FELT MAKING HANDICRAFT CAMP

          The Csiki Pension organizes handicraft camps for small groups (10-16 persons) all year long. All year long the most popular camp is the felt making camp. During the camp, apart from daily 4 to 8 hours of felt making training there is time for relaxing, taking part in excursions, for entertainment, for sport, for important discussions, and for eating and drinking together. The Csiki family welcomes you and will make sure that you have a good and meaningful time here. Your trainer Ms. Emese Csiki is pleased to share her knowledge with the guests. Our goal is to assure that guests feel good and we try to share with them not just our love but also our knowledge. We will try to find the most suitable time for your visit Younger or older people, anybody can come to learn from us. We expect visitors who like active respite, who beside learning this ancient technique, would also like to taste the local traditional foods and drinks,
           - are curious about the beauty of the Transylvanian nature,
           - who like to make sport, to have fun.
         We promise that you will get to know the "essentials" of Seklerland.

         Duration of the camp: 1 week.

         Dates: throughout the year as planned together with you.

         Place of camp: The camp is organized in Romania, Transylvania, Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) city, Street Petõfi Sándor No. 5. in the Csíki Pension. (www.csikipanzio.ro).
         * Read more about the city and its inhabitants below.
         Language: Accommodating to the requirement of the participants we organize camps in English, Hungarian or Romanian.
         Participants:
         The minimum number of participant is 10, the maximum number is 16 persons. There is no age limit. Small children and students under 14 should come in the company of an adult participant. Groups of students from (high)schools or universities are welkomed. We also expect large families (grandparents and nephews together). Staff of an institute or company, group of friends, pensioners, neighbors can have a nice and active stay in Transylvania now . We count on begginners but we also welcome advanced felt makers, who would be opened to share their knowledge with others.
         Suggested agenda of the camp:
           - 1st day. Arriving, settling in the accommodation, introduction, walking in Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda), eating and relaxing (free time).
           - 2nd day. 8:00 breakfast, 9:00-13:00 felt making, 13:00 lunch, relax, 15:00-19:00 felt making, 20:00 dinner, spare-time activity.
           - 3rd day. 8:00 breakfast, 9:00-13:00 felt making, 13:00 lunch, relax, 15:00-19:00 felt making, 20:00 dinner, spare-time activity.
           - 4th day. 8:00 breakfast, 9:00-13:00 felt making, 13:00 lunch, spere time activity , 20:00 dinner, spare-time activity.            - 5th day. 8:00 breakfast, 9:00-13:00 felt making, 13:00 lunch, spare time activity, 20:00 dinner, spare-time activity.
           - 6th day. 8:00 breakfast, one day trip, 20:00 farewell party.
           - 7th day. Breakfast and departure.
         Ideas for spare time activities:
         Cultural activities: theater, folk-dance, museum and gallery visiting, other current cultural events .
         Sport: traditional Hungarian martial art (archery, whiphandling, stick fight), horse riding, basketball, football, table tennis, tennis, wall-climbing, roller blading, swimming, fitness, in winter also skiing, snowboarding and ice skating.
         Short walks: hiking on the Csíksomlyó pilgrimage hill
         One-day long excursions:
         - Harghita mofettas (Pits with Sulfur) in summer
         - Skiing on the Hargita mountains in winter 20 km
         - Thermal pool in Szentegyháza (25 C) 20 km
         - Mineral water pool in Csíkzsögöd 6 km
         - St. Ana Lake 60 km
         - Red Lake and the Békási pass 70 km
         - Bear lake in Szováta 80 km
         - The Gyimes region 40 km
         - Bran castle (Dracula castle) 125 km
         - Any other beautiful place.
         Entertainments: darts, bowling, pool, soccer, chess, movie, dance, shopping, pub.
         The price of the spare time activities is not included in the camp's cost, so that is the participants' personal cost.
         We try to have some reductions for groups. Before the camp, we will discuss with the teamleader which activities are going to be on the agenda , so participants will be able to estimate the amount of the "pocket money" needed for it.
         Equipment:
         Depending on the weather warm or loose clothing. For felt making take an apron. Excursions, sports and leisure clothing and equipment required (swim wear, tennis rackets, roller skates, ski boards, skates, etc.). Normal hiking shoes, raincoat.
         Accommodation, 6 nights:
         The guests are accommodated in the Csíki Pension, in the center of Csíkszereda city, in rooms with one,two or three beds. Each rooms has bathroom, television and fridge. You can leave your car in the guarded parking place in front of the pension. There is possibility for grilling, eating, relaxing and sunbathing in the garden of the pension. The place of the felt making course is in the garden, under a covered porch in case the weather is warm. In colder periods we make felt in the training room of the pension.
         Meal, 6 days (breakfast, lunch, dinner):
         During this week you will have the chance to taste the local specialties, to enjoy the traditional Sekler kitchen. For sure you will get Kürtõskalács and caraway brandy, but just for those who are supposed to take alcohol. If there is any vegetarian or people with special request in the group, please mention it on the application form.
         Travel:
         You can travel by plain, train or bus to reach us. There are several airports close to us in Romania (Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Sibiu and the closest is Targu Mures). We help you to find the most suitable flight for traveling. We will organize a minibus to take you from the airport to Csíkszereda and to take you back to the airport.
         You can also travel by train. All trains stops in Miercurea Ciuc. We help you find the best connection. From the train station you can reach the pension with taxi or walking, when your bag is not too heavy. (10 minutes walking).
         You can come by bus or some small cars either.
         During the week we will undertake an one-day trip by bus. The destination of the excursion will be preliminary discussed before with the team leader. The cost of the trip depends on the distances and the number of people traveling in the bus.
         The travel costs are not included in the package of the camp.
         Package cost: 500€ / person
         The cost includes the accommodation, 3 meals a day, trainer, materials and equipments (for felt making).
         Not included: travel, excursion and pocket money.
         Planning and payment:
         Applications should be sent at least one month before the start of the camp, by sending the attached application form. After deciding on the time of the camp and planning together the final program, we calculate the cost of the excursion and estimate the pocket money also.
         The application is confirmed after transfering the 50% of the cost of the package (250 Euro/ person) and the rest of the payment can be done before or lates at arrival.

         The application form can be downloaded HERE

         For more information and any questions please contact Ms. Emese Csiki at +40 727 217 647 telephone number or write to the csiki.emese@csikifoundation.org e-mail address.
         According to the request of the quest we can organize other camps also in Transylvania: handicraft teaching (wood carving, leather craft, embroidery, lace making, beading, furniture painting) or visiting villages and learning from old people some almost forgotten skills.
         *Miercurea Ciuc (Csíkszereda) is a small city in middle of Romania, in Transylvania. The inhabitants of the city are about 40 000 people, and 90 % are Hungarian speaking people who call themselves Seklers (Székely). Seklers originate from the (felt making)Huns, Csaba, the son of Attila being their leader. Seklers always had a spoecial status during the Hungarian Kingdom. They lived in a fully autonomous region and status, which meant at that time, that they did not have to pay taxes to the king and they had their own laws and justice system, but they were responsible to go fighting in wars with their own horses and equipment. The lifestyle of the Seklers were similar to the Samurais. They were the best fighters of the king. During wars (that could last for years), they left their wifes and children at home, who managed to survive even when there were serious difficulties. That is why Seklers are very much able to survive even in the wildest periods because they learned to be self-sustainable. Signs of this self-sustainable life stile you can find back today in small villages, where people produce their own food and create their own tools and objects they need in and around the houses. This is the most valuable treasure of Seklerland, among the incredible rich bio-diversity of the land, and tourists can discover these in case they are opened to see this "simplicity" among the contradictory "disturbing" informations that they meet during a visit.
         Presently the Seklers are a minority in Romania which kept their own Hungarian language, culture and heritage including felt making very much alive.