Flamingo Miercurea-Ciuc

Friday was the Virgin Mary's birthday in the orthodox calendar. The first monastery was having a mass and a birthday party. We saw a couple of other monasteries, and decided to press on to Brasov. Since the primary road was so terrible, we took a secondary road. It sounded like a good idea at the time. We drove and drove and drove. And drove and drove and drove. At dusk we ended up at the Bicaz ...

For the first time since Serbia, I woke up to cold temperatures and wet weather this morning. I suspected as much yesterday when I saw the increasing streaks of cloud, so it wasn't a tremendous surprise when I semi-consciously awakened to the pitter-patter of rain out my window. In comparison to how exceedingly hot it's been recently, it's actually quite welcome, even if it does mean less satisfactory photos. Sometimes you've got to appreciate the more positive sides ...

After a pleasant, if costly stopover in charming Târgu Mureş, I've moved a little deeper into Szekler territory. Odorheiu Secuiesc - better known to the Hungarians as Székelyudvarhély - is notably smaller place, but in many ways it's a far more significant center of Magyar culture than the old Székely capital. Ceauşescu tried hard to dilute the Hungarian populations in this area of Transylvania, but it's obvious from this little town that he didn't have ...

I don't think you can fully understand Romania unless you get out of the cities. Nor do I believe you can get a complete portrait of the country without visiting its Hungarian speaking region. I decided to kill two birds with one stone on my side-trip off the traditional backpacker path to Szekely country. Knowing that my destination for the next couple days would be off the beaten track, I rented a car in Sighisoara. Now, this was no easy task ...

4 AM my alarm went off, and soon I was swiftly walking toward the Brasov train station en route to Csikszereda, the capital of the Hungarian region of Transylvanian, the Szekler Land (Szekkelyfold). First class for the two hour journey cost only 3 dollars, and I had a compartment to myself for most of the trip. Right out of Brasov, the station signs become bilingual Romanian/Hungarian ...

TOP 5 BEST FOODS I HAD IN EUROPE 1. Pan Catalan, Spain 2. Klara's Cheese Stew, Czech Republic 3. anything cooked by my French roommate, Cyril, or the French farmer, Bernard (such as honey on goat cheese on toasted bread, or duck in red wine) 4. Haluski, Slovakia (but best cooked by Klara) 5. Laxona Dolmades, Greece 6. Full English Breakfast 7. Pork ...

... Il faut etre optimiste," I said. (It's necessary to be optimistic.) I continued. "Je vais en l'U.S.S.R. pour la premiere fois. C'est monne reve! C'est bonne chose." (I'm going to be in the (former) U.S.S.R. That's my dream! That's a good thing.) But, I'd lost a lot. Here's a detailed list of what I'd been traveling with: what I'd lost (blue modest-sized backpack) - warm sleeping bag - notebook for stories, notebook for daily journal - four ...

... and teased each other in both languages, and at the end I recieved a big hug and a letter written in English from Agi's aunt. As I left, I was hugged and kissed and fussed over as if I were really a part of the family. And then I was on the train....

... stunning, the hills looking velvet, marked here and there by pine trees, cold fresh wind, miles and miles (kilometers and kilometers?) of smoky blue hills and heights. I felt like turning cartwheels, like flying! We were all grinning, and Agi got tears in her eyes and said, "My beautiful home!" Even to me it felt like home, the familiar embrace of the mountains and the high wide skyline. We found puffball mushrooms at our feet, and ...

... shirts and flaunting thier femaleness. It's so warm that everyone is out. Women with strollers and toddlers line the entire edge of the square. Kids race in circles on bicycles and rollerblades. I admire a young girl and her puppy. She is probably eleven or so. She notices me smiling at her dog, so she sits by me, lets me pet him. She laughs to discover that I can't understand a word she says, and implies that she does not speak Romanian ...