Off the National Road

As we've wandered Romania, most of our non-church and non-bus time has been spent in larger towns. We've driven by the small traditional villages, but they've always been winter-grim roadside curiosities, pieces of a very different life.

Today, we met Eugin, our most excellent guide to the villages outside of Sibiu, and we finally got a deeper look at some of old, traditional Romania. In the space of a lovely winter day, we got to see traditional village architecture, we drank warm water buffalo milk (yummy!), we got to explore Eugine's ever-growing collection of traditional crafts and costumes, we ate amazing local food, and we got to hear a rather hilarious gypsy song about building a church out of meat (thanks to Paul the accordion player).

It was VERY cool. Eugin and his family and some friends are members of a traditional cultural association aimed at promoting local tourism as a way to preserve local customs, and it seems to be working.

Oh, we also got to meet some more dogs (the long-haired Romanian shepherds) and ride some sport horses (Romanian warmbloods, one of them a national dressage champion).

An excellent day.