Folk Art and More

On Wednesday morning we were treated to a "fashion show", with the docent showing us traditional Transylvanian clothing. She explained that at one time, the woman's shirt was actually in three parts - the front, the back, and the sleeves, which were frequently made of several pieces of cloth (the puffier the sleeves the more status and/or wealth the woman had.

We also visited one of the Galleries where we learned about different "artisans" including the tanner and the hat maker.

These are examples of traditional Transylvania clothing.

Mid-morning, the group was split into “room” groups and sent out into the Museum on a treasure hunt, of sorts. Every team was dispersed in a different direction in the Museum to find the answers to questions provided by the staff. After a few grumbles and with the reassurance that they were expected for lunch at the end of the treasure hunt, the four groups fanned out.

To really make things more interesting, the snow was falling at a rate of about an inch an hour. It did slow down after a few hours, but there was accumulated snow on many surfaces – and this, the first day of spring. This created a challenge for everyone, as Madame suggested that a sketch be drawn of each person’s favorite monument in the Museum (Despite the soggy paper, many meaningful drawings were returned).

At reflection on Wednesday evening, everyone shared aspects and monuments of the Museum that they hadn't noticed during Tuesday's tour. A few people got some glimpses into the monuments by simply walking onto a porch or peering into an open door. Others were drawn back to monuments because of their striking features (including color and style).

Hop-scotch?! 

The school house and the playground blend in with the rest of the museum.

Replicas of some of the water mills in the Museum. 

    

The same bridge, 24 hours apart. On Tuesday, there was a chance that spring was right around the corner. On Wednesday, about two inches of snow covered that same bridge.

 Snow-covered benches along the path.

 Everything took on a different look blanketed in white.

After lunch and a bit of a break, the group headed to another workshop. This time we headed to a cooking class. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the placinta was already prepared.  All that was left was the eating. 

The cheese placinta is on the right, while the apple is on the left. Everyone had their favorite and everyone ate both kinds!

Everyone had a chance to get their hands dirty, so to speak. There was dough to be kneaded and delicious "donuts" to be fried. Despite not allowing the dough to properly rise (one needs several hours), there was also a chance to make very delicious dough-knots - what's not delicious about something deep-fried and covered in powdered sugar? 

Part of this workshop experience was getting a taste, feel and real sense of working and being in a home. This monument has all the working parts, including the wood-burning stove! 

Olivia, wearing a Hungarian/Saxon apron, and Sara, wearing a Romanian apron, were ready to get started making dough.

 These delicious deep-fried treats taste great right out of the pan!

Arranging the treats to be shared by all.

Eliza taking a break for shooting pictures to try one of the donuts

It was important to shoot a picture before everything got eaten.

Everything was prepared right on this stove top!

 Luisa and Veronica rolling the very versatile break dough into a thin sheet. Both were using basic rolling pins. Veronica had one that was simply a branch from a tree while Luisa was using one that was carved from a piece of wood.

The sheets of dough were cut into strips and then the strips cut into sections that were tied into a "knot" and deep fried. 

The workshop was very meaningful for everyone. It was a great way to draw the afternoon to an end. Tired from the day's activities, the group stayed in for dinner and ordered pizza. They also had to pack everything in order to be ready to hit the road in the morning for Bran and Cristian. 

The evening reflection was interesting. Sara and Katie followed up their first question about what everyone had noticed in the Museum that was different from the day before with a question about how traditions are passed on in our families.  There were a variety of answers, from no traditions at all to several cooking and food-related responses. The question was one that invited each person to think about what traditions they would like to pass on to their children one day.