Maramures and Bucovina

Our first week in Romania saw us cover a great number of miles. For one reason or another we seemed to be travelling most days. Unlike previous countries we had visited, most of the places we wanted to see involved a drive and were fairly well spread out. We therefore spent large amounts of time in the van, putting Napoleon through his paces and Tom’s newly acquired driving skills to the test. The north of Romania seems to be considerably cooler than further south, so it was a welcome break from the high temperatures we had begun to acclimatise to. Our first stop was in the village of Sapanta, famous for its merry cemetery, just 4 km south of the Ukraine boarder. On paper it could be considered a bit tasteless, as rather than conventional headstones, the graves are marked by colourful wooden pictures, illustrating the deceased – sometimes in a rather comical pose and accompanied by a short humorous poem about their life. It felt more of a celebration of life and gave visitors a stronger sense of the people who had lived in the village.

The village itself was fascinating to walk through. Having recently visited a Hungarian ethnographic museum and wandered around the medieval homesteads (with a slight romantic yearning) we now found ourselves wandering round a much more authentic village, complete with the sounds and smells of simple country life. The roadsides were lined with chickens, geese and sheep. Cows came meandering down the road at dusk and horses and carts trundled past. Every house had a well stocked vegetable plot and hay stack or two. The older generation seemed to be dressed in a fairly traditional uniform and hat or head scarf, the younger people however were all kitted out in jeans and t-shirts. It is said that their lifestyle has barely changed in 500 years, but it will be interesting to see if it remains the same for much longer, I doubt it.

Photo is of painted Bucovina Monastery, painted top to toe both outside and in. Very popular pilgrimage for Greek Orthodox Christians.