Another Mountain to Climb...
Trip Start
Sep 28, 2011
1
52
63
Trip End
Nov 02, 2011
Where I stayed
The Train to Budapest...
Brasov, Transylvania, Romania
Sunday, October 23, 2011
I set off with my daypack packed with water and a light lunch of cheese, fruit and yogurt. I walked in to town and grabbed my last pastry and coffee on the way in. I stopped at a department store to see if I could find any pants to wear as the ones I took on my trip were all falling down on me I had lost so much weight. It was important to me to arrive back in Budapest in a far different manner than when I left. I wanted to arrive confidently and with my head held high.
A salesgirl came over to help me. I was a little discouraged at first as I was sure that they would not have anything in my size as Europeans traditionally are so very skinny. However, the salesgirl had to bring a different size two times, before we found jeans that fit me. I thought I was larger than I actually was. She brought me two new sweaters too to try and I ended up buying two pairs of jeans and two sweaters. Seeing myself in things that fit, I started to realize that I had been hiding behind my clothing. I was in fact smaller than even I had realized. I still had a way to go, but not as far as I thought. I skipped out of the store, wearing clothes in a size I hadn't worn in over 20 years. I felt so very, very good.
I spent a bit of time walking slowly towards the town square. I had been eyeing a camera in an antique store for quite a while. I wanted to take back something for Istvan in order to thank him for all he had done for me while I was in Europe. He helped me find my way around, had pushed me when it was needed, and was still available when I needed advice.
The camera was a Polaroid from the 1920's. The store owner assured me that it was still in working condition, although realistically I had no way of knowing for sure. And film for the camera would probably have to be purchased on E-bay. However, as I stood looking at the camera, I knew somehow, that Istvan would enjoy that more than any other kind of gift. So we wrapped it up and I put it carefully in my backpack. It was going with me up the mountain along with the jeans and sweaters.
I walked to the bottom of Mt. Tampa. Because it was Sunday, it was a very popular place for families and couples to go hiking. I got a few looks as I set off alone, but by now I was so used to that I just ignored and continued up the path. I had been told to watch for bears, but for me bears are not something scary. I am far more frightened of people than I am of bears; having grown up with both, I knew which was potentially more dangerous. As long as you respect the bear and make lots of noise, you are usually fine.
In any case, there were far too many people traversing the trail for bears to be a problem. It was an overcast day, but no rain was in the forecast. The trail wound back and forth in a zig-zag up the mountain. At times the path was more piles of rock than anything else, which made it a more challenging climb, but I relished the challenge at this point in my life. To be in Brasov, Transylvania, Romania, climbing a mountain, was such a thrill that I was loving every hard earned minute.
Mt. Tampa is part of the Postavarul Massif mountains, which are located in the southern part of the Eastern Carpathians. It is surrounded completely by Brasov and its elevation is 960 m, 400 metres above the city itself. It is made up of mostly limestone formations, which is why there were often rocks which I had to climb over.
There is archaeological evidence to show that the Dacians built altars on Mt. Tampa for sacrifices to their gods in the heavens. After the Romans conquered the land, they may have in turn used those same altars and named them "Tempus/Temporis" which means time, worshiping Saturn (through Cronus) the god of time. This later was changed to "Tempea/Tampa". When the Teutonic Knights came along, they translated the citadel's old name into German, so that "the citadel of time or Cronus" became "Kronstadt" the German name for Brasov.
Unfortunately, I could not see any evidence of the altars up the top of the mountain when I finally arrived. It took me a while to get up to the top of the mountain. This time I had no one push, pulling or dragging me...just me and my will to succeed. I stopped a few times to rest and drink some water. Many times I passed people going in the opposite direction, but saw few people otherwise. I had my music on and was enjoying the solitude and the beautiful colours surrounding me in the woods.
When I was nearly at the top, I came out to an open area where the cable car went up and down the mountain. It was a very sheer drop down, so it startled me for a moment, but the new me was able to cross over the path to the other side with very little hesitation. Watching the cable car swinging on its way up the mountain, I am still unsure whether I would in fact be able to go on that up the mountain, but decided that maybe at some future point I would try.
The view from that point onwards was spectacular. You could see all of the town square and the black church from up high. I took some pictures of the amazing view. I had a giant grin on my face as I reached the top. For many people, this would not have been a major accomplishment, but for me it was one more step in overcoming my fear and overcoming my challenges.
I looked around for a few minutes, but when I realized the time, I knew I had to go. I still had to get down the mountain, walk back to the Pensiune and pack before leaving that night. Going down the mountain was in some ways easier, but in others it was difficult because it was easy to loose footing. I did not want to end my stay in Brasov with a sprained ankle, so was very careful.
I got to the bottom and started on my walk back. I took one last look around the beautiful medieval city of Brasov. I had done a lot of growing up in this place, and it would always hold a special place in my heart...
I walked slowly back to the Pensiune, deep in thought. Romania had made me into an independent woman. It had forced me so far out of my comfort zone, that I was now able to walk confidently across a room, a street, in high heeled boots no less. I was holding my head up high and my shoulders were back. I noticed that people were starting to look at me, and I realized that it was because I was "shining"...until then I hadn't really understood what that meant...
