After a good breakfast featuring poached eggs and no doggy bag requirement we set off past the castle and across the river to join the path to a saddle, the Magura Mica Saddle, some 700 metres above us.
The gradient was brutal but the views, when available through the trees, were great.
Bear poo littered the path. They need to eat 20kg of grass every day to produce this black stuff.
The saddle area was marked by a variety of limestone constructions, both natural and man made.
Shady steps outside the church proved a good spot for lunch.
Next, a 'bear observation programme' that we had rushed to reach for a 1pm start. We waited... and waited, and eventually discovered that we would be served, along with three Germans, dinner at 4pm before a 5pm hour's drive to see the bears.
We spent well over an hour watching with Katerina (our guide for this 'event') from a hide that had apparently been used for Ceauşescu's hunting parties.
It was well after 9pm before we got back to the villa, so this brief entry may warrant some editing.
Here's Sue's worthy contribution:
Thurs 25 June
Alarm at 7.30, packing and an 8am breakfast in the other building. Poached eggs on toast with mushrooms and cheese was excellent and a large glass mug of tea.
We were off at 9am, feeling a bit under pressure as we had to be at Villa Hermani by 3pm and quite a bit of climbing to do.
The ascent started across the river and through a park below the castle and it rose steeply through beech woods. We were grateful for shade here.
Higher, there were grassy areas full of flowers, including Carthusian pinks, zigzag clover, peach-leaved bellflowers, mountain clover and thyme. It was good dipping in and out of the woods, with views growing to our left, where we had walked previously. Several orchid species today - common spotted, birds nest, fragrant and common twayblade (Neottia ovata). We also saw some fairly fresh bear poo (confirmed by Katherina later).
With a few undulations, it was two and a half hours before we reached the high point, a grassy area with chunks of limestone (and some round-headed rampion) - the Magura Mica Saddle. Below was a broad valley, with the town of Zarnesti. A quick cup of tea here, before we begun a short but very steep descent, not helped by a group of Dutch and Belgians coming up! The path emerged in a meadow but our ‘blue triangle’ path wasn’t evident. After consulting the map, we climbed back up 40m or so but it wasn’t where the map showed. Instead we headed off across the meadow using a compass bearing for the village, and crossed over it! It dropped gently, then steeply through open meadow, emerging on a track that we followed down to the village of Magura. We needn’t have rushed. It was only 12.45!
The steps of the church provided an excellent spot for lunch as they were in the shade and covered in carpet as well as having a good view.
Despite concerns (by our hosts and us!) that we wouldn’t be here by 3pm, we arrived at 1.15pm!
After a few minutes we were shown to a twin room, 9, with a balcony that we were soon using for a cup of tea and Squardle.
Our instructions were followed and we came down at 2.45pm but by 3.30pm, nothing had happened. A message to Maria clarified everything. We were to have dinner at 4pm then go to see the bears from 4.45pm.
There were five of us for dinner, us and three Germans. Our host Katherina also joined us. She has been taking people to see the bears since 1999! Not originally from Romania, she’s married to a Transylvanian Saxon.
Dinner was lovely - a clear broth with fine noodles, schnitzel with tomato and paprika sauce, mashed potatoes, Romanian cabbage, & apple and red onion salad. Pancake with cherry jam to finish.
We left about 4.50pm in a smart van. The first couple of km was down a zigzag unmetalled road through the forest to join a tarmac road at the bottom.
We passed a paper recycling factory, apparently owned by a British company (DS Smith). We were on the edge of Zarnesti where there was a munitions factory in communist time, and the plain blocks of flats were built during the 60s and 70s for workers. The purpose for stopping to buy a watermelon at a roadside stall would become clear.
Biggest village PM. Elec for some in 80s, no road access still. Stork nests.
Off the main road, we drove for some way up a track to rendezvous with the ranger at the forest edge. Two more Germans joined us here. A further couple of km into the forest where we left the van by a stream where small Yellow-bellied toads were well camouflaged against the mud. A 5-minute walk up the track then over a narrow wooden bridge brought us to Ceausescu’s hunting cabin. I could hear growls and we were quickly ushered up the stairs into the room.
Fruit trees for bears. Feed till mid-October. 20kg grass/day. Males out of hibernation end of March, females later. Cubs born Jan to Mar 350g. Usually 1 or 2 but sometimes 3. Unusually 4 and rarely 5. Usually rest up during day and are active at night, walking up to 60km per night.
Alarm at 7.30, packing and an 8am breakfast in the other building. Poached eggs on toast with mushrooms and cheese was excellent and a large glass mug of tea.
We were off at 9am, feeling a bit under pressure as we had to be at Villa Hermani by 3pm and quite a bit of climbing to do.
The ascent started across the river and through a park below the castle and it rose steeply through beech woods. We were grateful for shade here.
Higher, there were grassy areas full of flowers, including Carthusian pinks, zigzag clover, peach-leaved bellflowers, mountain clover and thyme. It was good dipping in and out of the woods, with views growing to our left, where we had walked previously. Several orchid species today - common spotted, birds nest, fragrant and common twayblade (Neottia ovata). We also saw some fairly fresh bear poo (confirmed by Katherina later).
With a few undulations, it was two and a half hours before we reached the high point, a grassy area with chunks of limestone (and some round-headed rampion) - the Magura Mica Saddle. Below was a broad valley, with the town of Zarnesti. A quick cup of tea here, before we begun a short but very steep descent, not helped by a group of Dutch and Belgians coming up! The path emerged in a meadow but our ‘blue triangle’ path wasn’t evident. After consulting the map, we climbed back up 40m or so but it wasn’t where the map showed. Instead we headed off across the meadow using a compass bearing for the village, and crossed over it! It dropped gently, then steeply through open meadow, emerging on a track that we followed down to the village of Magura. We needn’t have rushed. It was only 12.45!
The steps of the church provided an excellent spot for lunch as they were in the shade and covered in carpet as well as having a good view.
Despite concerns (by our hosts and us!) that we wouldn’t be here by 3pm, we arrived at 1.15pm!
After a few minutes we were shown to a twin room, 9, with a balcony that we were soon using for a cup of tea and Squardle.
Our instructions were followed and we came down at 2.45pm but by 3.30pm, nothing had happened. A message to Maria clarified everything. We were to have dinner at 4pm then go to see the bears from 4.45pm.
There were five of us for dinner, us and three Germans. Our host Katherina also joined us. She has been taking people to see the bears since 1999! Not originally from Romania, she’s married to a Transylvanian Saxon.
Dinner was lovely - a clear broth with fine noodles, schnitzel with tomato and paprika sauce, mashed potatoes, Romanian cabbage, & apple and red onion salad. Pancake with cherry jam to finish.
We left about 4.50pm in a smart van. The first couple of km was down a zigzag unmetalled road through the forest to join a tarmac road at the bottom.
We passed a paper recycling factory, apparently owned by a British company (DS Smith). We were on the edge of Zarnesti where there was a munitions factory in communist time, and the plain blocks of flats were built during the 60s and 70s for workers. The purpose for stopping to buy a watermelon at a roadside stall would become clear.
Biggest village PM. Elec for some in 80s, no road access still. Stork nests.
Off the main road, we drove for some way up a track to rendezvous with the ranger at the forest edge. Two more Germans joined us here. A further couple of km into the forest where we left the van by a stream where small Yellow-bellied toads were well camouflaged against the mud. A 5-minute walk up the track then over a narrow wooden bridge brought us to Ceausescu’s hunting cabin. I could hear growls and we were quickly ushered up the stairs into the room.
Fruit trees for bears. Feed till mid-October. 20kg grass/day. Males out of hibernation end of March, females later. Cubs born Jan to Mar 350g. Usually 1 or 2 but sometimes 3. Unusually 4 and rarely 5. Usually rest up during day and are active at night, walking up to 60km per night.
No comments:
Post a Comment