I am not long back from a trip to Romania, Transylvania to be more precise. I spent my time volunteering in a dog shelter and exploring the immediate area.

The main picture (repeated below) captured the amazing scene at the top of the mountain above the Harghita Bái ski resort. Here the wind had driven the freezing snow into the trees, almost forming a wall of snow. To me, the scene was from another world and absolutely magic. It did not seem real, it looked as if some artist had created this from meringue to sit atop a Christmas cake.

Beautiful it may have been, but the wind was still whipping across carrying flurries of snow with it. So it may appear to be nice and bright, but one needed to be well wrapped up against the cold.

I was in the mountainous area of Transylvania with the Carpathian Mountains running right through it. I have to admit that the above isn’t the image I would have in my mind when thinking of Romania – the Danube Delta springs more to mind. However, the country has plenty of mountains, with the highest standing at 2,544 meters (8,347 feet) in the southern Carpathian mountain range.

Walking along the ridge to the communications mast, the beautiful silence was shattered by the roar of an engine, the revs almost shaking the trees that had just been admired. Four snowmobiles sped past; tourists being led to a vantage point overlooking the Olt Valley. The smell of petrol hung in the air and the noise lingered on as the engines were left to idle. My timing was extremely poor.

It was a privilege to be able to spend some time in this area, with the air so crisp, cold and pure (except for when the snowmobiles pass by).

I didn’t take my big camera this time, so all the pictures are taken on the mobile and may not be up to the usual quality.

Cheers for taking the time to read this post.