Red Mountain

August 7, 2013

After an early breakfast, we set out for our first mountain hike.  Our destination was Red Mountain, so called because there are flowers at the top that bloom red in the Spring.   It’s estimated as a 4-hour hike.  It took us 7-hours.  Lesson 1:  Our hiking time = posted time x 2.

I tried to learn some Romanian, and start connecting with the kids along the way.   It doesn’t take long to recognize which children are really anxious to talk to me in English.  One 12-year old boy, Daniel, becomes a constant companion.  When I asked him why he wants to learn English, he said “because it is the businessman’s language”.  Very precocious, I think.

Mihaela (teacher), Iouna, me, Bianca

Catching our breath on the way up Red Mountain 

Daniel is on my right

It’s a beautiful hike, with only a few strenuous spots, but it’s terribly hot and we’re not very robust hikers.  We take frequent breaks for pictures (read:  we need to catch our breath).

At the top, we stop for a bit at the cabana and enjoy the view.

We took a different route on our trip back down the mountain (thankfully, a shorter one).  I found out that while uphill is more strenuous, downhill is more treacherous.  Lesson 2:  Test a rock in a stream for stability before stepping on it.

Our downhill trek took us past this incredibly large, modern weather satellite station.  I don't know the name of it, so I couldn't find more information about it online, but I was told that it provides weather information for half of Europe.  Right here, in Cheia -- who knew?

Weather station in the background

Cheia Monastery

When we returned to our hotel, we had a short rest before our first English class, and then dinner.  After a day of physical challenge, I hoped the students would be ready to switch gears for some mental challenge.  I'll tell you more about that in another posting.