Transylvania Trip: Day 4

"I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to to dance better than myself.”

---Mikhail Baryshnikov 

Our fourth day in Transylvania the weather seemed to have gone back to the way it had been in November. We were very happy that we brought some sweaters because it became surprisingly cold. We left that morning and headed toward the Hargita Mountains. As we headed towards the first village the clouds were skimming the mountains and it fit the stereotypical vision one has of the mountains in Transylvania. At any moment we thought that we would see a mythical creature emerge and then disappear back into the fog.

Our first stop was a little farm that CETP has stopped at every year since the mid 1990's. It is a nice family and they get tickled at the Americans every year who take pictures of their chickens and sheep. Our guide says that they pay them some money and give them chocolates that they like from Budapest.

The little farm and house.
 You can see the rain hitting our bus window.

The dog didn't want to get wet either.

One of the owners.

If you squint you may see a strange beast in the fog :)

Ben's grandfather would be proud of this lack of waste :)

Some sheep wondering why we are
saying they are cute as opposed to delicious :)

Rooster...

Rooster's final destination :(

Neat old tools next to the house

After our visit with the family we headed towards the Gyimes mountains in the Csango region. Our next stop was at a conference center where we were scheduled to have an early dinner and learn some traditional dances from the Csango Hungarians. When we arrived the appetizers were already laid out ready to be gobbled up and of course the shots of palinka were ready too. It is a rule that you can never start a feast without toasting it with a shot of palinka--to do so would offend your host and even possibly God. (Ha, ha).

Our appetizer of cheese, tomato, meat, onion and palinka.

While we feasted on our first course a traditional Hungarian band came out to play us folk songs.

The band.

Then it was time for our second course. A combination of sweet cabbage and a corn-like/grit meal. The name for it in Hungarian escapes me now, but it was very delicious. It really hit the spot on a cold, rainy day.

The mountains filled with fog.

The giving of the Hungarian crown to Saint Mary.
This is a popular story in Hungarian mythology. 

Our group eating.

The conference/cultural center.

Cooking the 3rd course.

While they prepared our third course for dinner we were treated to dancing and singing. They did a dance where they sang and mocked one another in Hungarian--saying dirty words that our translator was too embarrassed to say. It was so funny to see that even though some of it was lost in translation, you still got the point. And then it was our turn to join in the fun. With full bellies and shots of palinka to boost our spirits we all adventured out onto the dance floor. Like all dancing, it was silly yet enjoyable. 

After dancing in circles, lines and doing all sorts of embarrassing moves it was time for our last course of the dinner. 

Pork with salad. Finom! 

We were so full after our last course it felt almost impossible to move from our chairs to the bus. Somehow we all rolled ourselves back into our seats and traveled onward. On our way back we stopped at a beautiful lake. The sun seemed to break out a tiny bit and the 'vampires' seemed to retreat back into the mist. 

 

Traveling back.

The lake.

Ben in front of the lake.

Me in front of the valley and mountains.

A church in the foggy mist.

While on our way back we stopped to view specials doors made in the Csango region. These doors are intricate works of art and part of the rich tradition in this region.

One of the doors.

Ben's nephew is named Logan, so we had to take a picture
next to this car.

An up close shot of the door.

We arrived back to where we had stayed the previous night. When we arrived our host family had another dinner ready for us. After just eating a huge meal a few hours before we once again were served more delicious food.

At dinner.

It was after dinner when the night got truly entertaining. We shared where we were from, stories about our families and teaching. At one point in the conversation they thought Ben had said that I had a baby in Chicago. When really we were saying I had grown up in Chicago. Little mistranslations like that were dealt with laughs and another round of shots. After a few more rounds of palinka and wine we were all ready for more dancing. Our host changed into his best dancing outfit and gave us an impromptu performance. Then we were also treated to a Hungarian speaking lesson. Richard, was told he spoke the best Hungarian and was given tips on how to improve his speaking. It was funny to watch as they said one thing and he would say another. They taught Richard the word "Halgas" (Hungarian for be quiet), which became a back and forth battle of trying to pronounce it right. Richard would say it one way and they would say it back another way. If you could ever capture what it is like to learn Hungarian as an English speaker this would have been the time. It was hilarious to watch especially in our inebriated states. 

As the palinka bottle emptied and our eyes got heavier, it was time to end the evenings festivities and head to bed. We drifted off that night with dancing, jokes and palinka swirling in our heads, not a bad way to end a day. 

Showing the outfit she made for her grandson. 

Dancing a jig.

Another round of palinka.