Fratii Jderi

Fratii Jideri

I think of Fratii Jideri as Cezar’s garden. It is about 1 hectare of heaven in the Romanian Mountains. I know that Cezar has planted most of the “garden”. It doesn’t feel that way. Everything feels like it just happened. The garden is a wilderness camp, with log cabins and tree houses and lakes and willow trees and wild flowers. Cezar told me that every view is meant to be like a TV screen. He has accomplished this.

This is my third visit and I have been able to watch the vision grow over a period of about 4 (maybe 5) years. On the 1st trip Cezar met us at the creek (which we had to cross on foot in the dark) with a light and a dog. He led us to a fire and heated plum wine. That was the beginning of one of the most memorable nights of my life.

My wife and I normally go to bed at about 9:00. We stayed up until 4:00 in the morning. We drank plum wine, ate unbelievable Romanian country food and sat around a fire listening while members of our group passed the guitar and sang Romanian folk songs. We only went to bed when we could no longer keep our eyes open.

The second trip was last year. There were new cabins and a pavilion, some of the trees had grown. Others had been planted. The dog was getting feeble. A new pup has been brought in as a replacement. The place was maturing. There were more activities. I just wished my wife had been with me.

This year the place has developed even more. No matter what is added, the feeling manages to stay the same. The “TV screens” are even more beautiful than before. I think this will be the last time I see the old dog. He looks like a worn out carpet. There are more cabins and more visitors. A young couple is planning their wedding here. They are so excited about it that it is contagious.

The food is really fantastic even for Romanians. Imagine what it is like for someone who has been eating American “cuisine”. I have been trying to take some pictures. They come out well; but it is impossible to catch the feeling and the smell and the taste.




David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/