A few days ago I woke up with feet so itchy I just couldn't stand still. A Romanian road trip, a voyage of discovery, was on my mind and I knew just the place. The amusement park in a salt mine that I'd seen pictures of online, an amazing James-Bondesque underground cavern turned tourist attraction, the Turda Salt Mine (Salina Turda) in Transylvania. The kids had to love going … [Read more...]
Places to Visit in Romania
Places to Visit in Romania
Things to Do in Brasov Romania & Around Brasov.
Chef, after 2 cans of good Romanian beer, decided last weekend to enter the Brasov Marathon ( Braşov ). Normal people give themselves a year or so to train for these things, he gave himself a week. So not only did we have to organise a long weekend in Brasov Romania, he also had to be marathon ready by Sunday morning. OK, so that part was easy, he's super fit. But … [Read more...]
Dinner at the Sheep Station. Sheep Farming and Romanian Shepherds in Maramures
Before approaching the sheep station we had to take precautions, the Romanian sheepdogs (AKA Romanian Shepherds) would be loose so we had to call the shepherd ( human) to meet us and make sure the dogs didn't see us as a threat to their family or flock. Experiences of visiting a typical Maramures sheep station with Penny of The Village Hotel Breb. Life in Romania. He … [Read more...]
The Ploughing Festival Hoteni, ( The Tanjaua) Maramures
Every May, the Tânjaua the spring ploughing festival, is held in the village of Hoteni, Romania. In 2018 was held on 17 th May 2018. ( see video below) I'll find out the date for 2019 as soon as I can. The villagers, all in traditional summer costume, process and leap through the village to glorify the first ploughing of the fields. It's something not to miss in Maramures … [Read more...]
Skiing in Romania. Cavnic Maramures
We've had a fantastic time skiing here in Romania, the kids took a few private 1 on 1 lessons while Chef and I were free to head up the mountain. Being child-free is a pretty new experience for us, as full time child-wranglers and educators, it kinda rocked! After a short time the kids were able to join us on the big slopes and it was so much fun. Skkiing in Romania is cheap … [Read more...]
January in Breb. Life in the Freezer
We've been waiting for this. When we first had the idea of basing ourselves in Romania, locals told us winter temperatures can easily drop to -25C. We checked online, we couldn't find any records of temperatures that low, so we kind of didn't believe it but wanted to find out what winter weather in Maramures was like. January in Romania generally means a blanket of snow. … [Read more...]
Living and Working in Breb, Romania.
We mention " our village in Romania" all over this website, well our village has a name, it is Breb. It is in the very far north, in the County of Maramures, directly above Transylvania and below Ukraine. We've been coming and going from Breb for over 2 years now and to us it is home. I've set this page up to help a friend. The very lovely Penny runs The Village Hotel. It's the … [Read more...]
Lunch in the Tuica Shed. Making Tuica in Maramures
Our village, Breb, is full of fruit trees. The hills roll on for mile after mile, each a patchwork of narrow strips owned by individual families. Some grow grass for winter hay, some potatoes, cabbages, carrots, tomatoes and beans, but most grow fruit. In the harsh winters nothing grows and villagers rely on their stores of preserved fruit, vegetables and meat. What fruit … [Read more...]
The Brasov Bear Sanctuary. Heartbreaking.
Romania has plenty of bears. Half of the European brown bear population lives on the forested hills of this beautiful country. When we talk about saving bears, we're not talking so much about the wild Romanian bears, as the ones who have had a terrible existence, held captive by private owners and in small Eastern European zoo enclosures until fairly recently. This is where the … [Read more...]
The Haystacks of Maramures. Hay Making in Breb
Haystacks are an unmistakable icon of Maramures. You will see them here all year round, punctuating the landscape on white, brown or green fields. For haystack lovers, and I count myself as such, you want to be in Maramures at this time of year to watch just one of the annual traditional processes going on. June brings long hot days and the armpit-deep meadow grass is ready for … [Read more...]
Homeschooling or Worldschooling in Romania
Homeschooling, doesn't officially exist in Romania. As far as I know it's not actually illegal, it just doesn't exist, all children must go to school. My research is hampered by the language barrier, so please correct me if I'm wrong, I'd love to hear about families homeschooling in Romania and I know that some do exist. We've spent a lot of time in Romania over the last 2 … [Read more...]
Breb Maramures. Our Incredible Village in Romania
In the far north of Romania, nestled in a valley below a long-extinct volcano, lies the little village of Breb Maramures County. We first came to Romania, Maramures and Breb in May 2015 and fell in love. Today, we are still unable to fully call it home due to visas and officialdom, but to us, it feels like home. It's the place that after 50+ countries and 6 years of full-time … [Read more...]