“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu
I woke up this morning feeling weak, tired, and just a little hungry. I spent the entire day in bed yesterday and only managed to eat a small piece of toast. Whatever caused the ache in my stomach seems to have passed, but the aftermath is complete exhaustion.
This is not how I envisioned hiking this Camino. It’s disappointing to say the least.
My mind is ready to go but my body says, “Stop,” which is not something I’m very good at.
Massimo isn’t feeling well either. His stomach still hurts, and he’s just as tired as I am.
Neither of us could hike today. We rested instead.
To keep us moving forward on the map since we do have a time limit to complete the trek, Virgil drove us to the next stop along the trail and recommended we stay with one of his friends at Casa Mariana.
Mariana and her family are wonderful. She owns the house, and during the day it’s filled with the joys of her grandchildren.
The newest addition to the family is little Matei, who is only three months old.
One of the older grandchildren, Unic, is eleven years old and incredibly bright. He has taught himself English using the Duolingo app. Since he’s the only one who speaks English, he’s been an enormous help translating for Massimo and me.
Massimo and I spent some time talking about how self-sufficient these farms are. Both here and at Virgil’s home, they grow or raise nearly everything they need to eat and live.
While I was sick in bed, Virgil gave Massimo a tour of his property. He told him they have three pigs, twenty rabbits (although we ate one for dinner, so I suppose it’s nineteen now), several chickens, a couple of goats, three dogs, and a large vegetable garden.
During the winter they cook and heat the house with a wood-burning stove. Water and electricity come from the city, but almost everything else they produce themselves.
The grandchildren on this farm are learning so many life skills. Skills I wished I had learned. Not that I necessarily want to butcher a rabbit, but I do think there’s something valuable about understanding where our food comes from instead of only seeing it wrapped in plastic at the grocery store.
For a late lunch, Massimo and I ate some rice with honey – Mariana said the honey would help our stomachs – and played a few games of Machiavelli between naps.
So far, the score in Romania is:
Massimo: 0
Emily: 3
While we were eating, the other two hikers who hadn’t gotten sick arrived. They had crossed the mountain and said it was both difficult and beautiful.
I’m disappointed I missed it.
But sometimes life makes you rest.
Virgil also drove Corina and Mihai (who was sick as well) to Sadova, although they stayed at a different guesthouse for the night. I’m not sure we will see them again…but maybe.
Dinner was another huge feast: chicken noodle soup, meats, vegetables, homemade dishes, and dessert.
Unfortunately, all I could manage was the soup and a few vegetables, which greatly disappointed Mariana. She gave me a frowny face look when she realized I wasn’t eating much.
Big meals are part of the culture here, and the Romanian “mothers” want to make absolutely sure you eat…and then eat some more.
Tomorrow, I think we’ll finally be back on the trail. Fingers crossed.
I’m looking forward to putting one foot in front of the other again.
Hopefully, Massimo will be feeling better too.
Much love & gratitude. Namaste 🙏
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One of the other hikers, Boba, told us there’s now a new section of trail on the first stage between Putna and Sucevița. It recently opened but hasn’t been added to the official maps yet, so we had no idea it existed.
He also shared photos of some of the new kilometer markers, and they’re fantastic.
One is a playful replica of Colonna Traiana (Trajan’s Column) in Rome, which originally depicts the wars between the Romans and the Dacians (the ancient people of present-day Romania). Instead of Roman soldiers, however, this version features bears, dogs, and hikers.
I absolutely love little touches like that. They give the trail so much personality.
And yes…
“When pigs fly.”
