Sorin the Magnificent

Ahhh Sorin, our genial host and owner of Mioritica gave us a fine welcome to his cavernous home. Sorin, a history teacher leads a double life as a tour guide during the summer holidays. He gives tours of the local saxon lands, but also conducts tours abroad? A big man who at times seemed to be suffering from the effects of marijuana smoking, was able to give us a low down on the new Romania. It made the stay a lot more colourful. Sorin managed to acquire his land for almost nothing and has composed a very aesthetically pleasing complex of huts and wooden buildings which he rents out. Traditional Romanian food is also available. Scattered around the garden and sheds are vestiges of romania’s distant and more recent past. There is even a nostalgic room devoted to Nicolaui Ceaucescu. Met some Austrian lads doing a mad whistle stop tour of Romania, Bulgaria, and the Balkan countries in 3 weeks. Made us feel like we were going at snails pace.
Although this was one of the big expenses of our Romanian trip, we got a better sense of how the locals lived. There is still a real community spirit of giving lifts to those walking on the road, buying or borrowing some eggs off the neighbours and giving Tuica brandy to the neighbours in return.
We have managed to spot Bee Eaters…very colourful with bat like wings and long beaks. They nest in burrows in the hills. Very acrobatic to watch. We also finally got to see a bird of prey up close, but not close enough to firmly identify it. I think it was a Buzzard, but Laura thinks it was a Black Kite. Say no more, other than we wont be on the Ornithologists shortlist for best bird watcher!