Sharon's Blog: Sighet onward

In the morning, we went to the Sighet market and found the people selling their wares, produce and food. One place was filled with more than 15 women selling fresh cheese and yogurt. David bought a Romanian hat, a bit small for his huge head and is wearing it constantly. I bought a colorful, woven Romanian handbag and am carrying it always now.
Next stop – border crossing to the Ukraine. The border is defined by a river over which cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and foot traffic cross. We walked across and were immediately struck by trash and litter and a noticeably lower standard of living. Our footprints in the Ukraine provide a memory before moving on to the next stop on Romainia.
On the road to our next destination, a small village in the Maramures called Botiza. This region is known for its beautiful wooden churches dating back as far as 1326!! We drive for several hours following the map until we come to a fork in the road and seek directions. We pick up a man with one arm who speaks no English and with his other arm he points us in the right direction.
Moving along at a comfortable pace, we drive for a while and soon we see the police motioning us to pull over. Apparently, David was speeding as he had to pay a fine to allow us to proceed. The symbolization was not lost on us as we realized that David was going 7 km over the 60 km speed limit and the fine was a total of 67 lei. The number 67 added to the year 1944 (when the Nazis were terrorizing and murdering in this very region) is 2011. Here we are 67 years later driving at 67 km along the very roads where so much trauma and torture took place.
We drop off the one armed man at his destination and head directly to Botiza where we find George Lorca and his B & B where we stay for one night. George is a strange fellow. He graduated as an engineer, is tri-lingual, and states he has no friends living nearby. His wife is the village physician, his daughter is in medical school. We visit some of the wooden churches, relax to the sound of cow bells and roosters and have a relaxing stay before moving on to the mountains and the 15th century painted monasteries. The one we see in Voronet is a UNESCO World Heritage site. David was wearing shorts and had to have his legs covered to enter. Hopefully the photos that follow will give you a flavor of our journey for this section of the trip.
We now head southward and eventually to the Danube Delta by the Black Sea where we hope to see more wonders. Stay tuned.