Hugh & Tammy had once again come this way from their home down under and I had arranged to join them in Romania to explore the capital Bucharest before taking a road trip around Transylvania.
Romania has a complicated history involving the Romans, the incursions of a diversity of ethnic nomads from all directions, with Transylvania becoming part of the Hungarian Kingdom, then came the Ottoman Empire and battling the Habsburgs before it it was Communist from 1945 until 1989, when the USSR collapsed and the Revolution overthrew Ceausescu. It then became democratic as it remains today. Transylvania was the most affected of the three main territories that included Wallachia (south) and Moldavia (east). It is now mostly reconstituted but bits have been lost along the way to Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine. Saxons (actually a wide range of German-speaking groups from several parts of Europe) were encouraged to settle in Transylvania from the 12th century but then endured waves of political persecution and economic hardship. This mixed fortune culminated in a mass exodus of some 800,000 in the 1970s and 80s, which left many villages with deserted homes and insufficient population to maintain the communities, creating a huge diaspora outside Romania. We visited some of them. The Saxons built around 300 fortified churches at the centre of their communities, surrounded by walls and bastions and into which the villagers could escape if under attack. The bastions were built by craft guilds - carpenters, tailors, shoemakers etc and some survive to this day.
We met in Bucharest then travelled by road to Brasov, Sighisoara, Turda, Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Curtea de Arges, before returning to Bucharest.
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| Romania |
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| Transylvania |
Our time in Bucharest was short, but we did manage to visit the Parliament Palace and see its Senate chamber, enjoy the Old Town and sample some local cuisine.
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| Parliament Palace |
The Parliament Palace was the pinnacle of Ceausescu's excesses and has a 'wedding cake' Soviet look about it. Called the People's House during Ceausescu’s regime, this building is, in fact, a symbol of the
old communist times, an extreme extravagance of ego. Thanks to its solid wood
furniture, 3,500 tonnes of crystal chandeliers, high ceilings, huge marble floors & columns and
other carefully chosen interior design elements for each room, it is
one of Bucharest's most visited places. Only 60% had been built at the time of
the Revolution and it was deeply resented as a symbol of the past era but it was cheaper to finish than abandon so it was
agreed it should be completed. It is the heaviest building & the 3rd largest administrative
building in the World, has 8 floors below ground and 9 above, and is so heavy it sinks 5mm every year, but evenly! It has parking for 20,000 cars underground!
It houses the two chambers of parliament, the Senate of which we saw, the Constitutional Court, three museums and an international conference centre. What we couldn't ascertain was the percentage of this vast building that is actually used. Research suggests as little as 30%, with the rest vacant, and only 400 of its planned 1,100 rooms have been finished and are used. It is of colossal scale in terms of acreage, volume, weight, ceiling height and finish.
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| Senate Chamber |
We went to a renowned Romanian restaurant in Bucharest and enjoyed a Butchers' Platter of mixed meats that included a fabulous lamb kebab, and a leg of lamb! In the course of other meals, we learned that Romanians do love their meat, but they are not so fussed about including vegetables without a special side order! It also tended to be rather overcooked in most cases.
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| Leg of lamb |
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| Butcher's Platter |
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| A balloon of bread! |
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| Replete diners! |
The Old Town is largely pedestrianised with cobbled streets, restaurants, bars with interesting architecture and is a delight to wander.
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| Book shop |
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| A hotel lobby |
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| CEC Bank |
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| Beer Hall |
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| 18th century monastery |
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| A nightcap! |
The streets were clean, there was little graffiti and there was a general feeling of prosperity that we were to find not only in Bucharest but also in the other places we visited. There appeared to be a sense of pride and there were many flags flying that signalled patriotism too. Card machines could be found in the smallest of outlets or stalls.
Leaving Bucharest and heading for Brazov, our first stop was Sinaia Monastery, where the Old Church was unfortunately shrouded in scaffolding for refurbishment. Nearby was Peles Castle, the favourite of King Carol I who spent 6 months of each year there, in the Carpathian Mountains. He was King of Romania in the late 19th century and oversaw its design and decoration with lots of carved panels, art, and furnishing. It was very impressive.
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| Peles Castle |
Then it was onward to Brasov. Founded in 1211 and fringed
by the peaks of the Southern Carpathian Mountains, it is resplendent with gothic,
baroque and renaissance architecture, and is one of the most beautiful and
visited places in Romania. It was founded by the Teutonic Knights, on an ancient Dacian
site. In the 13th century, Brasov was settled by the Saxons and
shortly became one of Transylvania's seven walled citadels.
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| Brazov central square |
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| Tampa Mountain |
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| View from Tampa Mountain |
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| Remains of the citadel wall and a bastion |
The central square was large and featured many bars and restaurants as well as the Black Church, so called because of blackened stonework from a fire in the 17th century. It is Lutheran, the cathedral of the city, and contains the Ottoman or Transylvanian Carpets, which were donated by merchants in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its 4,000 pipe organ is still in working order and played every day.
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| 4,000 pipe organ |
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| Ottoman Carpets |
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| Cantacuzino Castle |
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| For some, the signage does not apply |
Then we made a serious error of judgment, going to visit Bran Castle. It was heaving with people, even though we went late in the afternoon as recommended. It was a big mistake but once started we just had to move along with the crowd as there was no escape.
It is marketed outside Romania as Dracula's Castle, inspiration for Bram Stoker's novel, even though he never visited it. It is an striking structure rising from the hillside but overrun with tourists.
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| Bran Castle |
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| A bit like the queue on Mt Everest! |
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| Nose to tail |
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| Rain did not stop aperitifs! |
High on the hill in a commanding position is Rupea Castle, dating from the 17th century, on the way from Brasov to Sighisoara.Next was a surprise in the village of Viscri, when we visited Prince (King) Charles' house. There we learned that not only has he visited Romania 20 times, but he also has blood connections there. He is a great-great-great-great grandson of the 15th-century ruler Vlad III, also known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad served as the historical inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Through his paternal great-grandmother, Queen Mary, King Charles is a descendant of the Transylvanian aristocrat Countess Claudine Rhédey of Kis-Rhéde, who was born in Transylvania in the early 19th century. His father, Prince Philip, was a first cousin of Romania's last monarch, King Michael, with whom Charles shares childhood family memories.He has invested in the preservation of villages, conservation and farming in the area, through his foundation.
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A novel idea to draw & colour your picture
message and add it to a visitors' collection |
In Sighisoara, we were close to the access to the citadel, although it was up some steps, and it was also carnival weekend so it was busy. The citadel is on a hillside and a lot of the city wall remains, along with a clock tower and some bastions. |
| The Mayor (dark suit) and another VIP look on |
Next stop was the Turda Salt Mine, actually a number of collocated mines, which dates back to the 13th century. It ceased operations in 1932, was used as a shelter during WWII, then was a cheese storage facility until opening as a tourist attraction in 1992.What rather spoils it was the unimaginative lighting, the retail and theme park facilities, including a boating lake at the bottom of one mine! It was not as creatively presented as the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Krakow with its carvings, cathedral and historical artefacts. However, we did trundle in for a look, wary of the steps and surfaces covered with salt.
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| Boating Lake at the bottom of Terezia Mine |
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| Staircase and lift to Rudolf Mine |
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| Yuk! |
It was worth a look before we continued onwards to Alba Iulia and Sibiu to resume our (mostly, see later) historical focus.
The Transfagarasan Highway is a typical zigzag mountain road with many steep sharp bends as it winds its way up and then down. It is shut from Jun/Jul to Oct/Nov because of snow! We did manage to get to a cable car, which starts a point of closure, and view it as we rode up to Lake Balea, still mostly frozen.
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| Not all clear yet |
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| Lake Balea |
While wandering around the lake, I heard a motorcycle and thought it must be a maintenance person, but it turned out to the first of several Italian motorcyclists on off-road bikes, who had just ignored or ridden around the closure!We had checked the ticket price, but couldn't find a place to buy one before boarding for our ascent. At the top, there was a board showing it to be more than twice that advertised for the captives, then the same again to ride back down! We were not the only ones to notice this.
While driving to and from the cable car, we saw several brown bears on or beside the road, and some cubs. Inevitably, they stop the traffic and the phone cameras come to the fore! Despite warnings to the contrary, it seemed clear that they regarded humans as a possible source of food.
In Sibiu, we found another walled city with some parts remaining. It was also here that we again noticed the 'eyes' watching from the roofs and another ubiquitous Irish pub, but for oldies this time!
The historical focus was also broken by a visit to a fully automated Immersive Museum. The graphic and artistic effects were impressive, even if disorientating when they 'moved' the floor while you're walking!
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| Sibiu Square |
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| Those eyes again! |
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| Bridge of Lies |
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| Nightcap with snickers! |
En route from Sibiu to Curtea de Arges, our last stop, we visited two monasteries, the first of which was shrouded in scaffolding for refurbishment. The second had begun with a couple of monks from the first seeking a more pious and basic existence. They started off in cave cells, but the site has since developed into a large retreat for monks.
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| Cave cell |
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| Cabbage may be on the menu! |
Our last evening was enjoyed al fresco at a local restaurant a short walk from our hotel.
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| Hearty fayre, but with vegetables! |
It was finished off with a plum hooch, much like slivovitz, made by the restaurant owner, which packed quite a punch and cleared the passages!
All that remained was the journey to Bucharest airport, a flight to Frankfurt together, where we parted company. Hugh & Tammy connected to a flight onwards to Singapore for a stopover before the final leg back home, and I had an overnight stop at an airport hotel before my flight to Birmingham the next morning.
Romania had made its mark on us, the architecture, cleanliness, history and scenery, and that of Transylvania was a special part of it. We were surprised as well as pleased and, of course, the company enriched it along the way!
