Continental Cluj-Napoca

... closed but I find the art museum open. Some of the paintings make me feel as though I am in Transylvania with portraits of people with white faces, coming right out of horror movies.

I spend the afternoon with the locals at a café, working on photos. Nightlife looks really good but I have to get some sleep for my early train.

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.

... is a fortified town and the citadel is on the World Heritage List. Buildings of interest included a lovely Clock Tower built in 1360, a very long, very old (1640), covered staircase and the Church on the Hill. We indulged in an ice cream and an apple strudel before heading on to Turda. We arrived in Turda and asked directions at the Information office to our hotel. It’s called the Hunter Prince ...

The train from Sighisoara to Cluj Napoca was another sauna experience. I had opened the window, but the elderly woman in our berth asked me to close it (though she herself was sweating).

The only good thing about Cluj was a brilliant candy store in which we spent a fair amount of money (for Romania).

Sighisoara to Cluj: one 2nd class ticket (3 hours) – 36.70 lei

... maissa kokemaani vanhan hyvän ajan palveluun, jossa koko palvelutapahtuma soljuu yhtenä ketjuna eteenpäin. Miinuspuolelle menee jälleen tupakointi sisätiloissa: joka paikassa savustetaan ilmaa kuin viimeistä päivää. Ei auta itku markkinoilla, mutta tulipa sitten jälleen otettua silkki- ja pellavavaatteita mukaan, jotka imaisevat kaikki käryt itseensä. No, oma moka. Huomenna pitäisi lähteä tekniselle vierailulle äimistelemään ...

... avea dreptate, era clar un abuz.
Si se pune si suna la presa, si cheama ziaristii si organizeaza conferinta de presa si face copie dupa document la toata lumea, si mai si ameninta ca da in judecata primaria Cluj daca nu primeste autorizatie de constructie.
Dupa o luna vine DNA-ul cu mandat de perchezitie la sediul firmei si in masina lui. Si ce crezi ca gasesc in masina lui? O servieta plina ...

Another delightful day in Romania...I really like this country...and the people smile at you...greet you warmly...even strangers on the road. Although I'm getting a bit of a one-sided view so far...that being the Hungarian perspective. As I believe I've said, Transylvania is a region that has gone back and forth between Hungary and Romania a few times...it's got a significant number of Hungarians within its boundaries that still strongly identify with ...

... paying guest, I've ever been made to feel like an inconvenience before. The best thing to come of my time in Cluj was that I finally got around to replacing my shoes. Though loath to let them go, the past three weeks of trudging around in snow hasn't done wonders for them, and the holes were becoming just a little too prominent for comfort. So I am now the proud owner of a pair of big, fur-lined, toasty warm boots. Hooray for cheap markets!

... closer to the original Latin than French, if deviant in the opposite direction. The funny thing is that Latin characteristics show up in other aspects of the culture, like red tile roofs and city-center parks. All in all Cluj-Napoca is nice, though without any obvious tourists or attractions.

... Inside the walls lays a beautifuly preserved town of cobblestone streets and pastel coloured crumbling buildings. One of the towers housed the massive clock tower still housing the original 1648 clock.