Vandring i Rumänien
Thanks to Iulian Cozma , my cousin Britt and I had a fantastic and eventful week in Romania from the 19th to the 26th of September. On the first day , in the Bucegi Mountains, the sky was clear and the sun was shining as it did throughout the week. From Sinaia we took the cable car 700 m up till we were above the tree line. It was barren and cold, so we had to put on our hats and gloves. We walked 300 very long meters up to Omu Peak. Here we sat, in the sun, in front of a wooden cottage where one could buy soup, coffee and very sweet tea, and enjoyed the view over the mountain. We looked forward to a week of delightfully tough mountain tramping! Unfortunately an old knee injury was revived by a rather lengthy descent, so that in the evening it was clear to us that we would not be able to continue our week on the same ambitious level . Reluctantly we informed Iulian of this. Like a true pro he just took it in his stride and within five minutes he had, on the basis of his vast experience, outlined a different route of easier trails for us and in the same breath he booked new pensions and canceled others that did not fit into the revised plan. Moreover, the day after he let us have a day of rest and sightseeing in the pleasant Old Town of Brasov. Here it turned out that not only does Iulian know something about mountains, he is also knowledgeable about the history and culture of Romania and above all – Romanian cakes! Between sights , and while we enjoyed Iulian’s fun and informative company, we were literally stuffed with cakes, not only once but twice ! The day was rounded off with yet another couple of cakes that Iulians very sweet wife gave us to enjoy back home at the hotel. What a day ! During the remaining four days we walked through one picturesque mountain area after another, we stayed in the pleasantest pensions. And high up in the Fagaras Mountains, that are more barren than The Bucegi and yet particularly spectacular, we stayed in one incredible hotel, the Balea Lac – virtually built on a lake which , smooth as a mirror, reflects the scenery around it. We saw chamois elegantly galloping down a mountain slope. We saw a lot of ravens. We were accompanied for a whole day by a very nice dog. We were offered walnuts, fresh from the tree, by an old shepherd. Last but not least , Iulian took us down to his grandmothers village where we stayed the night at her sister’s house. We had a long amazing conversation with Silviu, an unforgettably friendly man who showed us everything they owned . . . The pigs , the chickens, the potatoes ( the small ones for the pigs ! ) , the hat that he wears for Christmas and his pride – the locker with his tools.
We saw the cows come home from the meadows at sunset, and how they were milked, the old fashioned way. We had lovely home cooked food, and plum dumplings, we had lots of brandies and coffee. We felt very privileged to have been given this experience , it put a happy smile on our faces that still lingers.
In short it was a trip that we can warmly recommend. In the mountains we felt completely safe with Iulian as a guide . Iulian is thoroughly professional , a nice companion and a good friend . Everything ran smoothly, from we arrived at the airport and were picked up by Iulian’s nice driver Manu , till we were back at the airport one week later.
We each had with us a CD , with photos from the holiday , that Iulian had had time to make the night before and deliver at our hotel . Impressive !
This trip certainly made us want to come back and see more .
The friendliest greetings to Iulian
from Britt Treu and Therese HernøDenmark September 2009
Min kusine Britt og jeg fik , takket være Iulian Cozma , en fantastisk og oplevelsesrig uge i Rumænien fra den 19de til den 26de september .
På den første dag , i Bucegi Bjergene , skinnede solen fra en skyfri himmel – og det fortsatte den med resten af ugen . Fra Sinaia tog vi tovbanen 700 m op til vi var over trægrænsen . Her var goldt og koldt , så vi måtte have handsker og huer på. Vi gik 300 meget lange meter op til Omu Peak . Hvor vi , foran en lille hytte hvor man kunne købe suppe , kaffe og meget sød te , nød udsigten udover bjerget . Vi følte os klar til en en uges dejligt hård bjergvandring ! Desværre blev et dårligt knæ genoplivet af en lidt lang tur ned af bjerget , så det stod os klart at vi ikke ville kunne fortsætte ugen med de samme ambitioner som først antaget. Modstræbende måtte vi sige dette til Iulian ! Det accepterede han bare uden videre og i løbet af fem minutter havde han i sit erfarne hoved lagt lettere ruter til os , booket nye pensioner og aflyst andre som ikke passede ind i den reviderede plan . Desuden gav han os dagen efter en hvile og sightseing dag i Brasovs gamle , hyggelige bydel . Her viste det sig at han ikke bare ved noget om bjerge men også om Rumæniens historie , kultur og ikke mindst kager ! Vi blev fyldt med kager , mens vi nød godt af Iulians , sjove og vidende selskab. Dagen blev rundet af med et endnu et par hjemmebagte kager , som Iulians meget søde kone syntes vi skulle have med hjem til hotellet ! Sikke en dag ! I løbet af resten af ugen fik vi vandret i en masse skønne bjergområder , overnattet i de hyggeligste pensioner , og desuden på et utroligt hotel , Balea Lac , ude i en spejlblank sø , højt oppe i Fagaras bjergene, som er lidt mere golde men alligevel særligt spektakulære. Vi så gemser i elegant firspring nedover bjergskråningen . Vi så masser af ravne . Vi fik følgeskab en hel dag af en meget sød hund . Vi fik friske valnødder af en gammel hyrde og sidst men ikke mindst , tog Iulian os med til sin bedstemors landsby . Her overnattede vi hos hendes søster , fik en lang og fantastisk hyggelig snak med Silvio , en uforglemmeligt venlig mand som viste os alt . . Grisene , hønsene , kartoflerne (de små til grisene ! ) og , hans stolthed – værktøjet , samt hatten han har på til jul. Vi så køerne komme hjem fra engen ved solnedgang og blive malket , på den gode gammeldags måde . Vi fik dejlig hjemmelavet mad , brændevin , en masse kaffe og nykogte blomme knødeln . Vi følte os yderst privilegerede over at have fået lov til at få denne oplevelse , den satte et glad smil på vores ansigter som endnu ikke har fortaget sig ! Alt i alt var det en tur vi kun kan anbefale . I bjergene følte vi os fuldstændigt trygge med Iulian som guide . Desuden er Iulian er ikke bare professionel til fingerspidserne men også godt selskab og en god kammerat . Alt forløb som det skulle , lige fra vi ankom og blev hentet i lufthavnen af Iulians meget rare chauffør , Manu , til Manu satte os af en uge senere i lufthavnen . Med os havde vi hver en cd med billeder fra ferien som Iulian lige havde nået at brænde og aflevere på vores hotel aftenen inden . Effektivt og imponerende . Turen gav os stor appetit på at komme tilbage og se mere .
De venligste hilsener til Iulian fra Therese Hernø og Britt Treu
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