Another Day Begins
This small waterwheel powered mill is near the Kalnoky Estate in Transylvania. It has been grinding wheat and corn for many, many generations. It’s odd to me, but in this area of Romania called Transylvania, the populace does not speak Romanian. They speak Hungarian. Daniel, my guide (felixromania.com), had difficulty understanding the broken Romanian of the young woman who directed us to the mill. Finally, his mountain hiking experience came to mind and he decided to follow the river to find the mill. Voila!!
The miller spoke broken Romanian as well, but that didn’t stop him from giving us a detailed description of the mechanics of milling. He talked rapidly and even more rapidly darted about the belts and pulleys, the hoppers and the huge stone grinding wheel. Daniel had to listen while I tried to get some photos. It wasn’t easy. It was dark in there and the miller was like a hummingbird. This shot is my lucky shot. I don’t even remember pressing the shutter but I am more than pleased with the light from the window. If I’d thought about it, I might not have shot straight at the window for fear of getting a silhouette. I was lucky that I was using my wide angle lens. That saved the shot for me.
The Miller's Mother
The miller’s mother was also a bundle of energy. She never rested even while talking to her son. During a brief moment while he was deciding something, she ran to her small garden and chopped down a few weeds. She reminded me of my grandmother in South Carolina. Later, she invited us into her home and gave us a demonstration of her weaving. That’ll be another blog.