Corund is a village where almost every house seems to sell pottery. Stalls line the main road through this Székely community in Harghita county, piled high with plates, jugs and bowls in white, blue, green and brown, painted with flowers and birds. Pottery has been made here for centuries, using local clay, and the craft is still alive, though much of what is sold today is made for tourists. Păuleni and the hill called Dealul Silaș lie nearby, an archaeological site among many in this land of rolling hills and forested ridges, with little to see on the ground.
The Székelys are a Hungarian-speaking community who have lived in eastern Transylvania for centuries, and their villages, churches and customs give this area a distinct character. You will see carved wooden gates, Székely gates, at the entrances to many farmyards, with intricate patterns and inscriptions. The signs are bilingual, and Hungarian is spoken more often than Romanian.
Nearby are some of the most interesting sights in Transylvania. The salt mine at Praid, a few kilometres to the west, is huge, with caverns big enough to hold sports fields and playgrounds, and the air is said to be good for respiratory problems. Sovata, a little further on, is a spa town built around Lacul Ursu, the Bear Lake, a salt lake that traps heat in its layers of water, so that the water below the surface can be surprisingly warm. Odorheiu Secuiesc, to the south, is a pleasant town with churches, a fortress and a lively centre.
The riding is excellent. The road from Sovata through Praid and Corund to Odorheiu Secuiesc winds through hills, forests and villages, with good surfaces and a mix of fast bends and tighter sections. Side roads climb into the Gurghiu and Harghita mountains, where the forests are thick and the air smells of pine. Watch for logging trucks, horse-drawn carts and the occasional bear; brown bears are common in these mountains, and they sometimes come close to roads and villages, especially in the evening.
Corund has shops and bars, and Odorheiu Secuiesc has fuel, supermarkets and restaurants. Try kürtőskalács, a sweet spiral pastry baked on a spit over coals, sold at stalls in the area. Spring and autumn are lovely; winters are cold and snowy.