Tuesday 2 September 2014

Ruminations from Romania Part 2: A relaxed day in the country.

The day dawned bright and sunny and our first task was breakfast. Simple, fresh and local - what could be better? And after that came a not-quite 7 mile relaxed meander through the neighbouring countryside. It was a combination of ridge and valley, through fields and farmsteads and gave us a good feel of rural life in this part of Romania. There are no large fields, or large farms for that matter, and the impression I gained was something almost akin to the old strip-farming method we used to have in the UK. What tractors we did come across seemed to be used for hauling rather as the basis of mechanised farming. Apple, pear, almond and walnut trees are abundant and it looks like it's going to be a good cropping year for all four. One of the most obvious signs of the farming methods was the patchwork of relatively small plots of different crops. Quite a few areas were either deliberately fallow or set aside for winter grazing and, whatever the reason for this, the visible product was small wild flower meadows all over the place. A little late in the year, perhaps, for too many flowers but there were enough there to keep us happy and interested.

My configuration of gadgets means that I have to tote the i-Pad around with me to get any photos for the blog so illustration is hampered somewhat by this. But they are better than nothing. You'll have to guess what they are as I've just found out, after typing lengthy and extremely witty explanations for each, that I've reached some sort of space limit. Woe is me.......
Post Script: The day finished with concerns about a visit from the State Police. More tomorrow?





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