Desolate
Romanian countryside 2012
We saw many villages in the Romanian countryside. All had lovely churches with steeples like this one or sometimes an onion dome. This is the only deserted church we saw. All of the others had a lively, thriving village clustered around them. This is a fortified church and was once a sanctuary not only for spiritual needs but for physical safety when enemies invaded.
Gypsy Village in Romania
Here is a typical village. Pastel colored houses huddled together near the village church. Here and there you might find a nearly life sized crucifix with a bouquet of fresh flowers at the foot. Generations of communism did not break the faith of the Romanians.
If you want to visit the medieval countryside of Romania email my guide Daniel Gheorghita at : http://felixromania.com/