An Unexpected Journey
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
In general, there's not much that I do that's spontaneous. If I go to the store, I know what I'm looking for, and when I get back I start next week's grocery list. I don't go to the movie theatre without knowing what movie I want to see. I'm not one for spur of the moment changes of plans.
It's not that I don't like and appreciate spontaneity. It can be good when it doesn't throw your whole game off. When it doesn't leave you feeling nervous or powerless like you showed up to class without your homework done.
This weekend was filled with the good kind of spontaneity. On friday I was emailing a friend that yes, we should try to get together sometime this month - I think the last two weekends of the month I'm busy but this weekend I was looking forward to a repeat of the weekend before - getting some work done (maybe), studying Romanian for my tutor, watching movies on my computer and hopefully getting outside for some physical excercise at some point. (Sorry bicycle, it didn't happen again last week!) I emailed him my glamorous weekend end plans and he responded "I'll be at the train station at 8:30".
So we spent the weekend together. Where there once was one there now were two, and he got to meet Belladonna and tease me for babying her so much. Because I wasn't planning on having guests I didn't have a menu prepared, but he brought some brocoli and I got out the pesto my dad sent me in a care package and we did just fine with what was already in my cupboard. We watched and discussed some important movies and had a good time just hanging out.
The weather (cold and blowing rain) kept us in most of the day Saturday but by Sunday morning even I wanted to get out of the apartment and at least get a coffee. So we took our conversation to a local coffee shop featuring Italian deserts and had cannoli an tiramisu for breakfast.
After that we went for a walk to the bottom of the steps in the park in Deva. The steps used to lead all the way up the hill/mountain to the ruin of the ancient citadel at the top. It's Deva's best - most well known landmark.
I knew he had in mind as a goal for "someday" to hike to the top. It was important to him to accomplish the citadel without taking the elevator up the side of the mountain which is available for 5 lei. I wasn't sure that was doable. I set out to explore the stairs before - the day I discovered they don't go all the way up. They are steep and once they stopped the trails were unclear and I wasn't sure if I was in someone's back yard. Certainly I did want to hike to the citadel "someday" - but it wasn't on my calendar yet.
We marched to the top of the stairs and I consented to continue exploring the trail-less trails. Since I wasn't alone this time, the company was much better. He led me into a tunnel that went through part of the "mountain" and offered to let me hold his hand even though we could see the light from the other entrance even before we entered. Still I was not above giving his hand a slight squeeze when he gestured into an open cavernous blackness off to the left and said "I wonder what's going on over there." I responded: "this reminds me of when Sam and Frodo went into the tunnel near the pass of Cirith Ungol, only that was so dark they literally couldn't see anything at all. Sam and Frodo are really brave."
It wasn't the last of the LOTR references as we made our way up the winding path on the forested hillside, and climbed what seemed to be natural staircases of rock, all the while the veiw of the city spread out below us growing more and more breath taking and far away. Everytime I voiced concern about it being too steep, or uncertainity of the path we decided if it was too uncertain or too steep we would turn around. I was torn between wanting to scale the mountain, of course, and being unsure it could be done on a whim - without prior planning and the absolute resolve that Today is the day!
At one one point I looked up and thought I saw a house above us on the hillside. There were several trails beside the one we were on, but I still wasn't sure if we were in someone's backyard. A few steps later, I looked up to realize it wasn't the side of a house, it was the huge white letters that spell out Deva that I see everytime I look in the direction of the Cetatii. We were almost at the top! Funny thing is as we got closer to the citadel, the less we were able to see it. The last leg of the hike was through waste high weeds and nettle as we circled the structure unable to see where we needed to go toget in.
But we made it! And then explored the surface for a while - still not exactly sure when the fortress of Deva which accidentally exploded in a gunpowder accident was built. (Around 1300 is the best estimate though there are contradicting opinions.) We were waiting in line for the elevator down when I cast off all concern about peeing my pants and decided it was only right if we walked back down. I would hold it.
How do we get back where we were? -I don't know. Let's try this way?
We ended up making the journey down by a more direct and grandual path (paved, even) which we didn't know was there before. Our ascent had taken us on a path that spiraled around the mountian. And later I discovered on my first solo exploration I discovered this path about 1/3 of the way to the top - but uncertain, I turned back and went home.
So by the end of the day we were Master Trailblazers reaching the citadel without even including it in the day's itinerary. (And I did make it all the way back without wetting myself.) I did something I thought I couldn't do without weeks of training, encouraged and challenged to explore because I had someone with me. Someone who was also interested in finding the best path for our situation, not afraid to go on, not afraid to turn back. If not for the weekend's unexpected journey I probably wouldn't have accomplished the citadel until probably next spring or summer, but now that I know that there's a paved path that goes all the way up at a gradual incline, I'm tempted to stick Fellowship of the Ring and my discman with the any LOTR soundtrack in my pocket and make it a more-than-once-weekly hike. (If Bella gives me permission to leave her alone in the apartment, that is.)
These pictures of Deva were taken from the citadel the first time I went to the top during my site visit in April when I took the elevator with two women from my organization.
Disclaimer: The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.
In general, there's not much that I do that's spontaneous. If I go to the store, I know what I'm looking for, and when I get back I start next week's grocery list. I don't go to the movie theatre without knowing what movie I want to see. I'm not one for spur of the moment changes of plans.It's not that I don't like and appreciate spontaneity. It can be good when it doesn't throw your whole game off. When it doesn't leave you feeling nervous or powerless like you showed up to class without your homework done.
This weekend was filled with the good kind of spontaneity. On friday I was emailing a friend that yes, we should try to get together sometime this month - I think the last two weekends of the month I'm busy but this weekend I was looking forward to a repeat of the weekend before - getting some work done (maybe), studying Romanian for my tutor, watching movies on my computer and hopefully getting outside for some physical excercise at some point. (Sorry bicycle, it didn't happen again last week!) I emailed him my glamorous weekend end plans and he responded "I'll be at the train station at 8:30".
So we spent the weekend together. Where there once was one there now were two, and he got to meet Belladonna and tease me for babying her so much. Because I wasn't planning on having guests I didn't have a menu prepared, but he brought some brocoli and I got out the pesto my dad sent me in a care package and we did just fine with what was already in my cupboard. We watched and discussed some important movies and had a good time just hanging out.
The weather (cold and blowing rain) kept us in most of the day Saturday but by Sunday morning even I wanted to get out of the apartment and at least get a coffee. So we took our conversation to a local coffee shop featuring Italian deserts and had cannoli an tiramisu for breakfast.
After that we went for a walk to the bottom of the steps in the park in Deva. The steps used to lead all the way up the hill/mountain to the ruin of the ancient citadel at the top. It's Deva's best - most well known landmark.
I knew he had in mind as a goal for "someday" to hike to the top. It was important to him to accomplish the citadel without taking the elevator up the side of the mountain which is available for 5 lei. I wasn't sure that was doable. I set out to explore the stairs before - the day I discovered they don't go all the way up. They are steep and once they stopped the trails were unclear and I wasn't sure if I was in someone's back yard. Certainly I did want to hike to the citadel "someday" - but it wasn't on my calendar yet.
We marched to the top of the stairs and I consented to continue exploring the trail-less trails. Since I wasn't alone this time, the company was much better. He led me into a tunnel that went through part of the "mountain" and offered to let me hold his hand even though we could see the light from the other entrance even before we entered. Still I was not above giving his hand a slight squeeze when he gestured into an open cavernous blackness off to the left and said "I wonder what's going on over there." I responded: "this reminds me of when Sam and Frodo went into the tunnel near the pass of Cirith Ungol, only that was so dark they literally couldn't see anything at all. Sam and Frodo are really brave."
It wasn't the last of the LOTR references as we made our way up the winding path on the forested hillside, and climbed what seemed to be natural staircases of rock, all the while the veiw of the city spread out below us growing more and more breath taking and far away. Everytime I voiced concern about it being too steep, or uncertainity of the path we decided if it was too uncertain or too steep we would turn around. I was torn between wanting to scale the mountain, of course, and being unsure it could be done on a whim - without prior planning and the absolute resolve that Today is the day!
At one one point I looked up and thought I saw a house above us on the hillside. There were several trails beside the one we were on, but I still wasn't sure if we were in someone's backyard. A few steps later, I looked up to realize it wasn't the side of a house, it was the huge white letters that spell out Deva that I see everytime I look in the direction of the Cetatii. We were almost at the top! Funny thing is as we got closer to the citadel, the less we were able to see it. The last leg of the hike was through waste high weeds and nettle as we circled the structure unable to see where we needed to go toget in.
But we made it! And then explored the surface for a while - still not exactly sure when the fortress of Deva which accidentally exploded in a gunpowder accident was built. (Around 1300 is the best estimate though there are contradicting opinions.) We were waiting in line for the elevator down when I cast off all concern about peeing my pants and decided it was only right if we walked back down. I would hold it.
How do we get back where we were? -I don't know. Let's try this way?
We ended up making the journey down by a more direct and grandual path (paved, even) which we didn't know was there before. Our ascent had taken us on a path that spiraled around the mountian. And later I discovered on my first solo exploration I discovered this path about 1/3 of the way to the top - but uncertain, I turned back and went home.
So by the end of the day we were Master Trailblazers reaching the citadel without even including it in the day's itinerary. (And I did make it all the way back without wetting myself.) I did something I thought I couldn't do without weeks of training, encouraged and challenged to explore because I had someone with me. Someone who was also interested in finding the best path for our situation, not afraid to go on, not afraid to turn back. If not for the weekend's unexpected journey I probably wouldn't have accomplished the citadel until probably next spring or summer, but now that I know that there's a paved path that goes all the way up at a gradual incline, I'm tempted to stick Fellowship of the Ring and my discman with the any LOTR soundtrack in my pocket and make it a more-than-once-weekly hike. (If Bella gives me permission to leave her alone in the apartment, that is.)
These pictures of Deva were taken from the citadel the first time I went to the top during my site visit in April when I took the elevator with two women from my organization.
1 comment:
Good job Laura! I'm glad you found a hiking buddy to make it to the top.
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