Casa Anglia with Visions of Romania Bistrita

... frescos. Each is surrounded by a fortification and flowers growing around its courtyard. In our last monastery, the nuns are beginning mass. They are chanting. It is only us as observers in the tiny interior. Pretty amazing.

Since the nuns get out rarely and transport costs are very high relative to local salaries, Monica turns out to be the transport provider for many of them as they send goods to/from their ...

... me with the info on the one bus and calls to confirm that it will be running. Until this point, I was not even sure that it was possible (without backtracking way South to get around the mountains). Valerie, the only other person at the hostel, is on the same bus. The bus is an experience. It is a 7 hour trip and apparently such luxuries as shock absorbers are skipped. The music is awful, a mix of 50% Romanian folk, 30% urban, 20% euro-pop. The ride itself is beautiful. The ...

I wake at 4:30 for my train to Sighetu Marmatiei, the main town of the NW region of Romania, Maramures. I had packed a couple of yogurts which hits the spot and the coffee machine at the station actually is not bad.

Foggy as the sun just begins to emerge, a perfect backdrop for a train ride through Transylvania.

Train gets significantly colder as we head North and higher in altitude. I put on my down on top of my fleece. The trees are further along in ...

It is Sunday at everything except the churches are closed. CLuj has several large churches, one of which is broadcasting its sermon into the plaza. 20 people are standing outside, listening to the service while facing the church. Not sure why they don't go in.

I hike to the top of a hill for a great view. Two of the museums ...

... br>Costs are dropping dramatically. Bucharest is low, Brasov is lower and Sighisoara is really low. Beer is $1 at a bar. Main courses are $2-3.

50 Lei note ($17), no change. I am now buying high-quality meals for the cost of a single beer in Helsinki.

5 minutes after I order, an elderly woman delivers groceries, apparently for my lunch. I observed this in South America with restaurants not stocking much and sending out kids to buy the ...

... cheddar. The older locals don’t speak English. I try to buy small quantity but the sell it by the kilo (2.2 lbs). I ask for 300 grams from one guy. He shows me he has a scale (this is one of the balance types) with only two weights, half and full kilo so I buy a half kilo and later give plenty away to other backpackers. I also see bottles of a local alcohol that is colored purple and has lots of small berries floating in it. I get a taste it is pretty good. I am not sure what it ...

Located out of town, but close to the economic area of the city, BLACK TULIP, a four stars hotel, represents the perfect destination for those wishing to rest. I have appreciated the room atmosphere, the quality of the services...and the high degree of refinement of the cuisine.

Sibiu to Sighisoara. We took a secondary road. No construction, just horses and buggies. Sighisoara is really cute. It has a terrific 14th century clock tower, and is one of the few fully inhabited UNESCO world heritage sites. It is also the birthplace of Vlad Tepes. Walking through the houses in Sighisoara gave us our first indication of the colorful way rural Romanians paint the exteriors of their houses ...

It's been cold, wet and foggy and rainy since getting to Romania...ugggh. We motivated at an outrageously early time this am to get on our private transport to the train station for our 7 hour ride to Sighisoara. Due to time issues, the spirit of Mario Andretti temporarily entered the body of our unsuspecting van driver...thank goodness for Bonine my chewable travel sickness medicine. Whipping around corners on the ...

... of torture than anything else. Then, as today, people undoubtedly had a healthy dislike of visiting the doctor! Our driver had a late evening last night, and is having trouble getting started. We tease him about his nocturnal activities while loading the luggage, and eventually get on the road by 10:00am. We continue driving north toward the heart of Dracula country. Our first stop is a visit to the salt mine at Praid, where we take special busses crammed with tourists ...