by I’ve just been alerted of Romania’s huge virus numbers today. Ambulance numbers are on the rise too. If only the country hadn’t failed its vaccine IQ test quite so spectacularly, we wouldn’t be facing another month of utter carnage.
On Saturday Mark, the English guy, asked me if I wanted to join him on a trip to Arad the next morning, where we’d look at some churches and stuff. Sure, sounds good. I cycled to his place, where I expected his girlfriend to come too. She stayed at home, but he brought their dog along. It was an icy morning, and the flat expanse – bleak but beautiful – stretched out to the horizon. I’d imagined we’d explore the city and maybe grab a coffee somewhere, but Mark had other ideas. He wanted to visit two ruined fortresses. Great. But then I realised I’d need to climb icy hills and I didn’t exactly have the right footwear. Neither did he. Going up wasn’t easy, but coming down was even dicier, and we had no choice in a couple of spots but to slide down on our arses. For the dog it was dead easy. The first fortress, at Șoimoș by the Mureș river, was built in the 13th century, and seemed to be on the way to disappearing entirely. That’s how Romania treats its history. It was probably possible to get to the top – someone had stuck a flag up there – but we didn’t dare try. From there we drove to another ruin at Șiria. This was a longer but easier (less icy) climb than the first. On the hill near the fortress was a cross and a Hollywood-style sign that lit up at night.
It was a quiet, still day, as Sundays in Romania so often are. The terrain in this part of the country is pancake flat for miles on end, but then hills soar out of nowhere. There was plenty of bird life, as usual, and we met a herd of goats on the way. It was great to get all that exercise, even if I wasn’t prepared for it, including the bike rides to Dumbrăvița and back.
Monday, which was a public holiday, was a far less energetic day. I could feel my exertions of the day before. I played six poker tournaments, grabbing a satisfying win and two smaller cashes. I’ve had a good run since mid-November, with numerous first and second places. I made $62 on the day; my bankroll is now $1625.
Here are some pictures from Sunday:
