Mirsid is the kind of village you pass on the way somewhere else, until you notice that it sits at the foot of the greatest Roman frontier in Transylvania. The ridge of the Meses mountains rises behind it in a long, dark line of beech and oak, and the Romans built a series of watchtowers along the crest, looking north across the border into the lands of the free Dacians. The name Dealul Mare, Big Hill, with the number one attached, suggests the first in a sequence of those lookout points, and in a few of them you can still make out the square footprint of a tower in the grass.
The landscape itself tells you why this was a good place for a frontier. The ridge is steep on both sides, with long views across a patchwork of fields and orchards, and it is easy to imagine a sentry watching for smoke from the next tower along. The area is farmed, with small plots and haystacks, and in summer the air is thick with the smell of cut hay. In autumn, plum harvests fill the villages with the sweet, fermenting smell of tuica in the making.
The riding is relaxed and sociable. The roads around Mirsid wind over low hills, through orchards and past tidy farms, and the surface is variable, with smooth stretches and rough patches. Gradients are moderate and bends are mostly gentle, with a few sharper ones where the road drops into a valley. Sheep and cattle are common, and tractors are slow, so there is little point in hurrying. The tracks leading up to the ridge are rough, and best taken on foot unless you have a light bike and good boots.
The village has a shop and a couple of bars. For fuel and anything more serious, Zalau, a town of over sixty thousand people, lies about eight kilometres away, and has supermarkets, cafes and workshops. Late spring and early autumn are the best times to visit, with clear air and comfortable temperatures, and views stretching to the Apuseni mountains on a good day. Bring a jacket, since the ridge can be breezy even in summer.