4th and 5th of December, 2021.
I first meet the priest responsible for the Dumbrava Monastery, the one who adopted all the kids, when I am asking him if I can stay for the night. Unfortunately he does not speak English, so a lovely nun does the translation. I say unfortunately because I would like to speak more with him about his project but we would not see each other anymore.
The nice nun brings me to a room. Oh, wow! It is a perfectly clean and white room. With a bathroom! I feel like I am in a hotel. She tells me I should come to eat in 45 minutes if I want.
After getting ready, I come down to the eating room. We have a delicious soup with bread, cabbage stew, and a cake which reminds me a lot of Halva (halawa) from Egypt. I talk with one lady, who is also having dinner, and she invites me to come for the service if I want.
I come to the service because I want to see how it is it. Is not much different from the one I was in Curchi Monastery.
Back to my room, I enjoy a lovely night of sleep. Next morning, I leave very early so unfortunately I don’t say goodbye to anybody. But I see an owl! The first one of my travels! She is a bit shy at the beginning, flying from one tree to another, but I think after she realizes I only want to take a photograph, she let me do it.
I am hitchhiking in a not very busy road. Highway just beside me, full of cars coming and going.
After a while, because so few cars are passing, I decide to stop a car and ask if I can walk a bit further, if there is some kind of intersection or something.
The car I stop belongs to Madalina and it is the best coincidence it could ever happen to me.
When I tell her I am trying to go to Hunedoara and why, she just say “OK, come on in, I will drive you to Hunedoara”. What? It is over 1 hour driving and she was just turning to go the monastery. But when I ask she says she is sure about it. So I get in.
This lovely human being called Madalina is from Hunedoara but now lives in another city. Her parents, though, are still living there, so she decided I was a good excuse to go visit them. “They love when I go visit them”, as she say.
We get along real fast and I admire her for her bravery and strong personality. What a intelligent woman! Plus she is so kind! We visit Corvin’s Castle together. It is gorgeous! Oh, wow what a lovely castle! Completely different from Pelisor Castle, very medieval and gorgeous!
When I meet her parents, I figure that she got a lot of that kindness from them. They are so cute! From the moment I step in their apartment, they treat me so well, always trying to help and ask what I need.
We have a delicious, really amazing lunch plus biscuit salami and coffee for desert. I am dying of happiness. When I tell Madalina more about my travels and she translate to her parents, they all get really surprised.
As it was not enough, they give me a bag full of wonderful food, more biscuit salami, tissues, toilet paper AND wet wipes! The perfect bag for me! Yay! We make my sign together and after they also give me the marker. WHICH I NEEDED SO MUCH BECAUSE MINE WAS JUST GOING BAD.
The lovely Madalina person tells me she will drive me to Sibiu, the next town before Transfagarasan. I insist she does not need to but she say she will anyway.
After another hour of lovely taking, we finally say goodbye. She drops me in a perfect hitchhiking spot. I feel I could be her friend for ever.
