The
Maramures Mountains (Inner Eastern Carpathians)
in northern Romania (Photo by Joadl) |
Fresh air, a friendly boarding house,
hospitable people, meals cooked with vegetables from their hosts’ own gardens,
and lots of hiking. That’s how a typical day looks for tourists who choose an eco-boarding
house (guest house) hidden in the small mountain villages. The number of such
destinations is growing each year, as more and more people turn to
environmentally friendly lifestyles and want to enjoy them even on vacation.
Romania is a land of
paradoxes. Although it has tremendous tourist potential, the number of tourists
who come here falls each year. Many are discouraged by the lack of
infrastructure, inadequate housing conditions, or high charges. In some cases,
they’re right, but we compensate with breathtaking landscapes and welcoming
people.
A shepherd in the Făgăraş Mountains (Photo by friend of Darwinek) |
Rolling hill leading into Piatra
Craiului National Park
(Photo by Horla Varlan) |
In Piatra
Craiului National
Park, in the picturesque village
of Magura (170 km from Bucharest), you can experience
life in the countryside. During your stay, you are invited to assist in
household, daily chores. You can milk the cow, collect the eggs from the nest,
or dig around the vegetable garden. If you would like to see the harvest of
this year, you will be invited into the pantry usually full of vegetables, zacusca (a Romanian vegetable spread),
tomato sauce bottles, and jars filled with fruit jam.
If you haven’t yet visited the magical realms
of Bucovina, you’re missing out. It’s 450 km
from Bucharest
to village Vama, in the Suceava County, roughly 5-8 hours on the road,
depending on your means of transportation (car or train). But it’s worth the
effort!
Here, you will find green meadows and cheerful boarding houses.
Carriage rides give you a tour of the hills. When you return from the carriage
ride, you can sit in the yard, shaded by old linden trees, and taste an
exceptional menu cooked by the farm’s hosts, who use old and unique recipes,
flavors you will not forget. If you would like to learn the secrets of Romanian
traditional courses during your stay, you can take cooking lessons. Everything
you will use in the kitchen is 100 percent natural, purchased from the most trusted
sources: the local gardens.
A
panoramic view of Campulung Moldovenesc in Suceava County
|
If
you’re a gourmand, and you would like a taste of the best Romania has to offer, you should visit Turda (30
km away from Cluj-Napoca, a popular hotspot in Transylvania, and 350 km away
from Bucharest) and surroundings, in the heart of Transylvania.
Look for “Turda steak” on local menus. It’s a
course that became popular in the 1930s. It is cooked from pork soaked in milk
until it becomes tender, seasoned with coarse salt from the nearby salt mine,
then roasted in lard. It’s typically served with a choice of pickled cucumbers
or sauerkraut, and best enjoyed with a bottle of Chardonnay. All restaurants in
Turda serve this steak, but the locals would recommend you try the best at the Printul
Vanator Restaurant (The Hunter Prince Restaurant), where you can also enjoy
your meal in a lovely, rustic setting. For dessert, try the honey and cinnamon
gingerbread, a century-old recipe. Gingerbread in Turda is famous for its
presentation, because it is cut in a bone shape. Among other regional goodies
are the palinka (booze made from
plums) and the red onions from Aries, which you can buy in long ropes from the
locals.
Children
choosing from a bounty of healthy choices.
(Photo by the Turda Slow Food Association) |
"You could go to Turda during the
Children’s Cooking Festival, which will be held for the first time this year in
August, and you will be able to admire the little chefs making fun cooking
demonstrations," explains Marta Pozsonyi, the president of Slow Food
Turda. You can even visit the school gardens where you will find organic
products, grown and tended by pupils from schools in the region, who thus learn
to choose natural foods.
Locals from Aries braiding ropes of onions after
harvest
(Photo by Turda Slow Food Association) |
Kirchenburg in Viscri (Photo by Wissenskanon) |
If none of these arguments have persuaded you
so far, the next one might make you choose Transylvania
as a holiday destination. Prince Charles fell in love with these lands, and he
considers this area as the greatest treasure of Romania. He liked Transylvania
so much, that after spending several vacations here, he bought two holiday
homes. One is in Viscri, not far away from the medieval town of Sighisoara (280
km away from Bucharest).
It is a small and ordinary house. In fact, Prince Charles invested large sums
of money in renovating several houses in the village, homes open to tourists.
Since his first visit in Romania,
in 1993, the British royal heir visits at least once a year and enjoys life in
the Romanian countryside. During his last visit, in May 2011, he learned to mow
the lawn, and he wanted to take a scythe back home with him.
Alina, you make this area sound so enticing! I hope to go there someday and enjoy the wonderful Romanian hospitality. Such lovely landscape too. Thanks for sharing this corner of your country with us.
ReplyDeleteAnd we thought Romania only had vampires. ;) What a beautiful, interesting country--can't wait to visit. Thanks, Alina!
ReplyDeleteAlina, this sounds amazing! The children's cooking festival is a wonderful idea and I'm sure it will be popular. Thank you for sharing some wonderful attractions of this beautiful country!
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies, for your beautiful words. Indeed, Romania has some hidden places that foreign tourists should discover. If any of you would like to come, I would try to be a good host and guide!
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
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