In the green forest

One cannot loose

One cannot see

The footsteps of a horse

At the springs

The mounted shadow

Of an outlaw

Doesn’t appear.

Where are they gone

Where did they dissapear

The years

of their glory?

Where are the pistols

Where are the daggers

The horses and firelocks

Of the outlaws?

On the road

They do not appear

To kill

A boyard

To take all his money

For the poor people

For the people

With needs.

Place: The bus station

Reason: To catch the Cluj Napoca- Abrud bus, to travel up to Campeni and from there to continue our journey by foot up to Rosia Montana. Thank God that people seem to be nice and friendly up there and they are willing to give one a ride to town.

We walk around the town and I discovered that it was much bigger and more deserted that I imagined. Beautiful old houses, with nice details and wooden windows were on the verge of collapsing and still their impact on the viewers remain intact. Most of the ruined houses had “Property of the S.C. Gold Rosia Montana” while the others had “The Road of the Gold” or “This property is not for sale” written on them.

While we left our tents, sleeping bags and other stuff at the information center, we thought about visiting the old mine. The guide was a nice old guy, ready to answer any of our questions about the mine (build by the roman, previously name Ablurnus Maior), about the village or about the places around.  The guys from the information center were also pretty nice: they gave us a ride, indicated what was worth visiting in the village and chatted with us several ours.

After almost 1 hour of hiking and climbing through the forest (well, it should be less, but we kinda are couch potatoes for most of the year), we got to the place where the Fan Fest was held every year. Not this year though, but still people were up there, by the fire, in tents, drinking, bathing in the lake, singing, chatting all in all having fun. We kinda walk around the camping, seeing both amazing views and deserted factories that spoiled all that.

Pluses: nice place, friendly people, great views

Minuses: if one doesn’t fancy sleeping in a tent, there is only one hostel, with fiew rooms available, and believe me, during the night, it is really, really cold in a sleeping bag.

We have one beautiful area (mountains, great views, great touristic potential) but filled with people with no jobs, no places to develop an industry.

Solution no 1: Opening a huge mine to extract gold and silver, a mine that will cover the entire zone. Thousands of people have to move theirs houses, but will have a place to work. The drawback is that the mine will only last up to 20 years and will use a great quantity of cyanide that will eventually destroy the ecosystem (the whole area will be useless for hundreds of years). Historical sites and old, valuable houses will be destroyed in this manner.

Solution no 2: Investing some money. Finding another way of extracting the gold and silver that won’t affect the surroundings that much. Investing for developing a touristic resort. This will take a certain amount of time and a considerable amount of money, but it will bring some long term advantages.

What would you chose?

I personally incline for the second solution. I recently visited the area and I saw some of the most beautiful views, friendly people and a great place to spend some time. Here are some pictures to see what I’m talking about.

I read on and on about stuf like: “They didn’t want the victory enough”, “They could have done more”, “They should have spend more time practising and less time talking to the journalists or walking, etc”, and these were the cenzored verions. I hate this attitude. Few people know (and the people who write these comments certainly don’t) what it envolves being a sportsman at the Olympics.

First of all, being good in any sports requires starting practicing at early ages (for gymnastics that is 4 or 5 years old), and continuing practicing for many more years (10-20 or even more). They have few holidays, few free time, practices once maby twice a day. Most of them have injuries and they keep on practicing, they take medicines that, on the long time, could effect their bodies (how many female athletes have now difficulties in having a baby beacause of the hormons they took when they were younger? ).  Yes, they chose that life,  but I don’t think that for somebody that has done so many sacrifices, winning or lossing is the same thing.

It is easy to juge when you are sitting in a chair, watching TV with beer and popcorn. It is easy to blame them because you didn’t have the satisfacition of seeing athlethes from your country winning. It is easy to say that they win a lot of money even if they do not win the gold. But it is unfair. One should be proud, sould congtulate them (winning or loosing) for the work, the pain, the practices, the sacrifice they made.

Gold: Alina Dumitru (judo), Constantina Dita-Tomescu (athletism, maraton), Sandra Izbasa (Gymnastics floor), Georgeta Andrunache and Viorica Susanu (canoe)

Silver: Ana-Maria Branza (fencing)

Bronze: Mihai Covaliu (fencing), Sandra Izbaşa, Steliana Nistor, Andreea Grigore, Andreea Acatrinei, Anamaria Tămârjan and Gabriela Drăgoi (gymnastics- team), Constanţa Burcică, Viorica Susanu, Rodica Florea, Eniko Barabaş, Simona Muşat, Ioana Papuc, Georgeta Andrunache, Doina Ignat and Elena Georgescu (canotaj)

Beautiful girl, Strange girl

Tonight I will take you

For dinner and talking

At Manuc’s inn

There are no carriages, you cannot go

It is the 20th century

Tonight be ready,

Tonight I will take you

For a Turkish coffee and a pancake

To Manuc’s Inn

There are no carriages, you cannot go

It is the 20th century

Outlaws are not comming,

I am sweet

My thought will be known by you and the outlaws

At Manuc’s Inn

There are no carriages, you cannot go

It is the 20th century

Come on beautiful, come on stranger

My love

Come with me, smile and come

At Manuc’s Inn

There are carriages, you can go,

There is a century left

Until the 20th century.

Build between 1437-1543, this castle has both baroc and renascentist architecture. Changed and destroied through the years, it has been used as a campaign hospital for the German troupes during the World War II and as a CAP during the comunist era.  Today, the restauration of this piece of Transilvania’s history has begun under the protection of Price Charles of Wales.

From Cluj – Napoca you can arrive there taking a 30 minutes train ride up to Bontida village and then a 6-7 km walk through the village. By paying 2 RON you get both the opportunity to visit the ruins and a nice postcard, and I tell you, it is worth visiting.

The place is far engouh from the village, from the main road and it is not often visited by tourists. The piece and quiet have a relaxing effect on the visitors. When I arrived there, the only people inside were some art students, living in a restaurated area of the castle, which came for painting or taking photos. Entering the gardens, on the left hand side, the restaurated buildings, white and beautiful, are for the moment closed for visiting. One of them though has inside a coffee place (called Art Cafe), where you cam sit and enjoy the view. I look throug the windows and, inside these buildings, some works of art (most of them partially destoried by a fired put by the German troops).

On the right hand side a the ruins. Buildings that are not restaured yet. You can go inside, explore the basement, walk through the galleries and look at the sky (since the roof is missing). You can imagine that there they were, ages ago, the ball room, the library (full off old books and manuscripts), and dormitories for the counts and barons living there. Unfortunatly, the ruins are now, place of disposal for PETs, beer cans and plastic bags.

Every year, a medieval festival takes place here. Maidens and Prices, horses, musicants fill up the place, bringing it back 5 centuries ago.