Mirșid sits on the southern flank of the Meseș Mountains, in the county of Sălaj, a few kilometres from Zalău, and it is almost within sight of one of the best Roman sites in Romania. Porolissum, on the ridge above the village of Moigrad, was the capital of the Roman province of Dacia Porolissensis and a great frontier post on the northern edge of the empire, with large military forts, an amphitheatre, a customs post and a town with temples and baths, built after Trajan's conquest of Dacia in the early second century AD. The site is now an archaeological park, with the outline of the fort on a spur and, below, an amphitheatre cut into the hillside, and from the walls you can look over the Meseș Gate, the pass the Romans were guarding.
The region is full of hilltop sites from before and after the Romans, and in this country, a spot with a name on an archaeological list is a sign of occupation by Iron Age or medieval people.
The landscape is a pleasure to ride. From Zalău, the road climbs on a gentle gradient to the villages along the ridge, with orchards, meadows and beech forest, and views over the county to the east. The roads are narrow, with a mixed surface, and the traffic is light. The best time to visit is late spring, when the flowers are out, or autumn, when the leaves are turning and the air is clear. In summer, afternoon thunderstorms are common.
Zalău is a county capital with sixty thousand inhabitants, so fuel is easy, as are shops and restaurants. Mirșid itself is a village of a couple of thousand, with small shops. For a meal, look for a plate of sarmale, cabbage rolls with sour cream, and a glass of local plum brandy for the evening.
Walk on the ridge at Porolissum in the late afternoon, when the stones glow in the low sun. From the walls the frontier makes sense.