October bike trip in Transylvania (part 2)

After this religious moment we meet a kind monk who enable us to admire the monastery's household. We are lucky to come across a pack of young hogs and the mother sow. How playful and cheerful they are!


Then we are invited in the dining room and we are offered some tasty fasting food. Later on we attend the vespers'mess which delights our souls.
We spend the night in the xenodochium in a guest chamber that is equipped with 20 beds for the circumstancial pilgrims like we happen to be now.
During the night, me being a heavy sinner I undergo a severe toothache that torments me all the night long preventing me from sleeping.
In the morning a monk helps me with a pill that kills my pain for a while.
It's high time we hit the road again.
A few kms. we have to follow the same road like yesterday passing through 2 localities with solid houses.


After we get out of Izbuc village we have to go down a few kms. till we enter a busy main road in Carpinet township. In Cristioru de Jos we make a stop and Razvan fixes my bike that didn't shift the gears properly.
From here we have a 6kms. long climb with nice hairpins through an afforested region.
After climbing 3km we are lucky to find a spring with very good water.


On top of the Dealu Mare (Big Hill) Pass (698m) we enjoy a beautiful view gazing at the adjoining hills.


On our way down we run into some street vendors that sell us some billberry and plum brandy that will prove very efficient to fight against my toothache.
At Lazuri village where the descent ends we stop at a restaurant to eat something. The tripe sour soup is quite delicious here and I taste a little bit of brandy to kill my pain.


From Varfuri township the road is rather winding and we have 2 tough climbs to cope with.


On top of Sortoc Hill(498m) we stop to drink some water from a famous spring from this area. Above the spring there is a huge jug.


Here we can gaze at Bihorului Mountains and we can see Gaina Peak (1484m). In this village nearby we see some buffaloes.


In this traditional and lovely spot it is time for me to rest a bit and enjoy the fallen leaves. The autumn has set in.


From here we have a dangerous descent with the gradient of 10% till Halmagiu. In a few kms we get to Ionesti wich is the last village from the county of Arad. Here we vist an old wooden church dating back to XVIIIth century.


This tiny church is very charming indeed and we rest here a bit and we also visit its cemetery.


Soon we enter the county of Hunedoara. This road is full of trucks unfortunatelly.


But we pass through interesting villages endowed with lovely churches. And the scenery is pretty nice, too.


It is rather late and we decide to go to a spa which is situated in Vata de Jos village. We spend a great evening in a fancy restaurant and we indulge in delicious food and wine. Then we pitch our tent right at the exit of the village and we sleep well after drinking some brandy.
The next day it's time for us to enjoy the thermal water at the spa and we feel very well here.


Then after we eat well at the same restaurant as the day before it's time for us to continue our journey but it's already quite late. We have to return to the main road. On our way we cross a bridge over a stream.


We hardly cycle one hour till we get at "Forget me not" Inn where we decide to have a feast and rent a room for the night. We had a great evening with tasty food, good drinks, nice music and a lot of cheerfulness.
The next day we stop at a Transylvanian sacred place at Tebea village where many romanian heroes are buried.


Here is an important romanian pantheon where Avram Iancu, a prominent figure of our history is buried.


From here we have quite bad weather, a lot of fog and for the next 60km we take no picture. From Brad we have a nice and constant climb,then we have to climb a big hill, we have 3km of hairpins and then o long and steady descent till Soimus where we turn left on a secondary road leaving the busy road behind us.
We end up spending this night in a room in a mill whose patron was wery kind to us leaving us to spend there the night for free.
The next day we cycle in a traditional area full of interesting villages. We specially like the church from Bobalna village.


The weather is still very foggy with poor visibility.


Soon we get to the small town of Geoagiu and then we turn right having to cross a bridge over the Mures River.