Living rural questions.

[Loopeend]

Not to insult Romania, the Sovietisticalized "government" from the end of the World War up to 1989 was (like her fellow subject-states) terrible at environmental protection. The current countries now have to deal with the wreckage and hidden dangers. I tried looking @ the ro-RO version of their environmental protection department but could not find any data on anything (non-native speaker, though). There may be data submitted to the European agencies they are part of you can query. Spend some postage on a freedom of information request? The watershed you can do via GIS.

Where I am, doing surface water for public use is much more controlled than ground water. I do not know what Dutch ground water is like or why it is restricted.

Well, it is not drinkable. You die.
We allways were a heavily build-country.
We were allowed to dig in our yard. Our next-to next-door neigbours were less lucky and had bought property with severly poluted soil due to an old iron factory or something a long time ago. They had to sell again because you have to pay to take that ground out for yourself and that can easily cost in the 10000's.
When we dig in our yard we found stuff older then 500 years ago. I think 20+ holders to put a mill in to dry your clothing, a lot of old parts of pots, jugs, plates, a bomb; which luckely turned out to be a weirly shaped cloth-drying-holder again (but it was bombed here, so always be carefull), coins, tools from all ages, a lot of asbestos dug in, a LOT of pig skeletons, one underbite of a human, and I kid you not; 1 whole car from 1920's. (unfortunately not whole enough that it was worth something...). The most ground is (ab)used for SO many years that it seeped into the groundwater.

We have a good drinking-water-system. It's clean without that chloride taste. But where we are planning to live in Romania we need a tank. OR pay for ourselves to be a part of the water-system (if it is drinkable and not too chlorided). Or find other ways.

I'm sure Romania has data on all that; but well, in Romanian. I could ask a friend to look it up.

Sidenote; This is not about the whole of Romania. Just the most rural parts. (which we don't have in the Netherlands because eveything is so full, we have semi-rural). City's and towns in Romania have all the luxery's you want. It's clean, good roads, good education, etc. It has high standards like in the 'west'. You will get shut down if you open a dirty restaarant Except the older generation everyone knows English. But you know how it goes; rural parts get everything a bit later. Filling holes in roads allways starts where they are the most used. How bigger and more rural, the later.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

It sounds like your entire COuntry is an archeological site.

 

[Beer can]

I'm trying to get awaaaay from Dutch people; not meeting more of them

(Joke/sarcasm offcourse)

If you tell me where you live and how it is I would consider that. I haven't visited where you live, but an bunch of other countries I did, and it is now; 1. Romania. 2. South Africa. 3. Portugal. You are absolutely welcome to change this top three, it's a reason I like this international forum so much because I get a glimps on how it is to live at other places on the world; but I can't promise it will work unless I actually visit it. But go ahead an try. You are more then welcome family-member

I don't remember posting that, must have been a 'PWI' (posting while under the intoxicated ) ......
Anyway, you've been a lot more places than I have. I'd like to visit the Netherlands someday, the town of Valkenburg to be exact and visit the ruins of the castle.

I went to school with a immigrant family from Romania, they came here during the 1980's, escaped, lucky to be alive. I just knew the kids initially went to school with them, now hear stories about the dad , I now work at the same place he did. Most amazing thing he saw on his arrival was after walking into a supermarket/food store, "They have food for dogs, food for dogs, couldn't believe it, was shocking the food for people but FOOD FOR DOGS!!"

A lot of people live what we call 'off the grid' here. Not the majority but plenty enough to make TV shows out of it. No electricity or common comforts, not much different than how we lived a hundred or less yrs ago. I and my family hunt and fish, have big gardens, raise our own livestock, even if it's just chickens we have or know a neighbor or friend who has beef or pork, maple syrup, honey, etc.
Root cellars are easy, smoke houses even easier.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

like beer can said, root cellars and smoke houses are great.

also i would highly suggest learning about the native plants and edibles, you never know when you might need to survive off the grid. also learn how to hunt and prepare food, biggest thing to worry about is safety of food and bacteria getting the right temps to kill of them.

and what are your air gun laws over there? can't Europe have like 12 ft lbs with no license? there quiet and make handy little squirrel/rabbit busters. heck even see guys using ones for raccoons to dispatch. (but there like 3 feet away),

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

You may wish to get copyies of the "Foxfire" series of books.

 

[Loopeend]

like beer can said, root cellars and smoke houses are great.

also i would highly suggest learning about the native plants and edibles, you never know when you might need to survive off the grid. also learn how to hunt and prepare food, biggest thing to worry about is safety of food and bacteria getting the right temps to kill of them.

and what are your air gun laws over there? can't Europe have like 12 ft lbs with no license? there quiet and make handy little squirrel/rabbit busters. heck even see guys using ones for raccoons to dispatch. (but there like 3 feet away),

Air guns are forbidden. knifes too. This can be different in Romania.
Thanks; you reminded me I have 0 knowdledge of mushrooms. It's forbidden over here to pick them. But it would be good to brush up on which you can or can not eat; if not for Romania just for always. Making a note.
Luckely the animals/plants are quite the same. And I know more then average what you can eat plantwise already (haven't tried yet, eveything picked here in 'the wild' you can be sure that someones dog peed over it, probably even more, and/or has been standing next to a busy roas, planting some edible wild plants this years in my garden to try so I can learn what to do with it) But I would probably see/meet animals over there; that you only see here in special reserve-nature-area's if you are lucky. Should brush up on that too. What to do when wild pigs ravish the place, foxes + flock, and maybe even bears and wolfs.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

Air guns are forbidden. knifes too. This can be different in Romania.
Thanks; you reminded me I have 0 knowdledge of mushrooms. It's forbidden over here to pick them. But it would be good to brush up on which you can or can not eat; if not for Romania just for always. Making a note.
Luckely the animals/plants are quite the same. And I know more then average what you can eat plantwise already (haven't tried yet, eveything picked here in 'the wild' you can be sure that someones dog peed over it, probably even more, and/or has been standing next to a busy roas, planting some edible wild plants this years in my garden to try so I can learn what to do with it) But I would probably see/meet animals over there; that you only see here in special reserve-nature-area's if you are lucky. Should brush up on that too. What to do when wild pigs ravish the place, foxes + flock, and maybe even bears and wolfs.

even knives are banned? weird, what about camping in the woods or walking on your own land?

for wild animals all am going to say is common sense. i go camping in areas that are just full of bears, wolves and i have even seen a mountain lion once. i would love to have my shotgun with me but i can't due to the fact am in a park, which equals no firearms. even though its classified as a wilderness park.

 

[Loopeend]

even knives are banned? weird, what about camping in the woods or walking on your own land?

for wild animals all am going to say is common sense. i go camping in areas that are just full of bears, wolves and i have even seen a mountain lion once. i would love to have my shotgun with me but i can't due to the fact am in a park, which equals no firearms. even though its classified as a wilderness park.

No. Only if you have a really good reason for it. A big knife to cut ropes while on a rockclimbing thing; okay. When you can proof it. Camping; no. Camping a swiss-army knife or some butterknives. (camping over here has nothing to do with nature, butterknives are the only ones you need haha). Actually just no. Stanley-knife when you need it for your work and áre in your work uniform and that's it.

Your common sence is not my common sence yet. I only heard through American movies/series what to do when encountering bigger wild animals we also have over here haha. But I'm sometimes scared I'll just freeze and block; my common sence leaves me.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

But I'm sometimes scared I'll just freeze and block; my common sence leaves me.

That is often my default, even for truly obvious things like a mouse in a trash Can.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

No. Only if you have a really good reason for it. A big knife to cut ropes while on a rockclimbing thing; okay. When you can proof it. Camping; no. Camping a swiss-army knife or some butterknives. (camping over here has nothing to do with nature, butterknives are the only ones you need haha). Actually just no. Stanley-knife when you need it for your work and áre in your work uniform and that's it.

Your common sence is not my common sence yet. I only heard through American movies/series what to do when encountering bigger wild animals we also have over here haha. But I'm sometimes scared I'll just freeze and block; my common sence leaves me.

don't worry i still worry about freezing up when i encounter a bear. but i have always been told to fear the bear you see. not sure the numbers but i would guess most bears run from you and you will never see them.

the one to fear is not the big battle scared boar/male. its mommy with cubs. she is very defensive of her cubs.

but your common sense will come haha,