I felt like doing something casual and informal, and, since I was ready to start anew, I changed perspective and picked the countryside. (I typically am a city-trotter who roams for long hours on the streets).
I clicked on google maps and started staring at all the (somewhat) familiar names of villages from Transylvania. My eyes stopped at Viscri, made famous by Prince Charles. Ok, this is gonna be my stop definitely, I decided, but suddenly the overpriced accommodation (due to few free places) discouraged me.
Fancy name, fancy price, I said to myself.
Then, within a range of 10 km I saw Criț on the map. Didn’t sound familiar to me, but it was part of the same region, same fortified Anglo-Saxon church, same landscape and appeared much cheaper.
So why not give it a try? Plus, we would go to Viscri from that place, that was my call.
We found housing in Casa Kraus (Kraus House), a superbly restored parish house next to the Criț church. The second we entered the gate, the view was breath-taking. An amazing garden with colourful flowers was lying at our feet, an impeccably renovated guest house and church in front, while at the horizon line one could see the perfect blending between the natural green and the clear and cloudy blue.
Heaven! To prove that I have good taste, here are some pics:
The history of Kraus House goes back to old times, when Johannes Kraus, the village priest, lived. He inhabited a small house next to the church, that was turned into guesthouse. It was completely restored a few years ago according to the original plans.
As tradition is an essential word in Transylvania, restoration preserved lots of the original elements. We have hand painted furniture, doors and flooring made of wood, traditional ornamental pieces, everything selected with care. With the touch of modern comfort, of course.
Accommodation comes with breakfast, in line with the countryside: lots of organic food, tomatoes, hearty omelette, mild pepper, cucumber, red onions, telemea (a sort of a bit salty sheep milk cheese), lard, jumări (pork scraps), tea or coffee. And homemade bread that tastes different.
We paid 370 lei/night/double room, breakfast included (around 76 €/n). But it was worth every penny. Good food, amazing landscape, friendly atmosphere and lots of chill.
Ok, a slight minus…the receptionist was never to be found when you needed him.
Criț was also the first place where I tasted lichiu săsesc, a type of desert with cream and eggs, a traditional sweet that Saxons eat every Christmas and Easter. Delicious!
One of the best things about Romania is the unaltered possibility of eating organic, meaning home-grown, not in organic farms. Food has an entirely different taste. Unfortunately, it is almost exclusively available in the countryside only.
For the wanderers in Crit area, you shouldn’t miss the delicious jams, syrups or zacusca made by Rozalia Anghel (Crit no 100, where you can also camp). All the jam is homemade from berries (highly recommend rosehip and rhubarb) and zacusca (Romanian dish/appetizer made of eggplant, pepper, tomatoes, sometimes mushrooms or beans that is stored in jars) is made under several variations, also tasty.
Being an area rich in pasture you can imagine the taste of cheese… So, drive (or better said dive) if you love cheese straight to Mesendorf/ Meschenderf as well (close to Viscri or Crit, around 30 minutes drive from Sighisoara) where you can taste mouth-watering local produce right from the producer.
Ok, done with food as I am getting hungry…
