aurel is a shepherd that we me outside of sighisoara. we saw him with his flock about a half mile off the road walking away from us. we chased him across a corn field trying to get his attention. todd and i were about to give up when radu managed to catch him. we would have never caught up with him without radu. aurel is a remarkable man. he sleeps outside under the stars in the snow all winter long. sometimes in sub zero temperatures. he is a living breathing dinosaur, he's the cowboy of the old west and he is one tough S.O.B. (photo by otis gibbs © )

this is elana and vasilica sitting inside one of the two rooms that make up their house. this is where they make the shoes that they sell at local markets. elena is a beautiful woman who radiates strength and confidence. she is one of those people who have who are able to make you feel calm just by being with them. (photo by otis gibbs © )

shoemakers cat (photo by otis gibbs © )

we visited a family of shoemakers who lived in a shack on the outskirts of a small town. this was one of the more humbling experiences i've had. these folks were amazing . they have been given so little in life but have managed to live independently. i wish that i had half as much knowledge as this family has. they are truly at one with their environment. this is aurica. (photo by otis gibbs © )

this is george and his donkey somewhere outside of brasov (photo by otis gibbs © )

ion and his horse gypsy (photo by otis gibbs © )

we visited quite a few monasteries in romania. they were always quiet and peaceful. this is one of the many monks that we met (photo by otis gibbs © )

these men were hauling hay back to their farm when we met them in the marmures area of romania (photo by otis gibbs © )

i've logged well over 10,000 miles in the last month. needless to say i've been having a hard time catching up on my sleep. my buddy todd and i spent five or six days in amsterdam. we enjoyed ourselves but i have to admit that it wasn't my favorite place that i've visited in europe. i think that i would enjoy living there much more than just visiting. it would be nice to live in such a liberal society. quite the contrast from indiana. the only problem was that everything is so damn expensive. i payed 12 dollars for an omelet. if we would have been there a few more days i may have run out of money :)

we hopped a flight to bucharest, romania for 16 or 17 days. the dollar is a whole lot stronger in romania. our friend radu drove us around and showed us the country and we had a fabulous time. romania is a beautiful country with so much to offer. the people are the friendliest people that i've met in europe. it remains undiscovered for the most part by tourist which makes it even more interesting. it seems unspoiled by the west. i've read that some people claim that romania has one foot in the past and the other in the future and it's pretty accurate. when you see horse carts sharing the roads with hummers it all starts making sense. i'll post some photos that i took in the next few days to give you a better feel for how the trip went

be sure and check out radus sight at www.outdoorholiday.com and tell him otis said hey ;)