Friday, May 15
Dear diary,
This was the third and last day of our trip. Early in the morning we left the hilly region of Buzău and headed west to Dâmbovița County. We went to Sinaia and from there followed the surprisingly good road leading straight to Turbăria Lăptici, a peat bog placed at high altitude in the Carpathian Mountains. It is a lovely area with breathtaking landscapes, and it's easy to reach even with a regular car. The Turbăria Lăptici Nature Reserve is placed in the Moroieni locality, in the north-eastern area of Dâmbovița County, at the altitude of 1500 m. It is part of the Bucegi National Park. Our last stop late in the afternoon was Lacul Vitioara placed in the Predeal-Sărari locality in Prahova County. From all the lakes we have seen this has the lowest altitude, 340 m, and is closest to the burial mounds that have been excavated in Prahova during the past eight years.
In a nutshell, during this trip we have made prospecting visits to several lakes, wetlands and one peatbog placed as close as possible to the plain areas where kurgans are found. The aim was to select two or three promising study areas, which could be cored to investigate the Holocene (focusing on the mid-Holocene) climatic and environmental changes.
At the end of the trip there are several persons whom we want to thank for their support. Our colleague Daniel Vereș from the Institute of Speleology in Cluj provided information regarding the lakes we visited and he was the one who gave us a starting point for our search. The manager of the Buzău County Museum, Daniel Costache, offered us his support and one SUV car that was vital for reaching the lakes and carrying the equipment. Daniel Garvăn spent two full days guiding us and actively helping us during our work, for which we sincerely thank him. Last but not least, all local authorities were open minded about our visit and promised to support us during the actual fieldwork this summer.
Useful links
Bucegi National Park
Turbăria Lăptici
