I spent the weekend in the mountains with couple of my salvamont (mountain rescue) friends. Dudu, Claudiu and his girlfriend Paula took me to meet their good friends Laventia and Casian who happen to be monks. They live deep in the mountains in a monastery that can be only reached on foot. They don't have electricity or gas, they can't eat meat and they must do everything from scratch, including building their own houses from the trees they cut themselves. They live as if time hasn't touched them...or so I thought. Then i actually met them, and true we slept by candlelight and cooked on a bonfire but they were no traditional monks. Casian wore converse and discussed the finer points of Marilyn Manson and alternative music with me. And after dinner Laventia pulled out his guitar and we sang romanian folk music and I sang some beatles songs and we drank tons of tuica and wine. We ate a lot of meat and mamaliga. It was an experience that i will never forget. The next day Casian, Dudu, Claudiu, Paula and I set out for a hike through a gorge called Cheia. We climbed to the top of one side of the gorge and I swear i could see all of ROmania. This time of year is my favorite. IT has not been to terribly hot but it is green and the countryside is full of wild flowers; poppies, wild lilac, irises, buttercups. There was no trash on the trail, that was the best part of the whole day. I came home sunday night tired and a bit sore.