The sin of eating meat

Tag #30

Saturday, 30th May

From Cluj Napoca to Zărieș

Country: Romania

Getting up and the usual game of Tetris begins.

The bags are wonderfully empty... without any food.

However, I will change that first, as I want to be well supplied.

And then it's out of the city, straight into the hills.

While climbing uphill, I meet Péter, who is on his way up with his mountain bike to ride some trails.

He gives me a few tips regarding the locals.

Or maybe it's more of a warning to be cautious.

On the roads and while camping.

Of course, we talk a lot about my journey. And since he also wants to do a bike packing tour soon, the most important thing is to get going.

After leaving the city, the climbs continue to test me.

And my GPS sends me through farm roads, which eventually leave me standing in front of a pasture fence.

Go back and drive over the bumps again?

Unwillingly.

I opt for the alternative, unhook the fence in the appropriate spot, go through, re-hook it, and continue over the path, which is now somewhat acceptable, through the pasture.

It works, and I find myself back on a road that leads me through beautiful little villages.

It's time for a break and my second breakfast, during which I enjoy the view.

I take a hearty bite of my pretzel roll.

Which is filled with ham.

One of the things I was clear about before is that eventually, due to my lack of language skills, I would encounter meat.

Whoops.

Then I’d better focus on the descent ahead, and so after a strenuous first part that takes me through beautiful landscapes with hilly meadows and small villages, with long descents, I make good progress.

The climbs today give a little taste of what rises in the distance ahead of me.

The Carpathians are within reach.

I've noticed that I was previously vague. Often, when I talked about country roads, I meant what could be understood as federal highways.

Those are particularly unpleasant.

Today I’m riding many remote country roads with manageable traffic through a primordial Romania. That's how I feel about the villages and people. At least more like what I had imagined.

Even if it’s hard for me to picture what living here must be like.

In many places, you can see that it must be a simple life.

Often, hay is still gathered by hand and stacked into heaps, somewhat like igloos with a pole in the middle.

There are impressive rock formations that I pass by, and I believe Péter’s word that the area is great for hiking.

I would like to refill my bottles at a water point in Rimetea. But instead, I find a mixture of festival and street market.

Two large stages are set up, and there are many stalls in the alley selling crafts.

Musically, there’s pop and traditional.

I take a quick look at it before moving on.

I take a lunch break in a rocky gorge through which the road passes.

It's hard to put into words what I feel.

By evening, there should be another water source. At the indicated spot, there is a kind of well, but it must have been a long time since water was last drawn there.

Luckily, I have previously arranged my drinking water supply financially and can look for a place to spend the night sufficiently supplied.

Like in Slovakia, the locals show how it's done, throughout the day I see several campsites.

Instinctively, I take a suitable turn towards the river.

The tent is already set up.

At least as a decision; I must of course set it up myself.

Something remains intact, the tarp is stretched over it.

During the night, it is supposed to start raining, and then I can pack up in the 'dry' tomorrow.

I wash in the river, and during dinner, I hear the Oriental sounds of an open-air event nearby.

Once it quiets down, I listen to the concert of the frogs and fall asleep.

Song of the day:

Dirty Shirt - Dope-a-min (Romanian band)