Zalau is the sort of Romanian city that few foreigners visit, a county capital of some sixty thousand people at the foot of the Mes mountains, with communist-era apartment blocks, a pleasant old centre and a surprisingly rich past. The point called Stana La Balize lies in the hills about five kilometres away, on the edge of the town. Stana means a sheepfold, a summer shepherd's camp, and the word tells you what these slopes were used for: pasture. As part of the group of sites on the Roman frontier of Dacia Porolissensis, it likely marks a watchtower or a related feature on the ridge above Zalau.
The reason the Romans cared about this place is the gap. North of Zalau the Mes mountains are crossed by a pass, the Mes Gate, a natural doorway between the Transylvanian basin and the plains to the north-west. Whoever controlled the pass controlled the traffic of people, animals and goods. The Romans built Porolissum, a fortress, town and customs post, just above the gate at what is now Moigrad, and the towers and forts along the ridges on either side were part of its web. Today the pass is crossed by a road, and Porolissum is an open-air archaeological park with an amphitheatre, a temple area and the foundations of the fort.
Zalau has all the services a rider needs: fuel stations at every entrance, restaurants, hotels and garages. It is also the best base for visiting this part of the frontier, as the roads fan out to the sites. The ride north over the Mes Gate is a pleasant climb through beech forest, with moderate gradients and a view from the top.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons. Summer can be hot, and winter brings fog and snow. In the villages around, the haystacks, the wells and the sheepfolds look as they have for generations.
Try the Salaj speciality, the sheep cheese called telemea, and a glass of local wine from the hills toward Simleu.