I have to get up early (around 6 a.m.) – I have a long day ahead of me today. My goal: to get to Bacau as quickly as possible to try and get Sonja’s motorbike roadworthy again. As we all know, hope dies last.
At a brisk pace, I head north-east across the Carpathian Mountains. Early in the morning, the landscape reveals its rugged yet fascinating side. Along the roads, dense forests and small villages pass by, where the smoke from the chimneys still hangs in the clear morning air. The mountains tower up like sentinels, and the hairpin bends repeatedly allow brief glimpses into deep valleys.
The cold in this section is biting, almost frosty, but the rising sun adds a touch of magic to the surroundings. Its light plays with the contours of the hills and roads, so that new surprises lurk around every bend – sometimes a sudden shadow, sometimes a sparkling dewdrop on the grasses.
A quick stop at a petrol station in Toplița clarifies the situation: Sonja’s bike is quickly sent back to Austria with the ÖAMTC. She herself is travelling home by train to Bucharest to catch the plane back to Austria from there.
For me, this means: rescheduling. Sabine and Elfi, who have stayed with Sonja, now set off to meet me. We agree on Gheorgheni as the meeting point – so they can cross the impressive Bicaz Canyon while I get some rest.
After about 40 minutes, I reach Gheorgheni and settle down in the main square. The town is quiet and charming, surrounded by rolling hills and the wooded foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. I enjoy a break in the shade of the park trees and buy a notebook and pen from a small shop to finally refresh my diary from the last few days.
Page after page, my notebook is filled with memories – encounters, impressions, thoughts. In between, I buy drinks from the nearby supermarket and try to politely but firmly fend off the repeated approaches of several beggars. In the meantime life in the camp proceeds as always.
After about three hours and 14 densely written pages, Sabine and Elfi turn up.
We set off together. The return journey is relaxed – this time in the midsummer heat. We take time for breaks to enjoy the tranquillity of the surroundings and to drink enough. We reach our destination in Saulia at around 16:30.
After introducing the two of them to the check-in and checking them into their rooms, I let the evening fade away quietly. There’s another campfire and a disco, but for me the day is over. I fall into bed early and treat myself to a well-earned rest.