Happy Birthday Harry V!
Barşov – Sighişoara – Cluj-Napoca, still in Romania
It is a travel day. 174 miles today as we are working our way back towards Budapest. We are scheduled to stop in Sighisora, a medieval towns with eleven towers, city walls, cobblestone streets, ancient houses and churches. Reputedly one of Romania’s prettiest towns. So, happens it is also the legendary birthplace of Vlad, the Impaler. It is also the film capital of Romania.
The morning got off to an early start. I was downstairs in the lobby shortly after 06:00. I worked on my blog, did my Italian and read the emails. Then the walker woman and her husband came down. Now, I should have just kept my AirPods on and pretended not to see them, however I made the mistake of saying good morning. She then began her spiel on how Cosmos lied to her. “There were only supposed by 27 people.” “It was supposed to be small group.” On and on and on. I feel had for her in that she doesn’t get the chance to participate in certain tours. There is no way she could have done Bran Castle, way too many stairs.
Honesty, we can do without the negative people. We all knew there were many stairs. It was in the description online before we agreed to buy the tour. What the heck, you are going to medieval villages and castles. Did you really expect to have moving sidewalks and elevators? Or everything completely accessible? There is just no arguing with a glass half full person. She would have more people to talk to and be willing to help her if she would get button her lip.
No tour would be complete without at least one negative Annie or Andy. Thank goodness have have only one. We do have Giovanni how thinks he is entitled to a prive tour, but he is harmless. Even the two guy who sit in front of and who talk incessantly can be overlooked. There are 34 people here. The bus isn’t “packed”. The brochure says no less than 10 and no more than 45.
Anyway we are off to Sighișoara located on the Târnava Mare River in the historic region of Transylvania. It is a popular tourist destination for its well-preserved old town, which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Yes, stairs and cobble stone roadways. The bus ride to get there was just over two hours. We rode though beautiful rolling hill and more farms. We passed a couple citadels along the way which look quite interesting. They probably haven’t been turned into tourist destinations yet.
Beginning in the 12th century German craftsmen and merchants known as the Transylvanian Saxons were invited by the then King of Hungary to settle and defend the frontier of his realm and improve the region's economy. The chronicler Krauss lists a Saxon settlement in present-day Sighișoara by 1191. A document of 1280 records a town built on the site of a Roman fort as Castrum Sexor "six-sided camp", referring to the fort's shape of an irregular hexagon. By 1337 Sighișoara had become a royal center for the kings, who awarded the settlement urban status in 1367 as the Civitas de Segusvar.
The town played an important strategic and commercial role at the edges of Central Europe for several centuries. Sighișoara became one of the most important urban centers with artisans from throughout the Holy Roman Empire visiting the settlement. The German artisans and craftsmen dominated the urban economy, as well as building the fortifications protecting it. It is estimated that during the 16th and 17th centuries Sighișoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches. The Wallachian voivode Vlad Dracul (father of Vlad the Impaler), who lived in exile in the town, had coins minted in the town and issued the first document listing the city’s Romanian name, Sighișoara.] The Romanian name is first attested in 1435, and derives from the Hungarian Segesvár, where vár is "fort".
Central Sighișoara has preserved in an exemplary way the features of a small medieval fortified town. Each year, a medieval Festival takes place in the old citadel in July. Shucks, missed it. In Eastern Europe and Southeastern Europe, Sighișoara is one of the few fortified towns that is still inhabited. There are two parts to the town. The medieval stronghold was built on top of a hill and is known as the Citadel (Cetatea). The lower town lies in the valley of Târnava Mare river. The houses inside Sighișoara Citadel show the main features of a craftsmen's town. However, there are some houses that belonged to the former patriciate, like the Venetian House and the House with Antlers.
We climbed the covered stairway up to the upper church in town. 174 stairs. It was quite interesting and invigorating. Of course, this is after we walked the half mile up the cobble stone road to to get to the main town square. So, the town square ins’t the highest place in the city. The highest place is the church and school, up the aforementioned 174 stairs. The stairs are covered so the school children don’t get wet in the rain.
At the top of the stairs, and up the cobble stone street, is the school. As we arrive it is apparently the beginning of the lunch break. The students, at least middle school and probably also high school were standing around, quite a few of them smoking, and a few going up and down the stairs. About a half hour later they just disappeared. Probably back into school.
It was 13:30 and we were back on the bus. We had stopped at a café in the main square and had another cappuccino and a piece of pie, apple for Mary and raspberry/walnut for me. This was our lunch. We understand it will be another 3 or 3-1/2 hours before we reach Cluj-Napoca. That’s ok it is nap time any way. I nodded off for the first hour easily. When I woke up Mary was still sleeping.
We stopped about an hour outside of Cluj-Napoca for a potty stop and for fuel for the bus. It was another OMV gas station. It is Friday and it seemed everyone was filling the car with gas for the weekend. The bus driver is amazing on how he can weave the bus through traffic and around other cars. It is really nice to have a driver like that.
We did get to Cluj-Napoca until nearly 15:30. There was some confusion as to where the bus should park, so it took extra long to get the bags off. I am not sure why but our bags were the last ones off the bus. Mary had gone ahead and checked in and gone up to the room while I waited for the bags.
There are two elevators, and 39 people to get there bags up to their rooms. I sat and waited until everyone else had gone before even attempting to get an elevator. We are on the third floor so I wasn’t walking up.
Cluj-Napoca is the second-most populous city in Romania. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest, Budapest and Belgrade. Located in the Someșul Mic river valley, the city is considered the unofficial capital of the historical providence of Transylvania. For some decades prior to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, it was the official capital of the Grand Principality of Transylvania.
The city is one of the most important academic, cultural, industrial and business centers in Romania. Among other institutions, it hosts the country's largest university, Babeș-Bolyai University, with its botanical garden; nationally renowned cultural institutions such as the National Theatre and Opera; as well as the largest Romanian-owned commercial bank. Cluj-Napoca held the titles of European Youth Capital in 2015, and European City of Sport in 2018. In 2021, the city joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and was named a UNESCO City of Film.
Historical names for the city, all related to or derived from "Cluj" in different languages, include Latin Claudiopolis, Italian Clausemburgo, Turkish Kaloşvar and Yiddish קלויזנבורג Kloyznburg or קלאזין Klazin. Napoca, the pre-Roman and Roman name of ancient settlements in the area of the modern city, was added to the historical and modern name of Cluj during Nicolae Ceaușescu's national-communist dictatorship as part of his myth-making efforts. This happened in 1974, when the communist authorities made this nationalist gesture with the goal of emphasizing the city's pre-Roman roots. The full name of "Cluj-Napoca" is rarely used outside of official contexts. The nickname "treasure city" was acquired in the late 16th century, and refers to the wealth amassed by residents from the precious metals trade.
Looks like we aren’t really going to see any of the city. Dinner is in the hotel at 18:30. We settled into the room. The star rating is still alluding me. This is a nice hotel. The room is clean and fairly good sized. But there is no kettle for warming water, no coffee machine, not even bottled water. This is not four stars. The toilets are square. An interesting choice.
Dinner is in the hotel in the lobby. We started with a carrot soup. Not bad. The main course was Wienerschnitzel with oven roasted potatoes. Very good. It got even better when Karan noticed that the other table managed to get some sweet chili sauce. Cranberry sauce would have been my alternative, but it wasn’t available. Dessert was a cream caramel like dish. Not bad but don’t need the sugar just before going to bed. It was 20:00 by the time we headed up to the room. It has been interesting to see and visit Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria. Not sure I will return to Serbia anytime soon, but I would like to return to Romania, and possibility Bulgaria.
Tomorrow is a long day. Nearly three hundred miles to Budapest. That easily translates into eight hours on the bus. We are departing at 08:15. If we are in Budapest by 18:00 I will be surprised. We have the Hungarian dinner and show tomorrow night. It will be a long day. Fortunately, our flight on Sunday isn’t until 15:00. Although sleeping in has never been my strong suit.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria
The covered stairway, about half way up. Still smiling.
Some views of and from Sighişoara
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