Napoca 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.

... and is Dracula themed. Once settled we went out to see the sights including some Roman ruins and the usual churches. Due to the lack of local restaurants or fast food outlets we decided on using the complimentary room service and ordered our meal from the hotel’s restaurant. At least this way we save on the drinks and the meal ended up being quite reasonable at about $A20 ... gotta watch the budget!

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

... ja alempaa tieverkkoa. 80-luvulla päivänsä päättäneen hirmuhallitsijan kädenjälki on yhä surullisesti nähtävissä Romanian tieverkolla. Suuret infra-ajatukset eivät oikein ottaneet huomioon liikenteen kasvua, ympäristöasioita tai ei itse asiassa varmaan mitään muutakaan. Osoittaakseni jälleen, että en ole nukkunut kokousten aikana, voin kertoa täysin Romaniaan liittymättä Intiassa olevan 3,2 miljoonaa kilometriä maanteitä.

... we were cheated a bit by the pro-Hungarian bent of the professor. Obviously, the class being about Hungarian ethnography it makes sense that the focus of the trip was on Hungarian culture, and to be fair we did visit one ethnic Romanian village, but from the way things were presented and the selection of places we visited you'd think that Transylvania was entirely Hungarian, which is a shame really since it downplays the diversity that makes Transylvania such a special region.

... knapp bei Kasse sind, so dass sich unsere Pizzaauswahl doch ziemlich einschraenkt. Dafuer sind die Pizzen aber riesig. Wir gehen mit genau NULL Lei wieder aus dem Laden :-) Danach gibts noch einige Cocktails in sehr coolen stylischen rumaenischen Szenelaeden bevor wir uns auf den Weg zurueck zum Bahnhof machen. Unser Zug kommt ...

... at important times in their church life such as at confirmation or baptism. The church has seating in front and behind the pulpit. The women sit on one side the men on the other and the young people sit in the balcony. This church used to have a strong congregation, but after the years of communism it has shrunk like so many others. Now they cannot even afford to pay a bell ringer. We stayed with host families in a similar village with a larger ...

... amintiri, sa le pastrez proaspete cat mai mult timp. Am facut atatea poze si eu si fetitz, asa ca uite ca am sa pun aici toate miscellaneous pe care le-am adunat. In general geamuri si flori, ca-i pacat de ele. Acum va trebui sa-l corectez pe domnul blog, ca m-am apucat sa-l recitesc si vad ca-i jale... din viteza si fara a verifica niciodata nu ies treburi bune din prima. Am sa mai si updatez pe ici pe colo, cand mai prind niste timp, ca-i treaba multa cu ...

... and a long way down, with only smooth, salty walls to cling to. At the end of the mine, we hit a wall of smell: decomposing horse, 75 years after operations ceased. We quickly head out, passing an echo chamber on the way. Claps, finger snaps, and shouted exclamations bounce back to us 15-20 times. I've heard duck's quacks don't echo. If I'd had the bus driver's cassette, I could have tested that theory, or least thrown it into the abyss. In the ...