We were running out of time, and it didn't look like it was going to be easy to do. But that's one of the reasons we made a quick two day stop here in Iasi. And, it's the reason we rented a car here.
We set off on a road trip at around 8:00am yesterday morning.
It was about 158 kms (98 miles) to the area where the painted monasteries are.
From Iasi to the Humor Monastery.
There are eight different monasteries in the area. We visited three of them.
We must be getting close!
Fruit tree orchards.
Scenery along the way.
The Humor Monastery. No charge to get in, but the interior was closed.
The entire exterior of the building is painted like this.
The Humor Monastery was built around 1530, and most of the painting dates back to 1535. Apparently it was all done by one guy. It's quite faded in some areas.
Another pretty church in Humor.
From there, we went to the Voronet Monastery. We had to pay 5 lei each for this one, and they wanted another 10 lei for a photography fee. So, no pictures. And, even if you pay the photography fee, you're still not allowed to take pictures of the interior.
I did mange to sneak one exterior photo...
The back of the Voronet Monastery.
The Voronet Monastery property.
From there, we went to the small city of Suceava (pop 105,000) where there is one of the original painted monasteries located now within the city.
Again, no charge for this one...
The Suceava Monastery.
The exterior paintings on this one were very faded. Beautiful job on the new roof though! "New" as in 1954!
The interior is also completely painted.
Suceava Monastery, built in 1487.
And then, it was the drive back home. Made it back just before dark, exactly as planned.
Two new guests are at the AirBnb where we are staying. So we met a young guy from Germany, and another fellow from Cameroon, Africa. Now, we want to visit Cameroon!
This morning, we have to fill up the rental car and take it back. Then, it's another travel day and another new country as we plan to be in the Republic of Moldova by this evening. The least visited country in Europe!
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I love seeing all the churches and monasteries, especially with the light snowfall. It brings out the colors and looks so peaceful & majestic at the same time. Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt was a really pretty area and if we ever come back to Romania again we would like to see more of this area as well as the other monasteries. The blue sky really helped as well as the light snowfall on the ground to make the pictures "pop".
DeleteWow. Simply incredible. So glad you shared it with us!
ReplyDeleteThank you Dianne, glad that you enjoyed the post.
DeleteRomania is now on my "to see" list, for sure! I had never even thought about visiting there, really, but your travelogue and pictures have shown me what I've been missing.
ReplyDeleteWe are so happy to hear this! This is one of the reasons that we love to travel to areas that aren't as popular, so that we can show people that there is a huge big world out there and that you don't always have to go to the "popular" countries to get your share of beauty, history and culture.
DeleteWow...beautiful painted monasteries. It's amazing the detail of each painting...wow!
ReplyDeleteIt really was amazing and each painting was part of a story. The inside of the second and third monasteries were amazing as well. Every single piece of wall and ceiling are painted with murals, which of course have lasted much better than the ones on the outside that are exposed to the elements.
DeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYes, they certainly were. Well worth the drive up.
DeleteBeautiful pictures, as always. They give a sense of deep serenity, quiet and peace... I can almost hear the bells ringing on a Sunday morning.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't have to wait until Sunday to hear the bells ringing. We heard them ringing twice. Once each at two of the different churches.
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