Ciocaș Fort

A long time ago, I listened in wonder to my grandmother's tale of the Ciocaș Fort and the fairy girl whose hair was cut off and scattered on the fort's sides. 

When I was that age, we used to go to the side of the Ciocaș Mountain in Ariușd to pick feathergrass (“árvalányhaj” in Hungarian, which literally means orphan hair).

Due to all the cold weather, this year has been a little late in bringing the much anticipated feathergrass. 

The first Saturday in June I was glad to climb the Ciocaș Mountain, from where one can admire the beautiful Bârsei Depression, the Perșani Mountains, the Piatra Craiului Mountains, the Tâmpa Mountain and the Bucegi Mountains, as well. Meanwhile I was looking at the winding road of the river Olt, and I thought that this is the way of life, there are smoother, straighter stretches, and then there is a big bend and it goes on like this until it reaches the Danube or its end.

When I climbed to the top of the mountain, I marveled at the magnificent dwarf Russian almond, which was just beginning to blossom, and took a rest in the shade of the big oak tree, then looked around again and said goodbye to the oak tree, we’ll meet again here next year, so it shouldn’t leave, but should wait for me!

If you have the opportunity, go to Ariușd, see the Ciocaș Mountain, the view is worth it all!

B. É.