The hermitage from MalinBy: Valentina

The uniform pace of life often awakens deep inside us the desire to escape from our routine and look for the people that have a completely different vision from ours. Therefore I, a person rather spontaneous and always hungry for something new, did not hesitate when a friend suggested me to go for a weekend in Bistrita Nasaud, at a Belgian’s farm who will teach us to collect herbs.

Without too much trouble and a tent in the back, I found myself in an enchanting place, the Malin Hermitage (Hermitage = small isolated palace, a place where one can live in seclusion, a retreat) and its ten donkeys. Phones have become unnecessary as there was no electricity or telephone signal. I was greeted by another group of visitors that had already accommodated in the Indian tent called „teepee”, the only type of tent in which you can start a fire.

The initiator of the „Uichend-uri la tară" is Philippe Coupé, former Belgian teacher at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj. He established a permaculture farm in Malin and throughout the summer whoever wanted, could experience the traditional and ecological farming practices - in one word: „permaculture”.

„Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs; it's a system of design where each element supports and feeds other elements, ultimately aiming at systems that are virtually self-sustaining and into which humans fit as an integral part.” (Source: Wikipedia)

I do not know how familiar you are with the idea of volunteer tourism but for me it was a pleasure to help in raking hay in the orchard, picking elderflowers or green walnuts that I put to soak with wine. Then we gathered in the vegetable garden grown on raised layers and, incredible, we learned that there are sympathies even between plants. For example, tomatoes grow best when planted with celery, parsley or carrots and there should be avoided proximity with potatoes or cabbage.

The guest for that weekend was Georgeta, passionate about: vegetarian cuisine, natural cosmetics and especially about her own project to form a small independent community that will ensure its energy and food needs through permaculture practices and technologies.

They are looking for a place away from civilization where they would withdraw from the socio-economic system today. Georgeta explained that many people already answered her call to build a community that "will be based on some simple principles, without rules, without constraints, without planning, without hierarchy, living only on mutual respect and in full freedom". My first impression was that I was dealing with the model of a sect that misfits in the modern style of life trying to recruit us into their bio army but gradually I realized my superficiality. I know that I will not adopt the same lifestyle, but many of those teachings seemed of common sense and I‘m trying to integrate them in my life as well. I felt those people happy and with great self-satisfaction as living in harmony and consistent with their principles. In those days I was the misfited one who just refused to give priority to things that matter in our existence.

It's a pleasure to listen to Georgeta making a real show of preparing the three daily meals. She told us about her early doubts on vegetarian food but also about the benefits of raw food. Memorable was the soup with unboiled greens that I couldn’t believe that I would ever taste and finally I ate the entire portion with a great appetite. The recipe is as simple as possible, lemon, olive oil and then any edible green plant growing in your garden (carrots and beet leaves, elder flowers and other plants that you thought that only birds can peck).

Outside, in the light of oil lamps, after a day of hard work, we gathered to eat the dishes that I already expected to be great, but also to listen to Philipe talking about his plans for the next “Uichend-uri la tara”. What we didn’t know that in the meantime donkeys were devastating our tent.

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