Léa is a Paris based freelance creative manager. She cultivates a taste for everything creative, good food and some odd traditions from her native Lorraine. After some quality time studying and practicing her craft in Brussels and New York, she settled in Paris to work and develop industrial design projects. She recently launched her own activity, collaborating with creatives whose work she’s been following over the years. Always on the hunt for new encounters and talents, Léa loves to share her finds, dibs and dabs. 

Babou Maramures is the project of a young Dutch couple, Eveline and Matthijs, who set up a camping place/ hostel in Breb, Romania.

Both always had a thing for Romania and especially the northern part of the country, the area of Maramures. As great travelers, creating a place for people alike was almost a natural fit. After reading William Blacker’s “Along the enchanted way: a Romanian story”, Eveline  wanted to visit Breb, a village located at the foot of mount Gutâi, 150 km from the Ukrainian border.

They literally fell in love with the place and decided to focus their research on Breb. Through word of mouth, they found the perfect land with a 7000 m2 garden and a farm now transformed into a hostel. Beyond hosting people, the couple wants to create a genuine immersion for the campers. Visiting Breb is like stepping back in time. Most of its inhabitants are farmers and craftsmen. Babou Maramures aims to connect campers with the locals to learn about traditions, crafts and their everyday life.

Eveline and Matthijs are themselves very eager to learn from their neighbors. They built the farm and all the facilities only with the help of villagers, which consider them as “real Breb people”.

During our stay, we discovered traditional Romanian cuisine thanks to Ileana, a neighbor that sometimes cooks meals for the camping guests. She welcomes you with a nice table under the wooden kiosk that her husband built. It is important to note that the meal was almost only homemade ingredients. Bread, vegetables, cheese and meat comes from Ileana’s farm.

Being self-sufficient and living more conscious about their natural surrounding is a goal for the couple. They are committed to develop and share”a more satisfying way of life”.

A journey at Babou Maramures, is a retreat far from a city and its fast paced activity. You can finally relax because the time you are probably usually running after doesn’t exist in Breb. The only rhythm shaping the day is the path of the sun.

Léa Munsch

baboumaramures.com

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