Saschiz – Homorod – Racos – Darjiu – Archita
(2018/05/26-27)
Weekend round trip (part 2)
Homorod
We continued south, passed Rupea which we already visited previously and stopped in Homorod. A stork in his nest just in front of the Homorod fortified church caught our attention.
Homorod fortified church was built from the 13th century onwards. The main tower was added in 1550. The late barok, painted wooden furniture and altar are remarkable. Some painted fragments aging back to 1270.
Walking around the church and climbing old ladder offered amazing views over the site.
Entrance fee: 5 RON/adult
From Homorod to Racos volcano it takes about 20 minutes by car.
We stayed nearby Racos volcano for the night, having BBQ – mackerel and pork filet for dinner. Goats and cows passed our place on their way home just before a thunderstorm in the evening. After a bit of strong wind and rain, the weather calm down and stayed quite for the night.
Woke up just before sunrise, with a concert of birds and frog sounds, it promised to be another beautiful and warm day. Soon the cows and goats returned to this area.
After having coffee, we packed our things, said goodbye to the shepherd and went to Racos volcano.
Racos volcano and emerald lake
Last time we visited the top of the volcano. This time we went to the emerald lake which is located approximately 1,5 km southeast. The emerald blue lake is surrounded by volcanic rocks including basalt columns and various volcanic pyroclastic material. The water was clear with good visibility, plenty of green and brown frogs sat near the shore. Besides the frogs, small fish and various birds, we saw a grass-snake swimming in the water.
The grass-snake is a harmless and widely spread snake in Europe. In Romania it is called “sarpe de casa” or “sarpele casei” which literally translated means “home snake”. The grass-snake eats fish, mice and other small animals and is considered as a good snake which protects the home.