Transylvania Trip Day Three

On Monday morning we drove to a well-known salt mine about an hour away. It was another beautiful, warm day, and we traveled with the windows down, enjoying the beautiful country-side. The salt mine can be entered only by riding a bus into the mine.

After what seemed like a three-minute ride into the earth, we arrived at a point where we had another 150 steps to go down. Finally we reached the public area of the mine. It seemed almost like an underground city,  consisting of five or six very large "halls" and including a playground, a museum, and a chapel, which you can see below. The mine can surely accommodate a few thousand people, many of whom come for a four-hour doctor-prescribed treatment for coronary and pulmonary diseases. The walls were lined with picnic table where whole families enjoyed playing games, eating lunch, and simply relaxing. This part of the mine is over 300 feet below the surface, and the portion that is still in operation is below this level.

After leaving the coolness of the mine, we drove back to Székelykerestur. We made a couple of stops along the way to check out the birthplace of a famous Hungarian author, and to see a display of monuments in Székelyudvarhely. Then we arrived at the picnic site, where Szilvi's mom was already cooking our potato gulyás. Soon we were all on the porch enjoying the meal together.

Then it was time to make the traditional kürtős kalács, best translated as "chimney bread". The sweet, yeasty dough is rolled onto the dowel, brushed with oil, and then sprinkled with sugar. After about ten minutes of rolling over the fire, the delicious treat is ready! Yummy!

After some relaxation and frisbee tossing, we needed to get Bogi to her dance practice in town, and we were all very happy to be her audience. The dance group is made up of 14 to 18-year-olds. She was gracious enough to wear her full costume, so we might have an idea of what the dancers wore. We were impressed with the rendition of the folk dances.

One particular traditional dance celebrates new wine, and the girls are seen here dancing with wine bottles on their heads.

Here's a link to see a video of one of the dances: After half way through it gets more interesting...

http://youtu.be/Dk_elgiFw_0

Enjoy!