The Painted Beauties

SIMFEROPOL: We spent our last two nights in Romania in a place called Suceava which has exceptional access to, what are collectively known as, the Bucovina Monasteries. The four churches we visited are decorated, inside and outside, with frescos depicting things like the last judgement, the lives of various Orthodox saints, Biblical geneologies and scenes from the life of Jesus. The Northern faces of most of these have been worn away by four hundred years of winds whipping down from Siberia however the less exposed facades are remarkably preserved. Some of the pictures, especially those found inside the monasteries, would not look out of place in the big museums of Europe. We had a wonderful guide, who was also our hostel owner and dinner companion, who not only took us to the monasteries but also a black pottery workshop, a restaurant serving one of the finest chicken soups I've ever eaten and a tour of the stunning snow capped, fir tree speckled hills of Northern Romania.