Paradis Tureni Hotel 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

... 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.

... 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 ...

... and a wood stove in lieu of heating. The people were incredibly welcoming and I'll never forget it. In addition to the small village we stayed at though we also traveled all over Transylvania, visiting the city of Cluj-Napoca and checking out other villages to meet traditional artisans and see such impressive sites as fortified Hungarian Protestant churches and traditional wooden Romanian Orthodox churches.

It was absolutely fascinating, though to be honest I ...

Right now I'm sitting on a waiting chair facing this open-doored room within which these well-dressed ladies are getting their toenails clipped. Keep in mind that even the sound of fingernails getting clipped makes my skin crawl, let alone toes, let alone stranger's toes. What am I doing here? Lisa's in the next room getting her back cracked by a bone cracker...chiropractor in our minds? His room is in the back of a hair salon and apparently a toenail salon as ...

... 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.

... the southern sides had best preserved their images. The paintings themselves are illustrations of biblical stories and various saints and/or martyrs. There were lots of depictions of severed heads still sporting halos. Several of the monasteries are run by nuns, who wear all black here, with little pillbox hats. Because these are still working religious buildings, indecent people like G are asked to cover their legs, so he had to wear a skirt or an apron, provided ...