Rainy day

Gordon: Before we make a decision to travel to a particular destination we generally have a look at the weather that we can expect. The average temperature range in Cluj in July is a high of 26 degrees Celsius and a low of 13, with 9 days with precipitation – not bad for a cycle trip. The temperatures we have experienced in northern Romania have been consistent with the historical averages, but unfortunately the precipitation has not. We have had some rain almost every day during the three weeks that we have been here.

There has been a daily pattern to the rain here, with clear mornings and a buildup of clouds as the day progresses, leading to showers in the afternoon. We have a good weather app (Storm) and by keeping on eye on the forecast we have generally been able to do our cycling and visit the desired sights without getting too wet. Today was an exception. The forecast was a bit ominous, but because the actual weather is usually better than predicted, we chose to venture up the road rather than hunkering down in our excellent pension in Piatra Neamț as we should have done. As it turned out the rainfall was apocalyptic: at one point in the town of Bicaz we were cycling on the sidewalk because the highway had turned into a river. We only cycled 26 kms before we washed up at a pension in Bicaz and settled in for a day of reading.

The forecast is for another week of showers before a return to sunny weather. While the countryside appears green and productive, with plums, cherries, apples and walnuts hanging everywhere, locals have told us that in at least some areas crops have been lost due to the rainfall. There is a massive physical investment in harvesting and stacking hay, and it certainly would be a challenge to dry hay properly in the conditions that have prevailed in northern Romania during this July.