Have you ever wondered how the most terrifying things can cause a completely unexpected situation? And by unexpected, I mean the best possible outcome. This may be a little bit unbelievable, but I assure you it’s not. Especially when we talk about a volcano and two eruptions. Yes, that sounds even crazier but stick with me.
When someone says “volcano” the first place that comes to your mind is obviously Iceland, the land of both fire and ice. This country has one of the largest number of volcanos and eruptions in the world. The latest one here was actually on May 15, 2021.
Anyway, even if you didn’t think about Iceland in the first place, for sure Italy, Japan or Hawaii crossed your mind. It’s hard to forget the stories of the ancient city Pompeii which was destroyed by Vesuvius. Or maybe Mount Fuji tells you something more. All these states are known for their eruptive mountains. Of course, they aren’t the only ones. But, in any case, you wouldn’t have thought about Romania.
Yeah, Romania! That country with a lot of gorgeous castles and home for legends with vampires. Everyone heard about these things, right?
Romania isn’t known for its volcanos because most of them are not active anymore and hasn’t been in a long time. But it doesn’t mean that they didn’t leave some uniqueness behind.
How much beauty can a volcano leave behind? Well, a huge natural reserve can show it all.
This Romanian volcano had two craters that erupted at different periods of time. Each of them created its own magic. After the first eruption, a volcanic lake formed in that specific crater. But when the second one happened, the ashes fell entirely on the lake’s surface and that allowed peat to form here, above the water.
From this, the peat developed a specific and stunning flora that includes mostly moss, pine trees and carnivorous plants. This part of reserve it’s called Tinovul Mohoș.
Tinovul Mohoș it’s an actual swamp covered in moss and can be very dangerous if you don’t follow the tour guide’s instructions, who is the only person that provide access. No one can enter without assistance and, even then, you can’t go anywhere else other than the path because of the instability. The moss is just like a sponge, and you are basically stepping on the water since the base was a lake, and the peat is very thin.
Even so, this view is worth any restriction. And the best is yet to come.
Surprisingly, the former lake wasn’t covered completely with moss. There are still some parts of water, but they cannot be called lakes anymore. Just two of them are big enough to be considered lakes. But even them will end up being part of the green swamp, as the moss continues to spread all over their surface.
As the guide helps you to explore this astonishing place, he will also be showing you some funny tricks. He will insert a stick into the soil so you can see how smoothly the thing goes right through it, so that the idea of “walking on water” to be highlighted. For the second one, he will ask you to jump so you can see that everything around you moves like in a mini earthquake.
Do you remember that I mentioned about the other crater whose eruption transformed the lake into Tinovul Mohoș? Well, in its case the things just followed the normal process. After the eruption of the second crater, a volcanic lake formed here and stayed the same since then. It’s called Lacul Sfânta Ana (Saint Ana Lake), the only volcanic lake in Romania.
In a few words, the nature used a brutal event to blossom and to be reborn in a completely new form, more fantastic than before. This art of nature should be on your list for the next trip to Romania.
