Old-Fashioned Waterpower in Romania's North

Romania is full of surprises and wonderful people. And when you cross into Maramureş, the area in the north (just over the river from Ukraine), it gets even better. In this region, the traditional culture survives vividly. And Gheorghe the miller -- who's breaking in a new hat -- seems to be a big fan of tradition. He grinds corn, mashes felt, cuts lumber, and even distills his own horinca -- the local firewater made from plums. In this clip, he lets us poke around his churning water mill.

(Both in Bulgaria and in Romania, meeting people often came with a welcoming glass of the local brandy. The horinca was good but too strong for me. I found the Bulgarian rakia easier to swallow and really fine at making any gathering become a party.)

This is Day 57 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I'm reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

(This post originally appeared at blog.ricksteves.com/blog/maramures-romania/.)