Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

We escaped the touristy town of Bran just when it started to become busy, driving south on our way to see the village of Măgura. The road turns out to be a one-way street, so we continue driving, and take the road to nearby Peștera instead. After driving up a narrow country road, we soon reach a ridge that leads us straight to Peștera. We are surrounded by a landscape of haystacks, of farmers working their land, of cottages dotting the hilly landscape, of small white churches, all of that framed in the setting of high mountains. We stop, and we stop often, to enjoy the views and to take pictures. The road takes us all around the ridge on which Peștera is built, and it then veers back towards Măgura. Here, we decide to park the car and go for a walk, which is a much better way to immerse ourselves in the peaceful environment.
Our plan was to spend a few hours here, and continue to Brașov. When we come across yet another beautifully located building that turns out to be a hotel, see a room and the views it has from the balcony, we look at each other and, even without talking about it, know that we are going to stay for the night. We feel so at ease here, much more than a few hours before when we escaped the tourist trap of Bran. We install ourselves here, and enjoy the views, sitting on our balcony. Later that afternoon, we are up for a hike, taking a steep trail straight to the top of a mountain behind Măgura. Every time we stop to turn around, the views get better. We hike the ridge, through forest, with views of Zărnești, and then are back on the other side of the mountain. We now have full views of the landscape below, with Peștera and Măgura, and the cottages scattered around the hills. The last part of our hike is on the dirt track, where we meet locals on a horse-driven cart. We see people building a haystack. Life goes slow here: it is hard to imagine it was much different a hundred years ago. And that is precisely the charm of these Kalibash villages.
The next day, I am up at sunrise for a long hike. When I walk out of Măgura, dogs run after me, and bark, but when I take a trail down into the gorge, all is silent. When I take a turn to the right, I know it will be uphill for a while. There are too many signs for the trail (I am following the white-blue one) and I end up in the wrong valley. Refusing to go back, I make a straight line to where I imagine the real trail to be, and from then on, it is all obvious. When I am higher up, the trees thin out, and I get views of the Piatra Craiului range, still high above me. Another stretch in the forest brings me to a camp, where I am surprised to see a car, and campers. From here, I continue uphill, until I reach a crossroads. I am ahead of my time plan, and I wonder if I should add a climb to the eastern side of the mountain range above me. I conclude it would be too tight, and continue my way up to Piatra Mică. The last bit is exposed, with iron lines to help with the steepest bits up this rocky outcrop. Great views of the higher mountains from here, and the ridge now does not seem much higher: I am at 1816 metres. From here, the trail passes a cross, and then it is a steep descent in the woods. When I reach an open area, I can hear sheep and dogs, and indeed, a little later I cross paths with a shepherd and his flock. The last bit back to Măgura turns out trickier than I thought, as I try to take a shortcut to avoid all the switchbacks in the road, which ultimately takes me in a different direction. I end up on the trail we took the day before, which brings me the added advantage of seeing the charming landscape and villages below me.

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Kalibash villages (Romania)

Kalibash villages > Romania > Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

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