The Kindness of Strangers: Maramureş County, Romania

The Kindness of Strangers: Maramureş County, Romania



Sophie
flew into Cluj-Napoca airport, from where she caught two
buses and hitchhiked the remainder of the way to Breb, a village
about 100 miles away in the Maramureş County of northern Romania.
Pass through ornate wooden gateways that are dotted between wooden
bungalows and barns throughout the town. Beyond the houses, the
landscape stretches for miles, while the skyline is punctured only
by unusually shaped haystacks, as if suspended in a Monet
painting.

While the mythical landscapes of Maramureş have been compared to
scenes from a Brothers Grimm tale, the warmth of residents
resembles nothing of the kind found in any scary story. Smiling
locals beckon you into their homes, where food and drink are placed
in your hands with a deep benevolence that seems to come naturally
to those who live there. When Sophie asked to take pictures, locals
insisted on changing into traditional clothing. Despite a
significant language barrier (no one spoke a word of English), they
told her long, detailed stories and in return listened to Sophie
talk with eager, wide-eyed interest. Conversation seemed to flow on
the basis of kind sincerity, genuine interest without agenda.

@sophalicemerrell | sophiealicemerrell.com

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