As lots of our traveling plans got cancelled this year and considering the social distancing, we ended up to spend one week at one of our favorite chalets in the Făgăraș Mountains, Cabana Suru. It was something we were thinking of doing for a long time, to go there and spend more than one weekend, like we usually do. So here we are, world pandemic giving us the chance to finally do it.

About Cabana Suru I’ve written so many things already that it doesn’t need any further introduction. To summarize, we love it because it’s clean, offers all the comfort you need, food is delicious, hosts are very welcoming and friendly, it’s very suitable to go there with kids, plus it’s in the mountains, so lots of nature, beauty and fresh air around.

That being said, here we are, with a full week ahead of us and two kids (5 and 7 years old) to entertain, keep them away from gadgets and make them enjoy nature and mountains, in particular. It wasn’t an easy job, but for sure, this place and its surroundings made things easier for us. We enjoyed it as much as the kids did and it was such a perfect getaway for both us, as adults, but also for the kids. So here’s how not to get bored in the mountains.

Hiking Trips

Of course, mountains are for hiking and that’s the fun part of it. From the cabana, you have hiking trails so day trips are an excellent choice. You have longer or shorter versions, depending on how much effort you’re willing to make. In about 2 hours you’re up on the main Făgăraș Mountains ridge and have an amazing view over the surrounding peaks or in about one hour you get to a nice panoramic point towards a waterfall. Either way you go, the view is beautiful.

Visit to the sheepfold

20 minutes walk from the cabana is a sheepfold, so a perfect opportunity for the kids to see how sheep are being milked, how cheese is produced and how the shepherds live their daily life up in the mountains without running water or electricity or other amenities one would take for granted in an urban area. Having a fire in their shelter, cooking polenta and eating it with fresh cheese was for sure a highlight for both adults and kids. Plus drinking fresh milk. Plus playing around with the shepherd’s dogs.

Mushroom foraging

In July, after all the heaving rain in June, all forests were full of mushrooms so a perfect opportunity for us to teach the kids more about these amazing organisms. Which are edible, which are not, how to pick them and how to cook them. Having dinner with the mushrooms we had picked during the day was so rewarding. The taste of wild mushrooms is a true experience.

Wild herbs and berries

The mountain pastures offer plenty of berries and wild herbs to be picked. Thyme, mountain peony (which is a protected species in Romania and we should only harvest the flower, but in very small quantities), blue berries, black berries, wild strawberries, raspberries, you can find them all around you during the summer months. Clean food with lots of nutrients. Plus there’s so many beautiful flowers to observe all over the place. Time runs slower up here, so looking at all these beauties is a perfect way of meditating.

Sunsets and stargazing

Sunsets at Cabana Suru are magical, the view is so spectacular and the sky is as if it’s on fire. On clear nights, with no clouds, looking up and seeing billions and billions of starts is mesmerizing. Perfect opportunity to teach kids about galaxies and constellations. Plus, if you’re lucky enough you might also see some falling stars.

And above all that, quality family time, creating memories, positive experiences and trying to write a code in the subconsciousness of our kids that nature is always so rewarding and that it’s the place where we always find our inner peace and balance. And learning that it’s not bad from time to time to also get bored, to stop, to listen to nature’s sounds, to look around and just breathe.