Table of contents
Kaitinnis
10 pictures
Kaitinnis
1/10
The magnificently decorated Sucevita Monastery.
Kaitinnis
2/10
A local Hutsul in festival costume.
Kaitinnis
3/10
Manual work is required in Sucevita.
Kaitinnis
4/10
Schabburg in Transylvania is full of life.
Kaitinnis
5/10
In Ukraine, haymaking is still done by hand.
Kaitinnis
6/10
In Romania milk trucks only have one PS.
Kaitinnis
7/10
In Kolocava you can experience a leap back in time.
Kaitinnis
8/10
Heavy rains turn village streets into slippery mud slopes.
Kaitinnis
9/10
During the trip of the Kaitinnis family, the MOTORRAD readers show insights into the world of the Carpathian Mountains. Here the fortified church of Biertan.
Kaitinnis
10/10
Exoticism in construction in the Apuseni Mountains.
to travel
On the way: Readers’ trip to the Carpathians
On the way: Readers’ trip to the Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian journey into yesterday
The Kaitinnis family proves how much MOTORRAD readers love to be out and about. On a Carpathian tour, they gave their children and themselves insights into another world.
Markus Biebricher
08/05/2010
The customs officer casually lets the bill disappear from the passport. The man standing in front of us at the small border crossing north of Uzhgorod has obviously accelerated his entry into the Ukraine. Helmut and I agree not to pay anything, but neither is it expected. Maybe this is due to our offspring, Nina (14) and Timo (11), who is on the pillion. In any case, we are in no time at all on the other side of the barrier and suddenly in another world. The asphalt is full of holes, a colorful mixture of vehicles populates the street and here, away from the main route, there is gasoline only for cash, you have to look for an intact ATM.
The goal of our tour is the 1300 kilometer long Carpathian Arch, which we reached with the part of the mountain called Beskydy in the border area of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. We kept our co-drivers happy with delicacies from Czech cuisine or small tours. In the old town of the Slovak pilgrimage site Levoca, there are 60 well-preserved town houses from the 14th and 15th centuries. Strolling through the weekly market looked like a visit to the Middle Ages. Then a stop at the mighty Spiš Castle. The view from the castle tower to the hilly landscape of the Spiš inspired us and the children as well as the exhibition about the life of knights.
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After five days, finally, the Ukraine and the swift border crossing. In a restaurant we test the local cuisine. Several guests ask for a photo with the motorcycles, and finally a pretty bride takes a seat on my bench and poses for the photo album, beaming. Although it was hardly possible to have a conversation, they wave to us like good friends when we say goodbye. A black sky and loud thunders let us set up one of our tents on a floodplain at the Uzh in a flash. The four of us jump in when the sky opens its locks and a terrible storm breaks in. After an hour the spook is over. Suddenly we hear faint footsteps in front of the tent.
The vibe is creepy – is it a thief, an assassin? Helmut dares to look outside – only a herd of goats wanders by, followed by the shepherd and his dog. The small roads of the Carpathian Forest are wonderful for motorcycling. You have to watch out for potholes, but there is relatively little traffic, so we can enjoy the original landscape and the people. As soon as we stop, someone will come to offer help. Many are looking for a conversation and are disappointed when it hardly works because of the language barrier. However, we also meet a man who shows us the way in the best German. When asked where he got his knowledge from, he replies with a grin: “I was in East Berlin with a special unit of the Soviet Army. We listened to the West German radio traffic!”
Kaitinnis
Exoticism in construction in the Apuseni Mountains.
In front of the Hospoda, the inn in Kolocava, we get to know Maria Gleba. She is a local German teacher and answers our question about a room: “Don’t go to the Hospoda, it’s way too expensive. You can have a room with your grandma, even with a bathroom.” The widow welcomes us very warmly. She herself only lives in her tiny kitchen, which is living room and bedroom at the same time, while she rents the actual house to tourists. The advertised bathroom turns out to be a two-person banya, in which we stand on rough wooden planks and mix water in a plastic bowl to pour it over our bodies with a ladle. A gap in the outer wall acts as a water drain. The water had to be Olena Romanjuk, ours “granny”, Drag them in buckets from across the street, because there is no running water here yet. A breakneck path through the chicken run leads to the outhouse. Laundry is washed in the creek by the roadside or in the river. Ukraine seems to be 100 years away from joining the EU, at least here.
The further journey south gives us the finest off-road fun through a lonely, densely forested mountain world. Unfortunately, we reach the geographical center of Europe in storms and rain and overlook the longed-for campsite. Nina and Timo refuse our suggestion to spend the night in a wooden shelter at the parking lot, they want to drive on. So we carefully feel our way the last few kilometers through the night to Rachiv, where we find private accommodation with plenty of space to dry our clothes. We can’t get rid of the last hryvnia before crossing the border into Romania, as both gas stations in front of the border run out of petrol. We are changing countries quickly and cannot confirm any prejudice about Ukraine. The people were always nice, honest and helpful towards us, we were never stopped at traffic controls in the country.
With a few other visitors, we stroll through the Sucevita monastery, which is inhabited by nuns, and marvel at the lush frescoes on the facade in the clear morning light. Also inside the Moldau monastery nothing but pictures. From here you go to Voronet over the well-developed Ciumarna Pass, which offers wide views of a landscape that is reminiscent of the Black Forest – only here the hay is brought in by hand and horse-drawn vehicle.
Kaitinnis
In Kolocava you can experience a leap back in time.
On the way to the Bicasz Gorge, a thunderstorm forces us to stop in a village. We want to quickly slip into our rain gear when a man waves us into his house. The conversation is fun in English, Romanian and hand and foot.
The young man’s name is Jonas, he is studying at the distance university and finances his studies through a full-time job in the nearby uranium mine. Jonas says: “It is exhausting and not without risk. But what can you do? The course costs several thousand euros!” Later we pass the run-down mine, which looks like a ghost town, and admire Jonas for his courage to work there. When we reach the Bicasz Gorge, the campsites turn out to be hut villages, which is convenient for us in view of the weather conditions. But even the next morning, a look out the door reveals the absolute hopelessness. Everything is gloomy gray. We pack the motorbikes in the pouring rain, which remains true to us until Sighisoara (Schabburg).
Fortunately, the weather changes constantly, and so we explore Sighisoara, which was founded in the 12th century by the Transylvanian Saxons, in wonderful summer weather. The splendor of the past few days can still be guessed at, but has been gnawed by the ravages of time. In the entire old town, the castle, there is brisk construction activity, entire streets are being torn open, the pavement is being renewed, houses are being freshly plastered. The hour tower, the symbol of the city, is not only a lookout point, but also a museum. The children enjoy the exhibitions, especially the old surgical instruments. However, they are glad that they are living in this day and age and that they do not have to endure any treatment with it. The youngsters are less impressed by the ascent to the Schulberg, where there is a German school. After all, they are on vacation!
Washing clothes is the order of the day! However, the campsite’s defective washing machine must first be replaced. Unfortunately, the replacement machine doesn’t work either, so you start looking for a third one. An old woman offers to take care of our things and brings us everything washed to the tent late in the evening. We would like to thank you with a small tip, which the woman vehemently refuses at first. However, given their living situation, we insist. She lives on the campsite in a windowless, tiny room in which she can hardly move. There is no clearer picture of old-age poverty in Romania.
Kaitinnis
Schabburg in Transylvania is full of life.
Twelve kilometers south of Sibiu we find a small campsite in Cisnadioara (Michelsberg). From there you have a phenomenal view of the conical Michelsberg with the basilica built on it and the southern Carpathians with the Fagaras massif. A small path takes you to the village square of Michelsberg in a few minutes, where we shop with a woman who tells us that after the fall of the Wall, i.e. in 1989, when Ceausescu was also executed, over 250,000 Transylvanians of German descent left the country. Until then, Michelsberg was a village with 3500 German residents. Now there are only 200 left. The others didn’t believe in better times.
Unfortunately, the Southern Carpathians are hiding under a dark blanket of clouds, and there is no improvement in the weather in sight. Therefore we postpone the visit to these impressive peaks to the next trip and make our way home via the Apuseni Mountains, which the Romanians count among the Western Carpathians. Shortly before the top of the Vartop pass, we spend the night by a stream, with a weasel as a neighbor. Late in the evening, the campfire is already crackling, a large dog sneaks around our camp. His eyes shine eerily in the darkness. Two cows with a calf stop by for breakfast. For Nina and Timo this is the best night of the whole trip. They cannot be dissuaded from that by the garbage lying around. But Helmut and I also look over a lot. This journey back in time to yesterday is far too exciting – encounters with friendly people, the view of villages with houses without electricity and without running water and of wild, pristine landscapes.
Info
Drawing: Werel
Travel time: 12 days – Distance covered: 2600 kilometers – Highest massif: High Tatras – Highest mountain: 2655 m. Above sea level. NN – countries with shares: Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia.
Those who follow the Carpathian Arch will find original landscapes, enchanted villages, wilderness, high mountains and ancient cultures.
Generally:
The Carpathian Mountains are around 1,300 kilometers long and stretch across eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The highest peaks are in the High Tatras (2655 m) and in the Southern Carpathians (2544 m). A third of all large carnivores (brown bears, wolves, lynxes) in Europe can be found here. Some peoples, such as the Hutsuls in the Forest Carpathians, have preserved their old traditions to this day. Highlights: Levoca, Spiš Castle, Moldau monasteries, Biertan fortified church, Schabburg, Sibiu, Banská Bystrica.
Getting there:
It is a good 600 kilometers from Berlin and Munich, 900 kilometers from Hamburg and around 1000 kilometers from Dortmund to the beginning of the Carpathian Arc on the Czech / Slovak border.
Romania:
Camping: Ferienanlage Ananas www.ananas7b.de, Strada Cimitirului 32, 555301 Cisn? Dioara (Michelsberg) Camping Aquaris, www.aquariscamp.net, Sighisoara (Schabburg) Try: Palinca de Maramures, one of the most popular drinks in Romania. Food: Restaurant Moldava, Gura Humorului, Pia? A Republicii 16, www.enunta.ro. Best regional cuisine. Open air museum: “Astra”, in summer daily 10 am-8pm, closed on Mondays, 550400 Sibiu, Calea Rasinari, www.muzeulastra.ro. map “Romania & Moldova” from Freytag & Berndt, 1: 500000. Travel guide travel know-how.
Ukraine:
To enter Ukraine, Germans need a passport, an international driver’s license and a green insurance card for the motorcycle. Vaccination against TBE and hepatitis B is recommended. Interpreter and accommodation broker: Maria Gleba, Shevchenko Str. 44 a / 4, 90043 Kolotschawa, phone 0038-0977-001830. Accommodation: guest house “Smerekova Hata” in Rakhiv, www.rakhiv-tour.narod.ru. Literature: “Ukraine – the west”, Travel know-how.
Slovakia:
Literature: Map by Marco Polo, 1: 300000. Short and crisp information for the transit can be found in the Marco Polo guide “Slovakia”.
Traveling with children:
Depending on age, inclusion in travel planning, lots of breaks, sightseeing, intercom. More information at www.kaitinnis.de.
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