"Buzau" Judetul Buzau by luura

In the remote village of Alunis one can visit a very old church, dating back from 1274, half dug in the mountain by visionary shepherds. The legend says that this (or these) shepherd(s) had a dream in which they were told to dig the mountain for an icon of St. Mary. They dug twice before discovering the icon, and the third cave, in which they found it, became a church. If you decide to go there, plan for a 6 hours' walk in the mountains and try to get someone from the village to show you the way around. You'll be able to visit some of the caves dug in the area by hermits and the remainders of the altar of a stone church.
One can also encounter, with a little help, the "holes' stone", i.e. a stone with "footprints of all the animals of God's creation", as I was told by a local young man who showed us around.
The landscape is breathtaking and if you are in good company you'll wish you came back.
In September 2005, the only road that led to the village had caved in because of floods, so we had to walk the 3 kms separating us from the village.

Shepherd

Located actually near the Ciolanu Monastery, the sculptures fill the place with what one could call "human life". I cannot but think of ancient monolithes when I see all those stones rising everywhere in the clearings of the forest. They were made by young artists in the early 70s, the only rule being that they had to comply with the size of the original stone. There, one can see crosses, busts, aliens (yup!), bells and everything else one's imagination can produce. Definitely worth a detour if you're in the area.

• Pros:Very beautiful and surprising
• Cons:Easy to get lost for lack of roadsigns