or out of the saddle actually. back in berlin after a vacation down east. the overnight train to budapest, a night in the gellert (and a morning in her delightful thermalbad), then onward into romania on another overnight. arriving at the riding center on sunday (the day of rest) we recovered from the stresses of the romanian rail system and the following morning mounted the trusty steeds which would be our transport for the week. the general daily program began with a climb through the forest on logging roads, stream beds or sheep trails. occasionally passing through a rustic village, a tiny cluster of humble wooden houses surrounding by haystacks and sheepfolds, on our way up. the long, slow ascent, while sometimes steep, was a simple exercise for our stocky, surefooted huzuls. reaching the high mountain meadows we would ride a bit through the crisp oktober before halting at some scenic outcropping, tethering the horses and leaving them to their well earned rest while we munched oranges and ham & cheese sandwiches gazing out across the valley. thus the afternoon of my birthday found me galloping across the green carpathian ridges beneath a bright blue transylvanian sky. during the week we crossed an ancient roman road (still usable after eighteen centuries), rode along german trenches dating from WWII (the doomed soldiers put to the hopeless task of stopping the red army's advance up the valley), dozed next to a mountain lake, a silver disk upon the green meadows and sheltered from the wind in the barely recognizable ruins of a demolished austro-hungarian fortress. as the day wore on we would start our descent through the darkening forests, finding our way after hours into the lowlands and eventually to a guest house or hotel where, after a simple but satisfying supper we would drop exhausted into bed to sleep away the saddle soreness and dream of distant empires.... truly a birthday trip like none other... and to think it all started with a book lent by my friend david.....
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