Toasting the sights

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Vadu Izei, Maramures County, Romania
We arrived in Vadu Izei (Maramures Region) late last night to a beautiful homestay which even had ensuites; so much better than I expected.

Today we had private transport and a local guide to take us round the region and its many traditional sights:

- Merry cemetery, Sapanta - the majority of the wooden grave markers here are blue in colour and brightly painted with scenes depicting the lives (or deaths) of those buried there . The woodcarvers Stan Ion Patras and more recently Dumitru Pop are responsible for most of this artwork which is all fairly recent.

- Peri monastery - this site was full of local people today, celebrating some sort of national holiday.

- Wooden church of Budesti-Josani - built in 1643, inside there are some intricate paintings on the Walls and a chain mail coat that belonged to an outlaw (?!).

- Another monastery (can't remember the name) - home to 12 nuns, consisting of several beautifully carved wooden buildings.

Back for dinner at our homestay, we were given the alternative of private transport to our next destination, rather than a 4am start with an 8 hour journey. So we made a beeline for the bottle of Palinka (plum brandy) and a pack of cards, settling in for the evening, to toast the sights:).
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