A Day of Many Steps

---

[first draft ... ]

Got up at 7am, hit snooze which cut into my yoga time; did a bit of stretching and we were ready when Florin got here at 8am. Only Carrie and I for this trip ... we are the only ones who feel up to 1480 steps up (and back down) at Poenari. As Florin promised, the scenery was breathtaking,

Bran valley ... mountains surrounding lush green fields with farm houses. Sometimes a single lonely house up in the mountains. Then through gorgeous little towns with pretty houses, chicken next to tombstone, cow next to a porch overflowing with flowers, women with scarves on their heads working in the yards. A woman walking a cow down the street on a leash.

Families harvesting grass and assembling the haystacks. Families working fields of vegetables. Donkeys herding sheep.



hike to poenari fortres
easier than we thought it would be; took less than 45 minutes.
small house at the top, guy collecting payment
a few more flights of stairs, to a little bridge, then a platform with two impaled guys come into view, along with several other implements of death, complete with red paint. Well, we hope it is paint. Stunning views ... beginnings of fall foliage turning, the transfaragasan road on one side, and we could see Florin's car clearly on the road far below. Also a narrow river winding into the distance, with tents along side.

[little boy staring at Carrie's hair]

We continued the last flight to the fortress itself.

[birds that looked like bats]

Explored the fortress, looked for the secret tunnels but did not find them. Picnicked within the fortress walls. Walking down the stairs went very quickly.

lunch at Romanian buffet

Curtes Arges
child mummy
monastery
tombs
Elizabeth's bible
blessed
puppy

Talking to Florin about Communism.

Home by 6:30, enjoyed some wine on Carrie's "verandah", then cabbed into town for dinner. Carrie asked how much for the cab; he said 17 ... which is much more than we have been paying. Carrie said “too much: five or ten and held up five fingers and then ten fingers” ... he answered, “Bine, Five” :-)

[explain about varying amounts of English for the cab drivers]

Florin-isms
lonely for alone
like instead of more than
normal
idea:

---