Day Five: Magic Maramures in Northern Romania
We were enchanted by the Marmaures region. It has been untouched by modern life, and the farming techniques are much the same as they were in the middle ages. We were lucky to see the harvesting of the hay at this time of the year, done with scythes, wooden rakes, and pitch-forks. Then it is transported on a horse-cart to make stacks or pile in barns. The road follows a valley that is the border with the Ukraine. At one stage we could look across at a town with a Ukrainian-style church... a sort of onion-shaped dome. It was frustrating to see th eUkraine but not be able to visit.... well, we will one day!!
We stopped at Sapanta to see the famous cemetery where the wooden crosses are carved and painted. Some tell stories of the mode of death, e.g. a car accident; and others tell about the character of the person, e.g. a chap sitting morosely at a table with a bottle and a glass.
By chance we decided to visit the local monastery as well, and this was a real treat. It has an amazing wooden church, the largest in Europe. It is 75 metres tall, built from solid oak. It took 7 years to build, and is not quite finished inside. The "wolf-bite" joints in the huge oak beams are amazing to see, pefectly cut and fitted by hand. It is clad in handmade wooden roof shingles, that are four deep. We were shown around by the son of the priest (also training to be apriest), who spoke good English, having studied theology in New York for three years. He also introduced us to one of the nuns and showed us their temporary quarters. They plan to have 100 nuns at the monastery within the next few years.
Further on we stopped at a small ancient wooden church. These are very historic, and had the entire interior painted. We were shown the inside by an elederly woman from next door who appeared with an enormous key, and spoke some French so we were able to learn something of the history of the church.
Late in the afternoon we drove south to Dej, a small town. We found an old communist-style 2-star hotel for the night. Dinner was good, but there was no hot water at all.
We stopped at Sapanta to see the famous cemetery where the wooden crosses are carved and painted. Some tell stories of the mode of death, e.g. a car accident; and others tell about the character of the person, e.g. a chap sitting morosely at a table with a bottle and a glass.
By chance we decided to visit the local monastery as well, and this was a real treat. It has an amazing wooden church, the largest in Europe. It is 75 metres tall, built from solid oak. It took 7 years to build, and is not quite finished inside. The "wolf-bite" joints in the huge oak beams are amazing to see, pefectly cut and fitted by hand. It is clad in handmade wooden roof shingles, that are four deep. We were shown around by the son of the priest (also training to be apriest), who spoke good English, having studied theology in New York for three years. He also introduced us to one of the nuns and showed us their temporary quarters. They plan to have 100 nuns at the monastery within the next few years.
Further on we stopped at a small ancient wooden church. These are very historic, and had the entire interior painted. We were shown the inside by an elederly woman from next door who appeared with an enormous key, and spoke some French so we were able to learn something of the history of the church.
Late in the afternoon we drove south to Dej, a small town. We found an old communist-style 2-star hotel for the night. Dinner was good, but there was no hot water at all.
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