We stay in Polovragi overnight—the place is near the Pologravi Monastery, but we decide not to go inside. Instead, we visit the cave, Pestera Polovragi, which is located in a gorge which was carved by the river Olteț. It’s an impressive landscape. The cave is a little walk away from the parking area, and as we walk along the dirt road, I see trees growing out of the ragged rock with crevices that look themselves like tiny caves.
The cave entrance is hoarded off with a gate and a booth for entry payment. The two men who work there had just arrived, one in the booth, one inside. The one inside leads us inside and tells us a lot about the cave in Romanian. My friend only translates a few things for me, it’s way too much to take in anyway. Meanwhile, a bat flies by my head, I can almost feel the wing, it’s so close. I interrupt the conversation and want to confirm if they saw it, too, and if it really was a bat. My first close encounter, and there will be a few more while we are here. The natural entry to the cave for the bats is indicated with a sign not far from the human entry.
The guide tells us about the “leopard skin” on the rocks, left there by a mineral residue and arranged in this peculiar pattern. The shape of the cave is decidedly gothic; it seems appropriate for a bat cave. There are many peculiar shapes and forms in the rock, and of course stalactites and stalagmites. Someone painted a skeleton on the cave wall a long time ago, and there are legends about a portal to other dimensions which only opens on Easter Day. It’s a wet and peculiar place, and I’m quite glad when we are greeted by sunshine and bat-free air when we get back outside.
On our way to Râmnicu Vâlcea, we stop in Costești at the Muzeu Trovanților, a natural park with an old sand quarry and Trovanți, rocks that grow. They look quite outlandish, like they were dropped by aliens here. The board in the park explains that the rocks are growing because of the nearby sand getting cemented onto the rocks as the wind blows it onto them. An enterprising young man has a few rocks there to sell to tourists like us.
More bats!!!
C
Love the gothic bat cave… and bats in general. Amazed that you weren’t phased by them zooming by your head … you don’t even like butterflies!
Caves and bats seem to be a thing there. Perhpas that is why Romania is known for Vampires!
Well looks as though the tourism board need to meet up & invest sometime on this one 🙂