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.........

THE COUNTRY LIFE - Breb, Maramures, Romania

.......our previous blog post about travelling around towns on trains in Transylvania here........

Sal amongst the dandelions, Breb, Romania

The train trip to the Maramures region of Romania, was lengthy but stunning. It was the first time we were not able to make a direct journey to our destination, and with a long wait in between the two trains, the day's travels stretched out to more than 12 hours. But once relaxed on the comfortable seats in the train, we were able to sit back and watch the absolutely gorgeous scenery unfold. Ramshackle little cottages with neat vegie gardens, dried corn in piles and stacks of wood, blossoms turning to fruit on the trees, bees in the gardens and wooden barns.

A nearly empty train, going to Baia Mare, Romania

A gateway into the  Maramures region of Romania, Baia Mare was functional and provided us with a few days break in order to take a breather, wash smelly clothes and catch up on our photos and blog (a never ending job in such an inspiring and picturesque country!). The town itself, although lacking big drawcard tourist sites, was pleasant enough, with the usual socialist-era flats and tree-lined streets. The central train station was a funky, but forlorn creation from the 1960s, no-one interested in it except Sal! We did notice immediately, the people seemed friendlier, having more time for us. The bus driver on the town bus, seeing our confusion at having to buy a ticket on the bus with a Visa card (!!), stopped the bus, came back and used his own card to buy us two tickets, and wouldn't even let us give him the money for doing so!

Cool 60s train station, Baia Mare, Romania

Breb village seemed well known amongst Romanians, but information was still not easy to come by in English online, especially in regard to transport. Many foreign travellers to this country have vehicles, and therefore most blogs etc do not mention the nitty gritty of travelling and arriving into more remote areas. We managed to find a bus at an ungodly hour of the morning leaving Baia Mare's weirdly shabby bus terminal. We traversed a small, twisty back road through some glorious mountains scenery to a turn off for the entrance to another world. 

As we left the main road and walked down the hill with our back packs, we breathed in the fresh air, gazed at the bucolic scene down in the valley ahead of us, and knew we had made the right choice in coming to Breb village. We didn't see a soul until down in the village itself, when individuals pottering around outside their houses started calling Buna Ziua! (Good day). Homes were incredibly decorated with wooden carvings dripping from every surface. We were instantly enchanted.

Walking down into Breb village

House with some homemade traditional garments for sale, Breb

Rounding a corner and seeing a cute wooden cottage with blue trim and a stream trickling by, we were delighted to realize this is where we would be staying! Not realizing when we booked online that it was an entire little complex, with a cottage (two quaint rooms with modern bathrooms), separate kitchen, a barn converted into a sort of loungeroom, a shed and the "boiler room". The latter, we realized a few days into our stay was where the owner was arriving every afternoon to make a fire for the heating and hot water in our room! We slept for about 18 hours on that first day and night, feeling a great sense of peace. 

Our little kitchen cottage, Breb

Our accommodation in Breb

Looking out into our courtyard, Breb

A short tour around our Breb digs.....

The five days we spent in this village were like paradise for us, and definitely the highlight of our trip in Romania thus far. We couldn't believe our eyes on the first day when we heard what sounded like sleigh bells coming from around the bend, followed by two beautiful big horses pulling a man in a wooden cart. This was only one of many old fashioned vehicles we would see, commonly used in the village to transport people, hay, firewood and anything else they could haul into the back. Every day we chose a different direction a walked in idyllic country scenery, relying mostly on Rich's sense of direction, as MapsMe wasn't up to the task. Breb is well know for it's agricultural small holding lifestyle, with most households having a few cows, sheep and chickens, as well as a small orchard, fields for crops and meadows producing hay for the livestock. People live a busy, but simple life. Time is rotated around the animals and crops, with winter being for weaving and wood carving. Apparently, the old sleds we saw hanging up on the sides of houses are used by folk to get around in the snow- we would dearly love to see that. The amount of wood drying in huge piles on every surface of the properties hinted to us that the winter is probably very harsh. During our Spring visit, everyone was outside for long hours, either tending their vegie patches, or drying the hay and making hayricks for feeding their animals.

Meadow with hayricks, Breb

Everyone working hard in the fields, Breb

Common transport in Breb and Maramures

Poser, Breb

Gazing at lovely scenery, Breb

Rich finding his dream home, Breb

Typical street in Breb

Beautiful meadow, Breb

Sal on rickety bridge, Breb

Many paths to follow around Breb

As we left the village on the small tracks used by horse and carts and tractors to access the fields, we loved the mix of woods, orchards and agricultural fields and meadows. The wildflowers were abundant- a vibrant mixture of shades of blues, purples, pinks, white and yellow. Apple orchards and wild cherry trees prevailed, although other fruits were being grown, and the white blossoms were coming to an end. Hazel hedges accompanied us on our walks, and we adored the way they had woven the shrub into intricate and quite lovely fences. Some pine trees, ash, alder and oak were common, and everyone was growing vegies in a patch behind their house.

Baby jay, Breb

Sal in more wildflowers, Breb

Another activity with much action was making of the local alcoholic drink- palinca, or horinca (the Ukrainian name of the national drink). Made with fruit, by the smell of it mainly plums, and wafting in the air everywhere we went was the whiff of the brew. On our first visit to the tiny local shop, two cups were thrust into our hands by the proud owner/ maker, and after finishing that, and a beer, we had to stagger back to our house for a nap! It's strong- stronger than any rakia we ever had in the Balkans. We did try another kind of alcoholic drink made from cherries, which we didn't catch the name of. This one was more sweet like a sherry, and not to our tastes. At the little shop we were also able to purchase fresh eggs and milk from the cows we had just watched being milked. It was Sal's first time drinking fresh milk in her 40-something years!

Rich, the palinca man and his still, Breb

Surprisingly, we met a fair few English speakers on our ambles. Romanians who had moved to the small, quiet place from big cities, and a Dutchman running the handsome local hostel and camp ground. Apparently, there was an Aussie living close by, but we weren't lucky enough to meet him. We enjoyed hearing their stories and learning their views about the village. Apparently, a British writer named William Blacker came to Breb in the 1990s, stayed several years and wrote a book about his experiences which encouraged European's interest in visiting the area. Then another British couple came some years later, fell in love with the place and bought up some land and several old houses in order to make an accommodation complex. One man told us that before the foreign interest, locals would pull down the beautiful old homes, burn the wood and build a new concrete replacement. Perhaps it took some outside interest to help locals realize the uniqueness and potential of their own culture. Nowadays, it is more fashionable than it used to be for Romanians to explore the small places in their own country, and they really seem to treasure extraordinary Breb.

Even barns are decorated in Breb

All homes have plenty of firewood in Breb

Abandoned cottage, Breb

Yard scene, Breb

People in Breb are Romanian (as opposed to the Saxon people who predominated the parts of Transylvania we had travelled through) and mostly wore traditional clothes. For women, young and old, this involved a bright knee length skirt, babushka style flowery headscarf and thick socks, often with Crocs to complete the outfit. Men all wore hats, of course, with a very strange little straw hat being fashionable for church. Many artisans live in the village, specializing in something exceptional, be it carving spectacular wood images, making alcohol, singing traditional music or poetry, and they seemed to be appreciated still for their skills from the old times.

Funny little Breb hats worn by men

Rich doesn't quite pull it off

Sal getting into the spirit, Breb

Lady working her garden, Breb

Many signs around the village indicating the workshops of craftsmen, Breb

Passing the house of an elderly lady, we waved to her, and she motioned for us to come in. She seemed a wonderful old soul, showing us her loom on the veranda of her old home, and brought out some rugs to show us, presumably hoping we might buy one. After a tour around the house, all two rooms of it full of weavings and embroideries, we thanked her and made to leave. She wasn't having any of it, and continued the tour down the garden in her very simple sleeping and cooking quarters. When we once again made to leave, she brought out the palinca in hope to draw out our stay! We had only just left for our walk for the day, and as it was 9am, a touch early in the day for the hard stuff. We knew from the look in her eye if we accepted, we'd have a hard job leaving! 

Lovely old lady weaving on her veranda, Breb

Her colourful home full of her work, Breb

Nowadays, it seems everyone loves the history of the place, and even new built houses have wooden and traditional elements to them. The village had three churches, the old wooden Catholic church built in the 1500s, which was closed and not used. A wander around the adjoining quiet cemetery presented more of the unusual graves we had been seeing in the area. Wooden crosses were supplemented by what looked like an old saw blade over the top to create a piece of a tomb art. A brand new Catholic wooden church, and the not so charming grand concrete Orthodox church with silver spires completed the village's trio of religious buildings.

Gate in church yard, Breb

View up to Breb old wooden church

An assortment of graves, Breb church yard

Breb church and abandoned graveyard

Magnificent gate on the Breb church yard

The main feature on most homes was the imposing entrance gate, mostly made of oak, the predominant wood in the area. Historically, the bigger the gate, the richer the inhabitant, and more protection they could afford. Some gate elements these days are modern, but there are still some signs from the old days, such as the sun, twisted wood, and oak leaves that represented elements of nature, and helped to protect the property. The classic complex had one bigger house, several large barns and outbuildings for animals and a small cottage for granny. It occurred to us that much of the decoration on the homes, barns, gates and fences had no practical reason, and were purely for the soul.

Elaborate carvings on gate, Breb

Gorgeous woven hazel fence, breb

Carving detail, oak leaf, Breb

Common for houses to have colourful pots out the front, Breb

Even new built houses have traditional elements, Breb

Breb is one of the most special places we have visited- definitely in Europe. It kind of reminded us of villages in Central Asia we had loved, but it held it's own unique charm. We loved it so much, and can imagine a return visit to soak up some more of it's whimsical charm.

Two weary travellers!

.......further travels north to Sighetu and surrounds and the unique sights there........