The Spindle Still on Its Way

RRI and the Village Antenna awarded three of their faithful listeners with a weeks vacation in Transylvania.

Valentin Țigău, 17.09.2015, 13:29

RRI and Village Antenna awarded three of their faithful listeners with a weeks vacation in Transylvania. Djamilla Bekkai of Morocco, Gilbert Dupont of France, and Anca Balaban of Romania were all winners in the prize winning contest ‘Home with Mother Rutas Spindle.

A week in Transylvania is a gift coveted by anyone, since it is a region which draws in tourists from all over the world. A visit to Transylvania can consist of hitting the top destinations, such as the fortified city of Sighisoara or Bran Castle, known as Draculas Castle, not to mention Peles Castle, the former summer royal residence, or the fortified German churches in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, some of them under UNESCO heritage protection. But it can also consist of a deeper understanding of the place, with a longer trip that takes the tourist right to the homes of locals.

RRI and Village Antenna Radio took three of their faithful listeners to Transylvania, reverting to a combination of these two approaches to tourism. Djamilla Bekkai of Morocco, Gilbert Dupont of France, and Anca Balaban of Romania were the winners of our radio contest called “Home with Mother Rutas Spindle, which ran all across this summer on the two radio stations.

Early this month they actually went to the home of the old woman whose legacy is the world traveling spindle, which carries her story all over the world, starting from the village that she never left. The spindle has traveled so far over one million miles all over the world. We asked our guests to share with us some of their impressions. Here is Djamilla Bekkai of Morocco:

Djamilla Bekkai: “I loved the people, the scenery, the spontaneity of the people I have met, who were very kind. I loved the architecture as well. I was impressed by the churches. Where I live we only have a couple of churches. The architecture of these churches is fabulous.

The three had a week to travel first to the village of Mandra, in Brasov County, where the local women wore Mother Rutas wedding garb, and in Sona, the village where famous Romanian painter Stefan Caltia was born. They also visited the two mock villages in the outdoor museums in Bucharest and Sibiu. Then they went to the fortification of Fagaras, which was used as a political prison in communist times. Next came Brasov, with its old time city square, and the Transfagarasan trail, ending up at the Sambata de Sus monastery, built in Romanian Renaissance style. They enjoyed Romanian hospitality everywhere, as Gilbert Dupont told us:

Gilbert Dupont: “This trip, so thoughtfully organized by Radio Romania, allowed us to visit famous places, but also to gain a deeper understanding of Romania, in places off the beaten path.

There was not an idle day in the seven they traveled. As surprised as they were with the historical monuments and the architecture of Sibiu, European capital of culture in 2007, our guests were equally impressed by the village of Sibiel, where they were welcomed in the home of the Luca family, where they actually took part in the reenactment of a traditional wedding, taking on the roles of newlyweds or godparents. The interactive visit also took them to arts and crafts manufactures where local craftsmen showed them how to turn simple wood and iron into tools and objects of art. Anca Balaban of Romania was better acquainted with some of these aspects, but she also had quite a few pleasant surprises:

Anca Balaban: “I would like to thank you first of all for allowing me to visit new places. I have seen things with different eyes, and I have been given new insight into places I thought I knew. The evenings in Sibiel, with the reenactment of a peasant wedding and other traditions in Marginimea Sibiului, have opened my eyes to new aspects of Romanian history and traditions.

The last day of this revealing trip was even more surprising. It started with a trip to a traditional sheepfold in Fagaras, where our guests spent time with the shepherds milking the sheep, feasting on cured cheese and sheep pastrami. Later on they visited the Peles and Pelisor castle and mansion, the heart of Romanian royalty, in the mountain town of Sinaia, which wrapped up a wonderful trip. Along the way the guests were accompanied symbolically by Mother Rutas spindle. The spindle was back from a journey to the island of Bali. Our guests were happy to keep company to the globetrotting spindle, taking their story back home, spreading far and wide the story of their trip into a little known world of traditions and legend.