An upgrade and an off-road day

As I sat in front of my cabin this morning, sipping on a cappuccino, the owner of the campground pulled up. 'Do you have 5 minutes?' he asked. I nodded and he took me to another part of the campground that he also owned. On the way there, he asked me how my night was. It was terrible - there was a dog barking all night on the neighboring property.

He offered me a bigger cabin on this site, with heating and a bathroom at no extra cost. I gratefully accepted the offer.

Later, I found out that another camper had called the owner during the night to complain about the dog.

After moving, I set off into the mountains with no luggage. The owner had given me a great tip for a tour the day before.

I went off-road to a reservoir, which I also circled off-road. At first, it was rough gravel and rocks, which I was able to drive on smoothly and quickly. The Tuareg, with its light weight and this type of tire, is much better for off-road driving than the previous Suzuki.

The path changed, with steep inclines and descents. It was already a challenge on loose and rough gravel, but in sections where the paths had been practically destroyed by heavy logging machinery, it turned into a mud fight. But it was a lot of fun.

The motorcycle looks a mess.

Back at home, I was sitting on my terrace when my cabin neighbor waved me over. He was passing through with his relative. They had just grilled masses of meat, and both I and another neighbor, a Dutch motorcyclist, were warmly invited to palinka and meat.

When I asked him why he (the neighbor) speaks such good German, he told me that he had worked in Germany for 11 years. When I asked where, he said, 'Do you know where Vechta is, near there.'

'Hmm, I'm from Vechta,' I explained.

He had worked as a farrier at Schockemöhle in Mühlen for 11 years. Now, he travels through Romania with his cousin from week to week, shoeing horses here.

What a small world it is.

Tomorrow, I'll continue on to Alba Julia, where I'll meet up with Veronika. Then we'll spend 10 days traveling through the country by car.