Month: May 2023 Page 1 of 4

Tired but very happy bunny today. Best bike ride of the trip so far. Cycled from Viseu de Sus to Botos – 52 miles and 3600ft of ascent – route takes you over The Pasul Prislop. Going up not as hard as I expected – nice gentle switch backs. Overcast and a little rain at times which was a good thing as didn’t get too hot. Sun came out at the top. Didn’t get a lot of views on the way up as hidden by the trees but still lovely. There is a monastery at the top. Best views started a couple of bends from the top and was a lovely ride all the way down in terms of views – not the easy swoopy descent I was hoping for though – there must have been an updraft as I had to pedal all the way down.

Very glad when I got to this wee campsite. Right on main road but not too much traffic and lovely views ftom the tent. Equivalent of £12 for camping, main meal and bottle of coke. Wasn’t sure what I was getting for dinner but turned out to be stuffed peppers and polenta – not exactly haute cuisine but tasty and filled me up.

Before I started on the uphill I passed this lady struggling along the road with a few goats and her dog.

Not much later I stopped at this market and bought some delicious cherries.

In the boot of a car, lined with plastic, at the market was some very very new animal skins (most likely goat) and bits of meat and then the penny dropped about where this wee lady was heading to – glad I didn’t see it.

I got a wee single room in a hotel last night – more because there wasn’t a handy campsite nearby rather than lack of sleep but sleeping was definitely an added bonus! And staying here again tonight because today I’m going on a steam choo choo train and I’m very excited.

In my head I have decided that there are 4 categories of dogs in Romania –

1. Behind gates and fences and like to bark a lot – where the gates and fences belong to houses pretty sure that if owner invited you in and introduced to  the dog(s) they would mostly be friendly – don’t quote me on this as it has not been put to the test yet.

2. The ones that wander round villages, towns and anywhere in between until it gets too hot and then they just flop themselves down – none of them look underfed so far so I wonder if they’ve got homes somewhere – rarely bark.

3. Sheep / cow etc sort of dog – the dogs aren’t there to just round the animals up – they are there to protect the animal – if a shepherd is with them the dogs don’t seem to be a problem – not that I have seen so far.

4. As no 3 but with no shepherd there!!! Not come across this situation yet and hopefully won’t if I stick to the main roads – I’m told these are the dogs I need to avoid as these are NOT friendly!

Now most or all of the above will bark at some time during the night  – like anything else I’m sure you get used to it with time but wish they wouldn’t- it’s not all night but most of it – but at some point one will start and it continues from there – it’s kind of the dog’s equivalent of the dawn chorus just much much louder, nowhere near as nice to listen too, most of the hours between dark and dawn and it’s keeping me AWAKE!!!

Four mornings ago I left Sapanta where the Merry Cemetery is and managed to get some better pictures of the church in the morning sun.

I cycled to Breb where I stayed for 3 nights and then onto Viseu de Sus, where I am just now – roads not too busy and beautiful scenery. This area is much more traditional and the older ladies, especially are dressed in traditional skirts and patterened head scarves.

Breb is in the Maramures – a wee village only a few k’s off the main road and when you reach the village it is made up of a sprawling net work of dirt track roads. It’s got a fantastic wee campsite and hostel – very basic but beautiful and really friendly – Bram who runs it is really helpful. All my camping / campervan friends (as long as you don’t have a big beast of a van) this is a fab wee place to go. https://baboumaramures.com/campsite/

Amongst other things the Maramures is famous for it’s wooden churches – the one at Surdesti was once the tallest wooden church in Europe and the painting inside is incredible – it was great to leave the tent and panniers  behind at the campsite and do a loop on the bike to see it. https://www.komoot.com/tour/1137607828?ref=aso

It was a shame to leave the campsite yesterday as I’d met some lovely folk there but time to get moving. On my 2nd night I got invited over to a German couple’s campfire – he used to do a lot of touring on his motorbike and especially liked the gravel roads – now they have a wee Ford 4 wheel drive with a fab lift on / off camper van on the back and have taken it all sorts of places including the sand tunes in Tunisia. The next night we were joined by a Dutch couple and a couple from Scotland and it was great hearing about their adventures and where they had been. The Dutch lady was a retired opera singer and a great story teller – she trained for 2 years in Glasgow and knew the word “wee” because if she didn’t hit a note her teacher would tell her “it was a wee bit beyond her beauty” – she also told about when her first child was very little her husband would travel with her to look after the baby while she was on stage – at interval she would rush off to feed the baby – this in turn led to the German lady establishing what a wet nurse was in German, English and Dutch.

Folks are busy in their fields – families working together at weekends – not a lot of mechanical machinery is in use. Every where you go, you will see someone walking or cycling with a fork and or rake and or scythe in their hand or strapped to their bicycle.

Yesterday I sheltered at a bus stop when a thundery rain shower came on – I was joined by an old man who was on his way home from the fields – one of yesterday’s new word’s “ploua” – raining. Before he got back on his bike he mimed that he was going home for a wee alcoholic beverage!

My other new word / phrase from yesterday was “Strada principala” – main street – when a very helpful lady pointed me in the direction of the monastery I was looking for when Google maps took me to a nice wee church instead – she was the perfect person to learn a few words from, and I mean this in the best possible way – she was loud and clear and pointed in the direction I needed to and repeated the directions at least 4 times.

Since arriving in Romania I’ve stopped at a lot of churches – for no religious reason – I just like the architecture and there are so many different ones.

Yesterday I was flagged down by Nicholas from Netherlands – in his 60’s, wearing a once white t-shirt with a hole in it – he was on his way to Moldova in his old campervan. He was interested in where I was going and that I was travelling just by bike – he regularly spends time in Moldova because he prefers the simple way of life, similar to the area we were in, in Romania ie working the soil by hand; not as consumerist as the Netherlands are – he blamed the EU for the way the Netherlands is and thought the UK had done the right thing for getting out. Although I could understand his liking of the simpler life I wonder if he was looking at through rose tinted glasses?? Interesting a friendly gentleman all the same though.

And today Bertie was abandoned while I went on the steam train from Viseu de Sus to Paltin – the trains were used to take logs down to the town. Fab wee day out.

So I’ve been a bit on edge about dogs in Romania – lots of people saying that they are a problem – and various suggestions of what you should do – carrying pepper spray and / or a stick seems to be a common suggestion – I’m not convinced that I can either wield a stick and / or operate a can of pepper spray while cycling and stopping to do one or the other doesn’t seem to be a good idea either! Also not sure I want to do either anyway.

Don’t want to tempt fate but the only time I’ve been bitten by a dog was on the canal tow path between Falkirk and Edinburgh – and I blame the dog’s owner for that.

The further east I’ve come the more barking I’ve heard but luckily the dogs are usually behind fences.

At night time it often sounds like the scene from 101 dalmations when they put the call out to find the puppies – one dog starts and it seems to carry on with more and more dogs joining in – not sure if they are sending good or bad messages though.

The previous 2 days in Romania I’ve passed fields of cows and sheep – some fenced and some not – more nervous where there is no fence as I’m expecting a dog to be protecting his herd or flock but so far there has been a shepherd in the field, hunkered down, with a wide brimmed hat, I presume trying to keep out of the sun as much as possible – a dog or 2 beside him – neither dog nor man seem to notice me going by.

Later on yesterday passed a few dogs sleeping next to the road – looking up as I got closer – but didn’t seem interested in me – too much effort in the heat I suspect.

At the campsite last night a dog appears and follows me at a slight distance – I think he or she is just as apprehensive of me.

Overall a good night’s sleep but I’m woken by barking that seems to echo round the hills but I fall back asleep.

Later I hear barking much closer to my tent – ridiculous thoughts going through my head but all goes quiet and I fall asleep again.

Later there is definitely a wee skirmish outside the tent – nothing much – not a lot of noise – and then I recognise the legs of the dog who I’d seen last night go past the tiny wee window of my tent – had he or she been protecting me??

When I get up this morning there is a dog barking close by but no sign of the one I saw last night.

Returned on the 7 miles back to the main road – more uphill to the campsite than I’d realised yesterday as I had lovely barely pedaling section to start the day, to rejoin the main road

A wee detour to see the local traditional pottery being made – they knew who I was because Marian had phoned them yesterday – lovely couple and I now have a lovely ceramic choir boy angel / bell in my pannier and don’t know if it’s less likely to be broken if I keep it with me or post it home.

After yesterday’s tired legs not sure how today’s uphills will go but perfect sized hill with nice switch backs – enough to get my legs moving but not too hard – also as soon as I left the town of Negresti-oas there is much less traffic too.

Stopped at this church on the way – again loving the silver catching the light but not sure it was picked up in the photos – there was a service taking place so I didn’t go any closer.

The main goal for today – well early afternoon – arrived at campsite just after lunch, tent up and then went to see The Cimitirul Vesel – The Merry (or cheerful) Cemetery – have a look at the link as it will explain it much better than me – loved it – unfortunately to get the best colours of the church didn’t get the best views of the church – it’s worth reading the translation of some of the epitaphs. Thank you Marius for suggesting this to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Cemetery

Good wee campsite – pitch for the night, main course and pudding and a little too much red wine for the equivalent of £19. But owe my word the lady that ran it was fierce – possibly partly due to language barriers – felt sorry for the Polish couple when they didn’t understand did they want the bill and she barked at them “You Pay Now!”

Didn’t go far today but legs were protesting despite having lots of stops and nothing terribly difficult – 7 miles to campsite at end of day seemed never ending. Campsite is nice with a fancy restaurant – don’t think they have many scruffy sweating cyclists turning up. Rained on and off today and no views until late afternoon but beautiful just now. Not sure what height I’m at but from the campsite I can see the top of a chairlift – unfortunately it’s not been open for 3 or 4 years due to lack of snow – my Romanian is now so good that I managed to establish all of that – not.

Could have done with a cycle lane today – road busy at times at times with some big trucks – cycle lane could be doing with being wide enough for a horse and cart as I saw a few of these today. Stopped to take a picture of one of them – he slowed down as he approached me – I wondered if he was annoyed at me taking his photo but he indicated (I thought) that he wanted some food – fair enough I’ve taken a picture of him so rummaged in my back pack for the rolls and lump of cheese I’d bought earlier on and crossed road to give them to him – turns out he didn’t want food but was hoping for a cigarette and that I didn’t have.

Stopped at the tourist information at Orasu Nou but despite saying it was open, door was locked and nobody seemed to be about. Same thing happened a few miles along the road at Negresti-oas but as I was about to leave Patricia turned up with a pizza and keys and let me in – she’d just popped out to get lunch. While her pizza was probably going cold she told me how to find the open air museum of traditional buildings including an old traditional wooden church that had been moved and rebuilt there; where to see the local traditional pottery being made and how to get to the campsite – unfortunately she couldn’t help with tired legs.

Marian told me about the museum and when I asked about the blue paint “he” told me that traditionally it indicated who had paid their rent or not – if you hadn’t coughed up you had to paint your house blue until you did – he also tells me it’s a good colour as it’s like the sky – seems a bit of a contradiction to paint your house a good colour for not paying your rent?? Marian tells me that in Romania, unlike the UK, Marian is a man’s name – I asked if Marian had a meaning and he told “Dave” and while he lived and worked in London for a few years this is what he was called!

There was some cycle paths in and out of Satu Mare. On the way in it was older and you had warch for some sudden drops at kerb ends – if you were lucky a wee concrete ramp was added but if you didn’t pay attention you could come down with a nasty bump. On the way out there was about 3k of brand new tarmac-ed cycle path – so new they were still working on it.