Weekend pick and steps to a relaxed gateway in our favorite place in Transylvania, Valea Verde, Cund village.

There are times when you just need a relaxing gateway for the weekend, do nothing but enjoy amazing food and wines, take a long walk, read a book and take a nap in a chaise long during the day. Here are the steps in the pursuit of leisure.

TAKE THE TRAIN. If you try one time, you might realize it’s the best way to arrive in good shape in a place, if it’s a trip longer than 3 hours. We took the train to Sighisoara, the 5 hours were passing quickly, talking and reading and admiring the views. From there, another 30 min with the car that Valea Verde put at the guests’ disposal. Simple and neat, at 18:30 we were just in time for a glass of prosecco and the best sunset views.

THE PLACE. Find (in prior) your favorite place, for us it was easy, Valea Verde, an oasis for body and soul with small houses decorated in a comfortable spacious rustic way. The owners, Jonas and Ulrike, really understand the concept of superior hospitality A few days here and you’ll be ready to take on the world again.

GREAT VIEWS. This chilled-out countryside place seems is actually a world away. We’ve been there so many times, but never in the springtime when everything is in blossom and the smell of the fresh grass strikes. Gaze into the endless views, listen to the birds, staring at millions of stars. What else? Marvel at the hills around and de-stress like you’ve never been able to do before.

GREAT FOOD. Now, Jonas, the owner and chef, is taking the country retreat to another level. Memorable meals, trying new food combinations, finding new recipes. We found ourselves eagerly awaiting each meal: truffle pasta, watercress soup, egg in a walnut crust with dandelion salad, rabbit in a mustard sauce with asparagus, salty caramel ice cream and many more.

WINE, WINE BABY. From Clos de Colombes- “Printesa si bobul de mazare” to Mourvédre – Stellenbosch, South-Africa, from 2011 LacertA “Cuvée X” to Villa Vinea rosé 2014. What a spoil! Besides, I found here the recently launched “Romanian book of wines”, by Marinela Ardelean, a complex guide of top-quality wines.

THE TUNES. Billy Holiday’s jazz and blues were perfect for the atmosphere. For Sunday night they had this beautiful and talented 4CELLI – Cameral Concert, featuring works by Telemann, Kuznetsov and Fitzenhagen.

GOOD READ- “The positive intelligence” by Shirzad Chamine, a great book about meeting your challenges by activating a region of your brain that performs far better while producing positive feelings like curiosity, empathy, creativity, and peace, with a laser focus on action. “How full is your bucket” by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton- a grandfather-grandson team explore how using positive psychology in everyday interactions can dramatically change our lives. I enjoyed “The Wine book of Romania” by Marinela Ardelean, reading about wineries, Romanian types of grapes, food pairing and the great potential the Romanian wines have, and of course what the best on the market right now. A great book to own and to give as a present. The weekend was not complete without some lines and movies on parenting by Urania Cremene. Quite diverse and enjoyable my list of reading for the weekend.

SOME SPOILING- such as massage. A masseur with some insights of chiropractor- in the middle of the mountains- a great acquisition for Valea Verde. Hubby was so pleased. I skipped this part as I had the following days a meeting with my personal chiropractor in Bucharest.