RE-EXAMINING ROMANIA- A summing up of the state of affairs

.......previously, our last blog post from Romania, featuring the towns of Turda and Oradea, and our train journey through Hungary to get back to Serbia........

Considering Romania was a brand new country for us to travel around in, we thought we would take a minute to record some practicalities of the country. 1 GBP=5.70 RON

Breb village- our favourite place in Romania

Train travel in Romania was every bit as terrific as we had hoped. The Romanian Railway website was available as an English version and was easy to use. We would find out routes, times and prices online, and then buy a ticket directly from the station just before our trip. It also appeared that tickets could be bought on the train at the same cost. Most of the time we were able to travel where we wanted to via a direct train. Although not as cheap as in, say, neighbouring Serbia, the train price to service ratio was acceptable. The state run service CFR (!!) competed with private companies, but we found them all to be of comparable quality. Most of the trains we took were practically empty- Romanian people prefer the buses due to time restraints.

Romanian train at station

Romanian train inside

Speaking of buses, this was a common transport in Maramures. There are some trains in the region, but they didn't match up with our destination preferences and times. Mostly minibuses, they were fine- comfortable, direct, reasonably priced and the drivers didn't speed.

Hitch-hiking, however, was our main mode of transport in Maramures. It is a very acceptable way of travel in Romania, locals also partake. Sometimes money is exchanged, sometimes not. Mostly we were picked up by people curious to meet us, and the offer of money was refused. One exception to this was the main road between Sighetu and Sapanta, which seemed to be solely serviced by shared taxis. It was, perhaps, slightly more pricey than a bus, but as we paid the same as the locals, we couldn't complain. 

Accommodation was the biggest strain on our budget whilst travelling in Romania. Again, we had the issue of a unwanted and unnecessarily high standard of rooms- we are most happy with a cheap and cheerful basic room, but there are not too many of those in this part of the world. We were able to get over it, however, and enjoy the luxury! Rooms varied between wee studios, proper big apartments, hostel rooms, a shared Air B and B flat, a village cottage and small guesthouses. Regardless of the type of digs, we were paying on average around 110 RON/20GBP per night. Obviously, the accommodation with kitchens were better value, as we had the advantage of cooking for ourselves. We have found hostels in Europe to be overpriced in general, and although we sometimes stay in them for the social aspect, there are much better value for money options out there travelling as a couple. 

Fancy studio in Sibiu, Romania

Part of our apartment in Oradea, Romania

As people who know us, or read our blog will know, we love second hand clothes shopping, and Romania was a perfect place to restock our falling apart wardrobes for the coming summer. All the towns we visited had many small op shops, with fine prices and items often imported from Germany. We also visited a few big second hand clothing markets, but these didn't seem as common as, for instance, in the Balkans.

At the beginning of our visit, as we had chosen to travel in spring, there wasn't a particularly great range of fresh produce around, and many items were imported from Greece or Spain until the season got underway in Romania. As summer began in earnest, more local items such as tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, spring onion and herbs, and eventually some stone fruit started to appear on market stalls. Best of all was when the amazing strawberry season began- big, juicy and flavoursome. All the big European supermarkets were represented in Romania, and most stocked a good range of local foods and drinks. Markets were predictably fantastic. As well as offering mostly regional produce, they were great places to people watch, and see the peculiarities of a particular town. 

Yummy strawberries at Romanian market stall

Travelling on a budget, we mostly tried to cut costs by cooking ourselves and eating simply. When we sussed out the lunch special many restaurants had for the equivalent of 15 RON/2.50GPB, we ate a few meals out in traditional restaurants to try different dishes.

Fabulous food at home, Romania

Restaurant feast, with snitel, cabbage, mamaliga and pork with horseradish

We noticed many influences from the Balkan and Ottoman worlds in the Romanian cuisine- ciorba soup (the tripe version was the most popular), chiftele (kofta), fasole (bean casserole) and stuffed cabbage leaves/peppers. Austria and Hungary were represented with snitel (schnitzel) and gulas (goulash). Mamaliga (polenta) was a staple, and garlic, dill and pork appeared in a great many dishes. Rich loved the alcohol soaked "chocolate salami", a moist cake log. 

Every kind of sausage in pastry, Bucharest

Beans and sausage

Chocolate salami log

Booze was everywhere and some quite cheap and delicious local wines and beers could be found in the supermarkets. Interestingly, we didn't try the local tipple palinca (or horinca as it's known in the north) until we arrived in Maramures region, and then we had the delicious plum spirit almost every day. Another cherry flavoured liqueur we never got the name of, was also popular in this region, but it was too sweet for us. We were informed it was a ladies drink! Draft beer and palinca at a cheap bar were 4 RON/0.70GBP.

Two of the most popular beers in Romania

Romanian people could not be described as having a specific look, more of a homogenous "European" presence (whatever that means, these days). Fair-haired Saxon descendants and the odd red head, mingled with very dark, Indian-looking Roma people. The was also a relatively high presence of other ethnicities in the bigger towns, eg. Asian. We were often asked for directions etc in Romanian, indicating that if we could pass for locals, the look of the population was indeed very diverse! Roma people, although a minority, stood out in their often brilliant coloured clothes. Women went for sparkly shirts and aprons with scarves in their hair, and men often wore large brimmed black hats and waistcoats. 

Romanis dressed up for market day, Romania

The all important scarf, Romania

As we've said previously, Romanian men really do love a hat. Almost all older gentlemen wore them, as well as many younger members of the population. In particular in Maramures, men seem to stick just about anything on their head and call it a hat!

Common hat look in Romania

Saxons, Romani and Hungarians are the largest minorities in Romania today. Saxon culture remains strong, particularly in Transylvania, and Hungarians the same in the Banat region (western Romania). Numbers are less these days after the Romanian Revolution, when masses left to return to their homelands of Germany and Hungary. The Jewish community also greatly diminished after World War II when huge migration to Israel and the USA occurred.  

We noticed the difference distinctly moving from region to region, visually, but also in the attitude of people, especially when we entered the region of Maramures (populated mostly with Romanians). In the bigger towns of Transylvania and Banat people were pleasant enough, smiley and helpful if we needed it. But from Baia Mare northwards, locals showed us real kindness, and were genuinely welcoming, usually with smiles and sign language as less people spoke English in this area.

One cannot write about the Romania without mentioning how quiet the country is. Even in the bigger towns, we were rarely disturbed by any kind of noise whatsoever. Occasionally in country areas, dogs barking in the distance could get slightly annoying, but generally Romanians are subdued and calm people. This was especially amazing for us after spending the six previous months in Egypt, which is the exact opposite!!

They are a patriotic people, with Romanian flags on the streets, houses and businesses, as well as plastered on their clothes and even hats. They seem proud of the culture and heritage, and not ashamed to visually proclaim as much.

We've been reproved for our lack of maps in these Romanian blogs, sorry for that, George! Here's our movements for the last couple of months below........

A rough idea of our route through Romania, starting in Bucharest, and exiting into Hungary in the west

And that's all for Romania! We loved the country, and would definitely return for a visit, especially to the north. For now, however, we move on to new countries, and find somewhere to spend the summer.

Classic old Romanian made Dacia car

......further summer travels to Northern Serbia and Bosnia...........

DRUNKS ON THE BORDER - Sighetu Marmatiei and surrounds, Maramures, Romania

.......read here about our special time visiting the wonderful village of Breb, Romania........

Fantastic tombstones at Merry Cemetery, Sapanta, Romania

Sighetu Marmatiei was a small town in the far north of Romania, on the border with Ukraine. Our accommodation there was on the outskirts of town, and in many ways we still felt like we were in the country side. Here was the biggest number of horse and carts we had seen yet, an almost constant clip-clop outside our window, with hay and other goods being transported around in the old fashioned way. Bicycles were also an extremely popular form of transport. We noticed in this area, all small local shops had a sort of modest beer garden attached- a courtyard with chairs, tables and umbrella for the mostly workmen that gathered there to drink and chat. We had to laugh at one shop upon spotting two rough looking old boys sharing a bottle of white wine they had just bought and had opened in the shop, with plastic cups. Classy!

Back streets around our guesthouse, Sighetu Marmatiei

Our train (only kidding!), Sighetu Marmatiei

Tiny train station, Sighetu Marmatiei

Buses in these parts are few and far between, and finding information about transport online in English is nearly impossible. We decided to give hitch-hiking a go again to get to Barsana, after a successful and easy trip from Breb to Sighetu Marmatiei. We had a succession of lifts, only waiting a few minutes for each one, and briefly met some lovely and diverse people. 

After arriving in the village of Barsana, and enjoying a stroll around the backstreets, we walked up the hill to the peaceful and deserted site of the humble Wooden Church of Barsana. We discovered a sign with the opening hours and entrance fee, but no one attending. We sat on the steps and ate our lunch and waited, and eventually had to summon a young woman who arrived shortly after and showed us around, giving us some history of the place.

Originally built in another part of Barsana, the church (officially known as The Church of the Presentation of the Virgin) was moved to it's present position and renovated around 1800. It was placed in it's current position- a cemetery for plague victims. The exterior was impressive- Richard was particularly interested in the building technique, with huge, long and thick beams held together with wooden pegs. 

Quiet location of Barsana Wooden Church

But it was the interior we were glad we had persisted with seeing, as it was a unique array of scenes from the Bible characterized by local and amateur artists at the time. Painted in blue, red, white and green, the portrayals were unusual in their style and unlike anything we had seen before. Every surface had been covered, some with intricate and detailed pictures. Unfortunately, a large part of one wall had suffered from damp, and that entire section was missing. The inside was dark, and photos were difficult to take, but we did our best.

Eerie eye watching over, Barsana Wooden Church

Ancient detailed paintings, Barsana Wooden Church

The eyes have it, Barsana Wooden Church

We actually stayed in two different accommodations in Sighetu (long story!), and on arrival at our digs on the opposite side of town (hitchhiked again), we were immediately given a shot of palinca, although it was 9am- great way to start the day!! The host seemed conscious of building works going on in the complex, and every day appeased us with strong coffees and alcoholic drinks for free- this was our kind of hotel!

Our day trip to Sapanta was one of the best we had had yet. This stretch of road wasn't as successful for hitch hiking, as there was an established share taxi system in place. So we squashed into a Dacia (Romania's car company) with some others, Sal on Rich's knee, and paid the driver upon arrival. The cost was the same for us as the locals, but we were surprised at the slightly high price. 

Souvenir stalls from the main road showed us the way to Merry Cemetery, an unexpectedly incredible graveyard filled to the brim of colourful tombstones. Apparently one villager started the custom of carving individual tombstones containing pictures of each person and a humorous poem about their lives in 1935. He wanted their lives to be remembered happily. We loved the detail in the carvings, mostly depicting the person's profession, or something they were presumably known for or loved doing. A few funny tombstones showed people drinking in a bar, or just awkwardly standing doing nothing. Mostly the women were weaving and the men were farming, but many other depictions included firemen, miners, soldiers, mothers and cooks, and some showed the manner of death. It was so delightful, and sweet, but also sad- we felt like we saw a piece of these people who had died. 

Sleepy stall owner, Sapanta, Romania

These guys interests lay in drinking! Merry Cemetery, Sapanta

Car crash scene, Merry Cemetery, Sapanta

Colourful church, Merry Cemetery, Sapanta

A drowning? Merry Cemetery, Sapanta

A bartender's lot, Merry Cemetery, Sapanta

A collection of a few of the hundreds of wonderful headstones at the Merry Cemetery, Sapanta:

A stroll away was the calm Sapanta-Peri Monastery in a glorious situation down the end of a dead end pastoral path, and surrounded by woods. The unbelievably tall Wooden Church (the tallest in the world, it is claimed) was marvellous, and although the whole complex was deserted and locked up, we were able to enjoy the spectacle of the exterior and wonder at the engineering involved in the building. We wondered around the complex briefly, before exiting via a lovely path. 

Wonderful oak in the small forest, Sapanta-Peri Monastery

Tallest wooden steeple in the world, Sapanta-Peri Monastery

Incredible engineering, Sapanta-Peri Monastery

Huge size of the logs, Sapanta-Peri Monastery

Our pretty path out of Sapanta-Peri Monastery

Other days around Sighetu, we enjoyed checking out the extremely cute and old fashioned town centre. Unlike many of the other old towns we had visited, nothing much had been done to "improve" Sighetu town centre, and as a result, some lovely old retro signs and shops remained giving a daggy and nostalgic atmosphere. We wandered five minutes to the bridge to Ukraine, and found the frontier to be relaxed and quiet. We sat in a café directly in front of the border, and watch a handful of people walk over with bits and pieces they hoped to sell for a profit in more expensive Romania. We noticed that a packet of Ukrainian ciggies were half the price of the Romanian version!

The grandest building in Sapanta town centre

The Sighetu central market was brilliant. After a look around and buying some delish local strawberries for 0.80GBP a kilo, we sat in a bar, careful to avoid the drunk slouched at a table behind us, and people watched for a while. Hats galore and ladies in scarves, people were dressed in all sorts of garb, and we loved the little stalls selling tiny amounts of dried beans or bunches of herbs, obviously straight from their own backyards. Other stalls sold in bulk, but really it was mostly strawberries, and locals taking advantage of the season were buying up kilos at a time. People were really nice to us- no English, but plenty of smiles and Buna Ziuas (hello in Romanian). Sitting at the tiny bar with a palinca (we really do enjoy divey bars here!), one Roma man with a mane of hair made friends with Rich, and tried to sell him a huge fur coat. It fitted well, but the wrong time of year!

Strawberries galore, Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

Getting ready for spring planting, Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

Home made booze for sale, Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

Anticipation! Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

The main street in Sighetu was equal amounts cafes and churches. We made a point to go in as many churches as we could manage, to see the contrast between the different denominations. Religion here is a bit complicated, but it seems most people used to be Greco Catholic before the Communism time, with a minority of Orthodox Christian. Then they were somehow joined into one for some time, and now they both exist, but the majority of worshippers are now Orthodox. There was once a large Jewish population in Romania, but most of these left after WWII, although many synagogues remain throughout Transylvania especially. We didn't see a single mosque or outwardly identifiable Muslim person during our Romanian travels. Anyway, Sighetu's main drag was home to places of worship for Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Greco Catholics, Reform and probably others.

Orthodox cathedral, Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

Partly because of the rainy weather we experienced for much of our stay in Sighetu, and partly because we stayed in guesthouses with no kitchen, we decided to splash out and try some Romanian food specialities. We hadn't realized that many restaurants had lunch specials with two or three courses for around 15 RON/2.50GBP, and we went a bit crazy eating and trying different dishes for a few days. 

A Romanian feast including snitel (schnitzel), cabbage, mamaliga (polenta) and grilled pork

We were still enchanted with travelling around Romania, and looked forward to the next step, wherever that would be.

Slow train not coming, Sighetu Marmatiei, Maramures

.........next up the Art Nouveau town of Oradea, Romania.........