3rd and 4th of December, 2021.
It is actually the first time I am hitchhiking under the snow. Interesting. I just didn’t expected it would take 3 hours for somebody to stop. I used to think that would be easier for people to stop when we are under bad circumstances, like rain or snow… nope!
A nice elderly couple, from the house where I am hitchhiking in front, come one by one and try to talk to me. I am already super wet and extremely cold. The Hulk is covered with its rain cover and I use my rain cover in the small one. I am only under my coat because I have lost my umbrella in Skolity. But even with all our protections, after three hours, the three of us are pretty wet. The Hulk is the one in the best conditions.
When a guy in a van parks I cannot believe it. The elderly man from the house is with me by the time and he explains to the man, for what I can understand, that I am there for three hours already and he thinks it is an absurd! Cute. He actually had offered already to me to come and sleep in his house if I needed.
I cannot remember / understand the name of my savior but he is going to the next town, Barsa. Together we figure what would be the closest monastery in the way to my next destination: Barsana Monastery, in the Maramures region.
Where he drops me, I still have to walk about 3 Km to the monastery and it is uphill. I wonder why couldn’t he take me there. I get real exhausted going up with the bags. I feel like I am dying. And it is dark already. Many car pass by me but nobody stops.
At the monastery, this huge complex with many different buildings, I talk with a young boy and a priest. The first one translating for the second. I am accepted after showing them my passport. The young boy brings me to a big room inside one of the buildings. There are 28 bunkbeds on it. Many of them are unmade, like someone have just used, so I am thinking I will have company. No, nobody come. I dry all my clothes and bags by the huge heater. I eat my puffuletis and some chocolate. I find a dead mice under the bed just beside me. Which is not very pleasant. And when I am going to the toilet (which is outside of the building) I see a mice running from one place to another.
Later on, many people come around for the service, which seems weird for me since it is Friday.
I manage to sleep anyway and I leave the monastery very early next morning. I don’t see anyone around so I cannot say goodbye. Or get a piece of cardboard for my new sign.
On the way back to the road, another 3 Km, I find some cardboard in the back of a shop. I write Barsana Monastery on it.
After those 3 Km, the road starts to go up again. At least it will keep me warm.
After a few minutes walking though, a pick up stops. It is a nice guy but he doesn’t speaks much English. He is going only to the intersection but it is OK for me. He shows me in his car that it is -7 Celcius Degrees outside. Uhul!
From the intersection on I have to walk quite a while to get out of the village. Once in there, it doesn’t take long until a young man stops for me. He is kind and he traveled to other countries before, but mainly for working. He was working in Italy for many years, even though he is so young. He drops me in front of Barsana Monastery.
I ask to leave my backpack at the gift shop and the lady say “yes”. The buildings of the monastery are incredible! But completely different of what I have imagined. I don’t know why but I though they were just very simple buildings. No, no, no. They have their edges all detailed in wood. And the roofs. It is truly amazing! And there is also a great view of the area. But I dare to say that even more extraordinary it is the wooden church. Oh, wow! I am so happy that it was open so I could see it. Its beauty is not possible do describe. It looks unreal of so perfect and pretty. I loved!
It is still morning so I think I can cover some good distance towards Hunedoara.
In front of the monastery, soon enough a lovely lady stops. It makes me so happy when a woman picks me up!
She is a great, brave and adorable woman. She worked as a chef for some aristocrat families for many years in Spain and now she has just came back. Her son is very happy for that. He is a quite famous singe / musician in Bulgaria. My new friend is now the chef in a restaurant. We stop in a super cool restaurant, right in the entrance of the Comuli region. She order us two cappuccinos and this traditional Romanian desert Papanași, which consists in a fried cake with cheese inside, covered by white cream and jam. I completely adored! Unfortunately I have to say goodbye to this lovely lady soon after that.
I am outside her village, waiting only for a few minutes, when Malina and her family stop for me. She is traveling with her husband, Andrei, and her daughter Ionela. They still have another son, Yulian. They have a awesome hotel in the middle of the woods, not far from where they picked me up. I see a video made by Ionela during a parapente and the place is incredible! I eat some nice walnuts cookies, we talk and they are impressed by my travels. Plus they know the son of the lady who just drove me here. He performed in their hotel before. What a coincidence!
We stop in a gas station and have some nice pastries. They offer me some food but for some reason I refuse. Then Malina offers me an umbrella and to that I say a “big” yes. I am just outside Cruj now, and by Malina’s suggestions, I will try to spend the night in a monastery nearby called Dumbrava. I am interested to go there because the priest has adopted 140 kids and he also offers help to some elderly people.
Raluca and Adrian are a lovely young couple who picks me up and drive me to Dumbrava Monastery. They also like to travel. Adrian offers to come and do some translation if needed but I say it will be fine.
