Șurdești to Breb

Ruth: Today we climbed over a 1070 meter pass and descended into the Mara valley. This is the heart of the historic region of Maramureş. Things are suddenly much more traditional. Horse drawn carts are common, as are the traditional wooden homes.

When we are not climbing in the Carpathians or drinking the strong blueberry liquor we are usually exploring wooden churches. Today we stopped at Budești to see another 17th century UNESCO listed church.

Our accommodation the last few nights has been sensational. There are many rural bed and breakfasts in this area. We had two great dinners and breakfasts at our last one and look forward to a meal tonight at the farmhouse where we are staying in Breb.

In Surdești our hosts spoke very good French so we were able to chat at length. At our current pension there is little common language, which is unfortunate, as we and are hosts would both like to talk to each other. Gordon can say a few things in Romanian, but he needed to spend more time on Duolingo.

This afternoon our current hosts headed off with their handmade wooden pitch forks and rakes to turn and stack their hay in the fields. We were told that they have two cows, three pigs and a number of chickens. Almost everything they need comes right from the farm.

A walk around Breb included another wooden church and a glimps of a property with a number of buildings that were restored with funding from Prince Charles.