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...]
Places to Visit in Romania
Places to Visit in Romania
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. Christmas, then January in Breb came around, bringing winter … [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...]
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...]
There’s a Bear in There! Walking in Transylvania
We just got back from a 2 day roadtrip in Northern Transylvania, Romania. It was a lovely couple of days and totally impromptu, that's how we roll. I published a post about Dracula in Romania a day or so ago and we got inspired to go visit one of Romania's Dracula themed hotels, around 3-4 hours from our base here in Northern Maramures County. The hotel, sadly, wasn't great, so … [Read more...]
Romania, Dracula and Vampires. Fact, Fiction and Origins
Irishman, Bram Stoker, published his classic Gothic horror novel "Dracula" back in 1897. The cursed count, based in Castle Dracula, Transylvania, was on a mission to reach British shores in search of fresh blood. Van Helsing and a group of upstanding citizens who knew all about vampires, garlic and stakes, did battle with the Count, preventing the vampire's curse from spreading … [Read more...]
The Horse & Animal Market at Sighetu Marmatiei, Romania
This isn't a post for vegans. Animals are vital for human survival in this part of the world and market day can be brutal. Living here, seeing lambs and kids born to be eaten within weeks at Easter has pushed me to veganism already, but it's just the way it is. People have to survive and that means meat and farming. For the villagers of northern Romania it also means horses. … [Read more...]