Gura Humorului

Horowitz Travel- May 17, 2017- Gura Humorului

Forty-eight miles in three hours excluding touring and lunch. I'll try to explain.

We did a little touring in villages in the Iza River Valley. At Teodor Barson's woodworking shop in Rozavlea we were shown the secret to how he carves long wooden chains. They're cut from a single piece of oak. The chains are in the wood. All he has to do is carve away anything that wasn't a chain. He's world renowned and built a wooden church and gate for the Chicago Romanian Festival. In 1999, it was shipped there then to the Smithsonian World Folk Festival in Washington, D.C.

Next on the list was the Barasana Monastery, built in 1992. It is served by nuns, but the Orthodox Church calls everything a monastery. It had a campus atmosphere with several school groups visiting the lush, hilly location dotted with dormitories, a wooden church with an ornately painted interior in a primitive style, museum, dining hall, and guest house. I was amused as a nun hurried by wearing a long black habit, black wimple, black scarf covering her forehead, and black veil. She was seemingly talking to herself as she carried a full basket. It took me a second to realize she had an earpiece and was talking on her phone. Nuns can't give sacraments or lead Mass so a priest is assigned to take that role. Priests who are married may service churches or monasteries. Those who aren't married serve monasteries. Nuns can't marry.

Lunch was strategically timed because we were about to enter the "dead zone of roads." We were greeted by an aged Great Dane who lived in a brightly multi-hued doghouse in the style of the region. There was a sign warning that there was a large dog on the premises who would greet you but who is friendly. As far as I could tell, his job was to move from one sunspot to another and to stalk and eat flies.

Houses in the area decorate the exteriors with painted reliefs reflecting designs used in weaving. They were a nice addition to the green of the forests and hills.

If I made fun of the condition of roads in Bulgaria, I apologize. If I praised the good condition of roads in Romania, I take it back. Generalizations generally don't work, and we met the exception to the road rule today. To get across the Carpathian Mts. and through the stunningly picturesque Prislop Pass, we followed a road that followed a stream. We had to run the gauntlet of a 48-mile long construction zone. Construction is a bit optimistic. The road was 1 1/2 cars wide to begin with. Add machinery, gravel, mud, no guard rails, crews mostly not working, trenches, semis, buses, horse carts, pedestrians, sheep, dogs, cats, chickens, cows and you have continuing chaos. We had ample time to nap and take pictures. During our sheep encounter, a shepherd held up a lamb. Excited, Judi started making a video with sound. When she went to view it all she had was her finger over the lens with lots of bleating. 

We're staying at a Best Western in a town with one of the weirdest names. Makes sense only if you know we're on the Humor River. Church bells have been ringing forever. Just when I think it's over, it starts again. Church bells or dogs. Take your pick. Oops. The dogs just started up.

We walked to Hilde's for a lovely dinner of beet borscht and goulash, at last. Judi had chicken with a Camembert sauce. We may go back tomorrow. David has his eye on duck. 

Tomorrow we tour the area's monasteries.

Toby

Barsana Monestary

Sheep,goat,cattle drive

Decorated house