Romania

I suddenly made up my mind to take a road trip to Romania through the border of Turkey-Bulgaria at first, then Bulgaria-Romania. After passing through different cities, and long hours of watching small towns embedded in lush green landscape by my car window, finally arrived in Brasov, a Saxon city in Transylvania. Why I wanted to come to visit Transylvania is definitely the spirit of Transylvanian region, its beautiful villages and the nature. Carpathian Mountains covered by snow, green peaks with a bunch of traditional wooden houses decorated with ornaments in details and flock of sheep I often come across randomly would feature a general yet very wonderful picture of this historical region. 

One afternoon, I visit Magura, Sirnea, Fundata, Viscri and more villages to see the lives of locals and be closer to the nature I would hardly reach in my city. These scenes I see prove to me that all around here is "untouched" as people are conscious enough to protect and keep the traditional ways to maintain ecological richness of their land. 

After I witness a ceremony in an Orthodox church in Magura, among many locals who come here to pray and candle the lights, I find myself walking up steep slopes in another village. I'm spotted by an old woman sitting in front of her house, smiling me and asking some questions that I totally don't understand. She pulls me into the backyard to show her horse which is about to get into barn with the helps of her sons. With no words -like wtih many others I meet on the road or while walking around a village- , I could sense that we get along with each other. They are friendly, curious and open to be a part of my story by saying 'yes' anytime I ask them to take a photograph. Once, in another village of Viscri which is a part of UNESCO world heritage list, I start talking in Italian, I even manage to undertstand some of words of an old woman I talked on a street. With or wtihout words, it's quite not disappointing to try having a conversation with them.

Eventually, it comes out that Romania isn't yet one of the top destinations on travel itineraries. But it's worth exploring especially for those who want to taste a traditional culture filled with living customs and experience ravishing views of the nature.