Congratulations 👏👏👏👏👏

You are pretty focused on the trail & making it in 50 days, but if others pass through the city of Alba Iulia, it is worth mentioning it is home to ‘Alba Carolina Citadel’, a star-shaped fortress that was built in early 1700s and it has been recently restored (2010). It is a very interesting spot, worth a walk and provides nice places to have a drink or a meal (there is even a restaurant inside the fortification walls).

Going by the rosy cheeks, the story guy had imbibed quite a bit :D probably why he was cracking himself up.

Wonderful photos in this video :)

In some country areas people tend to let the dogs roam about during the day and keep them as guards during the night around the house…so those last guys maybe weren’t with a shepard, just got together from town. It’s not very pleasant for us romanians either, as they also tend to multiply without proper control in this manner (the sheep dogs are also running around). Every few years there is a push to gather and sterilise & rehome dogs, but no big headway is done. It is difficult to take our own dogs on hikes because of situations like these.

We definitely learn english in school, but maybe in the countryside the kids pick up idioms and slang from video games nowadays vs cartoons & movies 2 decades ago, so they become more advanced via games. Also it might be that in that part of the country (ex austro-hungarian territory), not all schools teach english, but romanian an hungarian. After english, french & german are the next popular languages to learn in school. Most of us, in big cities anyways, learn 2 foreign languages. I just started watching your videos and, besides a bit of info about schooling, I wanted to let you know the videos are lovely and I am glad you are having a nice time in our country :) Happy trails!

Thank you for taking us with you in this journey, on the trail and into your heart. I have been with you everyday along the way. I hope you will visit Romania again and discover many other wondeful places and people. Take care and God bless!

be blessed!

I am happy to see an American doing the Via Transilvania. I just discovered your channel and I am looking forward to watch all the videos!

Wonderful, congratulations!

Congratulation!

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Congratulations! 🎉🎉And thank you for sharing your journey with us. What a beautiful journey!

Thanks for sharing the journey and congratulations. I really like the idea of the kilometer stones being unique. What's your take on them?

What good treatment offer western people to romanian are blow your mind!I mean 0 treatment ,they treat us very bad man!!What do you expect?!!30 years and even now romanians are treated horibble to your western people! And you expect red carpet in Romania!No sir,i dont think so!!

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your journey with us!

Congrats and thank you for having us along! Safe travels back home. I'll miss your posts. Please get tested for lyme disease when you get back. My uncle who lives in Romania got it from a tick :( It is no fun at all.

Congratulations!!! Thank you for sharing your journey!

Thank you! Our prize ....is all the videos that you kindly shared with us. I am thankful that you shared your personal experience with us. You reminded me what a beautiful country Romania is! Congrats 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 on the 50 days! Have a nice journey back home and take care! God bless!

Congratulations on your successful completion of the journey! We have followed you all the way and enjoyed your mix of great photography and cogent commentary. Before this we had little notion of what Romania is like. Now we feel interested in the country and its hospitable people. By chance, we bought a viola the other day which was made in...Romania! We figured it might be handcrafted in the careful and artful way that you've shown us in their churches and towns and Via Transilvanica milestones. We're looking forward to your next trip. All the best to you and your wife and family! Aloha from Honolulu.

Felicitari! Congrats!

I had the same questions at the end of Via. You articulated more clear an wisely the answers. But we, those who made the trail, we recognise the emotion. Bless u!

Thinking of you on your last VT day. Must be bittersweet. Amazing sunrise!

Thank you, man! You gave us shivers.

I totally get the challenge, I find the attempt to derive some meaning often comes when I experience hardship, and it's comforting to know that there is a reason for it. I can almost never capture the complexity of such an intent, so I go on looking at what gives me meaning in general or what comes spontaneously. I appreciate the openness with which you seek to understand. Well done on almost finishing the entire route!

I understand

I watched every minute of this one. I am so glad you made this recording, and captured your thinking. I love getting to hear the deep thoughts that you have after so much introspection. I am grateful for all of these recordings. I am looking forward to going back to the beginning and watching them again!

Beautiful place. Nice video. Thanks for sharing. 👍14

What brand boots did you pick? Do they have a nylon or steel shank?

Wow, heavenly beautiful! Absolutely epic shots my friend!!!

Yes it was Jupiter and Mars conjunct around 16-17 degrees Gemini! Loving your hike! What a beautiful place!

Bart, not Bert. He was my great Unlcle. So nice to see this one, thanks for sharing.

these evenings are the perseides , the falling stars illusion you can see night time

How does the cost there compart to hiking on the East Coast of the USA like the Appalachian Trail?

What you saw from the church, those cliffs across the valley, from the other side near Isverna, Balta you'll see just a hilly place. Unfortunately Via Transilvanica is not going on the ridge of that mountain (Mehedinti), but there is a ridge trail through a very beautiful formations, called Crovuri (Crovul Mare, Crovul Medved). Those are a very big sinkholes in top of the mountain covered with dirt forming a very big meadows, flanked by steep rocks, called Geanţuri. When you reach Isverna village, ask around the City Hall where is the Isverna Cave (closed, only for academic and professional divers will open), is just 10 minutes away back and forth from VT. There is a very powerful spring. Jacques-Yves Cousteau was in this cave.

Hi! I am really enjoying your hike! Would you mind putting all the videos for "Hiking Romania's Via Translivanica" in a playlist to make it easier to watch them all in sequence without going back and forth to the channel?

Hope I'll meet u on Cerna valley.

Soon you'll enter in the beautiful area of Cerna Valley / River. Up in the mountain are some of the most isolated villages like Inelet, Scarisoara, Dobraia, Tatu. People up there live same way they lived hundreds of years ago. Then on the other side of the mountain after you leave the valley, do not miss the view of Geanturi on the right, right after the strenuous uphill road leave the forest in the first meadow. If you reach paved road you are already on the other side of the mountain. I was born and grew up in this area, near Isverna; now in DC area. Looking forward to meet you around Harpers Ferry or Shenandoah NP on AT.

I watched all your videos until now and I can say you are a real inspiration. I love your photos. When I watch them I almost immediatly corelate them with our traditional music of “doina’s”played on caval. I put here a link from youtube. I hope you’ll enjoy the music born from those woods, mountains, springs, forgotten villages… kzbin.info/www/bejne/l2TLkIaVpJl2mrssi=E9OJO3o8bEAPcl_o Good luck and thank you!

Well done, you are going to make it. What an achievement. You have convinced me to do the walk next spring, with my sons joining me for part of the way. The walk looks more beautiful than Via de la Plata, which runs alongside the North-South highway much of the way. It was quite monotonous, and very lonely. I met only nine walkers along the route. Mind you that was just after Covid in Feb and March 2022. Agree totally about carrying a good umbrella. The episode where you attended an orthodox service was very moving. The voices are open-hearted and uninhibited, an outpouring of joy and ecstasy. Thanks for posting that. Happy future travels.

I love your journal videos! Too bad they'll come to a close soon, but I will be happy for your return to your family. Question: what is your take in travel insurance do's and don'ts

I am enjoying your travel videos. I am wondering if there are lots of birds singing around you? Looking at all the nature, I was surprised I can't hear them in the woods, on the trails, and especially around the blackberries. I can't keep berries or grapes because the birds beat me to them!

You’ve just not got to the electric guitar part: “..and as we wind on down the road! Our shadows taller than our souls! There walks a lady we all know… who shines white light and wants to show .. how everything still turns to gold… And if you listen very hard.. the truth will ?… where one is all and is one.. You’ll be a rock and not to roll…” You can thank me if we ever meet hiking 😄

That looks sooooo beautiful ❤❤❤

Thanks for sharing amazing video! Subd and 👍15

I'm following your journey with interest, and will attempt the walk next year. I'm 71 years old, and did the 1000 km Camino Via de la Plata two years ago. I'm hoping my legs will endure, and you've raised my spirits. Lots of joy to you.

Watching this one was a spiritual meditation for me. Sir, perhaps you are a prophet!

The monk said: "When we pray, we say this prayer which is for everyone. When God made the man, he said Lets make a man alike us. We have 1 God which is in 3 deities: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Same as God is 1 but it has 3 forms, same we are one, a whole; but we are billions as person. ..." The places and landscapes around Afteia Monastery are truly beautiful and amazing! Have a good day!

You have to understand that Romania is still pretty wild at heart and the majority of us came from the countryside. with these being said, the average Romanian person already has plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in the garden and very little time to go and gather the wild berries. Taking care of our gardens is a priority and can be quite exhausting. although, from time to time we go foraging for mushrooms, blueberries, hazelnuts, etc, most of our holidays, days off, free time, we spend it in certain locations that have already been certified and more "commercial", to put it this way. For example, In the summer time we go to Greece, Bulgaria, Constanta, Transfagarasan, mostly on the seaside. in the winter time we go to Brasov. Of course, this is just a generalization, someone will definitely be in a hurry to correct me :)

Doamne Ajuta ! ☦️🇷🇴