For the first weekend of September we thought of something special, that would make us travel up north throughout the hystorical Maramures. So we left home on Saturday morning, at 6 a.m., heading for Viseul de Sus – for a ride with the special train of MOCANITA. Then, we planned on spending a day at Conacul Drahneilor. For Sunday we planned a trip to Barsana Monastery, The Merry Cemetery in Sapanta or a hiking trip in the Maramures Mountains (starting point – Repedea – to the Vinderel lake and Farcau peak). But in the end we chose to aproach the second day in a different manner …more about this subject in the following article. For now, let’s talk more about Conacul Drahneilor and the experience we had there.
We met Mr. Pavel Pop, the owner of the place, who was very willing to help us in knowing the history of Conacul Drahneilor (short but full of acomplishments). We chose room 11, on the top floor, that gave us an amazing view. Moreover, it was the first time we had the chance to sleep on a hay bed! A surprise for us, it was very comfortable!
We had a chance to try their delicious trout and polenta ! Also, we had some traditional ciorba taraneasca – peasent soup (beef and pork). I was pretty impressed with all the hunting troffees on the wall…and my wife seemed to be delighted by the wooden decorations and the sturions (which you can see in the restaurant’s artificial pond).
The view is different form the ones we are used to (in Maramures) – mostly here the hills are steep, the roads seemed difficult to walk on. Nonetheless, everything was well kept and pleasing to the eye. Indeed, the grass was greener on the other side (of Maramures) 😉 Conacul Drahneilor consists of: a place for barbeque, a swing, a pond for the trout, parking place, an enclosure for the animals – deer, donkey and wild boar). All the constructions were made of stone and wood (oak and fir tree).
Breakfast came with another surprise – we were served with their specialty – friga – made of cheese, fried cheese and onion, turned into a tasty cream. There were other dishes as well, all eye cathing – mainly traditional food. Everything worth trying !
We left Conacul Drahneilor and Ruscova hoping we would soon pay them another visit (maybe during winter time, when it will all be covered in snow). We were definitly pleased by the day we spent there, not to mention the warmth we were welcomed with, the amazing food, the peaceful surroundings. Conacul Drahneilor is trully a simbol of Maramures and it speaks of all the values this region cherishes.
