The sun became our companion for the next few days, so we said goodbye to long sleeves. The village of Sacel really impresses us with its numerous old, wooden houses with shingle roofs. Some buildings are ornamented with collections of pottery displayed on the exterior walls. We cycle past other towns and villages: Dragomiresti, Bogdan Voda, Sieu – all of them have a unique atmosphere. We admire beautiful wooden gates (typical of Maramures) and unusual wooden Orthodox churches with soaring spires. Elderly inhabitants, sitting in groups on the benches by the gates add a local flavour. Old ladies wear wide knee-long skirts and headscarves, men wear hats and they all wish us a safe journey. All these things give us shivers. We are totally enthralled by Maramures. Our average speed goes down as we stop to look at something, or take a photo every now and then. The sun is shining, and we can smell freshly mowed grass, mmmh...

We reach Sapanta village before noon. There are many tourists by the famous Merry Cemetery. The site is surrounded by street vendors. The cemetery makes a really good impression on us. I know it sounds strange, but that is how it is. Inscriptions on graves are not just basic data (name, surname, date of birth and death), but a short, humorous description of the late person, spiced up with folk painting. There are many tombstones, unfortunately some of them need renovation, but most are in good condition.