A Winter Ride in Romania, December 27-29, 2014

Mănăstirea Prislop, in Prislop Pass on Highway 18, between Borșa and Iacobeni.
I am proud of this shot, taken out the window of my rented VW Polo,
 as I drove by in a snow storm.
Photo Copyright 2014, by Duncsn C. McDougall. All rights reserved.

 Having three new lenses, one implanted at Dartmouth on 12 Noivember following a cataract operation, and two in the new eyeglasses just bought in Cluj, I took off after Christmas on a test of my vision, driving from Cluj on Christmas Day west to Oradea, then on the 26th to Maramureș and my favorite Maramureșan inn, Popasul din Deal (Popasul.ro), in Ocna Șugatag.  The next day I headed east over the Northern Carpathian Mountains to Suceava, where I spent a glorious evening with Mihai and Waltraudi Moroșan and their family.  On the 28th I continued east and a bit south to Iasi, near the border of the Republic of Moldova.  This post tells in pictures of my beautiful drive across the Carpathians toward Suceava.

The snow gave rhythm to the trees, which seemed to be
 dancing as one drove by, changing one's angle of view.

Can you sense the rhythms?

My cataract surgeon at Dartmouth Hichcock is descended from a family
that used to live in this town, along the road east of Iacobeni, and west of Suceava,
in Județ Suceava, in a region known as Bucovina, Moldavia, Romania.

It is proud and handsome town, though in Hitler's time, its once-large
 Jewish community was forced to flee, or face The Holocaust.
That tragic time brought my good doctor's family to America. 

Literally translated, the name is "Mouth of humor," or happy mouth.
The joke told me in Suceava by Waltraudi Moroșan is that it
is how you tell when you have a good dentist.

Street views in Gura Humorului

Finally I reached Casa Moroșan in Suceava, and met this handsome young guitarist.

As well as his father and uncle, the former Waltraudi's brother,
and the latter her son, Mihail.

At both the west and at the east ends of my journey, there was more adventure, and more fun to describe.  But for tonight, this much will have to suffice.

Happy New Year to all readers.  Da da! Indeed, life goes on!  And after this drive, it does so for your friend Oldrider with renewed self-confidence.