Alba Iulia - Rimetea - Cluj Napoca - Turda
Day Two - Rimetea & Cluj Napoca
The day began with a hearty breakfast in preparation for what I thought would be a nice hike up a fairly normal looking hill. Little did I know what lay ahead.
It was time to set out on our hike and the village slowly grew smaller and smaller.
Along the way, we met a local sheep herder and his dog. We talked to him for a little while, learning he personally had only been a shepherd for eight years but his family had been shepherds for generations. After leaving the shepherd and his herd of sheep, Nicu and I discussed shepherding in Romania. Lamb is not a common staple amongst these people, so why are there thousands of sheep? Everywhere you go in Romania, there are men and women tending to their flocks. He told me lamb is popular at Easter but not the rest of the year. So my mind went to wool, it must be the wool then.
We discussed the proliferation of synthetic fibers and how much cheaper they are than actual wool and so they have seen a sharp decline in manufacturing of wool products. He said he has seen cases of shepherds shearing their flock and discarding the wool because there was no market for it any longer. I'll have to research this more, I am intrigued by this now.
Stefania kindly taking a break with me as we ascend the mountain. Nicu was just ahead of me, expertly doing his guide duties with the younger and much more energetic sailors. I was the oldest by 10+ years than all the others and definitely not prepared for this climb - then again, how do you prepare yourself for this. Nice tells me, "Rick, you just do it more."
Another well-deserved break, we are half-way up the mountain. Nicu tells me it is a two hour climb to the ridge. This is the tallest peak where you can accomplish an "intermediate" climb at slightly more than 3350 feet.
We are finally at the ridge of the mountain where I can see the other side of the range.
The guys continued up a couple dozen more feet to the top of the mountain while I recovered (died), happy to still be of this world. It was a great climb and took efforts I didn't think I had in me any more.
I led the way down the mountain, falling on my butt a dozen or more times as my feet slid out from under me in the mud. My hiking boots were so caked with thick mud, they no longer provided traction. Halfway down though, the rain stopped and so did I. A stream came out of the rocks, fed by the melted snow and recent rain. I filled my water bottle and those of my team with cold, refreshing, crystal-clear water. I also found a HUGE snail - actually dozens of these escargot wannabes.
On our way down, we ran into our shepherd friend again, this time resting his flock after the rain.
The walk back to the village was slow and deliberate; one foot in front of the next, enjoying the scenery and stopping to watch a horse eat (good excuse for a break).
Refreshed, we had to get back into the van and head further north to Cluj Napoca for our nights stay in preparation for Sunday's tour.
Cluj Napoca
The day began with a hearty breakfast in preparation for what I thought would be a nice hike up a fairly normal looking hill. Little did I know what lay ahead.
The town center of Rimetea, if you see the date at the top of the local church, it was originally built in 1640, just 20 years after the first English pilgrims stepped foot on Plymouth Rock and began the Plymouth Colony.
It was time to set out on our hike and the village slowly grew smaller and smaller.
We discussed the proliferation of synthetic fibers and how much cheaper they are than actual wool and so they have seen a sharp decline in manufacturing of wool products. He said he has seen cases of shepherds shearing their flock and discarding the wool because there was no market for it any longer. I'll have to research this more, I am intrigued by this now.
Stefania kindly taking a break with me as we ascend the mountain. Nicu was just ahead of me, expertly doing his guide duties with the younger and much more energetic sailors. I was the oldest by 10+ years than all the others and definitely not prepared for this climb - then again, how do you prepare yourself for this. Nice tells me, "Rick, you just do it more."
We are finally at the ridge of the mountain where I can see the other side of the range.
The guys continued up a couple dozen more feet to the top of the mountain while I recovered (died), happy to still be of this world. It was a great climb and took efforts I didn't think I had in me any more.
Looking down the trail we climbed up, I'm amazed at how small the village looks now. It's time to head down though because the clouds we saw coming from the mountains just north of us were starting to drop water. Nicu decided we should take an alternate route through the forest to go down the mountain as it will be safer in the rain. By the time we reached the forest, the rain was falling very hard. The path turned to mud and the leaves were slippery as snot.
I led the way down the mountain, falling on my butt a dozen or more times as my feet slid out from under me in the mud. My hiking boots were so caked with thick mud, they no longer provided traction. Halfway down though, the rain stopped and so did I. A stream came out of the rocks, fed by the melted snow and recent rain. I filled my water bottle and those of my team with cold, refreshing, crystal-clear water. I also found a HUGE snail - actually dozens of these escargot wannabes.
On our way down, we ran into our shepherd friend again, this time resting his flock after the rain.
The walk back to the village was slow and deliberate; one foot in front of the next, enjoying the scenery and stopping to watch a horse eat (good excuse for a break).
Back in the village and back to our starting point, damn that mountain looks very far away AND VERY HIGH from this vantage point!
It was time now to cool off, get some water in me (and some extra strength Goody's powder for the pain), and get something to eat. We ordered some fried dough - one of my ALL-TIME favorite snacks we would have with our family. While it was cooking, I took a walk around a Romanian Unitarian Church that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built at the end of the 18th century. The village of Rimetea dates back to at least 1257-1272 (750 years ago)!
Refreshed, we had to get back into the van and head further north to Cluj Napoca for our nights stay in preparation for Sunday's tour.
Cluj Napoca
By the time we arrived in Cluj, the sun was beginning to set and we were all very tired. The plan was to check into the hotel, walk around this growing city, and finding a place to eat. The city of Cluj Napoca is the fastest growing city in Romania. It is a college city with several large universities. It has become THE place for British and German tourists to come to. I saw signs advertising Tony Bennett and Michael Bolton concerts this summer.
When we arrived in the city, the Centre was closed because of a Color Run Race they were having around the city. It was crazy because so many roads were closed and there was no parking. After about an hour, we parked at a location about 15 minutes walking distance to the hotel - ugh!
Saint Michael's Roman Catholic church, right across the street from our hotel, is the second tallest in Romania was opened in 1487 - five years before Columbus discovered America.
French fries and A LOT of ketchup for the walk back to the hotel while the rest of the gang went out to the clubs for a few drinks.
Below are pictures of some of the differing architecture of Cluj Napoca.
Cluj is a wonderful city and I need to travel back up here when I have more time. But tonight, it's all about putting a little food in my belly and getting some rest.
No comments:
Post a Comment