I found the road from Brasov to Sighisoara to be less interesting than the mountain road between Ploiesti and Brasov. I really want to see the way between Sinaia & Ploiesti in the daylight. All I have are flashes of images.

It was a beautiful morning whenwe left Brasov, but we were then quickly surrounded by mid-morning rising mist. We left romantic Romania behind for awhile, but eventually began to hit countryside again. The hills roll in gentle spring here. They're much further into the season this side of the mountain than the other. The houses are plaster with round tile roofs. The churches are fortified. Not only did we see horse drawn carts actually hauling manure, hay, and other inidentiable but farming related somethings, but we saw people (as in humans) hoeing (no, not whoreing, but using a garden instrument, not body parts) hoeing in fields. One farmer walked behind a horse pulling a plow. We saw gypsies outside of their covered wagons, and women as old as dirt with their thumbs out to catch a ride from one of the cars speeding through their bisected town. The women wear headscarves with roses printed on them. The older they are, the more black they wear. I love that this country still has women who lose their beauty and men lose their teeth.

In the mountains, the houses there were soft; carved or formed from wood. Here, the surfaces repel even as they're colored turquoise or pink, or umber. In the mountains, a graveyard picked with white crosses struck through the trees. Here, on this side of the mountain, they stand clustered white against the green hill. The hills are tors capped with dead fortresses. The cappuccino is topped with sweetened cream and spiked with cinnamon. I wonder how many people with white-blue eyes live onthis side of the mountain.

The return trip was amazing. This time we faced the mountain range.

When we arrived back in Brasov the whole city was moving into the old center for a concert (pop/rock) and all the cafes had their chairs out and they were filled. The town square was filled. The sky was blue and the setting sun deepened the fading color of the arte nouveau buildings. Beautiful night.