Bucegi Mountains

It was an early morning, at least for me. I left the hotel before 7 for a brisk walk to the cable cars station to hold a place in line, since it tends to be very crowded and if you get there after 9:00 you risk having to wait 2-3 hours in line. By 8 the hotel owner gave Mikey and Buni a ride there and we were reunited. By 9 we were in the cable car and the 15 minutes ascent to the Bucegi Plateau started, first over the trees, then over the rocks, and then through the mist and clouds.

On the way UP

We took a short walk together up there, then Buni came back down to Busteni while Mikey and I started our hike.
The Bucegi Plateau is at over 2000 m (6561 feet) above sea level, and the main attractions here, other than of course the landscape, are the geological formations known as "Babele" ("The Old Ladies") and "Sfinxul" ("The Sphynx"). They are a short hike from the cable cars, so the boy and I started towards them on a chilly July morning. What can I say? I grew up in Romania and with a grandmother whose passions were Romania and traveling; although we never made it here with her, a certain mystical sense was ingrained in me towards this and so many other places that must be seen. So naturally I was excited to take this trip. To be honest, Babele disappoint a little; they are smaller than the pictures would make you believe, surrounded by a monstrosity of a fence, and the space around them is very unkept. Yet it was still a good experience.

Babele

The Sphynx on the other hand is astounding, once you see it. We approached it from the back, and the boy did not understand why it's called the sphynx. Then we walked around it, but in the wrong direction, and only when we completed 3/4 of the lap we were able to see it in all its beauty.

The Sphynx 

At the base of the Sphynx

The Sphynx, like Babele, are works of nature, the results of thousands of years of wind and water erosion, and it is spectacular that Mother Nature created these forms. There are theories however that man had something to do with the final shape of these monuments, especially with the Sphynx. Some theories go even further to suggest that the Sphynx in Egypt was modeled after our Bucegi monument, citing the physical resemblance and the dimensions, which apparently are identical. I don't know. But I know that I did enjoy it with a sense of awe for whoever created it.
We did not go on a big hike. There are several options from this point on, with the shortest one being a 3 hours round trip. I do not think Mikey is ready, but maybe next time. We did take over 2 hours though to hike around on the plateau, doing what little kids want to do: take pictures, look for mushrooms, throw rocks, sit on rocks, complain, take breaks to eat and drink, and climb up and down.

Posing

Throwing rocks

When we got up there, it was really chilly and mostly clear. It is amazing how many times the temperatures changed in those two hours, as we went from 4 layers of clothes to just a T shirt and than back on to 4 layers. The wind kept blowing the mist in and out too, and at points we were right in the middle of it to where we could not see more than 10 feet away, but in a matter of minutes we were in the clear again. The mountains, the valleys, and even the path kept appearing and disappearing too, like in a game of hide and seek.

Mist or clouds?

A little boy on the mountains

Early in the morning, mostly clear

The look from the plateau is gorgeous, whichever direction you face. The mountains, the mist, the rocks strewn all over the place, even the cable car and cabin (man made things), they all fit in perfectly. It made me feel like half the world was at my feet; so big yet small at the same time. Mikey was not overly impressed, but that is probably because it involved hiking.

A clear view

Mountain vegetation

Towards the end of our hike we stopped at another cluster of rocks, generically named "geomorphic structures", and we got to explore them as well. From the angle in which we were approaching them, the biggest one looked like another Sphynx.

Earlier in the hike, a cracked dinosaur egg

The other Sphynx?

Mikey got a hold of the camera here, and made me pose. He found a dog too and spent some time playing with him, and even took a gorgeous picture of him. The dog was happy to oblige the boy and smile for the picture, so that was a very cute moment to witness.

Smiling dog

We got back into Busteni around 1:00, almost tired but energized. To cap this special day, Mikey and I took a tractor ride to a log cabin and restaurant on the other side of town. Nice cabin, busy cabin, beautiful location, great food. We had a great lunch and coffee there.

Lunch date

While waiting for food, Mikey called his father and it was interesting to listen to their conversation. He told his dad about everything we've been doing in the mountains and everything we still have planned. He sounded very mature and factual about it. Then he called his friend Mia, and had a completely different conversation with her. They talked about the food he's eating here, and about his favorite cartoons here in Romania (Grizzly and the Lemmings), Walmart and Jumanji. Not a word about mountain trips or our adventures. Just a kids' talk, full of giggles. It made me happy to hear him talk like this to a friend, since this summer he did have a hard time with kids. And it made me wonder, again, how much of this trip was for me and how much for him. What is he getting out of it? What will he remember when we go back? Then again, I am sure we are now making memories; these memories may not be important to him right now, or right away when we get back home, but in the long term, he will remember. And maybe, just maybe, when he's my age, he will bring his kids here to the Bucegi Mountains, and take them to see Babele and Sfinxul, while remembering this trip with me.

Making memories

July 26, 2018