I have wandered around the world, crossed seas, countries and continents, but I don’t feel like I have discovered a place more dear to me than this one so far. Why so dear and different from the rest? What is its charm? Well let me tell you …
It is a small village located in the south of Moldova, near the border of Romania and a few tens of km from Galaţi. A place of heaven on Earth, with its golden hills and people with good hearts. The warmth of their souls would usurp even the last remaining glaciers on the globe, and they would share it with holiness with every single guest or wandering hiker. Nothing could surpass the hospitality of the people of Văleni, who greet you as if you were part of their family. Affinities are formed that go beyond blood affiliations, and the friendships created will attract people all around the world, eager to enjoy ancient traditions.
Most of us, whether from the city or village, spent our summer holidays in the countryside when we were little. None of us will ever forget the taste of our childhood spent here, manifested by the huge, juicy and deformed freshly picked tomatoes. We enjoyed them while Grandma scolded us, because we had no patience to wait and wash them first.
We miss this authentic taste, as we wander away from home and through the streets of Europe. No vegetable here is able to restore the taste of our childhood. And the more perfect their embodiment, the stranger and lifeless the taste.
The Moldovan chernozem and the toil of the locals, together with the few drops of rain falling from the sky, we are able to get past any skepticism regarding the agricultural glory of Moldova. To succeed we only need ourselves and the few resources we have; for war is not won by the one who has the largest army, but by the one who is more courageous and stubborn in fighting for life until death.
The museum next to the ‘Dor’ mansion hosts hundreds of German tourists eager to discover the customs of Eastern cultures. Before their arrival, the hustle and bustle of the preparations is in full swing and it pervades from person to person.
Folk craftsmen arrive with diverse and brightly coloured handicrafts to be exposed to curious visitors; from the fine embroideries to the famous woollen stockings knitted by our grandmothers after they spun wool on the porch; from sheep’s fur to wicker baskets; from bee honey and jams to traditional embroidered peasant shirts, with wine flowing from barrels to fill thirsty jugs.
At the same time, the most skilled cooks heat the ovens to bake the cheese pie and meat stew, served with steaming polenta and vegetables.
The stuffed grape leaves that preserve the flavour of Romanian cuisine are always present at the festivity. Guests are greeted with bread and salt, wrapped in a towel with traditional ornaments.
The ethno-folk group “Crăiţele” present a show combined with traditional songs and dances. I was mesmerized by the hustle and bustle everywhere around me. Everyone was full of happiness … a happiness as pure and clear as the spring water. They were eager to share their local culture and proud of the outfit they were wearing, whether it was a traditional dress, an ancestral hat or a jacket.
Life is written on their wrinkled faces. Each one of them tells a different story, and it’s embracing the purity and harmony of their souls. Our hearts get filled with kindness, our hearts get filled with life. It’s the place where you find yourself …
Not far from the festivity, behind the museum, funny and fluffy puppies run frantically through the alfalfa. Looking at them, I was overwhelmed with immense joy. A joy that translates into the belief of tomorrow and hope. I felt that anything can be done… I had faith that there is a better tomorrow… All of a sudden, it was clear to me that true happiness does not consist in wealth, but in the small everyday things that happen right in front of our eyes.
Unfortunately, most of us chase the things that we want and ignore those that we already have. If we would just stop from what we are doing, even for a few moments, wherever we may be, and take some time to look around, with our eyes wide open, we would even feel our body’s cellular respiration, we would even feel the speed of the nutrient’s sedimentation in us …
These puppies, small and divine creatures, through their play and frenzy, fill us with optimism. They do what they like, not being guided by material thoughts. They only live for the moment. From time to time they chase after a stray cat, but in the end, they love and cuddle it restoring harmony.
I think we all went through the pages of universal history as teenagers, but no historical event could bring freedom better than running barefoot through the garden. When the bare feet penetrate among the haughty grasses and explore the ancestral human nature, you would delve fondly into the clay soil so that you would never come out again and you would be vanished forever. Stay in that place and build the foundation for a future. A future for which our ancestors fought and for which even now, the grandparents and parents of all are fighting together; so that we can return home, so that the ambitious young people do not leave.
Another local emblem is the wooden bridge at the edge of the village, which shows a certain fragility through its ruins, but perfectly withstands the passing years and accompanies the two banks of the gorge that flows into Lake Beleu.
Beside the bridge, the willow of Rareş Vodă rises proudly. Under its shadow Rareş Vodă had found out amongst the first that he would be the ruler of Moldova. Descendant of Stefan, he loved this land very much, fishing being one of his hobbies.
The famous Lake Beleu, located in the Prut meadow of the Lower Prut Scientific Reserve, is a real pearl of nature. Its waters serve as a shelter for hundreds of birds, including swans, black storks and yellow herons. Its view looks like it is taken from a Renaissance fresco in which someone can simply get lost.
Admiring it, we realise that the world does not revolve only around us, the human beings, but in fact we are part of an ecosystem with many actors and each has its primary role. An ecosystem where there are no secondary roles, where everything perishes in a certain order and there is no room for chaos. Each character has its own occupation, which does not overlap, but aims to maintain the existential balance.
Also, every year for several weeks, Lake Beleu is the host of pelicans that find peace and rest before moving on to the Danube Delta.
I was lucky enough to watch a flock of pelicans taking flight like the defenders of our homeland. Proudly they ascended to the heavens, traveling immeasurable distances to finally reach their final destination, home… in the delta. I think we all had the opportunity to admire at least once in our lives, the sky painted in unreal shades of bright red extracted from a bitter cherry that turns into amethyst. And this landscape, admired from one of the hills of Văleni, where not far away stretches the splendid lake with water lilies, overwhelms you with its beauty. And then, there is no escape. You become part of what surrounds you, you become the accomplice of an unearthly beauty even though it is made of clay with water and the sky that escapes the sun; being embraced by the earthly green.
The eye can no longer resist. It becomes a prisoner. The avalanche of emotions felt all at once cannot be described even by words … words spoken for countless centuries. Văleni is a place where any lost soul finds itself; here we remember why we were born and who we really are.
Here we become one with our ancestors, here we learn the stories told and transmitted over the years from father to son, through generations. It is the place where peace floods your soul. You merge with the surrounding nature and let yourself be carried away by the local nets of the earth. The ancestral plateau inspires and grounds you. It is a place you don’t want to leave. You drown in pleasure and establish the foundation… A foundation built by man, shoulder to shoulder, through hard work and pleasure combined with much fire and growth.
Văleni is the place where I meet my ancestor, Rareș Vodă. You are proud that this Moldovan land is the place where you appeared in this world. If I had to choose, I’d rather be born here. Every place is assigned to us for a certain purpose and no one would fit better than us. Born in Moldova, a country that has not yet spoken its word, I am fighting hard to instill the ancestral word in the souls of those who remain and especially of those who leave.
There is a saying that people do not leave where they are well; but it is not true. I and others have gone to study, to discover other visions, to open the horizon of our perceptions and to be inspired. And all this time, our hearts were beating in the same rhythm as Stefan’s heart. Some came back faster, and others like me are still looking for a way home. But no matter where we are, our heartbeats will not stop and sooner or later we will start playing the Moldovan dance on the entire territory of Moldova, from Prut to Nistru, between Girugiuleşti and Naslavcea. We will even cross the Nistru, because they are part of us …
I address all those who are thinking of returning and you have doubts or are confused. If you are wondering if it is worth the effort or sacrifice to come out of your comfort zone, then definitely visit Valeni.
If you don’t know where to start, here you will get the coveted clarity. You will feel like a person with overwhelming power, and at the same time rebukes of conscience will rush like the Turks because you did not take this step much earlier.
But as another saying from the people says that it is never too late, let’s get up and take the first step, because that’s the hardest. Then everything seems natural and starts on its own.
A little man very dear to me, always mentions that sooner or later, especially at the right time, things connect, willingly and forcibly. I would add that sometimes a little effort is needed to facilitate the formation of these connections.
Wherever I am and no matter where I settle, the emotion of the past will always remain alive, as if I lived it yesterday. And when it would be hard for me and I would like to give up, then this feeling will be felt and it will protect me by tenderly enveloping me, protecting and hugging me like a daughter… it will guide me on what path to take, where to go and finally, finally to finally return – home.
And I will continue to return, although for a short time, until I never leave … Văleni. Here you do not feel at home, you really are at HOME.
I would become one with you, and I would never leave so I can stay with you forever.
