A trip to the forest

I love the month of May! In Romania it starts with a national holiday: May 1st = Labour Day. In other words, people don't have to go to work.

It's a tradition for people who live in Cluj (aka Clujeni) to go to Faget forest on this day. Most of them barbecue and eat lots of "mici" (local meat specialty) and steaks and drink lots of beer. Others play football or go hiking in the forest. It's a good opportunity to meet friends, have a chat, relax, catch a tan and forget about daily "madness".

To catch a nice spot, you have to wake up early. It's better if you buy meat, bread and drinks a day or two earlier, because on May 1st most of the shops are closed or don't have anything more left for you to buy.



What to do besides eating, drinking, catching a tan and hiking:

• drink water from St. John's spring, it's safe (some people drink it every day)
  
  


• watch the nature and take some nice pictures
  
  

The easiest way to get to Faget forest is to follow Drumul St. Ioan (St. John's road) by foot, by bike or by car. If you don't have a car, to get to Drumul St. Ioan, take trolleybus number 6 from city center and get off at the end of the line.

Most of the forest is public, although there are some private areas surrounded by fences. You can stay or walk anywhere in the public area.