Travel reports (3)
info @ fischtours.de http://www.fischtours.de / - Motorbike tours through Romania - The final night (28.05.2004) For a few kilometres now, the tracks of an old disused narrow-gauge railway have been accompanying us through the valley of the Aries. From Campeni onwards, the valley belongs only to the river and of course to the road. Our journey winds in countless bends through the West Carpathians. The wonderful scenery all around us totally compensates for the crumbling, pit-holed tarmac. Sections with steep, dense forests alternate with more gentle scenery, where cattle or sheep are grazing on mountain pastures. Every so often we even see buffalo down in the valley pulling at the juicy green grass. They are not at all bothered by the thundering sound of our motorbikes. At last we reach Arieseni, our destination for today. Thanks to the good directions we had, we find the little guesthouse immediately. But we have a problem: the bridge that leads to the plot of land is just being renovated. This means that only a couple of iron girders are lying in our driving direction, and the distance between them is somewhat wider than the tyres of our motorbikes. We consider it too risky to try and balance the bikes along just one girder, after all we do have a BMW R 1150 RT with us, which already forfeited its mirror/indicator unit when we entered the Czech Republic... After a cordial welcome from our hostess for tonight, the petite woman helps us haul thick planks onto the provisional bridge construction. To help our approach, earth is shovelled into place, and so we manage to cross the stream. This is typical of Romania: problems always somehow seem to solve themselves after a while. Now we can enjoy the peace and quiet without a care. The last rays of the evening sun slowly glide across the opposite slopes and immerse the trees, tiny huts and a handful of cows in soft, warm light. As the shadows gradually get longer, the temperature sinks quite rapidly. That's a pity, because we really wanted to make a fire and roast our evening meal over a barbecue. But at the end of May it can still be quite chilly at night here in the mountains. In the meantime, the wood stove in the kitchen is burning and effusing a cosy heat. This soon intermingles with good smells from the pots and pans. Like everywhere in Romania, the food that is served here is plentiful, delicious and above all unadulterated. Much of the food is from the farm or the neighbourhood. With the help of dictionaries, phrase books and much gesticulation, there are no limits to our conversation. And so the last evening in this beautiful and hospitable country is long and hilarious. The next morning, it was all the more difficult to say farewell. There is plenty here to discover: the ice caves at Garda de Sus, the gold-digging museum in Rosia Montana or simply abandoning oneself to the silence of this untrodden territory. Just before the Vartop pass, the once so proud Aries disappears into the woods in the form of an unspectacular stream. We ascend to a height of 1160 metres. A few kilometres beyond the pass, there sprawls an elevated plain: horses, cows and buffalo graze together peacefully. The expanse and softness of the landscape are somehow reminiscent of Asian grass steppe landscapes. Slowly, the mountains in our rear-view mirrors diminish. This means farewell to a country and above all to a people whom we have grown to love. We experience a feeling of melancholy, but already we know: We will be back and we will also try to interest other people in Romania. Multumesc si la revedere! |
