Weather: ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
Picnic: 🥪🥪🥪🥪 (4 out 5, bread and cheese from the shop at Archita)
Track: 🇷🇴🇹🇩🇹🇩🇹🇩 (4 out of 5, very nice trail over the hills, through forest, fields and a few villages with nice fortified churches. Very well marked and really walkable)
Homestay: 🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️🛏️ (5 out of 5, a simple room with food in an orthodox monastery) .
Name of followed trail: Via Transilvanica
Special mention: The great hospitality we received today from the nuns at the St Gheorghiu monastery ♥️
We leave Darjiu with our 4 fellow hikers. It’s quite cold this morning, with even a little frost on the ground. We are almost sorry for choosing to wear a t-shirt and shorts, but in the sun it soon warms up.
The hike takes us through nice fields with horses and donkeys running around freely. The views across the valley are beautiful. We walk through the village of Munja, where we get some fruit from the store. We hike over the hill, through the forest to Archita, with its fortified church. We have lunch at the store in front of the church. We meet a man that sells brooms. He wants us to buy one, but we try to explain that we have no use for a broom. In the end he’s ok with that. When I ask if I can take a photo of the brooms, he proudly stands next to them, with his friend. Afterwards he gave us his address, so we can send the picture.
From Archita we walk the last 12 kilometers across the hill, through the forest, to the monastery of st Gheorghiu.
Today was a beautiful day of hiking, we enjoyed the track, the artwork on the stones and the nature.
We enter the monastery and after ringing the bell at the church, we are welcomed by one of the nuns that speaks English. I had sent a message to ask if we could stay the night, and the sister offers us a room, bed and food! We were also prepared to pitch our tent, but this is really great. When we ask what we need to pay, they say that there is no charge, because we still have a long journey ahead. What a kind offer indeed ♥️.
Another nun has prepared dinner for us, so we first enjoy a meal, before we go to our room and relax.
We watch the sun go down on the bench in front of our room, while the churchbells ring to call for prayer. We are so grateful for all the kindness and hospitality we receive on this walk ♥️🙏.