Sarah in Roumania

by Sarah
(Paris, France)

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, how I love this beautiful country. I call it tara de inima mea...it truely is. I have been coming back and forth since 2000 and lived in Bucharest for a year on sabbatical. I have travelled extensively throughout the country and have always been embraced by the wonderful warmth and typical Roumanian welcome everywhere I have been, from Bucharest to the Banat, Maramures and the rest of Transylvania, Bucovina, Moldavia, Dobrogea. I've travelled by train, by bus, in the back of a horse and cart (auto-stop!) with slanina in one hand and palinka in the other (northern Maramures), joined in parties in snowy fields when the train conked out on Christmas night somewhere outside Busteni - out came suitcases and bags with salami, castraveti, bread and salata de vinete in jars, bottles of wine and palinka...magically, music began from someone with a guitar and someone else with an accordian...how sad we were when the train was replaced by another and the party ended. I learned most of my colinde from train travel at Christmas! I've crawled through metro tunnels looking for street children in Bucharest and worked in a wonderful creche in Sighetu Marmatiei...how to sum up my life-line with Roumania...I cannot for it surpasses any words capable of voicing. It is a country of courage and determination, of strength and fabulous sense of humour, of parties at the drop of a hat and of exquisite beauty. The foaie verde of tara de inima mea is indescribable, always takes my breath away and despite having travelled extensively, I have never found anywhere else more lovely, more rich and more moving. I love the food, the people, the literature and the history is overwhelming. God bless Roumania. Go see my blog for more: http://sarahinromania.canalblog.com.
Peter, thank you for such a great site! Your photos are marvellous and it's wonderful to see that you love it, too. I don't know which photo to choose. I have so many. But here's one of Piatra Craiului that I have on my screen saver to be going on with. Enjoy!