AD AQUAS HERCULI SACRAS

Just in two days after a return home from one romanian trip I set off on another romanian adventure.

This time I was in a company of my two friends. I tried to plan the trip very carefully, because precise timing was necessary for four-day time window.

Despite carefull preparations the journey still was and adventure and we had to improvize a little.

Even such a fast jaunt abroad needs health travel insurance contract with one’s insurance company. Its better to have a special contract for mountain sports, with health insurance period lasting one year, instead making a contract individually for each journey. Standard health travel insurance contracts are not valid for activities done in mountainous terrain even under 2000m asl., and one can find himself/herself in a trouble if any misfortune in mountainous terrain occurs. I made an insurancy contract via CHS (Czech Mountaineering Association) for the purpose.

In the two-day window I downloaded all images from the previous event into my harddrive, packed and got ready my backpack, plus I went to work in those days. The train ticket we bought free days in advance. I arranged that my friends bought the ticket, while I still was in Romania.

The trip beggins

The journey started with a train delation. At our departure from Brno (Czech Republic), our train was delayed for 20 minutes. It was still okay for catching next connection in Budapest-Keleti Station. Unfortunately the train developed another 20 minutes of delation by the time we got to Bratislava (Slovakia).

It was sure that we were going to miss the train for Romania at Budapest. While we were on hungarian territory we made a futile attempt to bring to a halt our train in Budapest via the conductor. He called the station but to no avail, they made it clear that international train doesn’t wait for any delayed connections, it leaves on time.

On our arrival in Budapest it was clear that we missed the train by three minutes. It meant to wait another four hours for the next train. It was not a problem. Much worse was the fact, that we were going to miss the evening connection at Arad (Romania). In that way we would get to our destination in Baile Herculane at evening instead of in the morning. Loosing one day on four-day event was a serious problem!

But for the solution we had to wait until we get onto romanian territory. In Budapest we killed the time by getting written confirmation about the train delation, getting new seat reservations for the new train (3 euros each) and walking with our heavy packs to the banks of the Danube River and back to Keleti Station. It occured to me how much I prefere to spent my time on foot in mountain splendor instead of walking on bussy streets of any european agglomeration. 

                                               On bussy streets of Budapest.

                         At Budapest, waiting for the train at the Danube River bank.

Finally we got on a dream train, which would get us to romanian empire of vast and wild mountains!

Arriving at Arad at night we checked the connections for Timisoara and farther to Baile Herculane, our destination. Originaly, we planned to get to Baile at 1:30 am on Saturday. Now was more or less the time of our arrival there, with one difference. We were in Arad instead! It translated into getting to Baile on Saturday at about 6 pm. Damned!

There were no connections on the schedule, with one exception of taking a TAXI to Timisoara. In that way we would catch the train leaving Timisoara at 4.30 am and getting to Baile at about 7:30 am! GREAT! We took a taxi, negotiating a price with the female driver at 40 euros. The distance was about 60 kms, and we were three to share the fare. The decision took us only a minute. Soon we were driven through illuminated night streets of Arad, then throughout the darkness of the countryside and in the end we got to Timisoara-Nord train station.

There we had to wait for approximately three hours for the train. We sat down on benches placed on a platform a tried to pass the time. To make sure we would not oversleep we set an alarm clock for 4 am. I was sitting on the bench, snoozing with an interruption after each 20 minutes. It was weird I thought I was sleeping a couple of minutes only, but in fact I slept for twenty minutes. This scenario repated itself until 4 am. Than we woke up and boarded our train for Baile Herculane.

Arriving in the mountains

                          Image: internet source; Wikipedia. Baile Herculane in 19th Century

 

There were no luckier people in the world at the moment. After three hours of travel we got off the train at Baile Herculane. The station building was build in the 19^th century. 

                                            Main hall at the Baile Herculane station.

In front of it there was a bus stop from were buses departed for the town’s centrum every 30 minutes. The fare  was rated at 1,5 lei. Soon we were there. We got our morning coffe at the kiosk, changed some money there and in 30 minutes we continued in another bus toward Şapte Izvoarele Calde station, several kilometers away. The name relates to hot springs this station is famous for. Ancient Romans called this place “Ad Aquas Herculi Sacras.” We did not wasted our time, after getting off we took a bath at nearby hot tube. It was placed directly under the road inside a grotto, already filled with other people. Sulfuric smells were evaporating from its surface. The water temperature matched that of the human body and we soon relaxed, soaking in the tube. It revitalized us enough for the next effort in the mountains. The zombie-like feeling soon gave way to almost fresh disposition.

After a bath we enjoyed a beer on the Cerna River banks, talking with one local, who told us about human life from a philosofical point of view. We nicknamed him “the Yogine,” his spiritual talks were enhanced with rounds of a beer, coffe and coniac he brought in regular intervals from a near kiosc.

                                                The Cerna River at Sapte Izvoarele Calde. 

Afterward we set off on foot for another 7 km walk on an asphalt road to reach pension Dumbrava, where the actual trail into the mountains started. We hoped for getting a lift soon, beacause there was really hot on the asphalt road. After about an hour a car stopped. There was not too much room inside, so we sent a girl with our packs ahead. In this way we could cover remaining distance much faster. Soon the car returned and drove us directly to Dumbrava place.

We celebrated our arrival here with a beer at the restaurant and hit the trail. I chose the same trail I took in last October with my romanian friends. I knew that our today’s destination is only about two hours away and that we will have a source of water nearby.

       Climbing up from the bottom of the Cerna River valley to Cernei Mountains.

                           A horse is still a mean of transportation in the Cernei Mountains.

                                                 Probably Orchis Mascula L.

 The trail leds through beech forests. Crossing from one private property onto the other one.

                   Luckily we were in shadowy forest. There was quite a heat outside

                           This spring I already knew from last October trip through here.

                                             A horse next to Dobraia church.

The climb was uneventfull. It was hot, luckily some parts of the trail led through beech forests. At the spring we filled our bottles with water and after twenty minutes arrived at Dobraia church, a place chosen as our first camp. We arived there in good time, with the prospect of fine evening light in front of us. At first we erected our the only tent and dinned our first dinner in the mountains. When fine evening light occured we bussied ourselves with taking photographs in each direction. I continued shooting until it got dark. My final exposures were that of rising full moon behind the church.

                                         Small lovely church at La Dobraia place. 

The story said that this place was a favourite one for a singer of popular banatian folk music Mariana Draghicescu.

                            Haystacks at La Dobraia with Mehedinti Mountains in backdrop.

                                                                Sheep in Cernei Mountains.

                                               Menthol tea made of fresh leaves tasted well.

                                                                      Evening is approaching.

                                     Slopes of the Cernei Mountains seen from La Dobraia.

                                                 Evening clouds above the Cernei Mountains.

                              Escarpments of Mehedinti Mountains glowing pink at sunset.

                                                         Varfu lui Stan in Mehedinti Mountains.

                                            Zascolul Arjanei after sunset seen from La Dobraia.

                                                                At dusk at La Dobraia.

                                                                    The church at dusk.

                                               Guess it! Is it sunrise, sunset or moonrise?

                                                                             Moonrise!

To the top of the Zascolul Arjanei Peak and down to Cracu Mare

The morning was clear and still. I ventured out from the tent alone. My two companion emerged from the tent after I was finished with early morning photography. Its my habit I developed over the years to make photograhs early in the morning and late at the evening. But with approaching summer solstice this task was more difficult. Autumn season is the best for this category of photography, I guess. After sunset there is still a lot of time to sleep, in summer and spring this time window shortens considerably. And in winter there is too cold to stay outside for prolonged time. See my article about the winter traverse of the Vrancea Mountains.

                                                                 Dobraia place in the morning.

                                              Dobraia place with a tent and a church in the morning

Today’s goal seemed very simle-we would go climb a peak and descent into a valley.

Again following the last October trail. In spring conditions it looked differently, so I had a fresh material for photography. I never got borred on a mountain trail and that is why I often return to the some places. In this mode I crossed the crest of the Rodnei Mountains three times, visited Padis zone for six times, returned to Vrancea Mountains for the second time and already planning a third trip through there. In the same mode I walked over the crest of the Parang Mountains and Capatani Mountains, twice in its entirety; visited Cheile Chei for three times, climbed Scariţa-Belioara at least for ten times and visited the Pouzdřany steppe for approximately a hundred times.

In the village of Prisăcina there we met with locals controling a fire at the edge of forest. On my question whethere the fire is wild or managed they replied: “We are doing spring cleaning.” It never occured to me that forests also must be cleaned at the spring as well as houses.

 Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová

There we took interesting pictures of sunrays passing through a smoky layer over the trail.

 Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová

From here on the trail started to climb toward Prislop pass at 1270 m asl. The fresh spring leaves gradually gave way to naked beech branches and in the saddle the wind was howling. There we find a shelter from the wind and ate something. Afterwards we hid our packs in the forest and followed marked crest trail toward Arjana (1513m asl). From this side climb is easy, the complicated rocky trail comes from the other side. Atop we found some flowering gentians, rested there for a while and descended back to Prislop.

 Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová

The climb down led above two rocky crags (limestone) and descended abruptly from the later one through the forest toward first houses of Prisăcina.

There we had to ask some locals for directions. It was not easy to navigate through the maze of trails in between cottages, orchards and gardens. There were no roads, the area is accessible only on foot or on a back of animal. People ride horses as the only mean of transport over the vast network of trails in this region. 

                                          Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová

The time was passing very quickly and soon the evening settled upon the mountains. We still were on a trail somewhere above the Cheile Prisâcinei Gorge. The trail avoids the bottom of the canyon by climbing up high. The botom is rocky and filled with water stream.

Originally I wanted to camp at the same place, where we camped on my last visit, but somehow I missed the right track and we arrived in different place, much father from Cheile Prisăcinei. The time was pressing on us, the darkness was about to set. At the side valley we filled our bottles with water from a stream and headed on the ultimate climb of the day. There upon a hill, covered with fine meadow, I asked locals if we can stay overnight here. The owner said no problem. I can’t imagine those conversation without basic knowledge of romanian language. Although I have such an experience from my first trips here.

After errecting the tent we went aroung making a dinner, which was needed after full-day effort. Our surroundings and the light cooperated with not providing great views on mountains and poor light after sunset. Later I attempted to make several long exposures. But having no good foreground I failed to get anything extraordinary with my camera.

                                                      Startrails above the Cernei Mountains.

Down to Cerna River Valley and up to Crovu Mare and down again to Crovu Medved.

The morning was cloudy, with no special light on the landscape. I could sit in front of my tent doing no photography. Sometimes it is relaxing, being out without the need to take pictures. By the time we packed up, skies cleared and it was hot again. The descent was long, the trail led us with serpentines to the bottom of the valey. At one point we crossed paths with my last autumn track and arrived at the same bridge where I crossed the river on my first trip through here.

Walking up the valley, after a short rest, for about 5 km we got to the beggining of the climb to Mehedinti Mounains. This track leads though Foreioaga Tamnei toward the crest. By the time we reach the last spring the sky is covered with dark clouds.

Above the spring is a belt of meadows, dividing the climb into two parts. The upper part leads though rocky slopes and gradually emerges into a recese in the edge of the upper plateau, called Foieroaga Tamnei. Actually it is a steep canyon, which serves as a drainage for basin named Crovu Mare.

At the meadow belt we felt the heat from coming from the sun for the last time, since clouds started to move in. When climbing through Foieroaga some water drops already fel out of the sky.

After reaching the bottom of Crovu Mare, I hastily went around, taking some photographs, before the light became dimmer, because of heavy dark clouds, hanging low in the sky.

                                                                       Crovu Mare in May.

Making only a short stop there, we soon moved upward for Poienile Porcului. As if by a miracle, a blue window opened in the skies, and we enjoyed the sunshine for some time again. On meadows there were semi-wild horses grazing, pools of turbid water were scattered here and there. Reaching the edge, where I camped in October, a great view opened toward Varfu Pietrele Albe, our destination for tomorow. Below us was the basin called Crovu Medved, our destination for today. We didn’t want to camp here on the high edge, because we sensed there was a risk of an elecric storm.

The descend was quite steep and slow. Once reaching the flat bottom, we inspected the well next to a sheepfold. I knew that there should be drinkable water in the well, because some my friend visited the place during last weekend.

The place was incredibly beautiful. The basin looked like a world out of a story-book. The only disadvantage for a photographer was that the flat bottom offered no views on the landscape farther afield. The views were confined to basin itself. I was thinking to explore the canyon-like drainage of the basin in the evening.

But at first there was a need to erect a tent, filling our empty bottles with water from the well. We used water from the well for cooking only, we still had water from the spring below Foieroaga Tamnei, which was definitelly safer to drink.

Just before the sunset I went for a short exploration of the canyon. The sky was loaded with water, so my jaunt should be short. I went for only a couple of minutes deep into the canyon, scrambling over limestone rocks. After taking several exposures of rocky edges, with some banatian black pines growing on them, it started to rain. I packed everything and run to reach the tent. Soon a thunder sound exploded nearby and the rain turned into a hail. I hastily put my rain poncho over me and reached the tent with wet boots and trousers. My corp luckily stayed dry. I entered the tent, leaving those wet things in the front room.

The storm lasted for about two hours. The air inside the tent became humid and hot, because there were three of us inside. This is the inconvenience of taking the only tent for three persons. If we carried two tents instead of one, we would be much comfortable during nights, but would have heavier rucksacks to carry in days. For this trip we made a decision to carry as low weight as possible, so some discomfort in the night didn’t bother us much. However for any longer trip we would definitely take two tents instead of a single one.

Six-hour walk out over a wild peak and through a steep gorge.

                                                   Horses in Crovu Medved.
In the morning skies were clearing. Clouds were dissipating into clear mountain air. I ventured our of the tent quite early, but too late for dawn photography. The general light level was already bright. I opted for shooting some landscapes with horses. The horses moved here during the night, perhaps in order to escape the storm.

                                               Solitary beech tree in Crovu Medved.

                              Spring colors on solitary beech in Crovu Medved.

At 9 am we started walking. The air was crystal clear, though with some clouds, which obscured the sun from time to time. The level difference between the bottom of the basin a the top of the Pietrele Albe Peak (1335 m asl) was about 400 m. 

                                                                 Walking out of Crovu Medved.

                                           Looking back to Crovu Medved.

                                                  High above Crovu Medved.

                   Past the top some parts of the trail were leading through wild beech forest.

It didn’t took us much time to get there. The trail was marked with yellow dot, and we lost it only once. Walking without a benefit of marked trail would be more difficult here, because the rocky terrain was quite difficult to walk through. At the top two marked routes reunited and now we had a red stripe and yellow dot trails to follow. Views from the top were incredible, but very strong wing blowing up there, forced us to leave very soon. The sky in the north was filled with clouds, but clouds dissipated immediatelly after crossing the ridge. So we had sun, because the trail led us just south of the line of the ridge.

                                                                 Looking down to Crovu Medved.

                                                        Looking south.

                                                                       Descending from the top.

                                                                       Following rocky ridge.

                                       Wild beech forest on the crest of Mehedinti.

Somewhere in the forest the two trails suddenly parted. The red strip went to the right and yellow dot went to the left. After choosing the yellow dot we lost the trail soon. It took us about 15 min to realize thet the path left the crest and descended to the left. The trail was not obvious and soon it was clear that the path was marked for going in reverse direction, because on most places were marks visible only from under (we came from above).

Fortunately there were three of us and each time, when the trail disappeared, we split and combed the terrain until we found a continuation.

                                                       Folowing yellow dot.

                                       From below marks were easy to follow.

Sometimes it was really difficult to find the trail again and we were worrying about whether we would get to Cheile Tasnei of not. Later the trail followed quite steep rocky ridge covered with dense vegetation. It was an amazing mixture of alpine and mediterranean species. Here mountain beech forest was mixed with junipers, roses, and lilac. The girl saw a viper for a brief moment, and became scared to walk through dense vegetation.

                               At the end a clear path lead us toward Cheile Tasnei.

We were thankfull that the weather remained dry, thinking how the walk through here would be like in rainy conditions. But the truth is that the fear itself is generally worse than the actual situation you have a fear of.

Hours passed and the steepnes of the ridge leveled and we entered a valley, leading to the right. Later the valley narrowed and deppened. Walls became rocky and the vale turned into a canyon. We were in a side gorge connecting with Cheile Tasnei at its upper end. The only difficult stretch was climbing down on a steep step, which separetes the upper gorge from its bottom end. Soon we were at idyllic pastures at the upper end of Cheile Tasnei.

                           Some sections on the trail were difucult to pass through.

                          Finnal scree slope before Cheile Tasnei opened before us.

                                                   At the head of Cheile Tasnei.

                                                   Upper end of Cheile Tasnei.

The sun was shining and in front of us there were several horses grazing. The path led next to them. Here the yellow dot gave way to blue cross mark, which leads through the gorge to pension Dumbrava, to our destiny. At first we crossed the stream, just to discover that the trail leads to a sheepfold. After a short pause of eating some bisquits we crossed the stream for the second time to follow the correct trail. The trail led us through a tall beech forest at the beginning. On one beech trunk there was a handwritten sign inviting tourist to visit the sheepfold to get some milk products. These products were 100% natural and could be labeled as bioproducts, containing no artificial chemicals.

                                    Add inviting tourists to visit a sheepfold.

After the forest gave way to meadow, we herd a roar of water. There just at the edge of the forest there was a waterfall and a wooden mill sitting by its side. Several people were going by lines down the waterfall. Such a sport activity is called canyoning, and participants are supossed to go down the canyon directly through the river channel, using ropes for safety and neoprene suits to keep them warm and dry.

                                                Canyoning in Cheile Tasnei.

I exchanged a couple of words with them and learned that the Dumbrava pension is just 20 min away. In the end this on foot time proved to be well underestimated. In fact we still were at least an hour away from there.

Banatian black pines with Zascolul Arjanei in backdrop.I found a place from where Dan Dinu, a romanian photographer, took a photo of the same peak at sunset or sunrise. I have seen his photo at the exhibition in Timisoara and Sibiu. That is why I remember it so well.

The gorge was rocky and slopes were opened, primarily free of forest. Banatian black pines were decorating the edges of rocky walls. There were gorgeous sights indeed, though we were missing some spectacular light on the sky. Here we were actually  on the north side and the sky was light gray with no direct sunshine to be seen. With no sort of excitement in the sky, we did not took many pictures here. The river was cascading in several cataracts and with decreasing altitude the air grew hotter. In the end the trail left the gorge for the ultimate descend of about 250 m of level difference through a beech forest. After the last crossing of the stream we emerged next to Dumbrava pension.

                                             Ultimate descent toward Dumbrava.

                                  Blue cross showing directions to Cheile Tasnei.

After six hours of walking we were pretty tired. Beer was needed and we ordered a meal also. The only day’s menu was romanian classic food called mititei. They are fried small oval pieces of chopped meat of hash served with bread and mustard. The food was delicious. Afterwards I had a look at the rooms they offered for accomodation. The rooms were with bathrooms and toilets and were nice and clean. The price was moderate. This pension can be used a a base for people who don’t want to camp high in the mountains and choose home-like comfort instead.

                                                   Having  a beer in Dumbrava.

                                           Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová

There was no public transport available, so that we had to walk out. There was a distance of about 8 km in between pension Dumbrava and Şapte Izvoarele Calde. It was hot, asphalt road was too hard for our feet. Later came a car, giving us a lift to hot springs. It was our salvation.

At Şapte Izvoarele we took a hot soak inside a tube placed in a grotto below the road.

                       Hot bath at Sapte Izvoarele Calde. Photo courtesy Lenka Koppová.

                                              Hot bath at Sapte Izvoarele Calde.

                                  Enjoying a beer after the bath at Sapte Izvoarele Calde.

                                My portion of tripe soup (ciorba de burta) at a restaurant.

Later we took a shuttle bus to resort’s centre. After inspecting several restaurants we chose one and had a triumphant dinner. It was about sunset and astounding limestone crags of Mehedinţi Mountains were illuminated with welcoming light. 

                                                          Evening in Baile Herculane.

It would be perfect to stay here longer for climbing up yet another mountain top. But this is going to be an adventure for sometimes in the future. Now it is the time to leave this breathing wonderland. I cried inside, but at the same time was thinking that I was a very lucky person, because I paid a visit to the Banat mountains for three times during last twelve months.

                                              Waiting for the train to arrive.

 

                                                 Farewell Baile Herculane!

On the next morning we all were back home. The freshness from the adventure helped me to flyover disbelief that I returned back to normal. Is there a way how to leave this ordinary life and convert  mountain adventure into a standard pattern?