for the 2 hour drive though, was learn about how Romania is changing so much, and that folk dancing is a way to keep the kids involved in the culture and off the streets.  The parents all support the troupe and encourage the kids to continue on with it.  It’s an outcropping from the communist era when children were encouraged to join the Pioneer circles, the entry into the communist party.  First graders got a red scarf and there was a big ceremony that made it very special. The kids were all happy and didn’t relate this to politics, but to a competition and getting to the top of the class to get a scarf first.  They offered classes after school for gymnastics, modeling, sports, English, Drama – you name it – all for free, so the children took up all sorts of activities.  Those same sorts of activities are continuing with the folk dancing, because the cultures survived in the little towns and villages all throughout the communist years – and now it is important to continue to pass it down through the generations.

Of course sports are still important too, but whereas in the 80’s everyone wanted their children to be gymnasts, now they want them to play tennis because of Simona Halep, the Romanian tennis player who won the Wimbledon. The government still runs sports clubs (as a matter of fact, they still run Onesti), and in the communist era, coaches would come to the schools every 2 weeks to select children to join these sports clubs – hoping to develop the next Olympic winner.  Winning in global sports competitions is a huge source of pride in Romania, one that still continues today.  Nadia Comaneci was the first athlete to really put Romania on the map, but after she defected in 1988, the communist government brushed her achievements aside because they didn’t want people to know about the defection and her new life.  She was just the tip of the iceberg though, as Romania went on to wins hundreds of medals in Gymnastics and other sports. 

After the fall of the communist party, Nadia has returned to Romania and is involved in helping children enter and excel at sports. She has a foundation that is involved in various events and competitions for children to advance in the sporting world.  She is also the chairperson of a sports club sponsored and paid for by the state that is involved in passport for sports, where children come together in Bucharest where coaches for various sports select children based on abilities and then train them for future competitions. 

We arrive at the facility in which Nadia trained, in the rain, and walk through a lovely, if not wet, garden plaza with a beautiful statue of two young women doing handstands that memorializes gymnastics.  Carefully winding our way though the water soaked courtyard, we are escorted into the training facility, where the instructors have cleared a space for us to stand with our wet shoes, off the exercise mats.  On the back wall is a huge mosaic of Nadia and Don Gregor, who was a male gymnastic champion.  And on the front wall are huge posters of Nadia today, with the saying “Together we make the future!” Here, surrounded by uneven bars, parallel bars, horses and beams, we listen to Cristina’s translation of the how the Onesti Gymnastics program works. Built in the 1960s, the basic structure has remained the same, albeit with updates.  They still train the children in the same fashion, 15 in a group with 3 levels (beginning, intermediate and performance).  Children from the program are selected for the national Olympic team and move to larger facilities.  For years, though, Onesti was the only training facility for Olympic Gymnasts.

Man, does this place take me back.  Deja vu to my Junior High and High School days when my best friend was a gymnast – a damn good one at that – and we used to go to her training sessions and competitions.  Weird how certain oddball things can take you back in time so vividly and emotionally.  Wow.

At any rate, back to Onesti, which now trains in 6 other sports as well; weight lifting, wrestling, tennis, judo, martial arts and tennis.  Children start as young as 5, living here on the campus where they train from 7a to 9a, go to school from 8a to 12 noon, have lunch, do their homework, then come back and train some more.  Currently there are 47 children housed here with 2 coaches in gymnastics (with another one in training) 2 for wrestling, 1 for weight lifting.

Next, we are shown into a little hallway near some offices where there is a handsome display of medals and photos from Nadia’s time, as well as others who have won competitions.  There is of course, the iconic poster of Nadia on the balance beam (another flash back!) and photos of the famous coaches. It’s a nice little stop (more so for me because of the nostalgia), as well as an intriguing peek into the emotional and patriotic side of Romanian sports and the quest for championship recognition.  

Back on the bus, we head out into the Oituz mountains, passing through lovely forested hills with just a hint of fall colors and wisps of fog clinging to the tops of the trees or drifting skyward. It’s idyllic, with little villages scattered here and there, huge stone monasteries and fields of corn and maybe wheat stretching off into the distance. We get another sweet treat to stave off some of our hunger – Rom – a traditional chocolate we’ve seen everywhere, that turns out to have a rum filling.  Ick – Ed’s a happy boy, coz he has a double treat now!

After only about 2 hours, we reach the little medieval town of Targu Secuiesc.  Originally founded as a market town of the Seclars, this is our lunch stop.  I’d scoped out a couple of restaurants on the way, but one said it was a wine bar and we were a little concerned about that. Cristina told us about a Hungarian restaurant down the street, which we figured we’d try.  It was further away from the bus drop off, and we thought it might be best to get away from the crowd.  It was an adorable outdoor restaurant, where we managed to find a table under the partially covered garden (the exposed areas were wet from the rain) and plopped down to wait for our menus and service. It took forever for a waiter to approach, but we’re getting used to that now, and quickly prepared to order.  When he came back, Ed decided upon the Gulash soup, which many people were ordering around us, and I ended up with the chicken with béchamel sauce.  A side of thick, crusty, still warm from the oven bread, beer and wine – and we were good as gold.  The soup was excellent, and my chicken was one of the best meals I had.  Just a simple chicken breast with who knows what spices and béchamel on top, browned to a gooey goodness.  Fabulous. A great little lunch break at a bargain price of only $11.  And a well timed one at that, as more of our tour companions made their way into the restaurant and were having troubles getting attention to be served. 

We still had time to wander about the cute little town, take a few pictures of the adorable village square and imposing white washed church on the corner, before boarding our bus and marveling at the monstrous piece of Tiramisu Pauline, our resident feisty octogenarian had brought onboard with her.  She is just one little ball of energy (and by little, I mean teeny – I don’t think she’s over 4 ft 10 inches tall, she’s sprite and active, with an absolutely great sense of humor and outlook) and she has become the inspiration of everyone on the tour. We all hope to have just a fraction of her energy and outlook when we are her age!

PS – she didn’t finish the tiramisu, but only because she had already polished off a dish of ice cream before it!

Next stop: Brasov.

9/26–Piatra Neamt dinner and folkloric show

Ok, so, you should all know how we avoid folkloric shows like the plague. But, when it is included in the tour along with dinner, what can you do?  The only bonus is that it gets us out of our hot as the dickens room for a couple of hours…so….folkloric show it is.

We are set up in the huge ballroom downstairs, along with some other groups.  The hotel is bizarrely designed with not “formal” restaurant, but with these 2 huge ballroom type spaces where they set up tables and chairs for meals.  The 2nd floor space is reserved for daily breakfast (which is another whole story) and this 1st floor space is obviously for tour folkloric shows.  At any rate, we all show up at the appointed time and strategize about the best places to sit.  Pam and Kevin are seated at another table that is almost already full, so Jimmy and Ray and Ed and I set ourselves up at a round table toward the front of the hall. We’re hoping we’ll be spared from most of the show, but as it turns out we really should have commandeered the table behind us which is behind a large pole.  Oh well. We’re here now!

The food begins before the show, fortunately, and we are treated to Goulash soup that is quite good and an entirely proportionally too huge salad.  Don’t get me wrong – it’s great – but it’s gigantic!  I’m quite satisfied with just that!  Then some younger folks come around and offer bread that you break off from a huge loaf – I’m already having conniption fits and using tons of Purel – but they don’t quite make it to us, so we miss out. Then they come along with some sort of brandy that they pour into a little shot glass and use the same glass for everyone. Well, you know my answer to that, now don’t you!  Anyway, it was fun and silly and we, of course were not on our best behavior.

We’ve finished our first glasses of wine, which were poured out of a pitcher that is now sitting on the waiter’s station behind us, so I jump up and pour us a second glass.  There’s no red wine there though, so I can only make us white wine drinkers happy.  We’re just hanging out, chit chatting and having fun when it begins….yes…the show. The music starts at a seriously deafening level, which, when all is said and done, is the biggest issue of the entire show.  The dancing is done by a troupe of kids – the same kids who were serving us the bread and brandy!  They are adorable, and wonderful, and extremely talented.  They are in all shapes, sizes and ages and are really working hard to show us their cultural traditions.  All the moms and dads in attendance are out there video taping them, and truly, it is just the sweetest thing.  Truly a lovely display of the pride these kids (and families) have in their culture and the rituals handed down through generations. 

If not for the music, it would have been spectacular. It is ear splitting, and then on top of it, an obviously long standing tradition (which we will see in varying degrees throughout the trip) are for the girls to emit ear piercing screams while they are dancing.  Oh dear. This of course was not the kids’ fault and we gave them a standing ovation – of course! But I believe we were all a tad relieved when they took their last bow and we could out meal.

Which was delightful. I can’t remember what Ed had, but whatever it was he finished it all before I remembered to take a picture.  I had pork which was excellent.  Jimmy ordered the Vegetable lasagne which appeared at the end of most of our meals and, well, I will not relate the comments foisted upon the dish.  But otherwise, all was well, the wine flowed (even if they poured it and then charged us for another glass – making my stealth pitcher pour a very good decision) and we all ended the evening in good spirits!

9/26–Bucovina lunch and Neamt Monastery

Today’s lunch is at the Best Western Bucovina, which is actually a lovely old medieval looking (in decor only) hotel.  Our menu is a lovely greek type salad (from which we pick out the feta type cheese and tomatoes, but leave the cucumbers!) and then for the main meal it’s mici (sort of – more fried mici than traditional grilled) on polenta for Ed and some sort of creamy chicken with mushrooms for me (at least I swear that’s what Cristina said it was).  The mici don’t look like much (and to be honest, the picture makes them look terribly unappealing), but Ed says they have great taste.  I’ve absolutely no idea what the chicken is supposed to be, but it is excellent, served looking far more like some sort of Asian chicken dish you’d get at a Chinese restaurant than whatever the explanation of it was. But I’m not complaining – nor is Ed when he finishes what I can’t eat.  And then the piece de resistance – Papanasi!  The traditional Romanian dessert that’s basically this fried doughnut made with cheese and honey then topped with berries and a sour cream type sauce.  Oh – and the berries?  They were caramelized or something so that they were crunchy and sweet and sugary – sugar and carb hell, and I just don’t care!  I could have eaten every portion on the table. 

We’re all ready for a nap, and we’ll have about an hour and a half to our next stop, the Neamt Monastery, to snooze if we want. After meeting Yuntz’s wife and absolutely adorable daughter (not to mention the really cute cat, on a leash no less), we all saddle up and head back into the countryside where I’m too busy watching the scenery, little villages and farmland pass by to bother sleeping.  It’s all so Bavarian looking here, the houses, the hills, the farms. 

This monastery is different than the other two we visited earlier. For one thing it is actually a monastery, not a nunnery, with monks’ quarters and an ecclesiastic school on the premises.  It is a very rich monastery, we are told.  The monks have been given bee hives and vines over the years, so in turn, they have created a large business around honey products and wine.They’ve also reintroduced Bison into the national forest that surrounds the property, as well as curated one of the oldest libraries in the country.  Some of the very first books in Moldavia were printed here.

Secondly, it is much grander than the other monasteries, and completely protected by a huge stone wall (which turns out to be the back wall of the school and monks’ quarters) and fortified gates.  Once through the gates, the monastery itself is situated in a huge green courtyard with cobblestone walks leading to the front entrance.  The plain tan stones are a surprise, as there are no frescoes painted on the outside.  But that doesn’t make the structure any less grand.  The back drop of bright white and black tin roofed buildings housing the monastery school and monks’ quarters totally sets off the monastery itself, providing a fabulous contrast to the massive stone structure.

As we get closer, we can see the detail brick design used on the walls, windows and door sills.  Colored bricks are interspersed with the stone to create colorful patterns around the palladium windows, up the walls and under the eaves of the black singled roof. There also round metal looking features embedded into the stonework around the curved tops of the windows providing subtle color against the tan stone.

We meet our priest guide here, who is somewhat of a hoot and keeps Cristina laughing about some joke he’s telling her, and proceed inside the monastery, where joy of joys!, we can actually take photos!  (Not that you’ll ever see them until I get the Google Photos/Open LiveWriter debacle figured out!) The frescoes inside are beautiful, but not restored so you can see up close the degradation, but also the artistry that went into every single painting.  We all spend a while milling around the inside of the monastery with its wooden carved pulpits and gorgeous gold Virgin Mary icon then head back outside to visit the ossuary.

I’m not 100% certain the actual reason for the Ossuary, which is a displayed collection of bones and skulls from previous monks. Maybe they ran out of room in the cemetery? Maybe they were dug up when the communists moved the graveyard from the interior courtyard to its current location (for tourism)?  Who knows? It was either lost in the translation, or I just didn’t take good notes.  Nonetheless, we are led into this big long room that is lined with carved rock “shelving” upon which sits engraved skulls and miscellaneous bones.  The engravings on the skulls are the apparently the name of the monk and date of death.  How would they know this, you might ask? I’ll tell you:  Each monk was buried with a brick engraved with date of death and rank of the monk at time of death under his head.  When exhumed, their skulls could then be engraved in the same fashion. 

Grisly. Yes.  But as the sweet, funny monk tells us (through Cristina) that since the 18th century,  death has not been a comfortable word.  But it is a reality of life.  We are just travelers in this life.  It's a journey not a destination and we live life by the day not by the years.  We need to make each day important to ourselves, and have joy, be better and be human.

Now that’s a very fitting way to turn a slightly disturbing visit into a wonderful ending.  With that we wonder through the cemetery, retrace our steps through the monastery courtyard and return to the bus where Yuntz has a regional surprise for us – eclairs!  Home baked by his wife!  Not!  But still, very sweet, literally and figuratively.  We give some to a monk sitting on the stone wall outside the monastery, mill around a bit as some folks go into the gift shop, then take our leave for the hour plus ride back to the hotel. 

9/26– Painted monasteries of Voronet and Humor

Today most of us are taking the optional tour to the painted monasteries, one of the highlights of the trip.  We had actually hesitated on booking this tour for some reason now lost to us, but a neighbor who used to live in these parts in the 80’s told us it was not to be missed, so on her advice, we booked it.  The monasteries (actually 2 of them are nunneries) were all began in the 1500’s and the frescoes painted at the time still exist – somehow preserved throughout the communist era and beyond.  We’ll learn the background for the preservation during our 2 hour drive to the first stop:  The famous blue monastery - Voronet Monastery.

The drive takes us through beautiful farmland filled with more sheep than you can count (especially while trying to stay awake!  Yeah, boo, hiss, I know….) and fields of sunflowers waving in the breeze.  It’s an overcast day with the threat of rain, but so far, we’re lucky with only cloudy skies. 

Cristina, as usual, keeps us busy during the drive with the history of the Moldova region: Legend has it the region was founded by Prince Dragus who liked to hunt with his horse and dog, called Molda.  They crossed the mountains chasing some special bull with a star on its head (maybe called an Oreck?) and finally cornered the bull, but it gored the dog to death.  The prince buried the dog by the river where it died and named the region Moldova after it.  Sweet.  From a historical perspective, Moldova is called the land of the monasteries because Stephen the Great ruled here until his death, the longest reign in recorded Romania.  He was very religious, and after every battle, he erected a Monastery. His ancestors continued the tradition and now there are, I think, 400+ monasteries in the region.

The number may not be accurate, but we are here to tell you there are definitely a ton of monasteries here!  Every little town we pass has a Monastery, even the teensiest of villages.  In one town we can see 5 monasteries in the distance.  These structures have survived through Austrian rule (which basically shut down Monastic Orthodox life) and the communist rule, which was a little better because the communist rulers were afraid to ban religion outright, understanding how important religion was to their citizens.  During communist times, Romanians had services at home and the government kept the monasteries and churches in shape for tourism and the profits tourism could bring them.

So, that is how these incredible structures with their frescoes remain intact and available today. Voronet was turned back into a monastery in 1991 and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.  By this time, we are arriving at Voronet, where Cristina gives us our marching orders – NO SHOPPING. We’ll have time to shop on the way out – not on the way in. What she does though, is to stop us at one of the stores where the owner gives us explanations and demonstrations about the special egg painting that is common to the region.  These are real eggshells, just with the egg’s somehow extracted from them, then painted in intricate detail.  The final result is a hardened shell that doesn’t really feel like a real egg, but is nonetheless.  They are really neat – and the store owner is a real showman – which makes the little display even more entertaining.

After finishing with our demonstration, and Cristina promising we’ll be back to shop, we walk up to the monastery, paying our 10 lei photo fee.  That fee is totally worth it.  The monastery is everything people say it is.  An astonishing display of artistic and religious expression that just doesn’t seem like it is for real – yet it is – standing right there in front of you….since 1530!

The monastery was built in honor of a hermit named Daniil who told Stephen the Great he should confront and fight the Turks.  After Stephen the Great defeated the Turks, he built the monastery and Daniil became the first monk.  Besides the obvious age and amazing artistry, Voronet is also famous for the blue color in the frescoes.  It is wholly different than any other monastery, has never been replicated and no one knows how they created the color.

The frescoes were started because the congregation couldn’t understand the language in which the sermons were given, nor could they read.  So frescoes were born to describe the bible stories and allegories the priests were telling.  Frescoes on the round part of the building represent the heavenly church, on the back end there is an entire story of the last Judgement, including heaven and hell with the devil, the sinners, the angels and St. Peter at the gate.  The stories are fascinating, and the artistry amazing – even more amazing these aren’t restored, they are original frescoes, as is evidenced when we walk around the corner to the west facing wall (I think it was west anyway!).  Here the elements have all but destroyed most of the frescoes, leaving nothing but a shadow of their original grandeur.

Inside the monastery, the frescoes have been partially restored, yet, once again, we aren’t allowed to take any photographs.  Typically Romanian Orthodox, the monastery is set up into the three areas of worship along with the icons and back wall hiding the altar.  Frescoes are everywhere, which is why this particular monastery is called “The Sistine Chapel of the East.”  Every square inch is painted with vibrant biblical scenes, including the main dome which is always painted with Jesus at the very top.

After taking our time to wander through the interior, and walk around the exterior of the monastery for the last time, we take our leave, stopping at the little cemetery at the entrance gate for a few photos of the elegantly carved headstones and grave markers.  Then it’s on to the shopping!  Of course. Although, really, we’ve not had many opportunities to shop and this little gauntlet isn’t all that bad – there is the one main store (that have various little showrooms – all belonging to the main shop) and they carry a variety of all the local Romanian/Moldavian wares.  We end up with some wooden trivets to replace one of our Ukranian trivets of the same type that had broken, and of course eggs – how can we resist the eggs – as well as the coolest earrings with bear paw prints!  There are brown bears here, not grizzlies, but similar to our black bears, and thus the bear paws.  I couldn’t be happier!

Then its back on the bus for the next stop, the Humor Monastery.  It’s barely a 10 minute drive away, so we are there in a jiffy, passing another horse drawn cart filled with what looks like building supplies on the way.  Humor was built in 1530, with the frescoes painted in 1535 and, whereas Voronet was dedicated to St. George, Humor is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It is build in the traditional fashion, with the round turret looking end facing north and the long rectangular part of the monastery stretching out behind it.  Stretching might be a bit of a misnomer, as this is one of the smallest monasteries, but it is no less beautiful or amazing.

These frescoes are painted in a red theme, but follow the same stories and allegories as Voronet, the heavenly church, the Last Judgement, etc.  Although two frescoes stand out here, one tells the story of the siege of Constantinople, to make the villagers aware of the threat from the Turks, and the other which depicts the devil as a woman.  No comments! 

Here again, the frescoes on the western facing wall of the monastery are degrading rapidly, while the others remain fairly intact. While not as intact as Voronet, it is said to be one of the most well-preserved monasteries in the area.  Beautiful! As is the case with virtually every place of worship in the country, Humor was all but shut down in the 1700s with the Hapsburg empire’s reign, and opened up again in the 1990’s after the communist rule fell.  It is now, once again a nunnery, all are depicted around the walls of the monastery. 

There is a lovely brick and wooden watch tower that I bet we could climb for a view of the countryside, but no one mentions it and we are herded back out of monastery courtyard, into more little shopping stalls with more touristy items than at Voronet. We use our time to wander through the streets, looking at another monastery – not a painted one – sitting in the plots next to Humor.  Then crossing the street to yet another cemetery, this one with the beautiful forested hills in the background. 

Back on the bus, it’s time to head for our lunch stop – and Yuntz (our driver’s) chance to visit his wife, daughter and today, the family cat, while we have lunch.  He lives here in the Bucovina region and the family always comes to meet him for lunch when we arrive for our tour.  Sweet!