Romania.. A first approach :)

The brown and green country, that is Romania for me. I see it as the country of simple, natural, healthy things, a country of ground, herbs and trees. Solid ground. No use to tell about old, dark or young, light-green forests, though maybe it would make a point… I don’t want to describe an image that you could also see somewhere else, I want to describe one of my most precious sensations. I’m talking about a smell of grass and ground that I’ve enjoyed since childhood. It’s something made of fresh (not necessarily pure, but fresh) air with humid ground, grass and herbs. It’s an energizing, full of life scent. It’s the smell of freedom for me, whether I feel it inside the city in a dull, dusty, busy day or outside on a field. You can find it for sure in the mountains, where the mixture of plants and the purity of the air make it even more refreshing, at the countryside, and sometimes, as some unexpected gift and surprise, it catches you right in the middle of the street.

What happens when you feel that smell? Well…it depends. It makes some people want to scream and jump, hit drums, ride fast, sing and laugh aloud, stretch their bones and smile, take pictures or set down and sleep. They all feel a very intense, unknown SOMETHING. Peace, joy, release or power, doesn’t really matter what, the point is
It’s very intense and makes you very aware that you’re alive.

In Romania it’s a common thing to find pieces of nature jumpin’ at you from any corner. It’s not a matter of lack of civilization, but an occasion to feel “the basics” of life. It feels safe and real and very human (L.G.)