Botiza, Ieud & Viseu de Sus

Another unforgettable chapter of the same October road trip unfolded in Maramureș, a land that feels like stepping back in time. One crisp morning found us in Vișeu de Sus, eagerly waiting for the iconic Mocănița to arrive. The stillness was only broken by distant rustling and then, finally, the soft chugging of the steam train. As it passed us, surrounded by forests brushed with autumn, I raised my camera and held my breath. It was like photographing a living piece of history.

Later, we made our way to the villages of Botiza and Ieud, where mornings arrive slowly and poetically. The sunrises there are pure soul... mist rising gently over haystacks, rolling hills soaked in gold, and silence broken only by distant roosters. There’s a kind of magic in those early hours, the kind that makes you pause and take it all in before even lifting the camera.

What surprised me was how autumn felt late here, unlike Bucovina, where trees had already turned vibrant yellows and reds, in Maramureș the leaves were still holding onto their green, as if reluctant to let go of summer. It gave the landscape a gentler, transitional feel, a season in between seasons, captured at just the right time.

Maramureș gifted us moments of calm, tradition, and a beauty so honest, it almost didn’t feel real.