Victoria Cluj-Napoca

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

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.<br>

... 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&#8217;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).<br><br>The only good thing about Cluj was a brilliant candy store in which we spent a fair amount of money (for Romania).<br><br>Sighisoara to Cluj: one 2nd class ticket (3 hours) &#8211; 36.70 lei

... vialla. Ovi aukesikin sisäänpäin. Menköön aikaeron piikkiin. Onneksi ei yhtään hävettänyt, kun oven ulkopuolella seisoi tyrmistyneen näköinen siivooja. Huikkasin vain iloisesti huomenet ja poistuin arvokkaasti paikalta. Ei siitä sen enempää. Romanialaiset sapuskat ovat melko tuhteja. Päivällisillä eteen on kannettu samassa annoksessa makkaraa, kanaa, possua ja nautaa maissikakkujen ja paistinpottujen kera. Oikein hävett ...

... 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.<br>

... erst um 3:31 Uhr nachts. Unsere restlichen 10 Lei opfern wir dem Kaffeeautomaten am Bahnhof... aber irgendwie scheinen selbst die 5 Kaffee pro Person nicht mehr zu wirken. Als wir endlich im Zug sitzen (ein Achterabteil fuer uns alleine... endlich koennen wir uns breit machen) schlafen wir doch recht schnell ein. -- Eintrag by Susi--

... Impaler (Dracula). The views from the fortress overlooking a valley were gorgeous. Then we drove further into the Carpathian Mountains and we drove through some small villages and we saw some Gypsy Palaces, which are often very large, and beautiful, but unfinished. Many of them have beautiful tin roofs that stick out over the town. I really enjoyed driving through the small villages. Toward dusk the cattleherders were bringing the cattle back from ...

... jaanyt paljon kerrottavaa. Ihan kiva kaupunki, vaikka eihan se mikaan Brasov ole. Pari ihan hienoa kirkkoa loytyy ja muutama muu nakemisen arvoinen rakennus. Hostellilla ei tuntunut olevan ikina ketaan ja yksin ei tehnyt mieli lahtea sen enempaa tutustumaan bilekaupungin mainetta kantavan paikan yoelamaan, joten melkolailla selva juhannus tuli vietettya. Sunnuntaina illalla paikalle eksyi pari suomalaista lisaa.

... to venture into the Torture Museum (which cost 3 Lei to get in and 30 Lei to take pictures). A couple of people from our tour got in first, then told us not to waste our money. Apparently all the Torture Museum consisted of was a stone room with a pair of shackles on the wall. Those Romanians love to make a buck. Instead, Brit and I took a Bob Gander around town. We went in search (again) of cortisone cream ...