Some churches are tall for the sake of it, and Șurdești's is one of them. The wooden church of the Holy Paraskeva, in the village of Șurdești in Maramureș, has a bell tower that stabs about fifty metres into the sky, which is often claimed to be the tallest wooden church in Europe. It was built in the eighteenth century by local carpenters using oak and spruce, with a steep, slender spire that rises from a modest nave like a pencil from a pocket. Along with several others in the region, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Maramureș villages sit in hills and valleys in northern Romania, and they preserve a way of life that has vanished from most of Europe. Hay is stacked in conical ricks around wooden houses, carved gateways stand in front of farmyards, women in headscarves walk beside horse carts, and the churches are tucked among orchards and fields. The building tradition is more than decoration: after the Tatar raids of the Middle Ages, and later under foreign rule when Romanian Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities were limited in how high or grand their stone buildings could be, the villagers built in wood instead and turned the material into art.
The riding here is slow and rewarding. The roads between villages are narrow and winding, mostly asphalt but patchy in places, with horse-drawn carts, cyclists and grazing animals sharing them. Do not push the pace. The best moments come when you stop beside a hayfield, switch off the engine and listen to the bells. Early autumn is lovely, with plum brandy being distilled in the yards and the hills turning orange, while spring brings meadows full of wildflowers. In rain the track to the church can be muddy, so keep to the paving.
You can usually find someone to open the church if you ask politely, and a small donation is appropriate. Dress modestly: covered shoulders and knees are respectful inside. Fuel is not a given in Șurdești, so use Baia Sprie or Baia Mare nearby, where there are proper stations, and fill up before you wander the side roads.
The local food is hearty, with cabbage rolls, polenta, smoked meats and sweet cheese pastries, often served with a glass of țuică, the plum spirit, which you should take in moderation if you are riding.