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
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.
The train from Brasov further into Transylvania was another visual treat. This time agricultural scenes of green and yellow fields with pretty hills and sheep grazing in the distance formed the view out the window. Small villages with almost exclusively white Saxon-style church spires, red tiled roofs and the odd horse and cart appeared every few miles. We were shocked to see some extremely basic villages with houses made of rough bits of timber and seemingly populated by Roma people.
Inside the Romanian train, Brasov to Sighisoara
Villages whizzing by our window, train from Brasov to Sighisoara, Romania
Scenic backyards in village, from the train, Romania
We'd booked a hostel online in Sighisoara, liking the look of the ancient building, and hoping there might be some other travellers up for a chat. What we found instead was an empty, soulless place with a cranky and rude proprietor. Since we had already paid for for five nights, we made the best of the situation. The building was indeed a relic of the medieval village, and smack bang in the middle of the old town, but the lack of atmosphere and the bad attitude of the owner was disappointing.
Our hostel street, Sighisoara, Romania
Pretty Sighisoara is unique for it's completely and intensely intact citadel. The small cobblestoned centre inside the fortified walls and towers is a condensed preservation of the town as it was in medieval times. Only quaint small shops, cafes, restaurants and pensions in the old style are present, with all the main and modern shopping being down the hill in the downtown area. We're not sure how the colouring system works in such protected places, but each building was painted a different shade of pastel, and the results were charming. All traffic except essential vehicles seemed to be banned, so it was delightfully tranquil to stroll around.
Clock tower off the main square, Sighisoara, Romania
Sighisoara was settled in the 12th century by the Saxons, at the request of the King of Hungary, in order to fortify, protect and settle the town. The German/Saxon roots and influence on architecture and culture is still apparent in the town, particularly in the hillside cemetery, where names such as Schmitt, Muller and Wagner prevailed amongst the headstones. Our early morning walk there was enhanced by the twittering of so many songbirds.
Old Saxon graveyard, Sighisoara, Romania
Spires and turrets of a myriad of houses, churches and fortifications dominated the skyline. The diminutive main square, Piata Cetatii, was home to a few handsome cafe/bars, which were a pleasant spot to sit, watch and enjoy an Ursus (Bear) beer. A few days into our visit there was an influx of young students into the town- if it hadn't been for them, the place would have been nearly empty.
A pleasant place for a beer, Piata Cetatii, Sighisoara, Romania
An empty Piata Cetatii, Sighisoara, Romania
Although not many travellers about, Sighisoara was clearly a touristy place in busier times. We had a brochure for Medieval Minigolf thrust into our hands in the square, and were left wondering what that was all about. The Dracula tack was in full flow- T-shirts, souvenirs, Dracula's supposed birth room and some sad looking Dracula "experiences" with mannequins, creepy music and the story of Vlad's life (for more information about that myth, see our last blog post here).
Dracula was here, Sighisoara, Romania
Statue of Vlad, Sighisoara, Romania
We best enjoyed the citadel first thing in the morning, before anyone else was up, and we had the place to ourselves to watch the sunrise and the light gradually glowing onto the medieval buildings on the hill.
We escaped the centre for what we thought was going to be a stroll in an ancient oak forest on the outskirts of town. MapsMe, however, had other ideas, and took us on a hike up a vertical hill. As lovely as the views were, we were happy to arrive in the actual forest amongst the oak and beech trees, and on relatively flat ground again. A host of bugs accompanied us on our walk- bees, beetles, little flies and the odd butterfly. We had already happily noticed on previous walks how many insects are about in Romania.
Resting on the hike up a hill, Sighisoara, Romania
Bears about! Sighisoara, Romania
Spring flowers, Sighisoara, Romania
Green oak and beech forest, Sighisoara, Romania
We slept badly at the hostel, especially when a group of Hungarian teenagers descended on the place for two nights, and weren't sad to leave early one morning. We were so excited upon our arrival in Sighisoara, we barely noticed the train station. At 6am on our departure day, however, it was a hovel, full of down and outs, some sleeping, some drunk, and the whole place reeked like sweat. No signs showed departing trains, the only thing that seemed to work in the building was the ear splitting speakers whenever an announcement blasted out. Worst of all it must be the only train station in Romania with no coffee machine! We were NOT happy! Luckily our train was on time and we jumped on when it arrived. Although the trip to Sibiu was only two hours, because of our lack of proper sleep for several days, it was spent in an uncomfortable, un-caffeinated daze, and our bodies ached when we alighted. What we remember of the scenery was misty farmland.
Sal trying not to be grumpy, early morning train Sighisoara to Sibiu, Romania
We were delighted to find our studio in a historic building in the Upper Town of Sibiu to be welcoming, clean, quiet and well equipped for cooking. Accommodation in Romania is a fair bit more expensive than what we would usually pay on our travels, and we hoped cooking our own meals would save a bit of dosh, and also allow us to eat some meals we had been missing.
Lovely studio, Sibiu, Romania
Sibiu contrasted Sighisoara in it's grander size and it's more "lived in" feeling. The old city was separated in Lower Town and Upper town. Various picturesque lanes, bridges, passage ways and stairs connected the two, and part of a splendid wall with towers surrounded the entire medieval part. The Upper town historically was lived in by the upper class, and was dominated by market squares of various sizes, these days full of ritzy cafes and surrounded by museums. Lower town was primarily inhabited by tradesmen back in the day. Sibiu has the highest German population of all the towns in Transylvania, and has been a centre for the Saxons since it's founding in medieval times.
Tranquil small streets of Sibiu, Romania
Decorated church archway, Sibiu, Romania
A man and his bike, Sibiu, Romania
Many staircases in Sibiu, Romania
The weather started warming up into a proper European late spring during our stay, and we were able to enjoy wandering, sitting in the parks and partaking in outdoor coffees and ice creams. One special evening was spent in a Baroque hall listening to a young pianist's rendition of Romanian composer George Enescu's sonata, in between Beethoven and Liszt works. Sibiu has always been famous for it's cultural activities- many famous composers of the 19th century played here, and nowadays it has it's own Philharmonic Orchestra.
Bar in a historic tunnel, Sibiu, Romania
Outdoor cafes, Sibiu, Romania
Two churches stood out for us, for different reasons. The Byzantine-style Orthodox Cathedral had an opulent interior, all gleaming with gold mosaics glowing with sunlight entering via the stained glass windows, and deep blue based paintings depicting uniquely Romanian biblical scenes on every surface. We sat happily in this place for some time soaking up the wonderful space and ambience.
Byzantine features, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania
Heavenly light shining in, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania
Freaky painting, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania
Love the carpet in this ceiling scene, Orthodox Cathedral
Conversely, the Gothic stylings of St Mary's Evangelical Lutheran church were downright weird. The colourful tiles on the exterior of the spire were appealing, but inside was another story. We've come across strange cherubs in churches before, most notably in Portugal's Baroque churches. But the baby carvings in Sibiu's Lutheran church were creepy and ugly, and combined with the skeletons, an evil-looking organ and a disquieting atmosphere in the building, we were happy to leave after only a brief look around.
Interesting church decorations, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania
Ugly little characters, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania
At least the exterior was pretty, St Mary's Evangelical church
Repulsive little babies, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu
Our last day in Sibiu saw us becoming carried away at the local flea market, a much worthier affair than we were expecting. An overwhelming place with piles of old junk, clothes, food, tools, and many other items, we happily spend hours wandering and sticky-beaking into what everyone was doing, selling, buying and eating. The best thing was the local Romas dressed to the nines for a Sunday out, with gold, sparkling and colourful clothes and scarves for the women, and a cowboy look for the men with black hats and leather waistcoats. A weirdly huge amount of second hand work clothes, hi-viz vests etc took up a large portion of the items for sale, and we were interested to note, there was only a couple of stalls selling communist-era paraphernalia. Most other post-Communist/USSR countries we have visited have piles of old medals, military uniforms, badges and reading matter from the old times for sale in their flea markets, but Romania doesn't seem so keen on remembering that past. Food was on offer- the choice of BBQ meat, bread and beer.
Cool dude selling junk, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania
Pork in different forms for sale, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania
All sorts for sale, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania
Roma men looking dapper, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania
Splendid Roma women's outfits, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania
We realized the reason we like flea markets so much in foreign countries is the glimpse into the past and the tacky present, the reflection of what locals consider precious and worth keeping and buying. Culturally, it can speak volumes about a place.
Romanian men, in particular, love a hat. Most men favour either a trilby or fedora style, or the cowboy-like black Gypsy style with a broad brim to keep the sun off.
Romanians love a hat!
We felt like we had only begun to scratch the surface in Transylvania, but from Sibiu we were to travel further north to the Maramures region, and hopefully experience some more wonderful, contrasting areas of Romania.
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