Close to the border with Ukraine, we drove over the Hutta Pass. At just under 600 m. The pass is not the highest in the country, which boasts some truly high mountains.
We are on our way to Săpânța to visit the ‘Happy Cemetery’ there. The small town with around 3,200 inhabitants became famous through it and many people come here to admire the colorfully painted wood carvings and wooden crosses on the graves.
This tradition was started by the woodcarver Stan Ion Pǎtraş. After his death in 1977, several other woodcarvers continued his work in Săpânța.
Of course, a place like this is a tourist magnet these days and the place is teeming with stalls selling everything you could possibly need.
The woolen blankets and woolen bags on offer belong to the region. Sheep farming is an important part of the livelihood.
After this impressive stop, we continued on, we only wanted to drive a short distance, but the short distance was a little longer.
.We reached Poienile Izei – the oldest wooden church in Romania! Wow. The parking lot in the village just below the church was free, and that’s where we spent the night. In the evening and the next morning, we walked around the village and had great conversations with the locals.
The historic wooden church was locked, but we were able to ask our way through and after a short wait, a very nice lady appeared and opened the door for us. We were and still are impressed:
Built in 1604, you can admire the original frescoes here.
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It was a very nice stay in the village, we were certainly there much longer than other tourists. We got to talk to the people and learned a lot about the country and its people.
We continued on to the water valley railroad in Visen de Sus, on the way we were met by two 1 horsepower vehicles.
