Suceava, ROMANIA

Suceava belongs to the Southern Bucovina region of Romania, and this is my base for exploring the many lovely painted monasteries.

The (10 odd) 500-year old painted churches/monasteries of southern Bucovina are among the great artistic monuments of Europe. They have been recognized to be unique in the world since 1975 and in 1993 they were collectively designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its amazing to see the detailed painting both on the inside and outside with colours so vibrant it looks like they were painted just yesterday. I visited the Big Four - Humor Monastery (1530), Voronet (1488), Moldovita (1532), Sucevita Monastery (1585)

Many people, especially the farmers, still rely on their horses - for their horse-power. Crossing the Carpathian Mountains mountains from Cluj to Suceava was beautiful with lots of farmers (men and women, old and young), tending to their lands with their - horse-power. Around towns and villages, many families only transportation is their horse drawn carts.

A truly beautiful area with rolling hills, farmlands, old churches, monasteries, and mostly friendly people. Oh, and....good food and good wine. The Romanian wines available locally are superb, unlike the imported Romanian wines I have had in my home towns.

I'm heading further west towards the border tomorrow, and Monday I'll be crossing into the Republic of Moldova.