Wildflowers and Painted Monasteries of Romania
After the success of our first venture to Romania this year, join us as we return to a country rich in stories, culture and nature. Romanian history and consequently the architecture and art, was dictated by its vulnerable position on the edge of invading powers. Over centuries the way of life has been shaped by intruders and settlers, from ancient Romans and Greeks to Saxons and Ottoman Turks. The result is a colourful and diverse society, all set within an outstanding and unspoilt landscape.
We will start in Transylvania before moving on to Bucovina, the former principality of Moldavia. The Prince of Moldavia, Stephen the Great spent much of his reign defending his kingdom against constant attacks from the Ottoman Empire, one result of his resilience was the founding of many fortified monasteries and churches set in the foothills of the Eastern Carpathians. Adorned with fabulously painted stories in rich colour and detail, both inside and out, to educate the troops and villages alike.
We will cross the Carpathians back into the former Principality of Transylvania, to see several of the many 12th century Saxon villages and churches, again heavily fortified against the threat in the East. We will pass through dramatic mountain landscapes, brightly coloured flower meadows, sparkling lakes and thick forests. We will stop in pretty villages, window sills bursting with flowers and working horses still in the fields. We will stay in lodges, eat delicious homecooked meals, picnic in wildflower meadows and see local craftspeople at work.
The wild flora of southern Transylvania is famed for its unspoilt meadows that adorn this hilly landscape. The flora is a truly wild mix of Western and Central European, Mediterranean, steppe and mountain species. These are wildflower meadows like little elsewhere, they are rich both diversity and scope and maintained due to the continuation of traditional agricultural practise and patterns of rural life. There are over 1200 flowering species found in this area, including numerous orchids, a huge diversity of grass and parasitic plants associated with them, wild sages, mints relatives, brooms, 30 or more clover species, all of which make for fantastically good hay for the farm animals, but also incredible wild honey (it’s basically bottled biodiversity). These grasslands represent a lineage of traditional managed ecosystem that dates back to Saxon period. There are also incredible wet meadow habitats found in the valley basins that are particularly rich in flora. Where such diversity in flowers appear, so do the rest of wildlife. The wildflowers are food and habitat to many insects, from butterflies to bees and many more. Where the insects come so do the birds and these areas are home to such wonders as the lesser-spotted eagle and the iconic Corncrake.
Itinerary
Saturday 14th June
Our flight will land late morning and we will drive into the centre of Cluj for a light lunch at a great bistro overlooking the 14th century gothic church of St. Michael. We will then visit the church, which holds an important place in the history of Transylvania. We will make our way up into the mountains to Lac Colibita, surrounded by dense forests and craggy peaks. There will be time for a rest at the Pension Lac Colibita before a good home cooked Romanian supper in the hotel.
Sunday 15th June
On our way to the Dornisoara Valley we will stop briefly in the village of Poiana Stampei to choose food for our picnic. We will explore the Tinovul Mare Reserve, a secular forest, peat bog and full of endemic plants (0.8 miles c.1 hr). Here we will see wet meadows and wetland flora including globeflowers and marsh cinquefoil as well as lots of rare sphagnum mosses growing in the bog and hopefully some carnivorous plants too. We will then take our coach for the short trip into the Turcu Valley and walk up to the Smizi Meadow where we will picnic among the wildflowers (2.5 miles c. 2 hrs).
We will return to our hotel for a quick rest. There will then be the option to walk up to Pripoare Meadow to immerse ourselves in the wildflowers with a spectacular view over the lake and speak to a local farmer about the traditional farming methods still used today. (2.4 miles c. 2.5 hrs). In the evening, we will drive to a nearby village to a ‘punct gastronomic’, a new initiative to promote traditional homestyle cooking, normally in a local house.
Monday 16th June
We will leave Colibita and drive a couple of hours to Moldovita for a day of outstanding painted monasteries with Sorin Fodor, a local expert. All are UNESCO sites. Our first stop Voronet Monastery, known as the ‘Sistine Chapel of the East’. Built under Stephen the Great in 1488, it is a perfect example of Moldavan architecture. The frescoes are famed for the rare use of ‘Voronet Blue’. We will have lunch in the village nearby.
Our next visit will be to the tiny gem of a church, Humor Monastery. A mix of Byzantine and Gothic, with some local influences thrown in. We shall end with the last of the painted churches to be built and possibly the most spectacular, Sucevita Monastery. The complex is heavily fortified, indicating the deadly threat of the Ottoman Empire. The exterior frescoes cycles are the most elaborate and perfectly preserved, while the interior paintings are rich in both detail and colour. We will drive the short distance to our next hotel, Popas Turistic Bucovina where we will remain for dinner.
Tuesday 17th June
In the morning, we will drive the short distance to Marginea, famed for its black ceramic workshops. We will watch a potter at work and have a chance to speak to him about the technique and traditions of these beautiful pots. We will buy food for our picnic before walking up to the Alexandriuc Meadow (3 miles c.2.5 hrs), here we will have lunch. We will continue along the Toante Ridge and down to Ciumarna village (3.7 miles c.3 hrs). Hopefully we will spot plenty of wild orchids – last year we managed five different species in one field alone. Also, bellflowers, restharrows, and a chance to really get to grips with identifying the many vetches.
On the way to our new hotel we will stop at Moldovita Monastery, founded in 1532 within a fortified enclosure. The exterior walls are lavishly frescoed, the highlight here is the southern wall depicting the siege of Constantinople in AD 626. We will drive on to Fundul Moldovei to our hotel, La Moara Pension where we will have an excellent homecooked dinner.
Wednesday 18th June
We will drive to the Timen Valley (quickly stopping to buy a picnic) and then walk up to the Floarea Meadow (2.7 miles 2.5 hrs). Today we will look at wildflowers used in traditional herbal medicines, particularly the many different members of the Lamiaceae
family and how they continue to be used today in medicines. After stopping for lunch we will follow the Bobeica Ridge back to Fundul Moldovei (3.4 miles 3 hrs). Another excellent supper at the hotel.
Thursday 19th June
The morning will be spent travelling, but through wonderful landscapes and several stops to take in the surroundings and stretch legs. We shall drive through the Golden Bistrita Valley, the Szekler land and the majestic Carpathian Mountains.
We will stop in the village of Praid where we will taste Szekler cuisine before driving on to Sighisoara, ‘the Pearl of Transylvania’. Named a UNESCO site as it is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval towns in Europe, Sighisoara was built in the 13th century as a fortified citadel by the Saxons of Transylvania. It is also known for the birth place of Vlad the Impaler, Dracula. After checking in to our hotel, we will head out to explore the citadel. Dinner will be at the Terrace Restaurant at our hotel.
Friday 20th June
We will set off quite early for a day of medieval villages and fortified churches. We will stop briefly to look at the exterior architecture of the fortified church of Mesendorf before walking up Foisor Hill and across to the Viscri valley, giving us the chance of exploring some of the many different grass species found in traditional meadows and how their diversity creates a forage that helps to keep grazing animals in such good health. (4.6 miles c. 3 hrs). We will meet our coach for the short ride to the village. Here we will see King Charles’ house and garden – a good place to look at traditional food plants grown in Romanian gardens. We will walk through the perfectly preserved village to the Viscri Fortified Church. We will have lunch at a punct gastronomic in the village.
After lunch we will return to Sighisoara early afternoon so there will be time for some final shopping or further exploring of the Citadel. Dinner will be in the medieval centre.
Saturday 21st June
En route to the airport we will spend the day discovering more Saxon villages and fortified churches. We will visit the fortified church of Malancrav before taking our last walk through the meadows to the Saxon village of Noua Sasesc (3 miles 2 hrs). We will then drive on to one of the most important Saxon villages in Transylvania, Biertan.
We will have one last excellent lunch in Biertan before ending on a high with a visit to the UNESCO fortified church. We will drive to Cluj Napoca airport for our flight home.
Further Details
Tuition – The trip will be led by Charlie Winton and Alys Fowler. Alys is a gardener and an award-winning journalist. She trained in horticulture at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the New York Botanical Gardens and it is through her love of plants and ecology that she came to writing. She has written for numerous publications including the National Geographic, Observer, Guardian, Time Out and Gardens Illustrated. She has lectured at Tate Britain and the Royal Academy. Alys is currently writing a book about bogs. We will be joined by Doru Munteanu, our Romanian guide who has excellent knowledge of the mountain paths.
Hotels – We will spend two nights in the Pension Lac Colibita, a lodge style hotel with a terrace overlooking the lake. All rooms have a balcony and we will have the hotel to ourselves. In Sucevita we will stay one night at Popas Turistic Bucovina, a small resort set in the woods. In Fundul Moldovei we will spend two nights at La Moara Pension, a lovely small hotel with its own garden in the countryside. We will have the hotel to ourselves. Our last two nights will be in the Hotel Sighisoara in the heart of the ancient Citadel.
(Pension Lac Colibita has no website)
Ability – Please be aware that an essential part of this trip is hiking up the trails to the wildflower meadows. I have included in the itinerary the length and estimated time for each walk and it will be uphill to the meadows. The average ascent will be 200 – 300m. There are a couple of walks that you can miss out, but most of them form part of the journey as we will be dropped off and collected at different points. The highest altitude we reach will be 1100m. You must be able to walk well for 3 hours maximum (with a few breaks). You will need good walking boots and a small rucksack to carry water and your lunch.
Dinners – All dinners except for one are included in the fees, some will be set menus while for others there will be a limited choice. Alcohol and coffee will be extra. Due to the remote nature of some of the locations we will often be eating at the hotel.
Flights – We do not book the flights thus allowing you to travel to suit your budget, use airmiles, travel between different airports or on different dates. However, we recommend buying the following flights with Wizz Air:
Saturday 14th June London Luton 08.10 – 13.05 Cluj W4 3302
Saturday 21st June Cluj 19.55 – 21.05 London Luton W4 3303
(I know that Luton is not everyone’s favourite airport, but sadly there is no good alternative – but it will be worth the effort!)
Transport – We will travel in a private coach with air-conditioning. Please note that due to the nature of the trip there will be a lot of travelling, about 2 hours on average a day. The journey between hotels is about 2 hours, with the longest drive on Thursday morning being 4 hours, however we will stop often to see the views.
Cost – The fees are £2390 which includes accommodation and breakfast, all lunches, all dinners except one (not including alcohol or coffee), transfers for the recommended flight, transport when connected with teaching, entrance fees, tuition, reading lists and local advice. The single occupancy supplement is £210. Not included are the flights, one supper, travel insurance. The group will not exceed 16 people.
To Register
Please complete the online registration form, having read our terms and conditions and pay a deposit of £600 per person via bank transfer. Your place is not confirmed until we have received the deposit.
Please call 01379 871800 or email [email protected] for any queries
NB you must buy your own flights
