Romanian Road Trip

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Day 1: Sura cu Dor
It is like I am seeing the fall colors for the first time.... We are driving across the Moldovan/Romanian countryside during the peak of the color change. I can't stop staring out the window saying "wow". While driving through the countryside and small villages, everywhere we saw men, women and children working in their fields, harvesting the last corn, cabbage, and potatoes of the season. Horse carts outnumber cars on the road by MANY. All the horses are adorned with bells and red tassels. I thought it was just festive look, but we learned that this is to ward off evil spirits. As we drove further in to the Carpatian Mountains, the views became more and more spectacular. Poor Nick had to concentrate on the narrow windy roads, while I gawked out the window, begging to stop for yet ANOTHER picture 😊 I think we both would have been happy if this had been our whole vacation...but it is just beginning!

There are only so many hairpin turns on these mountain roads you can take in one day, so we decided to stop for the evening just outside of Bacau. We caught glimpse of this cozy little cottage from the road, and pulled in to a place called Sura cu Dor (loosly translates as "Loft of Love and Heartache"). We immediately fell in love with this cozy, rustic little cottage. Dried vegetables and gourds hung from the ceiling. Animal furs covered the floors and stools. The cottage itself was set back in the woods, surrounded by beautiful iron artwork, antique water wheels, smoke pouring from wood burning stoves. We spent our evening in the dimly lit dining room drinking homemade wine and enjoying traditional Romanian foods. Smoked meat, mamaliga (polenta) with crumbled cheese, and pickled vegetables were served and eaten on wood platers. Our room cost about $40 and had a plush bed, a wood burning fireplace (which they lit for us before we went to bed) and whimsical hand painted windows. It was one of the most unique and amazing places I have ever stayed and we found it by accident!

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Photos

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All of the windows were hand painted like this...I wish I knew more Romanian to find out who the artist was.

Comments

[Gary Wood]

Amazing.