For most of our journey, we saw few traces of civilisation: shepherds' lean-tos, roadside shrines. One day, though, as we were nearing Vale Sangora, I noticed a huge block of stone amidst the dwarf pines, expertly hewn and marked with flaking paint. It must have been part of some monumental structure, rivalling the ancient wonders described by Antipater of Sidon.
Amazed, I asked our guide where the block had come from. In response, he just looked at me darkly. I offered to double his pay if he told me what he knew, but Gheorghe refused. The people of the Carpathians do not like to discuss their secrets.