© Jürgen Sauer

" Today, throughout much of their approximately 1,600-kilometer (thousand-mile) length and 200,000 square kilometer (77,220 mi²) area (both ranking second in Europe), and among their 16 to 18 million human inhabitants, the Carpathian Mountains preserve final vestiges of the 'old life' of Europe. Springtime still brings the sounds of bells, yells, whistles, and barks to the mountain slopes as shepherds and dogs guide cows, sheep, and goats to the lower pastures."

— pages 10-11, Into the Carpathians, Part 1
© Alan E. Sparks