Continental Sibiu

Gustavo and I decide to rent a car to make the most of the area. Trains are very inefficient for partial day excursions. They do really well on big city to big city connections.

We arrive in Rasnov. We don't see any signs to the fortress then we turn around and there it is, up on the hill. The tourist agency is supposed to be open (according to the sign) but no one is there. This is another common characteristic in Romania, offices being closed when they are supposed to be open ...

Sibiu is a delightful city, small - about 250 000 people, but ready to make your staying one of the best in Romania.
The city, on its German name Hermannstadt, was founded in the 12 century and in 2007 was Cultural European Capital.
The Bruckenthal Palace in the Big Plaza, today an art museum and the Evangelic Cathedral are worth a 2-3 hour visit.
Also, climbing all the way up in the Council Tower , the 12 century gate of SIbiu, let us see the city from above.
Great place!

... I've had either meatball or bean. Follow that with very tender pork in a light paprika sauce. At the end, I have as much as I want of whatever pastry is available, the most notable one being a sort of pound cake with a layer of apple, whipped cream, and berries on top. I ate nearly a meal's worth of just the dessert at the last family-style meal. The local liquor is palinka, which honestly is like most anyone's local liquor to ...

... he stopped harrassing this one cat.

I have two roommates tonight. They are two girls from Montreal backpacking through Eastern Europe. They are also doing some couchsurfing along the way as well. They said that they have had some amazing experiences from it as well. It really is a great thing and I wished I would have done more of it. Next time I come back to Europe I will. I am already thinking that I would love to check out the Balkan countries.

... course to the dramatic view of the Fagaras mountain range (I believe it is the Fagaras).

Once I got to Sibiu it was a close walk to my hostel. The hostel has a really neat vibe to it and I was happy to see that I have a whole dorm to myself. It doesn't have security lockers so I am not too happy about that. At least I can lock my room. I desperately needed laundry done and I was able to do it here a few dollars.

Walking ...

... office, Kimby will appreciate this...the day before I was turned away again with my box, need to go to the customs office that closed a half hour before. Went to the customs office the next morning in the pouring rain and for the first time after four attempts, walked out of there without the box in my hand. what a relief!!! Headed to Sighisoara, a beautiful old citadel city. I stayed in a zimmer (wasn't a widow) in a ...

... like the towns in Germany. Was interesting to see how the Saxons, how moved in the 12th centurie to here, designed the region. I arrived to the right time in Brasov - there is 1 week beer festival. I added fotos to the previous entries!! It was possible to down load fotos in that internet cafe.

... New Balance sneaker. It squished as I slipped it back on. Yet the mud eventually became less and less and the walk turned into a nice stroll in the woods. Soon we emerged on to a solid path on the other side of the small mountain and descended into a sprawling valley. On a hill ahead I saw a power line. Biertan must be close, I exclaimed. And it was, we would soon find out. It was probably not more than 3 kilometers ahead, which would have gone smoothly if not for the sound of ...

We got off the train at Timisoara. It was a beautiful day, certainly, and I was excited at the prospect of finally seeing a bit of Romania, although I had briefly wondered if I would ever make it into the country. The Romanian customs lady hassled me about my black and white passport photo. It seems they should be color, and I'll admit I've never seen another one that is black and white. She examined it for about 20 minutes, making several calls on her radio, and then ...

... get back, so we went down. Whilst standing on the corner, waiting for the bus, a car pulled up, some locals jumped in. The driver shouted Brasov at us, so we had a nice quicker ride back. This hitching in Romania is the way to go !!!!! I did enjoy Transylvania and would recommend you all to go. It has been spoilt now, but prices are still cheap, so, if you fancy a little vampire hunting, well, actually, most of the girls in Romania dress a little vampy, you all know what to do !!!!!