Discovering Village Life in Romania: Sinca Noua
After having a few cold and rainy days in Brasov, we made our way to the small village of Şinca Nouă. The drive through the mountains were reminiscent of the Missions in MT and Tremalzo, the area of the Alps where Armando spent a lot of his childhood. It’s vividly green in the countryside right now, despite the moody weather. Breathtaking, really.
We arrived and Armando met Mr. Ittu, one of the organizers and hosts of Village Life. He linked us up to a place to stay (with Diana, who speaks English, and her lovely mother, Monica) and we were welcomed with ‘Palinka’ shots and warm conversation.
Yesterday, our day began with a solo of traditional Romanian music via keyboard. One of the people staying here was on holiday with his girlfriend and wanted to treat us to his skills. In the afternoon, with Diana as a translator, we visited Mr. Ittu’s farm.
Farm doesn’t quite cover it- it was a gorgeous building, with a large courtyard where the house, dairy and barn were connected. One part housed the milk cows, another sheep and a third a guest house for visitors.
Armando milked his first cow (though he only managed one squirt, apparently she’s uber-picky about who gets to handle her); we met a 91-year-old WWII veteran who showed me his photos from his youth; we herded sheep a bit (clapping works, who knew-?); and it was an overall memorable experience.
Today will be a relaxing day, with walks and some general footage. It’s nice that the sun’s managed to appear, at least for a bit. We’re off tomorrow, onto another (mini) adventure in Romania. We’ll keep you posted. M, A & Mork
