Sucevita Monastery was in full festival swing, probably unimaginable when the place was founded in 1584. There were carousels, food vendors, medieval contests, souvenir hawkers, crowds and police thronging the entry area. However, inside the gates, all was calm. I even forgot about the party until I left the monastery. The claim to fame in Suceviata was the Ladder of Virtue mural covering the northern wall. A host of angles escorted the righteous up a ladder to heaven. However, there were also sinners who fell through the rungs and into the arms of grinning devils.