The ramblings of a wandering Transylvanian

My friggin' winter wonderland

2012-02-15T02:51:00.000-08:00

Dear hypothetical readers,

This is a post meant to awe and shock NZers. I would normally have a strong and negative emotional reaction to all the cold whiteness presented below, but all my energy is currently being taken up by my chattering teeth and shivering muscles.

We have had the heaviest winter in many, many years. I haven't seen so much snow since my childhood! Which would be a good thing, except the stuff just won't stop falling from the sky and I have to shovel it four times a day. And the nostril-sticking cold ranging between -22 and -8 C is a wonderful bonus. Oh, and, do you remember my frozen lock? It's now a daily occurrence.

However, winter seemed bearable (and almost pretty, but don't tell them I cracked!) last Saturday, when I and some friends went for a walk on the river. And I mean on the river. It's frozen solid.

So solid, in fact, that some people were driving their cars on the ice. Others, less adventurous, were playing hockey or skiing. We had planned to walk until the ice gave way to water, but after 3 hours, there was no sign of that happening. Wise as we are, we realised it would probably take us the same amount of time to walk back home, so we turned back.

We saw a lot of animals on the way (foxes, pheasants, heaps of deer), as well as animal tracks. This might have been a very cold bunny:

You have to appreciate the care deer put in respecting each others' personal space. Everybody gets the exact same amount:

When I was back in the relative comfort of my relatively warm house, I thought of you guys again. You might never know the sheer, unadulterated bliss of being able to fold your hands around a cup of mulled wine after an entire day in the snow. But that's okay; you have the ocean. And feijoas. And that more than makes up for it.

Gigs of 2011

2012-01-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

As the weather gets ever gloomier and nothing terribly exciting goes on in my life of late, I find myself daydreaming of last summer. And as all films (films of memories included) should have appropriate soundtracks , I tried to imagine what soundtrack my last summer would have had. That got me thinking of all the music, new or familiar, that I got to experience this past year. Hence this retrospective post.

So, what would the soundtrack of 2011 be?

Well, my birthdays are always medieval, so the soundtrack of my 30th birthday would have to be Holloenek, newly discovered medieval band from Hungary. They were fun just like that day was fun.

Soon it was August and it was time for the Artmania festival in Sibiu: 3 days a year of pure artistic, architectural, gastronomic and, of course, musical bliss. And oh, what a city!

In the morning, I had my breakfast in the courtyard of this

to the tune of Lacuna Coil's sound check, and in the evening I blew bubbles with Morti under the obscure light of this,

to the tune of our own laughter (just like back then...) and at night I experienced the much expected annual catharsis, under the shadow of this,

while, on stage, Tony Kakko did his power (metal) walk,

Tarja Turunen did exactly what was expected of her (namely, to blow everybody's minds),

and Lacuna Coil left me breathless with unexpected awe:

But Sibiu had other artistic surprises in store for me, too. A tattoo festival was taking place at the same time with Artmania, and the special guest there was this delicate, beautiful, incredibly expressive Japanese dancer, whose traditional dance left quite an impression in my memory.

But the summer progressed, and there was no time to waste. The Peninsula festival, in our very own Tg Mures, brought Guano Apes, which I will remember as being utterly forgettable,

and the Hungarians from Tankcsapda, whose lyrics I do not understand, but who were so much more fun to watch and listen to:

I usually don't need much of an excuse to visit Sibiu, but at the end of August, it had a damn good reason to call me again. The medieval festival was a bland, dusty, badly organised affair, which made me waste a whole day in the scorching sun, without offering anything interesting to do or see. But they brought Corvus Corax in the evening, and that made it all worth the sunburn. I didn't know much about them, but that night, I left as a die-hard fan. The self-proclaimed kings of medieval music really lived up to their title.

I could go on for another couple of pages tellingyou why I think Corvus Corax are so epic, but I'll just go on to whatwas the highlight of 2011 for me. Finally, after years of yearningand bad timing and failed attempts, finally, in November, I got tosee Amorphis. With all the excitement, I forgot to charge thebatteries in my camera, so all I have as proof of a great concert isthis:

In conclusion, the winners of the Soundtrack for2011 award? It would have to be a tie between Amorphis, for theiremotional significance in my life, and Corvus Corax, for their sheernewly discovered awesomeness. As such, feel free to pick the one youprefer:

Best Wedding Ever

2011-10-23T04:07:00.000-07:00

Lately, more and more of the people I know who are of "marriageable age" are very reluctant to do it. Not because my generation has any more commitment issues than the previous ones, but because the traditional way of getting married is becoming unacceptable for most.

The extreme public exposure, the many embarrassing customs, the extreme pressure of having to do everything just right or else people will talk, the awkwardness of having to kiss over 100 people you don't know are enough to put even the most extroverted among us off a traditional, parent-imposed wedding. Oh, and the religious directives...don't even get me started on those!

Which is why our friends' wedding this weekend was a breath of fresh air. Spontaneous, sketchy, relaxed and very rock'n'roll. An example to follow.

First, there was the civil ceremony. Giggles, jokes, teary-eyed parents, all standard fare.

Then the less-than-standard fare: a live gig with a cover band consisting of 4 insanely talented young guys.

We were thrilled with their skill, they were thrilled at our response. I see a great future for these guys.

Then, in a matter of minutes, it was out of fancy clothes, into the usual gear and off to the mountains, where the party continued until the sun came up. There was gulyas...

... there was a camp fire,

...there was plenty of booze...and the rest is history. Which will remain unrecorded. For the sake of our reputations.

However unsteady and light-sensitive we felt the next morning, the glorious autumn sun made it impossible to stay indoors. So off we went on Mr. & Mrs. Coman's first hike as a married couple.

It was also little Cody's first hike ever (he did very well, except he didn't see much of the scenery, as he was asleep the whole time).

Everybody had a whale of a time (or a sheep-dog of a time, to be in keeping with the monsters that attacked us at one point of the hike), and I'm sure that everyone made mental notes of how things will be done at their own weddings, inspired by our friends' choices. This wedding weekend was so relaxed, personalised, fun and original that it has surely become a trend-setter.

Good job, Mircea & Laura! May your life together be nothing but a succession of weekends like this one! And thanks for the pictures :)

Indian Summer in Transylvania

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

There's something magical about the light in September. It has a unique way of making the usual seem warmer, calmer, more enchanting. It adds a new glowing dimension even to things that were beautiful before.

We've had many such honey-coloured days this September. And last Sunday's spontaneous outing to Cheile Turzii proved to be brilliantly (un)planned on just such a day.

Getting there bright and early, we had the paths all to ourselves while we leisurely walked the length of the gorge.

Trying to find a nice wall to climb was only a tough job because there are so many! In such beautiful spots!

But by the time the noisy tourists came and filled the gorge, we were already hanging by our fingertips high above them.

It was a great day in all respects. But it seems that someone before us wasn't so lucky...

And just to convince you of the magical properties of September's sunlight, here is another gratuitous forest shot:

Turning 30 - The Gory Details - Part 3

2011-07-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Birthday evening, 9PM - Cooked dinner. Edible, but nothing special, which suggests cooking skills don't come with age. However, the ability to enjoy large amounts of red wine does seem to increase with age. The sun is setting in the West, which is a good sign. I don't need glasses for the computer, I can still see just fine. Headache has been replaced with sore jaws, from all the grinning that filled the day.

I'm still breathing.

I might actually survive this!

source

Turning 30 - The Gory Details - Part 2

2011-07-31T01:58:00.000-07:00

Birthday afternoon, 12PM - Waiting for the bus to Sighisoara. A random gypsy guy offers us a lift. I hesitate (maturely): what if he's a serial killer? Or a kidnapper? What if he gets us all killed with his reckless driving? P. immediately says yes and drags me to the car. It turns out the guy is a good driver, and good company too, so my display of maturity was misplaced. I make a mental note not to resort to maturity again for some time. As he makes us listen to a loud selection of UB40's greatest hits, I grin at the return of a familiar (and thankfully ageless) feeling: the giggly excitement usually associated with adventure, summer and spontaneity.

We arrive in Sighisoara safely. The giggly excitement continues in the familiar whirl of medieval music, costumes, dances and crafts. I forget my headache and my age. Life is a red candied apple.
I'm still breathing.

Turning 30 - The Gory Details - Part 1

2011-07-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

Birthday morning, 9 AM- Woke up and realised I slept backwards (feet on pillow) all night. Flashback:

Coffee tastes the same. Sun seems to have risen from the same place as always. Nothing new seems to hurt, I have no hunchback and no noticeable moles. Slight headache and very dry mouth, but that might be from last night's party rather than age-related. My brain functions seem to be unchanged, albeit slightly affected by the hangover. I'm still breathing. So far so good.

Welcome, Tiny Overlord!

2011-07-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

You know the baby I mentioned I was expecting in this post? Well, he's finally here! Ten days late, like any self-respecting Transylvanian, but healthy and very hungry. And so, so loved :)

Yay, I'm an aunt!

Summer research

2011-06-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

Licence (to kill?)

2011-06-20T23:25:00.001-07:00

Premise 1: Cars suck. They are ugly, bulky and dirty. They break, they screech, they smoke and they kill. They are nothing but an overcomplicated piece of machinery meant for stroking man's vanity. They provide comfort and foster one's laziness at the expense of everything else that lives.

Premise 2: Know thine enemy.

Conclusion:

Another catch-up

2011-06-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I haven't posted anything since April! I haven't got a better excuse apart from the beautiful weather which kept me well away from the computer. But now that it's raining, maybe I should put you up to date with what I've been doing. Which isn't much, nor out of the ordinary.

Just a bit of climbing...

... some admiring of the scenery (finally summer! FINALLY!)...
...and of the silly sticky butterflies which seemed to enjoy our sunscreen.

Last but not least, I would like to present to you our latest leisure time muncher: the slackline. It's as fun as it is frustrating, difficult enough to be a challenge, but easy enough to allow you to improve daily. And I sure feel proud when I can stand up there for longer than 5 seconds!

I suppose you'll see more of my slacklining exploits in the near future. So far I only have videos of falling(repeatedly and not so gracefully).

Stay tuned for some big news! Coming soon!

(Special thanks to Radu and Judit for the first two pics)

A Nightmare After Easter

2011-04-26T02:14:00.001-07:00

Food!

2011-03-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on a trip since New Year... I know, tragic. But the weather has been so nasty and gloomy lately that you wouldn't want to kick a dog out of the house. In such circumstances, what is there left to do but resort to the greatest comfort available to mankind... food!

If you know me just a little bit, then you know I would not miss a food exhibition. Especially this one! It was full of revelations of the sort I did not think available in Romania.

Half of it was dedicated to cooking/baking equipment and tools... boring. But the other half, aahh, well, that contained the end result of all those machines and spatulas and spinners and mixers: chocolate, deserts, multi-level cakes, irresistible bread, gingerbread houses and other dreamy sugary and vegetable creations. Here are but a few:

Lady with an Ermine made entirely of spaghetti of various colours, stuck inside some base so that all you see is the ends of the spaghetti:

Floral arrangements made of vegetables:
Radish ducks in a carrot-fenced courtyard:
Sculpted pumpkins:

Traditional Easter table setting, complete with napkin, bible, basket of eggs and candlestick, and made entirely of chocolate:

Chocolate cups, made of chocolate, containing chocolate:
Frilly chocolate cake (as my friend said "I'd totally wear this!")
Easter scene cake with fondant chickens and bunnies and mushrooms and ground hog:
Dough wood and saw, part of a village scene made entirely of dough:
Gingerbread houses (I have such a soft spot for gingerbread...)
(oh yeah, and for bread too!):
Caramel creations:
A sugar prize-winning manuscript:
A sugar prize-winning coat:

And the thing which impressed me the most - miniature sugar tablecloths, "embroidered" with coloured sugar paste, painstakingly, one line at a time:

The tablecloth people also made stained...sugar panels, meant to decorate cakes and completely edible:

Dough shoe:
Sugar gnomes:

Last but not least, my friend's creation, a chocolate spring tree, with each petal modelled and painted by hand. Not to mention bird's nest, snail and Easter bunnies:

If you're still not convinced of her talent, check out her mouthwatering blog here.

That being said, I'll get back to you with some travel pics as soon as we get to see the sun for longer than 2 hours a week. :)

Welcome to 2011!

2011-01-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Allow me to welcome myself back to my blog. I have slowly and painfully managed to pull myself out of holiday mode. It was particularly hard this time, as I had such a supergreat time over the holidays.

Christmas was normal: food, drinks, friends, movies and handmade gifts which I will brag about on my other blog.

But New Year's was abnormal in oh so many wonderful ways. First of all, it was abnormal of me to want to go somewhere cold with lots of snow. Second of all, it was totally unheard of for me to like it. Yes, dear readers, I liked the snow! Yes, I went out in it and I wasn't cold! (Granted, I had no physical contact with it, as I stayed safe within my polar fleece and Gore-Tex bubble.) Now I finally believe that Norwegian saying, that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

As is the way of wise people, very late on the morning of the 31st we decided to climb to the summit called Scaunul Domnului (God's Seat), the very one that's mentioned in Bram Stoker's Dracula.
All bundled up and ready to go:
We knew we had an 8 hour walk ahead of us and we knew we'd end up walking in the dark for at least 2 hours, but we went anyway. And boy was is worth it!

It was special for me, as it was my first (more or less) serious winter hike, and everything, even familiar places, looks so different when covered in snow.

The view from the summit was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The pink sky made it all look like a painting, and the fir trees seemed more like computer graphics than real life.

It was Mutty-Mutty's first time in the snow too, and he had a great time:

On the way back, slipping, tripping and groping in the dark, we became sure that we'd be too exhausted for any kind of New Year partying. But back at the cabin we were met by the rest of the gang, freshly arrived from the city, who gave us no chance but to stay up. And party we did, until the wee hours of the morning.

The rest of the night contained a lot of this...
...some of this (sneakily)...
...and, for the less fortunate, some of this:

And you know the best part? Nobody was drunk! This is just our collective true self, coming out when we are all crowded together in one small cabin. It was another opportunity for me to realise how blessed I am with such silly friends.

As we all know that practice is very important if you want to become good at something, the hike-food-party-sleep sequence was repeated twice again in the following days.

I hope your holidays were satisfactory and that you'll have a great year. But if first days are anything to go by, then 2011 will be a blast!

And yet another!

2010-11-30T04:35:00.000-08:00

...sunny weekend, that is. This time it was colder, but the same preposterously blue sky.

The mountain was teeming with people, everyone breathlessly enjoying their favourite activities: climbing, paragliding, trekking, photographing... as if we knew it couldn't last.

And it didn't. As I'm writing this, the first snow of the year is already melting outside, thus welcoming the season of slush, cold and darkness.

But at least, for the next 3-4-5 months, I will have this to think of and remember: the prettiest village in the world, the loveliest November sky, the craziest begging dog.
He managed to get half of my sandwich, with his exercised cuteness and athletic skills.
May the winter be merciful with you! :)

Another sunny weekend

2010-11-23T00:09:00.000-08:00

...sunny being the key word here. Anyone who thinks global warming is a scam, just look at the following pictures.

We went to Scarita-Belioara, a beautiful natural reserve we had been planning to visit for a long time. (that site is in German but it has some good pics). It was hang-head-out-the-car-window-squealing-in-delight beautiful! :D
Now, about global warming. November is generally the beginning of winter here. It's nothing unusual to have the first snow and the first frost in November. The colourful leaves are all gone (with small exceptions) ...
... and the scenery is preparing to start looking rather dull and quiet. That's why it 's highly unusual to spend a weekend in November wearing a singlet!

Not that I'm complaining, I love the sun and the heat, and the sky was the most amazing shade of blue! Only in NZ have I seen such a blue sky before.

And, however barren mountains may be in November, the sun still makes them beautiful:
The muckla seemed to think so too!

The 101st post

2010-10-15T00:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, my dear hypothetical readers, I have thus far given you one hundred updates to my hectic, crafty, sunny and tough Transylvanian life! I never thought I would post so regularly, but I have really enjoyed keeping you up to date with my comings and goings. Let's have a virtual drink and toast to the longevity of my travel blog! For he's a jolly good social interaction mediuuuuum....

I'm tired as hell, I don't think I've had one whole hour to myself in the past month. On the upside, it seems that my life is heading into a new and thrilling direction. I'm curious to see how it will go and where it will take me. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted :>

Ok, now I guess it's time for an update to cover my 6 week absence from the world of blogs. The excuse for my absence? A new job (added to my previous 2). Can you guess what it is? Here, I'll give you a clue:
And before I got this new job, I had a month full to the brim with love. I don't know how else to express it better, except that I felt pure joyful love...
...for the people around me
...and the experiences we had together.
For the divine music we listened to...
...and the hungover exhaustion that followed.
For some indescribably beautiful places that are close to my heart...
...and the daydreams they usually bring to life in my overactive imagination.
For the unique beauty you can find on the dark side...
For simple things that never cease to awe me...
...and the liberating, tingling feeling commonly known as "being yourself".

This past period was everything I have ever been known to resonate to. It was fun, it was gothic, it was crazy, it was medieval, it was sunny, it was dark, it was tasty, it was me.

Omg... is it possible that I might actually be happy ?

Last days- Vienna and Budapest

2010-08-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

Day 6 was long, grumpy and tiring, filled with quarrels, tension and disagreements which resulted in a failure to visit Vienna. We did at least see the Schonbrunn Palace from the outside. I wasn't impressed. It seemed to me it had sheer isze to compensate for its lack of beauty. Everything was huge... and just huge. But maybe my opinion had been different if I had seen it in a different state of mind.

Further frustated by the fact that the car couldn't fit in any paid parking lot with bicycles on top, we gave up and went on to Budapest. And the highlight of that tense day was soon to follow: my first visit to IKEA! Lovely :) I was also comforted by a serving of Swedish meatballs. Not quite the real thing, but worth a try.

The next day, I felt like a participant in The Amazing Race: very little time, very much to do, could not afford to get lost. But we managed to run from place to place and employ all available means of transportation with maximum efficiency. And this is what resulted:

The Parliament building. Wonderful piece of gothic architecture and recently renovated. I couldn't go too close because there was some official visit going on and everything was cordoned off for security reasons.
Holocaust memorial in front of the Parliament building. Bronze shoes mark the place where Jews were forced to take their shoes off, then shot and thrown into the Danube:
View from in front of the Parliament. Can you realise the insane concentration of sightseeing spots per square km? Yes, seen them all!
The chain bridge, one of the most famous bridges of Budapest, linking Buda and Pesta across the Danube:
And then, then it was the Buda Castle neighbourhood. It looked like it had come out of my sunniest medieval dreams. I could live there and walk those streets every day and not get bored.

The parliament building seen from the Castle:
Matthias Church:

Is this even real?! (yes, it was. In a very out-of-this-world-pretty kind of way)

In the distance here you can see what I called "the lady with the leaf", a kind of Hungarian Statue of Liberty. Very large and very much a trademark of Budapest. On the way to her, in the midday scorching sun, I promised myself that would be the last bit of uphill walking I would do this holiday.

And the view from next to the leaf lady:
That's all , folks! Hope you enjoyed the tour, and we'll see you next time! ;)

Day 5 - Hallstatt

2010-08-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my prolongued silence. As usual, life got in the way. But you'll see about that later. For now, let's get this whole Austrian business out of the way.

Day 5 wasn't terribly exctiting. It rained most of the time, so walks were short, but we still got to see some interesting things.
First off, a trip to the neighbouring town of Bad Goisern, to see the final leg of a unicycle downhill competition. Yes, unicycle. Downhill. On gravel. Defies gravity and the limits of awesome.
We all left there wanting a unicycle for ourselves. Those people were so cool, and their sense of balance is out of this world.
In the city, another lot of ladies casually wearing their traditional garb. There were many shops selling these outfits, for men, women and kids:
View from the supermarket parking lot. See that ridge in the cliff? That's Ewige Wand, we were supposed to go out there too, but the weather prevented it.

The afternoon was filled with a hike through the mountains, aiming to see a waterfall and discovering 5! The pics I took of them are not so hot, but the views and the general feeling of the place were great.

(New) shoe pic:
You can't but be ecstatic in Hallstatt, even on a rainy day. Look at this prettiness overload:

Day 4 - Hallstatt

2010-08-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

The graveyard is a place I returned to at least 5 times. I don't know if "cute" is an appropriate word to describe a graveyard, but that's what it was. Here, death has nothing frightening, somber or even solemn. It's as much part of life as the dead are still part of the community.

And the dead are visited daily. Never have I seen such nicely tended graves, such care for detail, such sweetness.

Maybe I felt so at home there due to the atmosphere of gothic elegance that I always relate to. I don't even know if it was intentionally created or it is just the natural feel of the place, but I loved it nonetheless.

Speaking of gothic, it gets better! Since Hallstatt in general suffers from a chronic shortage of space, the graveyard can't be extended, so the graves get recycled. Every 10-15 years the skeletons are dug up, cleaned and placed here, in the so-called Bonehouse:

The bones' identity is preserved with beautiful painting and calligraphy, and the result is this:
The lady with the golden tooth is the latest addition to the Bonehouse; she was deposited there in 1994.
For some reason I connected with Elizabeth Denglerinn here. I spent some time with her, imagining her life. I wish I knew who she really was.
The crosses either get reused, with a new name plaque covering the old one, or get put away. Until someone else wants them, I guess.
Even without the flowers and the birds, you can't help wondering what's so terrible about death if it means having to spend an eternity facing this:

We Romanians like to talk about our deep and traditional understanding of death as part of a cycle. But here it is put into practice, quietly and modestly. I can't imagine a better place to go if you want to feel complete and utter peace. Both alive and dead :)

Day 3 - Hallstatt

2010-07-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

In the morning, while the boys embarked on a long, manly, strenuous bike ride, we girls decided to sample the culture. Which meant museum, shops and bakeries. Here are some of my favourite finds and shops:

("capitalist pig", "petrol money", "my last money")

Below is the floor of the largest souvenir shop. While digging for the foundation of the building, they came across important archeological finds. So they left them there, built around them and displayed them as best they could. I found this to be the most important aspect of the culture in this part of the world. They disturb as little as they can of nature, even if it means sacrificing some of their own comfort.

The train station is on the other side of the lake, and you can only reach it by boat. They did it that way instead of drilling through the mountain to make more room. And some houses are buit straddling the stream that falls right in the town centre, instead of diverting its course.

And the dead are dug up every 10 years to...but that's another story. Here are my favourite museum pieces:
a celt's hat
animal figurines:
bronze fibula (must replicate in textile form):
the birthing chair: (yes, this is what it says, a chair that moved around from family to family as needed, and onto which generations of hallstatt women gave birth)
a medieval kitchen:
and some medieval ice skates:
An illustration of the big fire of 1750. The negligence of the baker's wife started it, and 35 houses were destroyed.
The houses at the two extremities of the fire are now painted red and stand as reminder. This is the one where the fire started. I couldn't find the other one.

A fun cube of mirrors in the museum:
After an intense session of sightseeing and shopping in the b;azing heat, there was only one thing on my mind. And I offered it to myself freely: bathing in that cool, wonderfully clear lake. This time it was sunny and there were no waves, so I lasted for waay longer than 10 minutes:
I think I'd choose this any time over sandy beaches in exotic locations.

But my moments of relaxation were cut short by a spur-of-the-moment decision to circle the lake on bikeback. And a great decision it proved to be, as it is now my most vivid memory of the entire trip. It was already late in the afternoon, the sun wasn't blazing anymore, and on those wide and safe bicycle lanes, it was sheer delight.

We took a wrong turn, but the view proved to be anything but wrong:
Back onto the right route, my delight soon faded when forced to pedal up some steep hills.
Smiling for the camera:
...and how I was actually feeling:

But we were only half way and the big challenge was still to come. A long narrow and (of course) see-though floored path, made by man in order to compensate for the lack of room for a proper path on that side of the mountain. And it gets worse when the steel path becomes a squeaky, wobbly and transparent-floored bridge over the deep green lake. It was interesting to bike while people canoed beneath you. And it took me a lot of nerve to not give up and cross the bridge on foot. But I did it!
The sun was starting to go behind the mountains when we realised that in our enthusiasm we had forgotten to take with us anything that would have been useful: a watch, the gps, a phone... With no way to tell how long we had till dark, we decided to turn back.

I huffed and puffed up those hills again, and then enjoyed the steep, speedy descent. Wind in my face, lake at my side, I felt such joy and gratitude for the chance to experience this, that I felt I had to express it somehow. So I hugged the Austrian land and took my bike along with me. I totally deformed one of the pedals and got meself a nice bruise. I was lucky it wasn't worse, but now I have something to be teased about.
Finally returning to the camping ground, we landed in the middle of some folk party, with people dressed in traditional costumes, singing and dancing. It didn't seem planned or professional, since most people didn't even seem to know the words to the songs very well. But I later noticed how casually and happily everybody wears their traditional costumes, without needing the excuse of some holiday.

And that was the end of day 3. I really wanted to go join the folk party, but I fell flat on my face in the tent, fully dressed, and woke up the next morning.

Day 2 - Hallstatt

2010-07-28T02:06:00.000-07:00

Day 2 saw a pressing desire to reach new heights. So we decided to see the peak called Krippenstein.

Not my usual mountain hike, since everything is designed for maximum comfort and easy access. So the only effort involved in making it to 2100m was a financial one. The cableway trip was equivalent to a ride in an amusement park for me: all glass around you, the trees and houses getting smaller and smaller, the occasional jerk and sudden change in height... quite thrilling.

Very very small fir trees:
Once up there, the view is breathtaking. Peaks and glaciers and rock and snow wherever you look, with the Dachstein standing imposingly in the distance:

Seen from this point, the height we had walked to with so much sweating the previous day seemed like a stroll in the park.

A hike around to the other side of the peak takes you to the "5fingers", one of the main tourist attractions. They are what their name says: 5 miraculously engineered fingers of steel extending over the edge of the cliff and scaring you with their transparent floor.

One of the fingers has a gilded frame fixed to a pole, which is meant for framing the beautiful scenery. ... Right
After doing the compulsory tourist things, we scattered all over the mountain top and took to all kinds of siliness.

I'm particularly proud of this pic:
And this one's funny, it looks like we're pasted onto a poster:

After we were done with the silliness, we descended to about halfway down the mountain, where the caves were. There are tens and tens of caves in these mountains, some are for tourists, some are meant for professionals and some are totally off bounds. Unfortunately I had put my camera away since the sign said no photos, but it turned put the guide did allow you to take pics. The ice cave was awesome, I wish I could have stayed there a lot longer than the tour allowed. It was beauty I cannot compare to anything else I've seen. You could try going here for some pics.

These little houses below are all little museum, each concerning a different aspect of the Dachstein: plants, animals, history, exploration etc.

The day ended with a brave attempt to bathe in the lake. It had gone cloudy and windy in the meantime, and there were big (and cold!) waves. So I lasted for about 10 minutes in knee deep water before I fled to the comfort of polar fleece.

I'm back

2010-07-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Dear hypothetical readers,

I'm back from one of the best holidays of my life, in the pretty little town of Hallstatt, Austria. It was quite possibly also the most physically-intensive holiday of my adult life. I wish I had a week to recover now.

Up at dawn and sleeping whenever done with nighttime photography, not a minute of that sunny week was wasted: walking, climbing, cycling, sightseeing, more walking, even more walking, omg not walking again...

I think this is how life should be spent: as if you only had 5 summer days left until hell. In this case hell being work, bills and a poorly managed country with no bicycle lanes. :)

In the following days, I will give you several posts with pics carefully selected to make you very, very envious. Enjoy!

Hallstatt - day1

2010-07-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Day 1 began in a way that was to set the tone for the rest of the week. Too excited to sleep , we got up at 6:30. We soon realized that meant 5:30am local time. Oh well, at least there was nobody on the playground at that time. So the obvious choice was to sample swings from yet another country.

Ahh, nothing like swinging in your pjs at 5am!
Especially when you have this view:

With that crossed off the list, breakfast was carefully avoided so as not to rouse the other inhabitants of the camping ground, and an orientation walk through the town was also crossed off the list. Come to think of it, the catchphrase of the entire holiday was "nevermind, we'll eat when we come back".

The town looks like this. I'm pretty sure in months to come I will spend many motionless minutes staring at this picture.
It was great to walk around at that time, there was complete silence and not a tourist in sight.

Later that morning the sleepyheads joined the group and we went on the first trek, on a path above the town, following the course of a very long waterfall all the way up to the historic salt mine.

This is just a segment of the waterfall that starts 1600m up the mountain and falls in the town centre.

The town from above:
The trek leads you to the site of the Hallstatt necropolis. It always fascinates me to be in a place where the presence of ancient peoples is so strongly felt. The spot where the first grave (of over 2000) was found now holds a reconstruction of that grave, inside a small black boxy building.
On the ceiling, a movie was projected, enabling you to see through the eyes of that skeleton: the burial, and later, in the 1800s, the archaeological discovery.
The necropolis site is now shaded by this bridge, built for the sole purpose of offering tourists a better view of the lake. Of course it had to have a glass elevator! And of course they made me go in it twice!

~To be continued, in a logical sequence, with day 2 ~

The genesis of adventure

2010-07-05T00:45:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, there was a wheel. It lived, quietly but obtrusively, in my hallway.
Then one day, it was joined by a frame. And they lived even more obtrusively in my hallway, blocking access and looking out of place.

Then slowly, other pieces came along: a seat, boxes of springs and chains and shiny things and other parts I could not name. It was becoming too much, they were taking over my house, I had to do something! But then a nice gentleman came to my rescue, and turned the horde of invading metal parts into a shiny new bicycle for me to use!

...Except at the moment it's using me. Straining all my long-forgotten muscles and aching bones and old joints. It's killing me! I like her, though, she takes me to nice places.

Like these hills we explored this weekend. The weather has been very unstable lately, with storms and floods, so we didn't dare stray too far from home. But nice places were found nonetheless.

The greatest reward after going up the umpteenth hill was a row of sour cherry trees, absolutely loaded with fruit!
Being so far from any village, I just assumed they weren't anyone's property, so I gave myself up to some enthusiastic foraging.
But picking from the ground soon became unsatisfactory, so I had to get to the core of the issue.
I picked as much as we could fit in a backpack, and I ate as much as I could fit in my stomach.

After admiring the view a little, I came to the painful realization that (omg!) I also had to cycle back home.

I'm shattered. Everything hurts like hell, and I just want to lie down and sleep for 3 days. But the trip was fun, and I do have cherry cake. I could get used to this whole bike thing.

Another unexpected visitor

2010-06-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

To continue the series of delightful animal encounters, let me present to you this little ball of fur I found right at my gate, shivering in the rain. He was in terrible shape, sneezing and barely breathing. I took him in, wrapped him up, warmed him and fed him. And loved him instantly.
Unfortunately we were only friends for 24 hours. But it was a lovely 24 hours. It felt more cosy and homely to sew long into the night with a cat snoozing at my feet.
I know I can't afford a cat, and that I'm allergic and that the landlady wouldn't allow a cat, but why, why couldn't I keep him!

It was heartbreaking to give him away, but I gave it to another cat mother who adopted him instantly. He's healthy and happy now, I checked. But why, why couldn't he be happy and healthy in my house?

An unexpected visitor

2010-06-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

I love it when real life events resemble sitcom scenes. And I experienced a bit of that yesterday afternoon.

It was just a relaxing sunny afternoon and I decided to cook dinner. In the middle of it all, a friend rings for linguistic assistance. So there I was, chopping, stirring, seasoning, while holding my phone between my shoulder and ear and translating psychology terms from Romanian into English.

What were supposed to be a few words turned into a half-hour long conversation with whole pages being recited, analysed and translated over the phone. All the while, I was chopping-stirring-seasoning away.

For some reason, in the middle of the thyme-scented conversation, I looked up to see naught but a swallow perched up on the gas pipe! I instantly envisioned desperate fluttering, feathers flying everywhere and a breathless bird hitting itself against every glass surface, as birds do when they are trapped inside a house. So I opened doors and windows to ease her access, The swallow? She had no intention of leaving.
Instead she flew down onto the side of the stove, and then right on top of the wooden spoon sticking out of the pot. I ran for the camera, all the while maintaining a high level of professionalism on the phone, and started snapping away. The swallow? Not bothered in the slightest.
My landlady decided to come right at this moment, only to see me speaking foreign languages into the phone squeezed between shoulder and ear, while taking pics of a bird sitting on my stove. With a quick "um, how about I come back later" she was gone.
The swallow? After offering a lip shot to the camera, she gracefully pooped on my stove, then flew out the door like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The phone conversation ended soon after. And the food turned out great.
I feel like this post should end with MLIA.

Switzerland in our back yard

2010-05-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

There's an interesting phenomenon going on in Romania. The ultimate compliment one can give to any cultural or geographical reality is to compare it with something foreign. Comments of admiration like "wow, I feel like I'm in another country" are very frequent in a nation that has slowly started to feel ashamed of its own character.

We fell into the same trap last weekend, driving through the mountains that divide Transylvania and Moldova, by way of the Tihuta Pass. The roads were unusually good, and wide and well maintained, and the scenery was worthy of Swiss postcards.
Until you get to Hotel Dracula and Romanian realities hit you back in the face: kitsch and rednecks. Why Dracula? Because the Tihuta Pass is none other but the mountain pass described in Bram Stoker's novel. The location of the hotel is where Dracula's castle would have stood in the book. Except in the real world it looks nothing like a castle. Not is it exceedingly Gothic. But it was swarming with tourists, so who am I to question their money-making aesthetics?
They even had a statue of Bram Stoker out front, all wide-eyed. I guess even he is amazed at the century-long hype his little novel has created.

After a lunch stop at this most respectable hotel, we stopped for a bit at the roadside to admire the scenery and ascertain which way to go next. Ahead of us we saw a storm, which seemed to be coming towards us very quickly. So we ran back to the car and waited for the rain to stop.

In the meantime, we decided to turn back and go see Lake Colibita. Best decision ever. It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Down by the lake, it's tourist heaven, with little villas and hotels, some of which rent out the gear you'd need to go sailing or wind surfing. The lake is renowned for always having the right kind of wind for such activities.

But we're walkers, not sailors, so we climbed away from civilisation, in order to get a better view. And boy, did we get it!
A lot of the beauty of this place comes from the eerie feeling of being frozen in time. What has been reveals itself to you much more than what is. Evolution and civilization become quite irrelevant when you have this view from your porch:
Traditional villages in this part of the world are very spread out; water is half an hour's walk away and your nearest neighbours are so far away you have to take a whole day off work to go visit them. But nowadays, with everyone longing for civilization and comfort, many of these traditional houses have become deserted, and the neighbours that remain are even fewer and farther between.
We came across about three of these deserted houses on our way up. They look so dignified in their decrepit beauty, they made me think of smiling old grandmas. And their orchards were in bloom too! I loved the contrast.
One of these houses was not even locked, so we took the liberty to tiptoe inside. It felt like breaking in, or opening a tomb.
Behind the house, I found out that, even if vestiges of family life there were still so fresh, the probable owner had died 50 years ago.

Here lies Stefan Badiu (1882 - 1957), master of the hillside, protecting his house and belongings.
We locked his windows and doors and moved on upwards. At which time we gained a cheerful companion and forgot the sadness of the empty houses.

There were a lot of these on the hills:
We naturally asumed the locals love playing rugby, and we even tried some ourselves:
(just kidding, they're just hay stack supports, you ignorants :P)

And up we went a bit further.

Up here, I realized my folly. This is no Switzerland, nor do we need it to be. Chaotic, sad and roadless as it may be, it's home. And it has infinitely more soul.

To the batcave!

2010-04-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to take this opportunity to declare the 2010 rock climbing season officialy open. Yay!

Last weekend was full to the brim with activities ranging from retail therapy all the way to cave exploration. Saturday afternoon, after a successful shopping expedition through the thrift stores of Alba Iulia, we went to the white rocks of Ampoita, 12km away from Alba, a location with a special place in the hearts of Romanian climbers. Most of the tracks there exceed our skill level, but we managed to discover one that was quite manageable, so that lead to a well spent afternoon, practising things we had learnt last season and forgotten in the meantime.

It was hard to choose between climbing and walking around to enjoy the view. It was such a perfect spring day, with everything around green and blooming and fragrant.
Down there, in the village you can see from this hill, one can eat the best pancakes in the world, served in the cosiest orchard in the world. Mama Lutza rocks! :)

Sunday morning, we got up at dawn on to embark upon what would become quite an adventure: going to visit the cave called Magura in the Apuseni Mountains. The trip started well: all 5 of us (plus climbing gear, caving gear, food and all the crap previously purchased from the thrift stores) jam-packed in the car, happily chatting away as we drove through the sunny morning.

A good omen met us as we were going higher up the mountain road: what seemed to be a man with his arms up standing on a rock outcrop proved to be a chamois goat. We get excited at the sight of any animal, but seeing a species that is now so rare and endangered was a special moment. So we stopped and burst out of the car with cameras and binoculars, while the goat just stood there surveying the surroundings, with not a care in the world.
At about 10am we reached the valley of Sighistel, where we were planning to leave the car and then continue on foot. The view was so pretty and fresh, that I felt like yelling, like the drugged guy in Death at a Funeral: "everything is soo GREEN!!!"
We left the car at the edge of the village, had a quick bite to eat and got ready for the stressful way up.
Why stressful? Because Mr. Lutzu Long-shanks, the eternally-in-a-hurry leader of the expedition, can walk uphill with speeds the rest of us can never dream of reaching. I was also forbidden to take pictures, which would have slowed me down even more. But I managed to sneak in the following ones, of the way up:
There had been a storm on the valley recently, and whatever path we were hoping to find had been washed away. In addition to having to cross the stream back and forth all the time, we had to slide over and under fallen, slippery trees too. I managed to get there with my feet still dry, thanks to Salomon :D
The valley has about 200 caves in the space of only 10 square kilometres. So questions like "is this the one?" were inevitable. But after getting a negative answer for about 5 times, we gave up and shut up until we reached Magura. At which point I understood why we had had to hurry. The cave is huge, and every single nook and cranny has something awesome to show. We spent 3 hours there, and that was barely enough.
The first hall has a profoundly Gothic feeling to it: grey rock, melted wax, gargoyle heads, pillars, the sheer height and silence of it...
Then comes the hall of the bats. In which one can find... surprisingly! lots of bats. They are endangered too, so we had to be nice to them: no loud noises, no flash pictures, and not too much time spent there. They had woken up from their hibernation and seemed very busy coming and going and swarming and doing all their batty activities. I saw guano for the first time in my life, it looks like poppy seeds :)
On we went, to find an old man with a pointy hat (a tomte perhaps?)...
...glimmering ceilings...
...glimmering floors...
...mouldy stuff...
...wavy stuff...
...and lots of macaronis! Yes, macaronis are small tubular stalactites which are hollow and translucent. They look so thin and fragile, and so weird hanging from the ceiling.
The floor was generally quite flat and comfortable, but with a lot of pools. Luckily most of them were dry, but the ones that had water in them could not be told apart from the dry ones, since the water was so clear. Like this one here:
Can you tell if there's water in it or not? Yeah, neither could I. End of dry feet; thanks alot, Salomon!

But on we went, to what is known as the Kangoroo hall. I really don't know why, that totally looks like a cat to me:
In the more remote ramifications of the cave we found bats who were still hibernating. Look at him, holding on with those tiny little toes, isn't he cute? This one was a particularly fat one, larger than the other ones we saw. He would have been about 15cm:
Even if we had a map with us, and we had used a Hansel-and-Gretel-type system, with leaves placed on the floor pointing to the exit, it was still quite easy to get disoriented. The ramifications have other ramifications which branch into other tunnels and passages, and you soon forget if you're supposed to turn left or right.
So you'll excuse me if I don't remember exactly where the following items were found:
the jellyfish...
...the alien oozing...
...the pillared pool...
...or this narrow canyon:
We did a little experiment at one point and we all turned off our head lamps. I realized that one never experiences complete darkness in the outside world; there is always some source of light close by. But not there: complete, utter, thick, silent darkness, save from a solitary drip here and there. Awe-inspiring.
But we were quickly on to happier stuff, like these baby stalagmites:
Oh, I almost forgot! We filmed the bats a bit, there you go:

As we were heading towards the exit, nature had another surprise in store for us. It had rained in the forest, and the entrance hall was now filled with mist, just another element to add to its Gothic-ness. It was so beautiful.

Out we went, and the heat and humidity felt tropical. Even if three hours were a short time to explore all the beauties the cave had to offer, it felt like we had been there forever. Being in the outside world seemed so strange and unusual. But the fun quickly returned when we saw how dirty we were.

The map didn't fare much better:

But that was not the end of the adventure, oh no. Now we had to go back down, again crossing the stream back and forth and getting tangled in the fallen trees. Except this time it was faster, since we didn't care about getting wet anymore. We reached the car, crammed everything back in it (wet dirty gear, wet dirty people) and were on our way home, half an hour behind schedule. But that was not so bad,we would still get home by 11:30 and be in bed by midnight and fresh for work the next morning. Yeah right! The road back to Mures was so bad we had to drive quite slowly. It was getting dark. It had rained. It was foggy in some parts. And when we finally reached the valley of the river Aries and were 25km away from civilisation, flat tyre! By the way, it was already midnight. And there was no phone coverage.

I'm sorry I didn't document that moment too, but that was the last thing I thought of. Everyone was too sleepy or angry to tolerate having a camera shoved in their faces. So the gear comes out of the car, the spare tyre is extracted, the gear is put back in, and the driving resumes, this time at 70kmph, the maximum speed the spare tyre tolerated on that terrible road. We finally made it home at 2:30am... and were obviously fresh for work the next day!

Weekend well spent... up until the very last minutes of it :D

Spring!

2010-04-12T00:27:00.000-07:00

The time has finally arrived for us to reclaim our bodies from underneath the piles of wool and polar fleece that have been smothering us for way too many months. To smell the blooming trees, to chew on little fresh leaves coming out of the ground, to run down hills like silly children and to smile at everyone.

This is the city seen from a vineyard:

These are the meagre results of a photography class. I think I've failed :D But these leaves look like hungry bird-babies.

Do you know what this is? It's a future jar of the best jam ever:
And last but not least, the storks are back! They settled nicely in their old nests and the village is back to its old self now.

The village I'm talking about is Dumbravioara, home to a large colony of white storks. The people have built nests for them on top of almost every power pole. One of the nests has a webcam, so if you'd like to watch a reality show involving a bird family, go here.

And if you look attentively enough, you'll see three nests in the picture below (guys, you're supposed to look higher, above the girl in the red skirt).

Alright, I'll go outside now; the garden is calling :D

Happy Day

2010-03-17T05:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was easily in the top 5 of happiest days this year. I had been dreaming of owning some of Sven Nordqvist's books for a year, and now I do! I ordered them last month, and they went a long and curly way, from Sweden to Holland to Bucuresti to my trembling, expectant hands.

They exerted such a fascination on me when I first saw them in Sweden, that I just had to have them in my house sooner or later. I based stuffed creatures on the mucklor in the book, I drove my friends crazy with excited accounts of the silly drawings inside, I wished I had a cat like Findus... Is it very weird for a grown-up to be so excited over children's books?

But they are not just children's books, they are Swedish reading practice material! Så ska jag lära mig svenska och leka på samma gång :>

The appearance of the books in my house caused quite a stir among the population of Transylvanian mucklor, locally known as "mişumaci". Here is what happened:

Happy New Year!

2010-03-01T03:51:00.000-08:00

Today Romania celebrates Mărţişor, my favourite holiday of the entire year! If you want to know what a mărţişor is, go here. It was all the more exciting since I haven't spent a 1st of March in the country for 5 years.

The weather knew exactly what it had to do today. After weeks and weeks of gloom and clouds and snow, I woke up to brilliant sunshine and temperatures of over 10 degrees. Yes, above zero.

As usual, the center square was filled with stalls selling spring flowers (the town smells lovely today) and little tokens tied with red and white string.
Unlike previous years, though, the offer was very disappointing: small range, high level of kitsch, very few genuine handmade products. I hope this is not the sign of a dying tradition, or else I'll take it upon myself to revive it next year!

The 1st of March also means snowdrops: the first delicate flowers of the season. Their awful smell (they smell like dirty communist train stations to me) doesn't cloud the happiness they bring. For those of you who have never seen a snowdrop, the "vase" is actually an eggcup :>
And this is me this morning, wearing the first Mărţişor I received. It was Dad who was quickest this year :)
Happy spring to the Europeans!
A plentiful autumn to the dwellers of the Southern Hemisphere!

Yup, still winter

2010-02-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

Do you guys remember the waterfall in this post? It has had a complete winter makeover!
And this is the stream leading up to the waterfall. That's a novel concept: "I climbed a river today!"
Otherwise, nothing new. Winter continues.

-23 and counting

2010-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

It's summer in NZ. The sun burns mercilessly, the humidity and the heat makes you sigh every minute, and you want to surround yourself with fans and cold drinks and icecream and sea waves and anything else that might help cool you down.

And you can't help wondering how it would be if, just for a while, you were in a place where everything was cool and icy.

So icy, in fact, that even your front door lock would freeze over.
On the inside of the house.
Mmm, that would be refreshing, wouldn't it?

A thought has just struck me. Wow, I'm living in a chewing gum commercial.

2010-01-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

This is probably the most belated account of New Year festivities in the entire blog world. I guess I can pull my usual excuse: I'm Transylvanian, don't rush me!

Not that it was terribly exciting. We went to a cabin in Bistra (no Wikipedia page, sorry), in the beautiful Mures valley. Loaded with festive food, appropriate clothing, skiing gear, a considerable amount of alcohol and anything else a self-respecting Transylvanian may need for such an important occasion as the end of 2009, we expected to have a great time. We were planning to spend 4 days there.

The weather was terrible: rain, flood warnings, thick clingy mud, obviously no conditions for either skiing or hiking. But, as the climbing of some height or other was compulsory for such dedicated mountain people, on the first day we rushed to the nearest cliff in the few hours of daylight we had left.

It was already dark by the time we got to the top. Walking on muddy ground in the dark is quite a delight! But the hike was worth it, even just for seeing the breathtaking moon. I wish one of the people who can actually take pictures had their camera with them. But they didn't, so these murky images are my only proof of a beautiful evening:
After our return, it was time for eating, drinking and merrymaking. The other guests were most sociable,
...the host very welcoming (and very tipsy)
...and the midnight firecrackers were of the appropriate loudness.
Later, high class entertainment was provided to those who wanted to sleep...
...so they didn't sleep!

And in the morning, the skiing gear, festive food and alcohol were taken back to the city, as there was not much point staying longer in that weather.

And after that, i spent the first 2 weeks of the year (going on 3) being sick. I hope it's not a sign for the year to come.

But there, I've done my duty and told you about my latest exploits. Maybe I should drag my convalescent bottom to the craft table now and catch up with this month's projects.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T12:44:00.001-08:00

For those of you who enjoy this glittering, stressful, snow-infested day... Merry Christmas, folks!

For those of you in NZ, where my text messages don't reach... Merry Christmas, folks!

For those of you who read and occasionaly enjoyed my blog throughout this year, Merry Christmas, folks!

'Tis the season to be grumpy...

2009-12-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

Let me propose to you a little "spot the difference" game. This is my front door last June:
And this is my front door yesterday:
The more perceptive of you might have noticed that the white stuff is back. It's cold and clingy and I've forgotten how to walk on it. I must admit it can look pretty at times,
But I'd rather have the dust of summer on my stream-side roller blading lane.
And it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so!

Catch up

2009-11-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

What I'm about to show you happened 3 weeks ago, but I haven't had time to write about it. Not that it's very interesting, but I have to update the contents of this blog every once in a while, don't I?

Aanyway, after a bumpy ride in a chocker-full minibus with only standing room (which gave rise to a lot of jokes about indian trains), we got to Lunca Bradului, the place where I spent at least half of my childhood. The murky, misty wet rainy weather kept us inside the cabin for half the day. Which was not so bad for me, as I had brought some stuff to sew (call me mad, but I've gotta finish!)

But when the rain stopped, it was time to explore what we were there for this time. We had found out about this cabin/conference centre/team building exercise site which is of course private and not to be used by the general public. But there's nothing in Romania a little bribe cannot handle, so we bought permission to play around its perimetre for the rest of the day.

First, it was this:
A giant flying fox going down the hill, over the road, over the stream and over the courtyard, aaall the way to that tiny red shack you see in the distance. SO much fun! could have stayed there all day. (scroll down for video)

But there were other interesting things to do. Like this obstacle course of sorts, high up in the trees. However, what looked like an interesting activity turned out to be the emanation of a wicked, twisted mind. Once you got up there, there was no way of going back or going down mid-way; you had to go all the way to the end or you were stuck there forever. And that pursuit did take a good hour, perhaps.

I like this pic, it looks like she's flying. But there were some rings there she was holding on to for dear life:

I didn't try it, as 4 people went off ahead of me and it was already getting dark ... but mostly because I was scared I wouldn't be able to finish it. Not that I was the only one being scared! If you look up "white-knuckled" in the dictionary, you will surely get this picture:

So I was content staying firmly on the ground and filming or photographing the others....

...or laughing at them when they were stuck in mid-air between two stations. Or setting up a brainstorm to figure out a way to help them go on.

I did try some things that didn't take long to complete and were closer to the ground...
...and admired some climbing walls. Will definitely be back here in spring, ready to bribe with generosity!

Happy Birthday, Christine!

2009-11-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

photo taken from http://otavia.blogspot.com

Hope you have a day full of everything you love! *hugs*

Happy Birthday, Trudi!

2009-10-26T00:06:00.000-07:00

I still love you, even if you NEVER answer my emails and you NEVER come online to talk to me. My gift for you... a guilt trip!
Hihi, no, seriously. Happy birthday, friend, hope you have a wonderful spring day! :)

Probably the best Sunday ever

2009-10-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, at least for a long long time. Everyone was in such good spirits, the weather was perfect, the trees were so beautiful one felt like hugging them (which we did, actually, but don't tell anyone), the forest was full of berries... what more could you wish for? Maybe a good rock climbing spot, but we'll get to that too.

It started on a crisp and early morning, which I spent being awfully car sick, going up mountains on winding roads. But the view...

It continued with a somewhat-directionally-challenged walk through the forest. It took a while to find the way; but the view...

Once the way was found, a further delay was added to the schedule, occasioned by the discovery of blueberries. Lots of blueberries. Everywhere. Enough to turn even the grumpiest cynic into a frolicking, little stained child. But the view...

Upon finally reaching our destination, we climbed enthusiastically, continually and merrily until total exhaustion and complete filth. The view... was mostly of butts.

The lichens were all over meee!
P.S. The good photos are obviously not mine :>

Honey

2009-10-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

These pics aren't mine, and they are from a trip I haven't even been on. But the autumn is at its most beautiful, so I thought I'd share :>

Ode to anachronism

2009-09-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

You're already familiar with Rimetea. However, one thing I have not yet talked about in relation to it are the roads you have to drive on to get to it. Absolutely terrible. Pothole after pothole stretching your car's patience to maximum and making you wish you hadn't had such a hearty breakfast as you jump and wobble like Ace Ventura in his safari car.

These terrible roads are in the process of being repaired: wider lanes, good markings, you know, all the stuff you need for a comfortable drive. Isn't that great?

Nope. As a matter of fact, it sucks.

You know why? Because bad roads doeth a nice place make. Only people who know and care, (and who don't turn pale at the thought of having to walk) seek and enjoy such places. And this keeps them free from orange villas strewn randomly across bald hills, bad music, bad manners, bad smells and bad people. And noise. And garbage. And commercial enterprises. And everything else that goes along with "civilisation".

Because my friend Eisenburg is as "uncivilized" as they come. Banks and shops and everything else one needs for a modern living are so discretely placed you don't even notice them. The only things that seem out of place are the cars parked outside the houses. Ignore them, and you are back in the 19th century. But now, with its peace and quiet easily accesible, who knows what it will turn into.

Leaving, yesterday evening, I had the odd feeling I would not see it the same again. Even writing this feels like some sort of an obituary: in loving memory of the many-named one - Rimetea, Torocko, Eisenburg - the prettiest, tidiest, most loved village in Transylvania. You will be sorely missed.

I really hope I'm wrong.
Fountain in the central square:
One of the two pubs. I can't help always imagining it full of merry hobbits:
Just a pretty gate:
And what used to be a gate in the 1800's:

The old inn building, now largely deserted, with the exception of a few rooms housing an ethnographic museum:

Just a window:

View from an old inn balcony. I wouldn't mind having my breakfast in front of this view every day!

The silhouette of a gypsy:
Oh, yes. We did some climbing too.
And a little buburuza for you. Just because.

September sun

2009-09-11T22:55:00.000-07:00

Autumn began just as it should be, just as I remember it from those times

Of neglected treasures and grazed knees

2009-09-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is a big brand of mineral water, of which my family consumes an average of 5l a day.
And this is the place it comes from.

Once a popular and well reputed mountain resort, famous for its multitude of healing springs, it is now a ruined ghost-town. On the one hand, it's so sad to see such resources go to waste, but on the other hand, it seems to be even more beautiful in its neglected beauty. It leaves room for my eerily-inclined imagination; it's not hard to imagine elegant ghost-ladies roaming the decrepit rooms of their once opulent villas. Or stray sprites taking over the towers and attics. The fact that a place close by is called "The faeries' meadow" only fed my fantasy :>

To add to the beauty of the place is white marble. Whole mountains of white marble, several quarries of white marble, the roads leading to them white from all the chips of marble.

But mineral water or ghosts (mineral ghosts?) were not what we were there for. It was rock-climbing, of course.
Being that my climbing skills are still rather humble, I spent more time on the ground than on the wall, together with the non-climbers, watching the pro's...
...and exploring. And look what we found!
A narrow, looong and very damp cave. Lucky some people are always prepared for anything and had their flashlights with them.
This outing with friends did me a lot of good, I was beginning to feel like I hadn't seen a mountain in 10 years (my sore muscles were actually from laughing so much, not from climbing!).
Great weekend. Nice bruise on my knee :>

...is it morning already?

2009-08-27T23:22:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
Please excuse my prolongued absence from this blog. It is due partly to a lack of new events to record, and partly to a new job.

Yes, one of them activities that imply going to the same place at the same time every day and smiling to offensive customers. And not so much time off.

So, in order to keep you mildly interested in this blog for a bit longer, I'll show you some month-old pictures ;)

Some pretty Transylvanian hills (that might one day become a quilt),
and me posing as Pocahontas:

Time to go to work now, yay!

Happy Birthday, Steph!

2009-08-12T01:31:00.000-07:00

Hope you have a great day! :>

Another year older...

2009-08-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

...definitely no wiser! Or feeling any older, for that matter.
This year, my birthday was used as a pretext for the surprise celebration of more momentous events: the newly-rounded (and bloody scary!) ages of two great friends. It was fun having 3 different birthday cakes (complete with a corresponding embarrassing pic from the past)

and a triumvirate of birthday boys and girl. :>

The top 2 of awesome gifts:
a pair of rock climbing shoes from all my friends (stay tuned for future cliffhanger-themed blog posts!)

and a whole lot of scrapbooking supplies from Wendy (only Wendy has this talent of guessing what people need before they even know it themselves!)
And something that made me giggle to myself. You know you're part of a crafty bunch when...

...some people have to go find a quiet spot for "just a bit" of sewing no matter where they are...
...or when, doing the dishes after a party, you find beads stuck to the food leftovers on the plates!
Happy birthday to me! :D

Of generous people and the disadvantages of having a window that overlooks the road

2009-07-28T00:51:00.001-07:00

I must be so broke that people can tell just by looking at my window. But not to worry, I recently became convinced I have a secret benefactor.

Yesterday morning I heard a sound on the window sill. I looked out to see a half-empty cup of beer just sitting there. A drunk man was calmly swaying down the road. Now, someone who tends to become that drunk also tends to become rather possessive of one's drink. So how can you explain his leaving his half-drunk beer at my window? Generosity, I tell ya!

Last night I returned home to find a half-eaten slice of pizza on the pavement in front of my gate. This person shares everything with me!

Doesn't that just warm your heart?

Catharsis

2009-07-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

No comment.

Of high mountains, pain, goats and other social events

2009-07-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

As usual, things happen quicker than I can record them here. So, without much ado, here is what you've been missing out on (ne ne ne ne neeee) in the past month.

Starting with the most recent, Retezat, or "the weekend of pain". Setting off bright and early on a crisp Sunday morning, we proceeded to blindly follow this man, the bringer of pain, the uphill-speeder, the always-way-ahead-of-us bright eyed and bushy-tailed spirit of "come on people, chop chop, look how late it is, that cloud is getting near, you can gossip on the summit etc etc".

After an 8 hour high-altitude stroll and only 8 hours' sleep for the whole weekend, 5 zombies turned up for work on Monday morning (only because the other 2 weren't working). Aside from that, which was quite fun in itself, the scenery was otherworldly. Lookie here:

We walked through forests and meadows,
and over miles of blooming rock,
and over miles of barren rock,
and over snow,
We saw chamois goats,
and acted like them
"What do your elven eyes see?"
Pit stop:
Top o' the mountain to ya!
View from the peak, with Lake Bucura:
The way back:
The way ahead:
Me, tired? Naah..
On the way down. Game: how many people and how many goats can you spot in this photo?

Can you imagine, I forgot to take a pic of my shoes from the top of the mountain. So this one will have to do ;) I had repetitive dreams of that blue-triangle track marking the next night, hehe.

* * *
Other events of note for the past month would be...

... my 10-year highschool reunion, which was a lot of fun. The picture is silly, cheerful and disorderly, just like we were as a group:
...the small-scale miracle of my brother's graduation,
... two new ear piercings and a very good master's thesis (not pictured in this post).

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

2009-07-06T23:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay (it wasn't cause I forgot, it was cause I was away, honest!)

Hope you had a great day :)

My city

2009-06-17T22:28:00.000-07:00

At the initiative of my online quilting group (although very very late), I'm posting pics of my favourite places in my city. It took me so long to publish this post because I wanted to take my own pictures, of things as I see them, and I had to wait a while for a sunny day. After all, that's how they always appear to me: sunny!

In order of their distance from my home, you can admire:

The county library, only a corner of a really beautiful building called The Palace of Culture. You can find out more about it here.

I love it here. Sometimes it happens that I come out with a backpack full of books and all the intellectual enthusiasm I can muster, and I hear choir music from the upper stories, where they have rehearsals. It feels like that moment in cartoons when the heavens open over someone, light shines and he hears godly music. How can you not embrace the divine nature of books in such a moment? ;D

Tranzit: the place where we drink beer, eat pizza the size of a small town roudabout, gossip, make and listen to confessions, make and break relationships, and fight over the pears that fall from the tree in the middle of the outdoor area.

My house. Ever since I was 16, I used to sit on a bench with my friend, staring at the attic of this house for ages. We wanted to move there "when we grew up". We're all grown now, and we're still dreaming of one day living there. I looked at it so many times I already feel it's mine.
Art & Hobby- the only craft shop in town. I could live there too.

The fortress, of course. Well, one of the towers. (my uni is right behind it)

The university where I was informed, inspired and annoyed for 6 years:

The way home, along one of the fortress walls. The way I followed for 6 years, after each session of being informed, inspired or annoyed:

The Teleki Library. You can read more about it here. (or at least look at the pictures)
That owl over the gate fascinated me when I was a child. I used to stare at it every time I walked past.

And, after a complete tour, home sweet home, where it's always cozy and tiny and messy and comforting:

Happy Birthday, Daryl!

2009-06-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

The funniest, sexiest, most intelligent man I know...

...is not who I want to talk about in this post. This post is just to say happy birthday to Daryl.

MedievArtFest again

2009-06-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have the feeling this blog may be getting predictable; if it's not mountains, it's medieval (sometimes both in one post!). So, be warned! If you're tired of the medieval, go browse some other page. If not, read on and enjoy my joy ;)

Well, if you decided to join in my joy, then come with me to the citadel of Alba, which you have already seen in this post. What brought me here? A medieval festival, of course!

This time I finally had the chance to thoroughly explore the cathedral, which, among other interesting, beautiful or downright weird sights (like 3 architectural styles one on top of another), houses the tomb of Ioan de Hunedoara. He might have looked a bit more comely in life, when he had a nose and all:

There are in excess of 50 nobles, clergymen and other notables buried in various corners of the cathedral.
And now, on to the festival; after all, it's what we're here for, right?
Last year's MedievArtFest has now turned into an itinerant 9-citadel summer tour. Besides my frustration at not being directly involved this time, I hope I will manage to go and see it at most of its locations.

It took some people a while to recognise me in normal clothes, and I realised it was probably the first time in about 10 years that I've attended a medieval fest without wearing the appropriate attire. But after that, there was a bit of hugging and cheek-kissing going on.

Catching up on plans, scripts and general gossip:

The rest (jousting, music, eye-candy knights) you know. So I'll leave you with a new discovery: the band Grafic, popular among the knights mostly due the hotness of its singer, Diana.

*edited to add: the video won't show up, I have no idea why. If you're curious, go here.
*edited to add again: now it works. Weird.

Summer

2009-05-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

It's summer.
The grape vine threatens to soon conceal my entrance way (it has reached the door since I took the pictures),
the lilies are showing off,
the driveway peonies smell lovely,
and the dog continues to be an idiot.
And I still love living here. And I still love living.

Happy Birthday, Paul!

2009-05-12T23:10:00.000-07:00

As a present, your own favourite thing!

Same valley, different perspective

2009-05-12T07:54:00.000-07:00

It seems we can't get enough of this place. There are still so many nooks and crannies to explore, and each rock, village or valley renders itself to a different activity. This time it was rock climbing, which I tried for the first time:

The pics make me look way professional, don't they? It took a significant amount of huffing and puffing, a couple of bruises, two grazed knees, a bump on my head and a good serving of giggles from the people at the bottom until I (sort of) made it to the top. My arms and legs still hurt. But it was so much fun, I'm definitely going to do it again.

Well-worn, dusty and very shaky hands:
Another swing to add to the survey (NZ swings continue to be the best by far). Behind me, sneak preview for Jocke:
I know, I know, those bloody shoes again! But I can't help it; wherever there's height, there will be a shoe pic.
The batteries in my camera ran out rather early in our trip, so I don't get to show you the most beautiful part, namely Saturday night's full moon illuminating the ruins. I won't even attempt to describe what I thought only existed in romantic painting and victorian novels. Some things are better just felt and unshown.

Oh, and one more thing! It's summer! :D

Happy Birthday, Laura!

2009-05-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on becoming all mature and grown-up! As a present... your favourite thing :D

Till fjälls igen

2009-04-30T01:46:00.000-07:00

Told you the roaming would resume! So sit back and prepare for another picture-intensive post. I had a lovely weekend. What do normal people do after an emotional wedding, followed by a fun party, followed by only 4 hours' sleep? Blob around the house with lots of coffee? Noo, they go mountain climbing!

To the fortress of Coltesti, to be more precise. Which, seen from the village, looks like this:

I can't even begin to tell you what a beautiful place that area is. A wide valley, guarded by Szekelykö (a rock you have seen in this post) on one side, and by palpable history on the other. In the middle, nothing but Transylvanian tidiness.
And what a lovely weather we had. This little dragon thought so too. He even had no problem posing for us in all kinds of angles. This is probably the biggest lizard I've ever seen, it was about 25cm.

Finally, on the peak!... can you tell I like fortresses?
Exploring the newer tower and making assumptions related to the original architecture.
Pretty windows, of course :>
Exploration must be done with the utmost dedication and throughness, inside and out!
Spring wind:
Thorugh a window through a window. (don't know how I managed to get this pose, but this pic is fit for a Swedish knitwear catalogue, hihi)
A nobleman's view:
A flower's view:
A climber's view:
A photographer's view:
Customary foot picture (I might have to get a new pair of hiking boots, u must be getting bored of the same shoes in such pics!)
On the way down. Doesn't spring just warm your heart?

After a quick feed by the stream, it was time to explore the area across the road. Yes, this is "across the road" in the Transylvanian countryside (this looks like it could be our local Machu Picchu :>)
I think if I could take a photo of the contents of my heart, it would look like this:
Or like this:

Flowers indulging in the sunset:
View of my head admiring the view of the valley:
On the way down again (we always have such cool discussion on such ascents and descents. The more breathless you are, the more stimulating the conversation tends to become). Fortress in the background:

Nothing says "home" to me better than these shapes. They might make for an interesting looking quilt, too:

And finally, a view of my mighty nose, with an even mightier cliff in the background:

Newsflash

2009-04-22T11:18:00.001-07:00

As soon as it got warm, I got ants in my food cupboard. As it usually happens with ants, they don't get killed or put off by the stuff that should deter them; au contraire, they come back for seconds.

Last Friday, a pipe burst in my bathroom. The bathroom got filled and overflowed into the kitchen, which got filled and overflowed both into the hallway and outside, down the stairs into the courtyard. Wearing my beautiful fluffy slippers in ankle-deep water is not so cosy. But at least I'm hoping all the water might have drowned the ants.

It took me and the landlady a good couple of hours to mop up all the water and get the carpet off the floor (and the furniture off the carpet) for drying. As soon as the kitchen floor was dry, the dog came in and peed on it.

Ah, the little joys of life!

(above is an unrelated but recent pic of me from Easter in the forest with family and friends)

Catching up

2009-04-16T00:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't done much lately other than sit inside and sew, so my travel and adventure blog was ignored for a while. However, last weekend spent in Bucuresti was an adventure in itself.

Apart from a trip into the dusty south, it also meant a trip way out of my comfort zone. Maybe I shouldn't present such an image of our great capital, but that city feels like it's in another country! I have never seen a dirtier, scarier, more neglected place. The city that in the 19th century was known as "little Paris" is now a heap of dog-invaded rubble, with beautiful, but badly neglected old buildings only slightly hinting to its former glory.

The purpose of my trip you can see here; I'm supposed to go again in June, but, although I loved the atmosphere of the fair, I'm not sure it's worth all that stress and discomfort.

But spring is here, it's sunny and warm, and the wandering shall soon resume!

Happy bday, Jethro!

2009-03-16T01:37:00.001-07:00

And for you, son, ... a pony! :D

Suplise!!!

2009-03-12T12:22:00.001-07:00

(image from www.bfontformayor.com)

While you were busy reading my silly adventures, I was busy finally doing something I had been planning for a long time.

Ladies and gents, check out my online shop. Tell everyone, spread the word, make me rich! :D

You can look waay down on the bottom of this page for a permanent link to the shop. Wish me luck!