"The friendly Highlands rise from the Romanian Plains. Small in height but rich in beauty and nature’s treasures. [...] It is surrounded by mighty mountain chains, the Carpathians. Far across the land one can see mountain peaks and pinnacles covered with blinding snow reaching high into the blue sky. [...] Originating at the high alpine borders, rows of mountain ranges mostly majestically crowned with forests, cross the land in all directions. The land hides salt and precious metals of all kind in surprising abundance. From the iron which shields life to the gold that corrupts it. Innumerable thermal and mineral springs flow from earth’s bosom, creeks and rivers beautify and water the land everywhere. On sunny slopes the grape glows and the sumptuous fruit tree blooms. Wheat fields wave in the valleys, wild animals roam the forests, domesticated animals are in abundance. This is the land of Transylvania and should the people lack something, it’s mostly their own fault... ." This is how the former Bishop of the region, G. D. Teutsch, described the region in his paper, History of the Transylvanian Saxons (1858).
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| A mysterious land is waiting for being discovered |
So I propose to loose the Dracula myths and all other purely commercial descriptions of Transylvania. This land is much more than this. It is about the people who are living within the wild nature, in a timeless region.
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| Reaping season |
Transylvania! A name which glows magnificently and mysteriously at the same time. It is related to the dense forests which cover the Carpathians. Regardless from which direction a visitor enters Transylvania, the land is surrounded by forests, it lies beyond the forests (Latin: trans silva; hence Transylvania). Romanians like to call this region Ardeal.
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A forested valley seen from the highest peak:
Curcubata Mare in Apuseni Mountains |
The proposed route, 'Heart of Transylvania', is mainly passing through Apuseni Mountains, very rugged but mostly below 1500 metres in height. They are today a popular and much visited destination by tourists because of the scenic formations with steep peaks, canyons and caves. The heart of Transylvania is Ţara Moţilor, also known as Ţara de Piatră ('The Stone Land'), an ethnogeographical region of Romania in the Apuseni Natural Park, on the superior basin of the Arieş and Crişul Alb rivers. The zone is renowned for its folkloric traditions, stunning landscapes, and the variation of the karstic relief which produced over 800 natural caves.
In our tour we pass next to wonderful lakes surrounded by endless pine and fir woods, we reach authentic Transylvanian villages and even assist some traditional festivals typical for 'Tara Motilor'. After that, the Aries River is inviting us to admire its beautiful limestone carved gorge. Racatau Gorge and Turda Gorge, another gems conceived by mother nature, are even more breathtaking! We are not stopping here, and the last part of our journey allows us to visit two cities full of history: Turda (with its impressive salt mine) and Cluj-Napoca, one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centres in Romania.
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| A herd of horses on the mountain edge, at sunset, in Apuseni |
Oh, if you only knew how many places of interest Ardeal wants to show us, dear cyclist! Let's just start with this 9 days journey, and we will sense the way this blessed land is embracing us and our souls. We can be sure then that we will want to see more, to feel more, to ride more, while continuing to smile. And Transylvania will smile back to us!
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