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| Passing other vehicles on curving roads in Romania is an art. Oncoming traffic is as well educated in avoiding somebody overtaking on a blind hill or curve as are the overtakers themselves. The whole thing is conducted with great tolerance and, so long as it has wheels underneath, you can drive anything you please. |
| I drove up and over the Fagaras mountains in Transylvania - which are sometimes called the Romanian Alps. As you descend to the southern slopes, the weather changes dramatically and I encountered a cool mist. The "ghost" (left) suddenly loomed out of that mist; in this district most houses are built almost entirely of wood, still a plentiful resource in Romania. |
| In Bucovina, I saw this marvellous hay-cart, horse-drawn, with the fellow in charge wearing local peasant costume. A picture which could have been taken in 1898 or 1798 and I doubt if you could tell the difference! |
| I was invited to come inside this shed, where the gentleman seated is preparing the national "schnapps" of Romania, called Tuica (it's like Slivovitz). I always ask permission before taking photographs of people and he explained to me that this was "whisky" and showed how the still was heated using firewood and the condenser cooled with water from the river rushing outside. |
| In the same shed as the still is a fulling mill - this uses the force of the water rushing through a mill-race outside to turn a wheel and operate the two hammers you see poised over this fellow's head. These hammers pound the coarse local-woven wool fabric to softness and this is the purpose of the "fulling" process. I am sure it has operated this way for more than 300 years. |
| Visit to Romania in October 1998 |
| I wanted to see this little-visited country before it became too spoiled by the effects of mass-tourism. I rented a small car and spent two weeks driving all over the place. I found Romanians to be warm-hearted and hospitable people and I felt welcome and safe wherever I travelled. These photos are "stills" from my Sony DV camera and what they certainly lack in quality, I hope you'll agree they make up in capturing the atmosphere. The northern provinces, especially Maramures and Bucovina (which border the Ukraine) were my favourite places for scenery and atmosphere. |
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