The Viscri 9 podcast follows two rules. The first: it always starts from a conversation with a guest. Not because we couldn't talk to others — but because the conversations that happen here are too good to stay in the room.
The second rule: each episode marks the beginning of a new Viscri 9 project. Sometimes larger, sometimes smaller — but something that keeps going after the microphones are turned off. The first episode marked the launch of hasurat.ro.
A conversation about what we lose when we buy food without knowing anything about where it comes from. Vlad came to Viscri 9 not knowing he would leave with a new project. Or maybe he did. By the end of our conversation, we decided together it was worth building something bigger from it.
New York is not America, Barcelona is not Spain, and Viscri is not Romania. For a traveller, Viscri is the highlight of a holiday in Romania. And history has a sense of irony: a handful of Transylvanian villages have become bastions of Romanian soft power in the minds of the crowds arriving via Airbnb and Booking.
It is not a village where you have to "do" things. But there are a few places, routes, and moments we recommend to anyone arriving for the first time — and a few we keep discovering ourselves, with each visit.
Do absolutely nothing (or at least less)
Pronounce "butterfly" in the dying Saxon dialect — Spaijelhuiltzken (mirror on stick)
Restrain yourself from asking where the house of King Charles is. Everybody asks
Walk barefoot in the morning
Greet everybody you meet on the street, it's a small village and we like people
Learn to ride a horse or book a horse tour if you're experienced
Horse carriage is a fun alternative and it will be good for locals
Visit the fortified church and climb all the way to the top
Compose an out-of-office auto reply that will prevent people bothering you
Try a self-imposed digital detox. You know there's excellent 4G signal — they don't
Think of how to finally save the world or yourself
Rent a bike and do the single-track connecting Viscri, Meșendorf, Criț and Bunești
Pamper yourself by sipping a "Pușcălupi" gin tonic with cucumber
Leave your car in the village parking or else our witch will inflict the bad-sex curse upon you
Reformulate your global strategy from this small global village
When in doubt, choose to eat ciorbă de perișoare
Smell the "petrichor", the earthy scent of rain falling on dry soil
Restrain yourself from using perfume. You'll get a better sense of petrichor & village scents
Buy some wool slippers from local women. They're really comfy and long-lasting
Meet the geese that posed for Dior and were featured in Killing Eve (Hi, Sandra!)
Experience solitude in forest. Germans are the only ones with a word for it: Waldeinsamkeit
Admire the local wild orchid — Anacamptis morio
Put the fruit in the bowl when returning from the forest. You'll find wild cherry in June
See the local blacksmith in action and tip him for the small souvenir
Visit the nearby Racoș volcano during the week
Stay for 3 days and you'll understand, stay for longer and you'll never want to leave
Ask for the magic word that keeps the shepherd dogs away (zhee-bah!)
Take our summer breakfast. It's Pretentiousness and Simplicity meeting on the same plate
Day trip to Cheile Vârghișului, an impressive gorge with a lot of caves
Try a foraging lifestyle — a day in which you eat only what you pick from the forest
Alternatively, try intermittent fasting, it will be good for your metabolism
Discover the music of Valeria Stoica and play "Wild in Secret"
Get a glimpse of the sumptuous botanical book Transylvania Florilegium
Draw or sketch en plein air
Fall in love again
There's something in your viewfinder everywhere — find an Upupa epops or Merops apiaster
Cold water exposure for 2–3 minutes improves attention, mood and cognitive focus
Wonder how come the cold-brew tonic from nearby Saschiz can be sooo good
In Transylvania there are villages and there are villages having a Viscri Choir
The idea of time-travelling was first imagined by a journalist travelling in Transylvania in 1866
An Italian moved to Viscri to make pizza good again
The answer to the ultimate question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42
Acknowledge that the best places to stay in Transylvania have their postal address as brand
Yes, there are some chances to meet a bear in the forest. No, no one was attacked yet
See the cows getting in and out of the village by themselves. Every morning & every evening
Science says aerobic activity AND strength training are good for your lifespan
Realize a whisper is most of the times more powerful than shouting
Quietly understand silence is more than the absence of noise. It is an aesthetic to be revered
If you are a digital nomad, work from the hammock, barn or from under the pine-trees
The secret in life is low expectations. Reality is A-minus
Take a course of hand-mowing. It's like meditation in motion
Experience forest bathing. In Japan, shinrin-yoku is part of a national health program