Lacul Roşu
judetul Harghita
When you look out at the Lacul Roşu (Red Lake), the first thing you tend to notice is all the tree stumps out in the lake. And you probably ask yourself "How did those trees end up in the middle of the lake?" Well, let me tell you.
In 1838 a landslide brought down much of the surrounding mountainside, creating a natural dam across the Bicaz River. With nowhere else to go, the blocked river flooded the valley where there once was a forest (it's the skeletons of those trees you see poking up above the lake's surface). The tree stumps remain preserved thanks to the lake's unnaturally high concentration of calcium carbonate and iron oxide. It's the latter (more commonly known as rust) that causes the lake's reddish color.
Of course, there's also a tall tale of how the lake got its color. Legend tells us that the color of "killer lake" was formed when a hapless group of picnic goers had the misfortune of sitting at the foot of the mountain when it collapsed. According to this legend, their blood has permanently colored the lake.
As you can see in some of my photos, you can rent a rowboat to tour the lake on your own. Since it was raining, I didn't partake of this particular attraction, however.
As shown in other photos, you can also purchase a cozonac, which is kinda like a very tall donut. They wrap a long strip of dough, coated with cinnamon and sugar, around metal cylinders. After baking them to a crispy brown, you peel off a strip and plop it in your mouth. They taste best when you do this warm from the cylinder. I don't know if it's an exclusive Romanian pastry, but I could probably market them here in California. Hey, that's not a bad idea!
It was raining pretty heavily when we arrived. Rather than get my good camera wet, I took the photos with my movie camera (which doesn't have that great of resolution).
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