The quest for meaning
Inner peace and traditions
2020 — what a year of challenges! For me, it was a 100% balanced year. Good or bad, 2020 was about finding the meaning: the meaning of life, of home, the meaning of health, relationships, love, peace, and happiness.
When so much of your usual habits are taken away from you, you start looking for the good in smaller things: dinner with family, a cozy corner in your home, the traditions of your own country that you did not have the time to appreciate for a while now.
That’s how I found a magical place in Romania. By seeking to go back to the roots, to find inner peace, to hear the fire burning in the fireplace while outside is freezing, to appreciate our traditional food and way of living.
This way I have discovered Casa Glod. A place that looks more like fairy tales, rather than our daily reality. This place has its own story to tell to future generations who tend to forget more and more where did everything started, what really were the original Romanian traditions.
The story begins with a family who was living abroad and working hard in Italy wishing to provide a better life for their children. They were medical assistants and built their life for 15 years in a foreign country and a completely different culture.
However, the homesickness and the thirst to explore the Romanian traditions and landscapes were so strong, that this family decided to choose a different path in life and start everything over.
Thus, they left everything they knew best behind, in Italy, and came back to Romania to promote and cherish what this country has best to offer: traditions and nature.
This project did not only bring back to life the souls of these true Romanian citizens, but it also brought back to life four traditional houses, transported all the way from Maramureș to Alba. These little houses' architecture and style were kept entirely as they were over 100 years ago when they were built. However, the level of comfort expected even by the most fastidious millennial is met.
This project’s core is helping our fast-paced society to find a refuge from their daily lifestyle, and to be able to have a few days of peace while enjoying the possibility of having an authentic traditional Romanian experience.
Most of us are not able anymore to enjoy a weekend at our grandparents' houses, where traditions were still alive. Unfortunately, for many people, traditions died together with the older ones. This place is perfect for those who want to remember how peaceful it was to enjoy the sound of the burning wood in the fireplace or to just enjoy the coziness of your own bed.
The deepest revelation I had after this whole experience was that, even though I found many luxurious places to go to while searching for a perfect place for a weekend getaway, I found most of the options sterile, impersonal, cold, and incredibly empty.
When I found Casa Glod, I felt like this place has a story to tell. It can provide you with an unforgettable experience, and it has a bigger purpose than just to accommodate some guests for a few nights. It actually has the potential to give its visitors a time-traveling experience. It’s interesting how, at some point in our life, we feel the need to go back to the basics and we are enjoying simple experiences from all our hearts, don’t you think?
What meanings have you found in 2020?
