1 00:00:03,280 --> 00:00:06,280 Romania is a land of a thousand faces. 2 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:17,240 The crossing point between the Occident and the Orient 3 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,960 and a melting pot of different cultures. 4 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:25,760 It is also a country unlike any other in Europe. 5 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,360 With over 60 percent of the Carpathian Mountains 6 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:30,720 weaving through it, 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:36,120 Romania is the custodian of Europe's last great wilderness area, 8 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,120 its largest remaining forest 9 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,200 and two thirds of its surviving alpha predators. 10 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:50,360 But increasingly this unique country's natural and cultural heritage 11 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,800 is under threat from reckless development 12 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,360 and a race to modernize which is often destroying 13 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,840 the very things that could ensure prosperity 14 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:03,560 and a sustainable livelihood for generations to come. 15 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,400 The next leg of my journey takes us north to Moldova, 16 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,800 an ancient region covering the Eastern most part of the country. 17 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,160 Originally twice its current size 18 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,960 it included northern Bucovina and Basarabia, 19 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,800 now the separate and not to confused with Republic of Moldova. 20 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:50,360 My starting point is the historic capital of Iasi, 21 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:52,840 one of Romania's foremost centers of culture 22 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,000 and its second largest city. 23 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:56,640 But as with life, 24 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,000 you often learn more on the journey than you do at the destination. 25 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,200 One the outskirts of a small village, appropriately named Frumoasa, "beautiful", 26 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:07,760 was a scene that for the moment 27 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:11,160 is still iconic to large parts of the Romanian countryside. 28 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:15,840 Having driven past traditional haymaking so often before 29 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,240 this time I felt compelled to stop for closer look. 30 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:24,600 -Hello. -Hello. 31 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:25,960 -Charlie. -Nicu. 32 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,800 We are preparing the hay for winter, for the animals. 33 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,720 It's a tradition in our family, in our area 34 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:35,480 when our family has to do the hay 35 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:37,880 all the others families gather to help us. 36 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:39,280 They all come back from wherever they are. 37 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:43,480 And when they have to do their hay we are going to help them. 38 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:44,640 It is such a lovely tradition 39 00:02:44,720 --> 00:02:47,000 and obviously it is vitally important as well. 40 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:48,320 It is vitally important 41 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,200 because it's providing the food for the animals for all the winter. 42 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,400 And I've noticed that the haystacks look different in different parts of Romania. 43 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:59,240 There are three types of haystacks yes, 44 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,600 for example you see here, they are a little bit slimmer. 45 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:04,800 Yes, and taller. 46 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,200 And taller because it is a type of herb, you see? 47 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,800 OK, so it depends a lot on what's growing. 48 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,200 Fascinating, I never knew that. 49 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,880 This particular herb you make it slimmer and taller. 50 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,800 Would you like to come with us to eat lunch? 51 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:23,920 That is extremely kind. 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,960 After we eat our brother will make a haystack for you. 53 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:28,840 Please, take a seat. 54 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:30,480 Hello. 55 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,400 My brother, he was saying that this is our little social network, 56 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,400 our little Facebook because after we eat we are talking about... 57 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,160 -All the local gossip. -All the local gossip, yes. 58 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,000 And other stuff... 59 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,760 Other things you can't say on camera, yeah. Absolutely. 60 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:48,800 You can imagine it! 61 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:50,640 How long does it takes to build all the haystacks? 62 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:52,800 Like a week or two. 63 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,680 So everyone here is going to work for at least a week to do this. 64 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:58,400 At least yes, they are working with us, they are helping us. 65 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:00,480 -Work hard eat hard. -Yes. 66 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,600 In this moment you forget about all the hard labor, 67 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:05,280 you forget about the weather 68 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:09,600 and you just enjoy a good meal in the middle of nature with the family. 69 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,280 In fact I would give up all the money in the world 70 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,440 just for these moments of tranquility 71 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:17,880 and a shelter above your head and that's enough. 72 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:19,880 It's greedy to ask for more. 73 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,160 For us the family is the most important thing. 74 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:28,240 -This is the hard part. -Making it deep enough? 75 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,360 The wind will blow it over if you don't. 76 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:33,400 If you are not making it deep enough, absolutely. 77 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:34,320 And now he is starting. 78 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:37,840 -At first you put on it with your hand. -Yeah. 79 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,760 Otherwise it will reach the dirt and it will start rotting. 80 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:44,800 Yeah, OK, so it's got to be off the ground 81 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:46,400 to stop the moisture from coming up. 82 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,480 So you pack it up tightly and it acts like the thatch on a roof. 83 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:50,600 Exactly. 84 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:55,200 Congratulations, look at that, a finished haystack, a thing of beauty. 85 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:01,800 In our community as my brother said, the making of a haystack was a proof of... 86 00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:02,760 Of manhood. 87 00:05:02,840 --> 00:05:05,640 So you weren't a man until you can make a good haystack like this. 88 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:08,560 Well Nicu thank you so much. 89 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:11,280 It was a pleasure to share this experience with you. 90 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,840 I am on my way up to Iasi but I wanted to stop here just outside Husi 91 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:22,680 because there is a fantastic example 92 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:25,920 how young people are embracing tourism in rural areas. 93 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,360 Her name is Alina 94 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,800 and she set up a horse riding business when she was 14 years old 95 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:33,840 and she's bringing people here to take them ridding in the forest. 96 00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:37,560 -Alina, hi. -Hello. 97 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,520 -Who is this? -Rafian and Phil. 98 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,520 Phil, the horse? Great So, I'll be riding Phil. 99 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,520 I'll just jump on I guess, so off we go. 100 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:48,520 -Phil is having a baby. -Phil is having a baby? 101 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:50,480 So Phil is a girl, I should have noticed, really. 102 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:52,520 OK, I'll be very gentle with you. 103 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:56,200 -Right which way should we go? -This way. 104 00:05:56,280 --> 00:05:58,880 Right through the woods, lovely. Okay, I'll follow you. 105 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,520 So this is the usual route you take tourists yeah? 106 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:18,840 Through the forests and through the vines, I love it. 107 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:22,240 What was it like setting up a business? How did you start? 108 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:23,800 I started when I was 14, 109 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,280 but I've been fond of it ever since I was a little girl. 110 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,400 The first time I rode a horse was at a neighbor. 111 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,440 Since then I've always wanted a horse. 112 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,520 I begged my parents for two years to buy me a pony. 113 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,440 Then they bought me my first horse, then the second one, 114 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,520 they reproduced and this is how I made it here. 115 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,240 And you've now got friends working with you, haven't you? 116 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:45,280 Kind of like a cooperative. 117 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,640 Yes, I have two friends who help me every day. 118 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,120 And a caretaker in the morning, while I'm at school. 119 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,800 So tourism is still pretty underdeveloped? 120 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:57,320 We don't really have tourists, mainly local people. 121 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,880 -So not many. -Or from Iasi, Brasov. Barlad. 122 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,440 Last summer, a family from America came with their three year old daughter. 123 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:05,520 Americans, OK. 124 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:09,840 And I pulled it through. I mean we were able to communicate. 125 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:12,760 Their daughter was very passionate about it. I mean she was three. 126 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,400 Although there are more and more places 127 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,000 providing riding holidays and hikes by horseback, 128 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,600 it was great to see how young people like Alina 129 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,120 are waking up to the opportunities offered by a burgeoning tourist trade. 130 00:07:26,760 --> 00:07:27,560 In fact tourism 131 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:30,920 is now a subject widely offered in Universities across the country. 132 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,680 Which brings us to our next destination. 133 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:38,520 Welcome to Iasi, often described as the capital of culture, 134 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:43,760 and home to the five universities and over 60,000 students each year. 135 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,160 I'm here for a spot of much-needed self-improvement 136 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:52,000 and the chance to see some of its more educational attractions. 137 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,360 For example it is no surprise 138 00:07:56,440 --> 00:08:00,960 that Iasi also boasts Romania's oldest and most extensive Botanical Gardens, 139 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:03,760 responsible for numerous conservation initiatives 140 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:08,400 including helping to identify and protect Carpathia's diverse flora. 141 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:13,400 For my first stop I had an appointment with senior researcher Tiberius Balaes. 142 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:16,320 Tell me the University owns the botanical gardens, 143 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:18,800 so education is a very important facet. 144 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:20,600 -What else are you doing here? -Well... 145 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,960 Our institution plays several rolls: 146 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,560 we are doing research, we are doing preservation, 147 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:32,360 we are maintaining in our living collections rare plants, 148 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:37,120 plants that are endangered, we are assessing the wild biodiversity, 149 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,240 we are going to wild habitats and doing the research there, 150 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,520 but we are also involved in a project for bioremediation, 151 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:50,560 the restoration of natural eco systems through biological methods. 152 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,800 That have previously been damaged by man presumably? 153 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:57,800 Yes, unfortunately we have a big negative legacy 154 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,800 from the Communist period with its industrial activity 155 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:02,480 specific for those times. 156 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:05,520 It seems to me to be a common theme as I travel around the country 157 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:09,120 that this is happening with everything, from forests to mycology, 158 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:11,760 to many of Romania's natural resources. 159 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:14,440 There isn't necessarily enough legislation 160 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,560 and there isn't necessarily enough founding 161 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,400 to implement that legislation. 162 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,480 Yes, we all have to do more as a society. 163 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:27,400 There are several NGO's involved in promoting good practices, 164 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:29,920 but we are still a few, 165 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,120 we had to fight stronger for these causes. 166 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,160 Well maybe that can be another role for botanical gardens, campaigning? 167 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:41,800 Yes we are involved in promoting campaigns and public education. 168 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:44,640 Because if the next generation respects nature more 169 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,400 then it won't be quite as bad as it is now. 170 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:49,600 And it starts from when you are a child. 171 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:50,480 Yeah, exactly. 172 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:54,920 Moving on from the study of botany 173 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,720 it was time to swot up on Romanian Literature 174 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,120 with a visit to the house of famous writer 175 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:02,120 and children's author Ion Creanga. 176 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:09,280 A good friend of poet Mihai Eminescu, 177 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,520 Creanga was one of the key figures in 19th century literature. 178 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,840 A defrocked Romanian orthodox priest, 179 00:10:15,920 --> 00:10:18,640 he became famous for his volume of Childhood Memories, 180 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:22,280 short stories, and often ribald anecdotes. 181 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,640 Creanga was a colorful and controversial character 182 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,960 whose works are still studied and provide a fascinating insight 183 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:32,880 into the social mores and folklore of his day. 184 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:39,200 He used to sit here in the summer with his friend Mihai Eminescu 185 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:41,400 and they gazed out over the hills here, 186 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,800 there were a lot less houses in those days 187 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:45,360 and not these trees and a beautiful view... 188 00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:49,240 and they used to write poems and stories together, 189 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,400 probably had a tuica. 190 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,680 As a poet myself this is truly amazing. I am jealous. 191 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,520 It would have been wonderful to have been there and just heard them. 192 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:02,360 It's a moment, a priceless moment in the cultural history. 193 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,640 The impact that Ion Creanga has had on Romania's culture, it's been huge. 194 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:07,880 Not only did he write teaching books for kids, 195 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,400 the first teaching book, how to read, how to write, et cetera, 196 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:15,640 but his children stories have endured and his very life and his musings 197 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,520 have provided a unique insight into how life was like in the 19th century. 198 00:11:41,560 --> 00:11:46,800 Probably the grandest center of learning in Iasi is the Palace of Culture, 199 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:52,920 home to no less than four museums and containing 299 rooms. 200 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:57,240 Constructed in 1906 and not completed until 1925 201 00:11:57,320 --> 00:12:01,280 it is a truly awe-inspiring neo-gothic pile. 202 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,400 It would require days to see everything, so to get a flavor 203 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,400 I took an abridged tour with resident guide Coralia Costas. 204 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:15,720 Coralia, hello. 205 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,720 -Hello, welcome to the Palace of culture. -Thank you very much. 206 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,680 I had no idea it was this enormous. 207 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,920 You can spend a whole day here and not see everything. 208 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,560 Yes, there are many things to discover in here, 209 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:31,440 I have been working here for very many years by now 210 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,680 but I still find out new things every day. 211 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:38,120 So... 212 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:41,560 This is the Voievods hall. 213 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:42,720 You said I'll say "wow", didn't you? 214 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,320 Yes, everybody does so! 215 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,400 It was designed at the beginning as a festival hall 216 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:53,360 and the name is due to the medallions which are in the upper part of the room 217 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:54,880 starting with Decebal 218 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:58,400 continuing with the roman emperors Traian and Aurelian. 219 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:00,400 So this is a portrait history of Romania. 220 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:05,400 Yes, indeed. It's the history of Romania in portraits. 221 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,920 -Another very opulent looking room. -Yes, indeed. 222 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,720 It's called now the Henri Coanda hall 223 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:14,960 because of the material used to decorate it. 224 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:19,960 It's not wood although it looks like wood, yes, it's a special mixture. 225 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:21,400 It looks completely like wood. 226 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,360 Yes, it imitates the oak wood, 227 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,920 but is a special mixture of plaster and a special kind of resin. 228 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,440 And the murals on the wall? 229 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,800 The murals on the wall were added later on in the 1970's. 230 00:13:35,880 --> 00:13:39,240 They were painted by contemporary artists of the moment, 231 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,880 there are buildings of various regions, let's say, of the city of Iasi. 232 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:44,880 Here we have the educational city 233 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,720 with the central University library and the University in the back. 234 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,320 In the middle we have the historical center of the city 235 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,920 and on the other side we have the industrial quarter of the city. 236 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,320 What's interesting, from everything that you've been saying is 237 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,240 it's clear that Iasi is kind of the center of academia 238 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,640 from a historical point of view for the whole of Romania. 239 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:11,000 Yes, it was the starting point of the academic life of Romania, 240 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:16,200 it was here that the first modern Romanian University was founded in 1860. 241 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:18,400 And it's got four of them now. 242 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,720 Yes, we have four universities, state universities. 243 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:23,720 No wonder there are so many kids 244 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,800 wondering around this city the whole time. 245 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:28,880 Everywhere we go we see children and students. 246 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:29,880 -Yes. -Yeah. 247 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:36,160 Well I'm sorry that we didn't had time to show you the science museum 248 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,000 or the ethnographic museum 249 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,400 but then if you saw it all there would be less incentive to come here 250 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:42,600 and experience it for yourself. 251 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:46,440 And you really should, it's amazing. 252 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,640 Out in the Moldovan countryside beyond Iasi, 253 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:09,800 a different kind of culture proliferates 254 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:13,800 and indeed provides a way of life for many of its residents. 255 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:15,960 Namely, viticulture. 256 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:22,480 With gentle hills, south-facing slopes, porous soil and plenty of sunshine, 257 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,280 this is an ideal place for growing grapes. 258 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,800 I have come here to the town of Cotnari 259 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,800 to meet a family who have become rather successful at it. 260 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:34,800 But before seeing how, 261 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,600 I was due to meet son and heir Remus Deleanu, 262 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:39,280 at the crumbling manor house 263 00:15:39,360 --> 00:15:42,800 he wants to transform into a five star retreat 264 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:45,120 to accommodate the new breed of enotourists 265 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:48,920 keen to experience the fruits of Romania's burgeoning wine industry. 266 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:52,400 -Remus. -Hello, Charlie. 267 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:53,760 -Hi. -Welcome. 268 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:56,520 -What a lovely building. -Yes, thank you very much. 269 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,880 It is one of the historic buildings around this area, it was built in 1901. 270 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,360 It is called Castel Vladoianu. 271 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:07,160 Actually now it looks like it is in a good shape, 272 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,200 but it needs a little bit of restoration. 273 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:10,960 We will do this in two or three years. 274 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,760 It's going to be a tremendous hotel, five stars. 275 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,160 Let's go inside and take a look please. 276 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:17,760 After you. 277 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:18,640 Thank you. 278 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:26,640 Look at this! 279 00:16:27,280 --> 00:16:29,400 So the restoration work has already started. 280 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,640 Yeah we just started, but we are trying to do this with small steps 281 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:36,440 because there are a lot of things we have to restore. 282 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:40,400 We want to make it look good, we want to bring good restorers. 283 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,560 We want to choose a good architect 284 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:47,320 that can deal with the restoration exactly like it was 100 years ago. 285 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:50,560 There is a lot of work and we have to be careful about how we do this. 286 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:53,200 Your family they bought this when you were young, didn't they? 287 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:57,600 Yeah, actually I remember when I was eight years old 288 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,560 I used to come here with my parents. 289 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:03,880 It brings up very nice memories indeed for me. 290 00:17:03,960 --> 00:17:08,760 Let me show you upstairs to see the next part of the building. 291 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:09,640 OK. 292 00:17:11,360 --> 00:17:13,800 So as you might notice 293 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:17,600 these are the original stairs built over 100 years ago. 294 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:18,840 They've survived very well, haven't they? 295 00:17:18,920 --> 00:17:22,280 Yeah. This means building something with great quality. 296 00:17:22,360 --> 00:17:23,160 Yeah. 297 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:24,640 They still look very very good. 298 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:26,840 Look at this! 299 00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:29,760 What's upstairs? 300 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:31,840 I don't know I haven't been there. 301 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:32,920 -You haven't been there. -No. 302 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,360 We have to go have a look. 303 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:37,120 Clearly caution is required. 304 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:39,680 Yes, please be careful where you step... 305 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:42,640 What an amazing attic. 306 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,000 The potential for this... 307 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:47,800 You didn't know this was up here at all did you? 308 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:51,840 Actually I didn't know about this. It's like a hidden gem. 309 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:52,960 It was a hidden treasure. 310 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,800 Very nice, boutique attic bedroom with balcony. 311 00:17:59,880 --> 00:18:02,120 -Yeah, right, good idea! -Yeah. 312 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,200 Actually in front of us you can see one of our wineries 313 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,800 and to be honest it is the smallest one. 314 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:11,760 -That's the smallest? -Yeah. 315 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:13,520 Well I'd be interested to see the largest. 316 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:14,400 -OK. -Alright. 317 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,400 It was just a five minute drive around the hill to reach the main winery, 318 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,280 but I felt like I had been zapped years into the future. 319 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:33,720 -Yeah, I see what you mean. -Yeah. 320 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,920 -One million bottles. -One million bottles per year? 321 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,160 -No, per month. -Per month? 322 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:44,640 -A modest quantity of alcohol! -Pretty modest... 323 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:49,720 Wine production came quite a long way since the days of the Dacians, doesn't it? 324 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:54,680 Yeah, the principles do remain the same, 325 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,880 only the technology has evolved a lot. 326 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:04,960 Our first stop, down a dizzying array of different stairs was the wine cellars, 327 00:19:05,480 --> 00:19:08,400 deep underground to maintain a steady temperature all year round. 328 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:14,120 We have over 100 barrels in every cellar. 329 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:16,760 Have you ever thought about expanding the business a bit, you know 330 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:17,880 growing the business? 331 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:19,600 I am open for new ideas. 332 00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,400 I can't believe how much wine you've got down here! 333 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,240 -That is absolutely extraordinarily. -Yeah, thank you. 334 00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,600 From this labyrinth of barrels we ascended to the "Vinoteca", 335 00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,400 or library of wine. 336 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:34,400 Let me show you. 337 00:19:41,280 --> 00:19:42,720 This is amazing. 338 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,120 Yes, we have a few hundred thousand bottles here. 339 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:47,360 A few hundred thousand bottles?! 340 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,600 Do you know exactly how many or did you lose count? 341 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:51,960 Actually we have about one million. 342 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:02,400 So this is one of our main stars, a bottle of Grasa from 1956. 343 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:03,960 -Be very careful. -Yeah, absolutely! 344 00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:05,800 Be extremely careful! 345 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,800 -It is a big responsibility. -Yeah. Look at the dust on that! 346 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,000 -Yes, it's great, pure. -A thing of beauty. 347 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,280 Is there much decay with the corks? 348 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:18,720 Yes, in some cases there might be a little bit of decay 349 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,840 and we have a guy checking the bottles all the time. 350 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:23,440 -That's his job? -Yeah. 351 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,520 -Being down here checking bottles? -Yeah. 352 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:27,400 -All day long? -Yes, all day long. 353 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:32,800 If there is a chance of one being rotten, he removes it carefully 354 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,800 because first you have to preserve the quality of the wine 355 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,280 and replace the bottles with new corks. 356 00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:40,680 It must be a very frustrating job. 357 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:42,760 You can't really have a quick tipple while you are down here 358 00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:44,960 so you are experiencing all these amazing wines every day 359 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:46,920 and you just have to put the corks back. 360 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,520 -I'll put that back. -Extremely carefully. 361 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:53,760 -Right. -Let's go. 362 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:54,640 After you. 363 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:59,240 Remarkable though it is, this endless corridor of bottles 364 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,160 reminded me of the Catacombs beneath Paris or Rome. 365 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:04,920 The scale of this 366 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:09,520 is similar to the tunnels that just go on and on 367 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,000 and you see skulls and skulls and skulls on either side. 368 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,680 This is a much nicer version of that experience. 369 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,560 The experience is much more different, it's a nice one. 370 00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:20,000 -Not a creepy one. -Not a creepy one exactly. 371 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:24,840 Back at ground level, it was time to test my palette, 372 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,400 with a little help from Remus's brother Victor. 373 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:29,440 Charlie, nice to meet you. 374 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:30,800 So over to you really. 375 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,280 For a start we will have six wines, 376 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:37,680 they are all local varieties that you can find in our vineyard. 377 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:40,280 This is actually my favorite wine. 378 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:43,840 That's lovely, bit of leather, pine... 379 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:45,000 What's the Paris collection? 380 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:47,840 Because in Romania when we taste rose wine 381 00:21:47,920 --> 00:21:50,400 we think about love and Paris is the city of love. 382 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,560 -So it's a wine for lovers. -Yeah. 383 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:53,840 -Cheers! -Cheers! 384 00:21:57,520 --> 00:22:01,400 After a most informative and relaxing hour 385 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:05,200 tasting a comprehensive selection from Cotnari's labitinth cellars... 386 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:07,840 What a fantastic color, that's gold. 387 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,400 I was left with just one question. 388 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:15,840 Have you considered making any sparkling wines? 389 00:22:15,920 --> 00:22:18,200 I know it's not traditionally done here in Romania 390 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,480 but with the with the variety of grapes you have here... 391 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:21,640 You're right, 392 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:26,160 we've just launched on the market three different types of sparkling wine. 393 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:28,640 Let's make a comparison: 394 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,520 we are going to take a bottle of champagne and two sparkling wines. 395 00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:35,640 So I'll have to work out which is the champagne in this case? 396 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:37,320 What do you want me to do? Shall I just go outside? 397 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:38,440 I'll leave you guys to it. 398 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:39,680 -Yes. -Right. 399 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:46,840 OK, bring it on. 400 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:51,760 OK, I'm seeing more effervescence, more mineral 401 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:53,800 coming from this glass than these two 402 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:58,240 so my first impression would be that this is the champagne. 403 00:22:58,320 --> 00:22:59,560 I'll try this one first 404 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:02,240 because I think this is the odd one out by looking at it... 405 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:07,800 but not conclusive at this stage. 406 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:09,680 I'm not tasting a great deal of difference 407 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:11,640 between glass number one and glass number two 408 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:14,240 and it might be because we've already had six wines 409 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,840 that's a possibility which I can't discount 410 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,480 so I'm hoping this is the odd man out. 411 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,720 -You see it is not easy. -Hang on. 412 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,240 Might be a bit harder than you expected. 413 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:28,920 That's the champagne. 414 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:31,600 -Wrong. -Seriously? 415 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:32,840 Yeah. 416 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:35,000 In that case may I revert to my original thesis 417 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:36,240 that it was glass number one? 418 00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:37,280 Oh, you are so wrong! 419 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:38,520 -Again? -Yeah. 420 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:40,680 You see you cannot tell any difference in color, 421 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,960 you cannot tell any difference in the size of the bubbles 422 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:46,520 or the amount of the bubbles 423 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:50,440 and I can't tell any difference in the taste. 424 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,160 All I can say is congratulations. 425 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:53,440 I know I'm no wine expert 426 00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,280 but if I can't tell the difference and I really couldn't, 427 00:23:57,360 --> 00:24:00,800 this is another string to the bow of Romanian wine makers. 428 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,800 Thank you very much, great to meet you both. 429 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,480 A couple of miles outside Cotnari sits the remains of a building 430 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,240 which has enormous cultural significance 431 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,120 not just for this area but for the whole country. 432 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:31,920 The Latin School built here in 1562 was one of the earliest in Romania. 433 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,960 It paved the way for higher education in Moldova 434 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:37,720 and set the groundwork for Iasi 435 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:41,240 to subsequently become the historic seat of learning it is today. 436 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:45,280 However as I discovered, little remains of it, 437 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:47,360 either in memory, or in the flesh. 438 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,000 OK, so a bit of suspension of disbelief is required here. 439 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,840 You have to imagine 200 kids studying here for five years: 440 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:05,520 Latin, a bit of arithmetic, rhetoric, and they had dormitories. 441 00:25:06,120 --> 00:25:07,000 There'd be teachers. 442 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,800 There'd be the hustle and bustle of daily school life; 443 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,440 a far cry from today. 444 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:33,640 The floor of the tower was littered with ancient stone tablets 445 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,800 that rather than lying here in the dirt, 446 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,800 might merit their own place in the Palace of Culture. 447 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,800 One of the first references to the Latin college 448 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:53,280 was by a writer who taught here called Iohannes Sommerus 449 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:57,480 who wrote a series of eulogies and in one of them he said the following: 450 00:25:59,440 --> 00:26:03,160 "Meanwhile I have to raise my children and also walk on humble ways 451 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,400 until they learn the basics of Latin 452 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:09,000 and are able to express themselves correctly". 453 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,720 There you are, it's the root of all rhetoric, 454 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:15,160 the genesis of species, the basis of learning 455 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:17,840 and it is sad to see one of the first places that taught Latin 456 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:20,760 in such a state of disrepair. 457 00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:30,720 Look at this, it's a jungle. 458 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:34,400 You would think someone might at least come and trim it, but no. 459 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,760 The local authorities will tell you they can't do anything 460 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:38,880 because they need permission from Bucharest 461 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,360 because this is an A grade building. 462 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,400 That hasn't stopped people in the past 463 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:45,400 attempting to restore it in a hopeless fashion. 464 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:47,640 Look at the pointing there done with modern cement 465 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:51,720 completely incongruous with the materials they originally used to make this. 466 00:26:51,800 --> 00:26:54,840 Meanwhile it's just going to sit here until it falls down. 467 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:09,160 Imagine how it must have sounded 468 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:10,840 and now listen, 469 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,360 nature reclaiming the works of man. 470 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:16,720 And this is happening all over Romania. 471 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,560 Until we find a way through the bureaucracy 472 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,480 and also when funds are available to implement them in the right way 473 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:25,280 instead of messing it up like Rupea Castle, 474 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,760 then thousands of historic monuments, medieval buildings like this one, 475 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,400 are in danger of being lost. 476 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,280 Hello, are you going to munch some of those weeds over there please? 477 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:45,240 Nature's lawn mowers! 478 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:59,440 Five minutes further up the road is an even older monument, 479 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,800 a Thracian iron age hill fort 480 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,800 with commanding views across the surrounding countryside. 481 00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:08,600 For a while it included a covered museum 482 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,920 that sheltered a section of exposed earthworks 483 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,840 but even that is now being absorbed back into the landscape 484 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,880 like the structure it was once designed to protect. 485 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:23,800 Not that I want to labor a point, well that's not strictly true, 486 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:28,400 but this charming museum was built 50 years ago 487 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:34,240 was supposed to protect this segment of excavated fortress. 488 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:36,760 It hasn't really happened. 489 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:39,880 It would have been better if they'd just left it. 490 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,320 Moldova is peppered with ancient ruins like these, 491 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,800 all in various stages of disrepair. 492 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,760 One of the most impressive is Neamt Fortress, 493 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:55,480 overlooking the town of Targu Neamt. 494 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:57,640 Founded in the 14th century 495 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:00,400 and subsequently enlarged by Stephen the Great, 496 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:05,400 this impressive castle successfully repelled the Ottomans in 1476 497 00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:07,920 but was eventually abandoned in the 1700s. 498 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:11,520 To learn more about its history and recent restoration 499 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:13,960 I met up with local expert Vasile Diaconu. 500 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:16,320 -Vasile, hi. -Hello welcome. 501 00:29:16,400 --> 00:29:17,720 Thank you very much. 502 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:19,160 Impressive. 503 00:29:19,240 --> 00:29:23,320 Yeah, it's the northern part of the fortress, the outcourt. 504 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,800 It played an important role in the defense of this fortress. 505 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:30,800 And these circular bastions are for adding strength to the walls, yes? 506 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:35,400 Of course, they are circular because it was an important measure 507 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,800 that could not be destroyed with cannon balls 508 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:40,680 or catapults or other weapons. 509 00:29:40,760 --> 00:29:43,440 Here is the second entrance of the fortress. 510 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,200 It was built in the time of Stephan the Great 511 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:49,720 but the first entrance you can see in front of us. 512 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,800 -This one here? -Yes. 513 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:55,600 OK, so this is the original inner courtyard of the first build. 514 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,400 Yeah, because Peter the First built 515 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:03,720 a small fortification with four towers. 516 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:05,920 Why did he build a castle here? 517 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,000 It was an important reason because 518 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,720 this fortress protected the commercial roads of this area, 519 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,720 the roads which connect Moldavia with Transylvania 520 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:20,200 or the southern part of Moldavia with the Northern part of Moldavia 521 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:21,880 with the Suceava area. 522 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:24,280 It was the capital as you know. 523 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,640 So in some ways it was like a police station for the local area? 524 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:30,120 Yes, it was a kind of a police station 525 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:33,800 because inside here there were a lot of soldiers. 526 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,840 At the same time it was also an administrative center. 527 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:37,120 -A center of administration. -Yeah. 528 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:38,280 Why do people do this? 529 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:40,800 It's something about luck. 530 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,000 It looks like Aladdin's cave down there. 531 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:46,520 I think you might need to send someone down there every year 532 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,360 to fill up a sack towards the maintenance of the castle 533 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:52,960 otherwise I bet you someone else will do it. 534 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:54,960 You'll have money all the way to the top eventually. 535 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,920 I know this is a reconstructed room but it does feel very authentic. 536 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,840 At present we propose that in the middle ages here 537 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:10,120 was the place for the court. 538 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,400 -So they had a court of law here. -Yes, they had a court of law. 539 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:15,800 I heard that was also a mint, is that right? 540 00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:21,720 Yes. Because the archeological evidence proved that in the 17th century 541 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:24,800 here in a room of this fortress, 542 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:28,320 there was an illegal place where they faked money. 543 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,520 Without the king's knowledge or with the king's knowledge? 544 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:32,240 With the king's knowledge. 545 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:33,360 -Really? -Yes. 546 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:34,440 Fascinating. 547 00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,960 So it was a center of law and order but it was also an illegal mint. 548 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:40,800 -Yeah at the same time. -At the same time. 549 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,600 Twelve kilometres South of Targu Neamt is Varatec, 550 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,880 a secluded Romanian Orthodox monastery run entirely by nuns. 551 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:01,400 Founded in 1785 it is still thriving today 552 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:05,200 with a bakery, workshops and a team of skilled artisans 553 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,400 whose creative and artistic output 554 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,800 not only pays for the day to day running costs 555 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,440 but also raises money for a host of good causes. 556 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:23,880 Within the walls of the monastery, a chapel, museum, dormitories 557 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:28,600 and workshops surround neatly tended gardens and shady bowers. 558 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:32,760 This peaceful exterior belies the fact that behind closed doors, 559 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,960 Varatec is a veritable haven of industry. 560 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:45,440 My penultimate stop on our whirlwind tour of Moldova 561 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:50,400 is a hidden gem located in Tarpesti just around the corner from Varatec. 562 00:32:50,480 --> 00:32:53,200 Welcome to the Popa village museum, 563 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,400 founded in the 70's by local sculptor Nicolae Popa 564 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:00,400 who after being imprisoned for fighting against communism, 565 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,240 devoted the rest of his life 566 00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,640 to defending and preserving Romanian heritage. 567 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:09,600 The result is a prestigious collection of folklore, 568 00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:14,000 art, sculpture and cultural curiosities 569 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:17,600 that has not only brought fame to this small corner of Neamt county 570 00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:21,120 but is drawing visitors from around the world. 571 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:24,960 The museum is now run by Popa's son, also called Nicolae 572 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,240 who kindly made time to give me an insight 573 00:33:27,320 --> 00:33:29,560 into the life and works of his father. 574 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:31,120 -Hello. -Hello. 575 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:33,320 How do you do? 576 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,600 -How do you do? -Fine, thank you. 577 00:33:36,680 --> 00:33:41,680 I am just totally in trance by your museum. It's so beautiful. 578 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:46,720 It's the result of the work and passion of a person 579 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:50,760 who wanted to save the national heritage of the country side. 580 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:55,480 A person who left this place and saw in '64, 581 00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,280 let's say the signs of modernization of the village 582 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:02,720 and thought it would be very important to gather all these objects 583 00:34:02,800 --> 00:34:04,280 that were threatened to disappear. 584 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:09,400 Because the modernization began in an unpleasant way, through destruction. 585 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:12,800 The human tendency is to get rid of everything that is old, 586 00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:14,560 and my father panicked. 587 00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:21,200 He said that if everything goes on in this way, 588 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,800 everything that reflects our past and history will be gone in a few years. 589 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,320 He would gather all of them and found a museum. 590 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,200 He gathered over 4,000 objects. 591 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:35,240 When he founded the museum, my father thought to start 592 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,960 with a presentation of the history of the cultural life 593 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,400 and the materials of the local community, 594 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:45,960 starting with the ancient times, so from the archaic period, 595 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:50,560 all the way through the Neolithic period, the Cucuteni period 596 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:56,000 then the Dacian period, feudal period, modern age, so to this day. 597 00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:00,800 Tell me about the origins of the dance of the goat and the dance of the bear. 598 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:01,760 A part of the tradition was lost. 599 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:07,600 We try to preserve as much as we can from the past folklore. 600 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:10,760 For example, I want to make you a surprise, 601 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:15,360 and show you the bear and the goat, how they used to be. 602 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:17,240 With the children from this area. Let's see. 603 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:30,320 I tend to think that they are as old as the shamans or the archaic societies. 604 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:36,360 In our culture, the mask has had an almost social significance, 605 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:42,200 because 100, 200 years ago, on the New Year's eve, 606 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:47,840 it was the only time in which you could criticize everything bad 607 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:50,480 that had happened in the community, 608 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:56,440 you could criticize the notables, even the mayor of the village, 609 00:35:56,520 --> 00:35:58,960 in case they did something wrong to the community. 610 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:05,680 You see, the masks are very different. 611 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,400 The idea was to mend your ways, 612 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,440 you were criticized, but you had to mend your ways. 613 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:11,520 If you didn't do so, 614 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:15,960 the following year some of your features were accentuated. 615 00:36:16,400 --> 00:36:18,240 Your nose was getting longer, for a drunkard, 616 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:21,280 would grow bigger years and so on. 617 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:24,880 Well done! 618 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:28,400 I don't feel entirely comfortable applauding that 619 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:30,440 because the dance of the bears 620 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:35,960 really documents the historical abuse of these beautiful creatures. 621 00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:38,240 They go to the forest, they take a baby bear, 622 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:40,640 they bring them back, put them in a pen of hot coals 623 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:45,880 and of course they singe their paws and they start to do that. 624 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:47,760 They bang a drum at the same time 625 00:36:47,840 --> 00:36:52,000 so after a while the drum becomes associated with the pain 626 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,240 and they just start to do that, the bear would dance. 627 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:58,880 They then take it to the villagers and perform 628 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:01,680 and they even got them to massage the locals 629 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,400 doing a little bit of a dance on their back. 630 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:06,000 So every year we watch this dance 631 00:37:06,800 --> 00:37:10,560 we are effectively commemorating the torture of these bears. 632 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:13,400 I didn't really want to know that. 633 00:37:15,120 --> 00:37:17,920 Do you think there is a hope for the future 634 00:37:18,000 --> 00:37:23,120 that these traditions will be preserved by the next generations? 635 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:28,640 Of course. Every time I see groups of children visiting the museum, 636 00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:34,360 I feel grateful, thinking that my poor dad was right. 637 00:37:34,440 --> 00:37:40,480 He had a premonition, that the people of the post-industrial world, 638 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:45,400 will look for this archaic cultural landmarks, 639 00:37:45,120 --> 00:37:49,280 that their parents forwent. 640 00:37:49,360 --> 00:37:56,320 And I see more and more young people who are interested in the tradition 641 00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:02,480 the history of the people, the cultural landmarks, 642 00:38:02,560 --> 00:38:04,440 and this thing makes me happy. 643 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:08,200 Another bonus of a trip to Tarpesti's most hallowed attraction 644 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:11,800 is that visitors also have the chance to spend a night at the museum. 645 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,400 In small communities like this one everyone knows everybody else, 646 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:19,720 and as we were leaving 647 00:38:19,800 --> 00:38:22,920 I had the good fortune to bump into Nicolae's next door neighbor Catinca, 648 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:26,640 who very sweetly invited us over for a late lunch 649 00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:28,200 and the chance to experience 650 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:31,400 a Moldavian take on the traditional Poale in Brau pie. 651 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:35,680 Come in. 652 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:37,280 Catinca! 653 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:38,480 I'm Charlie, nice to meet you. 654 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:40,160 Thank you so much. 655 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:49,360 Let's start. I added salt, yeast, cheese, 656 00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:53,560 a pinch of sugar, one egg and vanilla. 657 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:56,240 Very sweet aroma coming of the vanilla 658 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:59,440 so it's already starting to smell like confectionary. 659 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:01,440 I'm not sure how this is going to work with cheese, 660 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:04,560 it's kind of the sweet and the sour. 661 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:07,000 I have this recipe from my grandmother. 662 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:08,200 OK, from your grandmother. 663 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:09,840 From my grandmother, you know. 664 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:13,280 -With local milk. -Yes. 665 00:39:13,360 --> 00:39:16,480 Tonight you should come to milk a cow. 666 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:18,000 Deal, OK. 667 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:20,480 No, look. 668 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:22,880 I don't mind a pastry hand. 669 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,360 I'm going to milk a cow tonight apparently, good. 670 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:28,200 I don't know if you will be able to milk it. 671 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:33,800 I think I can probably milk a cow still, 672 00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:37,120 but this is what I'm talking about when we describe the good life: 673 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:39,840 There are no artificial additives here, 674 00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:42,960 there's no growth hormones, no antibiotics, there's nothing, 675 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:46,440 these are natural eggs from free range chickens, 676 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:48,120 this is milk from her cow. 677 00:39:48,760 --> 00:39:53,240 Most of the ingredients have come from this garden let alone further afield. 678 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:54,640 I think it's ready. 679 00:39:54,720 --> 00:39:56,960 Now it has to rise until the bowl is full. 680 00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,520 I think we wait now for about 20 minutes for the dough to rise 681 00:40:00,240 --> 00:40:04,640 and meantime we now have a chicken in the room as well as a cat 682 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:08,240 so it's turning a bit into a menagerie in here. 683 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:10,160 It is a very very tame chicken. 684 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:11,600 It's looking for the cat. 685 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:13,680 That's why it came here. 686 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:17,880 This is very, very cute because they are clearly quite good friends, 687 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:20,440 I hope so otherwise it's going to be a loud squawking in a moment. 688 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:23,720 Thank you for the eggs by the way. 689 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:25,120 Where I've put...? 690 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,320 Now, I will take a tiny piece of dough 691 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,320 and I will make a very small cake. 692 00:40:35,720 --> 00:40:41,920 We add cheese, we spread it so that we won't have only dough. 693 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:44,000 Beautifully done, just so simple. 694 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:46,320 Is it OK like this? 695 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:50,760 God help us! 696 00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,520 It's a bit too much flour. 697 00:40:58,120 --> 00:40:59,200 He's lefty. 698 00:40:59,280 --> 00:41:00,280 Too much? 699 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:01,280 -Is it OK? -It's OK. 700 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,520 -Like this? -Yes, crammed. 701 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:07,000 This is terrible. It doesn't look as good as yours. 702 00:41:07,800 --> 00:41:09,880 -It's OK. Put it there. -OK. 703 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,400 Well done! You'll make a good husband. 704 00:41:14,120 --> 00:41:15,920 I clearly need a wife. 705 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:23,880 I just love the use of the feather, 706 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:29,400 people go and buy expensive brushes to glaze their food 707 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:31,240 but hey, just use a feather. 708 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:36,640 It's just as good and it's free and there's an endless supply out there. 709 00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:40,880 Like this. 710 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:43,440 It's so heavy. 711 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:45,440 So that looks as good as I thought it would. 712 00:41:45,520 --> 00:41:47,560 They are both tasty and beautiful. 713 00:41:50,200 --> 00:41:52,840 The glaze on the top is giving that lovely sheen. 714 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:55,800 Looks absolutely delicious. 715 00:41:56,240 --> 00:41:57,280 This is it. 716 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,120 -How is it? Is it good? -It's good. 717 00:42:03,200 --> 00:42:04,840 Does it smell good? 718 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:07,320 Does it have that something to captivate you? 719 00:42:07,400 --> 00:42:08,200 It's delicious. 720 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:14,800 While we were watching the pastry rise in the oven the cows came home. 721 00:42:14,160 --> 00:42:16,440 -Are we milking the cow now? -We're milking the cow. 722 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:17,680 I'm going to leave that there. 723 00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:20,480 I'm going to get kicked I'm sure of it. 724 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:22,760 -Here? -Come in. 725 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:29,960 I haven't done this in 25 years but it's like riding a bicycle, 726 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:31,280 you never forget. 727 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:40,440 Look at that straight from the cow, udderly beautiful, only two minutes old. 728 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:42,800 This is what I mean by fresh milk. 729 00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:45,640 And who needs a coffee maker we've already have the foam. 730 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:47,800 I'm off for a cappuccino. 731 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:52,280 Thank you very much. Good bye. 732 00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:55,000 After saying farewell to Catinca and her family 733 00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:57,240 it was time to head into the sunset 734 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:00,720 and leave this outrageously hospitable region behind. 735 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:18,480 Next week we will be traversing the vast and varied hinterlands of Transylvania 736 00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:21,240 and attempting to cram it all into less than an hour. 737 00:43:23,280 --> 00:43:26,880 Not an easy task as we will be tracking bears in the wild, 738 00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:29,520 presenting more weird and wonderful dishes... 739 00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:32,920 fairy tale eco-retreats... 740 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:40,720 breathtaking drives, medieval villages, citadels, cob castles 741 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,400 and more roads less travelled. 742 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,400 All exclusively in Flavors of Romania.