Câmpulung - Podul Dâmbovicioarei - Bran

Last weekend took place Ravasitul Oilor Festival (Sheep Scattering) in Bran Village located in Braşov County. Before we reached our destination, Platoul Inima Reginei near Bran Castle, we’ve seen how the festival increased the traffic in the area. Also, the barbecues’ smoke could be confused with a thin fog … sandwiched between layers of air. The old Bran Castle (recently available for sale) walls watched powerless to the joy of the festival’s participants, natives or tourists.

Being a shepherds’ festival, the main attractions were the cast-iron kettles (necessary to prepare the corn mush/polenta for the bulz, a shepherds’ food specialty), the green ewe cheese, the grilled pemmican and the unfailing traditional dances, like Brasoveanca. The local boozers danced in the front of the festival stage, keeping the rhythm with the local folklore band. The participants could admire the skillfulness of the local hatters and furriers and, near to the Bran Castle street entrance, they could bought the delicious Kürtös kalács.

Unfortunately, Sunday we could not made it to the sheep exhibition, but we visited the Dâmbovicioara Cave, in Piatra Craiului Mountains.

The cave is located half the distance between Câmpulung and Bran Village. Following the road from Câmpulung to Podul Dâmbovitei Village, I was surprised to see that all the houses, even the ramshackle ones with broken-down fences, had Boom TV & Digit TV satellite antennas. To enter in the Cheile Dâmbovicioarei, you must pay an entrance tax, a hand with all the fingers bedecked with golden rings asking you 1 RON for each person if you want to drive your car in the area. To visit the cave you must pay 5 RON.

Although the cave is poor in karsts forms, the main attraction are the guides, all of them very young. Only the cave’s first 250 meters can be visited, half of them arranged with a metal platform for walking.

After you visit the cave you can admire the beautiful landscape in Cheile Dâmbovicioarei or you can relax making a barbecue near the river.

QUESTIONNAIRE: RoBloggersSurvey2007, 30 September - 13 October, 2007.