Our morning was filled with a walk to a beautiful waterfall (that’s another post) and a visit to a brand new, world-class ski resort that is still under construction, Bukovel (also another post), but eventually we took off and winded our way through the Carpathian Mountains. We had no se goal, but eventually found a border crossing on the map and decided to cross from Ukraine to Romania and then visit the Romanian Carpathian mountains as well. And so that’s what we did.
The Carpathians in this area are amazing. At this time of year they were green and mostly tree-covered. You can see my pictures from this journey here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/Poland%202011/Carpathians/index.html.
As you look through these photos, notice that often you can see the mountains in the background, even in the cities. You’ll also see a lot of horse drawn wagon. And hay stacked up on wooden frames. Here in this part of the world, the land is very steep and often horses and work by hand are what gets things done. And so hay is cut by hand and stacked by hand, waiting for it to dry.
You’ll also see lots of bridges and even some tunnels, all for the trains that connect this area to the rest of the country. And yet, there are many vibrant cities, small, yes, but still full of people and shops.
We eventually entered Romania at a small border crossing town whose name I don’t remember and can’t find (for sure) on the Internet. But it was a relatively painless crossing. Once we crossed, we drove east across the Romanian Carpathians. It was very, very cool. Eventually it got dark and we finally found a place to spend the night, the Hotel Eden in Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Romania. They accepted US dollars, so that was a good thing.
When we got up in the morning, there was fog in the mountains, and it was quite beautiful, as you can see in some of the pictures. Eventually we headed off toward Ukraine, and eventually crossed the border back to Ukraine and arrive in Chernivtsi in the late morning. But venturing through the Carpathian Mountains–in both Ukraine and Romania–was an amazing adventure. Enjoy the photos!
