A Great Experience in Transylvania

Saturday, Aug. 28, 2009--Sighisoara

I was up at 7:00 for breakfast. Then I was off to the train station at 7:45. It took about 30 minutes to walk the 3 km (1.8 miles). That still gave me 45 minutes for buying my ticket and waiting for the train.

There were plenty of seats on the train, since Brasov is a big tourist town and many seats were vacated just before I got onto the train. At first, I was in a group of 4 people seated together--two facing two. That seating arrangement is uncomfortable, because there is not enough room for feet and legs. The feet end up battling for floor space. One of the ladies and I both moved so that we had more room elsewhere without someone sitting facing us.

I have started reading my last book. I brought 15 with me when I left home. The bad thing is that I still have 6 weeks of travel!! I'm hoping that Morocco or Venezuela will have some inexpensive used book stores that will have some quality literature in English. That's hoping for a LOT!!

I got a fantastic room in a historic building in the Old Town of Sighisoara. It has been completely remodeled and is quite luxurious. Outside, it is bright orange with pots of flowers. Inside the walls is a terrace that is covered by grapevines. My room is fresh and bright--new beds, new light fixtures, new TV (with lots of English channels), new bath fixtures, etc. The man and his wife who own it met me at the station. I got the room including breakfast for only $6 more per night than where I stayed in Brasov where the room was old, the TV was local only, and the bath had to be shared.

There was a British couple at my guest house whom I had seen yesterday in Bran and Rasnov. We started visiting, and I learned that they have been planning to take a year off work and do an around-the-world trip in a couple of years. She is a teacher, and he is studying to be one. We talked a long time, because they had many questions. As the day passed, I ran into them two more times, and both times they had thought of more questions. I gave them my e-mail address and encouraged them to write as more questions developed.

Sighisoara is one of the main stops on the tourist train through Transylvania. It has a very atmospheric old town on top of a hill. Unfortunately, right now the cobblestone streets in the area are being rebuilt, so it has lost some of its atmosphere temporarily due to that. And it also suffers from a problem that many cities in Romania share--allowing cars to park where they should be banned. It's not nice to see an old square surrounded by wonderful old buildings and every available vacant space of the square filled with parked autos!

Sighisoara is famous because Vlad Tepes (Count Dracula) lived there at least until the age of 4. The home where he lived is now a popular restaurant. I went into the downstairs area where they have a pastry shop. Of course it was a long time ago and the home was much different back when he lived there. But that bit of history is the main reason Sighisoara is on the tourist route. It it weren't for Vlad, it would not part of the Dracula Trail and would get far fewer tourists. It's old town is not a big area and can easily be explored in less than half a day. Brasov (where I was before here) and Sibiu (where I will be soon) are much bigger towns with much more to see and do.

I visited three museums. None of them were really worth it. The Torture Museum was really just a small room with some photos on the wall and about 5 exhibits of "equipment" used for torture. I can't believe they get away with charging people to enter it. At least the History Museum was in the town tower and gave some nice views across the city and had some exhibits that gave an idea of the history of the city.

A fast-food restaurant was open on a street where I was walking to return to the train station to check on schedules for tomorrow. I bought a schnitzel sandwich which was so delicious. It had two pieces of fried pork in crispy batter, tomatoes, cumcumbers, mayonnaise, mustard, and lettuce on a big bun. Then I got a cinnamon roll at a nearby bakery for dessert.

Much of the late afternoon, I returned to my room and watched part of the funeral service for Senator Ted Kennedy. Then in the evening, I went back out to see the old town with its atmospheric lighting. I wanted to get a snack while out. I had eaten the sandwich around 15:30, so I was hungry for something small. But all the fast food restaurants and small grocery shops were already closed. I returned to the room and ate one of the granola bars I carry in my bag for special situations like this.

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009--Sighisoara to Medias and Blajel/Basna

At the suggestion of Clemens, the Dutch man who shared my compartment on the train from Moldova last week, I decided to go to Blajel for the rest of the day and the evening. It proved to be one of the best decisions I could have made. It turned into one of the truly special days that becomes a highlight of my travels. Too much of what I have done lately has been to see tourist sights along the tourist trails. My experiences are always better when I get away to "local" areas where there are few, if any, tourists. That's what happened today.

I got up early for my breakfast which was very nice--a plate of 3s (3 slices of ham, 3 slices of tomato, 3 slices of cucumber, 3 slices of cheese--along with a boiled egg, bread, jam, honey, and coffee. Then I was in a rush to get down from Old Town to the station. With the cobblestone streets being rebuilt, I had to carry my bag much of the way down to "flat town." Still, I got to the station with 20 minutes to spare and bought my ticket.

The train was an OLD one. I'm sure it was used for many years during communism and has continued since then as a local train that people only take when they have to do so. Not many people were on it, especially since it was Sunday morning. One surprise was an old woman I had seen several times yesterday. She had gone around town asking for money and often got it because of her appearance. I do not think she actually dressed the part; I think it is her real look--the look of a witch. She has a big, crooked nose. She is stooped. She wears a dark scarf over her head, carries a cane, and wears an old native-style dress. I got photos of her that I can show when I am home. On the train, she did not have a ticket. I was surprised that she was traveling and not working the tourists in Sighisoara again.

My ticket was only to Medias, a rail junction. From there, I needed to make my way to Blajel. But Medias itself was a pleasant surprise. First, they were having their annual festival, and there were booths set up in the streets selling items. Almost all these booths were manned by Roma people. Unfortunately, it was still too early in the morning for there to be any crowds. And the food booths were just starting to get their charcoal fires going. Three of the booths were selling kurtoskalacs, a special pastry that is cylindrical and thin, cooked around a wooden form, and then coated with nuts or sugar. I had seen in Bran. There, the lines were too long for me to get one. Here, the stalls were not ready to make fresh ones yet.

Another surprise in Medias, however, was that it has one of the famous fortress churches of Romania. They are unique to here--churches that have fortress walls around their compounds to keep them secure from attack--and have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The one in Medias is not one of the famous ones, but it was my first chance to see one since they tend to be in smaller, out-of-the-way towns.

After exploring Medias, I started out of town toward Blajel, my real destination which is off the Lonely Planet route and which I understood to be about 5 km away and not to be available by bus (both of which proved to be untrue). After walking along the highway uphill for 3 km, however, I saw a sign showing it was still 6 km away. I started trying to thumb a ride, and the fourth car (and the one that was in the poorest condition and seemed to have the least successful owner) stopped and picked me up. It was a couple. When we got to Blajel, I tried to give them money for gasoline when I got out of the car (since my guidebook had said that people who pick up riders usually expect them to pay what the cost of the bus would be for the same travel), and they refused it. It's nice that there are good people in the world who do favors without expecting anything in return.

Clemens had told me that Blajel seemed to be a typical Romanian village. He had stopped there at a campground operated by fellow Netherlanders when driving through in his hippie van. He had told me the campground had rooms to rent, too. I entered a bar where I was let out of the car to ask directions to the campground. I thought I recalled Clemens telling me it was in the country north of town. A man with a beard halfway down his belly and a well-worn felt hat and traditional farmer's clothes sat at a table drinking a beer. I asked about the campground, but it was obvious he did not understand or had been drinking too long. What a character, though. Wish I could have gotten his photo.

I started walking northward and about 2 blocks later asked a woman. She had me turn around and follow her. The campground proved to be just beside the bar I had entered. We had just passed it when I was let out of the car. What a surprise.

The owners of the Doua Lumi campground were away, but some of their guests told me they would be back within an hour. I set my bags inside their office and took out my novel. I sat in a chair outside in the sunshine and read. I could hear roosters and chickens. Everything around us seemed to be farms. Near me, I could see the campground pool (which probably had COLD water), a couple of camping vans, a tent, and a couple sitting outside an apartment that is part of the building complex.

When the owners returned, they took me upstairs to a huge room with pine paneling and plain wooden floors. It had four beds in it and a seating area with two chairs and a table. The price for one person was less than 10 Euros (less than $14)per night. They told me that for another 3 Euros ($4.50) I could have breakfast which would consist of many local products and which they guaranteed guests to keep them full until dinner, so I took that, too.

Then I was off to explore Blajel. It's a small village filled with farm houses and three churches. And today just happened to be a special day. A wedding was taking place. In an ideal world, I would have found myself invited; unfortunately, this is not an ideal world. But it was still nice. I saw the musicians playing outside the hall and took a photo. Then as I went to explore the town, I found the church where the wedding was to be held. It had a line of old Romanian women sitting outside waiting for the procession. I walked up to the church to look inside, and it was filled with people waiting for the procession and the ceremony. There were ribbons on the pews. The chandeliers were lighted. And it was a beautiful church inside with the typical Romanian black walls with paintings on them.

I continued wandering through the town taking photos of farm houses. When I came to the edge of town, I turned around. I got back near the church just in time for the procession to be coming toward me. I took photos and watched along with everyone else. (I learned later that an employee at the campground knows the couple, so I will make some copies of my photos and send them to her after I get home to surprise the bridge and groom.)

All the old women in town were not at the church. There were old women dressed in local costume everywhere I went in town. There were also many men driving horse carts around. It makes it a very quaint place to visit.

The owners of the campground told me about another village nearby named Bazna which also has a fortified church. They suggested that it would be a good walk to there--about 7 km (4 mi) one-way. So off I went. Fortunately, the church grounds were open, so I explored that and then went through the village.

Just as I was leaving to return to Blajel, three people sitting at the only intersection in town asked me to take their photo. All of a sudden, other friends showed up and wanted their photos taken, too. These were Roma people. They were nice and being very friendly, so I was happy to take their photos and even asked for their address so I could send them copies. It's not often that I get photos of local people, since I am hesitant to direct my camea toward them. Two of the guys in this group were interesting, because they had slash marks on their arms. I've noticed since that other Roma men have these. One of the men spoke some Spanish and some German, so I could follow what he was trying to tell me and ask me. Eventually, I was ready to leave and excused myself. One reason I felt it was time was that the conversation had turned to the topic of low pay in Romania. These were the first Roma people who had spoken to me who had not tried to beg me for money. Therefore, I did not want our time together spoiled by it turning into another begging session. Fortunately, they smiled, said goodbye, and let me go on my way without requesting anything other than copies of the photos.

The owners of the campground had told me they give a welcome drink to their guests when they arrive. Because it is usually local wine, they suggested I have it after my sightseeing around the area. When I got back to the campground around 16:30 and started reading again in the courtyard, they brought me a half of a carafe of local white wine. I drank the wine and relaxed. Then the lady of the house showed up with a surprise for me. I had mentioned to her that I had missed the kurtoskalacs both in Bran and in Medias. They had been in Medias during the afternoon, and she had bought one. She brought me a slice, then she served slices to others in the campground. It was very tasty and good.

I eventually started visiting with a couple from Holland who had been there in the campground for two weeks. They were probably in their early 40s. He does training of emergency services employees. She hires people to work in homes operated for juvinile deliquents. They were both pleasant, nice people who want to come to America for a visit. Therefore, we talked about how they might do it, where they might go, etc.

The owners of the campground had told me a nice restaurant was just down the road, so I headed for Carisma. I ordered a dish they had recommended--ham and bean soup in a bread bowl. The bread was freshly baked and warm with a crispy, thick crust. It was cylindrical with the top sliced off and the inside scooped out. The soup was homemade and delicious, and the top, which was placed back over it, was chewy and great for eating with it. A side salad of red onions came with it, and I ordered a beer to drink. As I ate the soup, I included mushy bread that had softened inside. It was very delicious and good.

It began raining around 20:30. Fortunately, I was back in my room and reading. The day had been one of my better ones (and one which has the longest entry in my journal). Thanks, Clemens, for recommending Blajel to me. You proved yourself as a good travel advisor. In fact, since talking with Clemens and being here in Blajel where I have gone off the tourist track, I've been thinking it might be nice to travel more this way. I might even like having an old van of some kind to drive so I could stay at more campgrounds and go wherever I want to explore more the local life than the tourist scene.

Monday, Aug. 31, 2009--Blajel to Sibiu

There were still some clouds this morning, but the rain stopped around midnight last night. I slept fine, but I used my earplugs because of some traffic on the road and the realization that the roosters would be up earlier this morning than I would want to be.

The breakfast proved to be as nice as advertised. There was a marbled ham that was locally produced along with local cheese, local jam, tasty slices of local tomatoes, and a local thick sauce made with peppers, garlic, and other ingredients. I also had a soft-boiled egg, bread, butter, coffee, and orange juice.

I went to the bus stop to try to get a bus at 8:30 that would take me all the way from Blajel to Sibiu. However, the bus that came was not going that far. I waited, thinking there might be another bus following. The owner of the campground saw me and came out to ask what happened. Then he said he would come to take me to Medias in 5 minutes, but to leave if a bus for Sibiu came. When he arrived, another bus showed up. But it was not going to Sibiu either. Therefore, he took me and two other men at the stop into Medias. I tried to get a train I expected to leave about 9:20, but I was told the next train would be at 12:55! I rushed to the bus station. The first company I checked would not have a bus until 12:30! Fortunately, there was another company, and they had a bus scheduled at 9:15.

The Sibiu bus was packed. I had to stand all the way, moving further and further back in the bus as more and more standees came inside. Fortunately, the trip was only about 1 1/4 hours long.

My room was not available at the hotel yet, so I left my luggage and headed out to explore Sibiu. It is the nicest of the Transylvania towns I have visited so far with a much larger Old Town and much better preserved Old Town than any of the others.

I stared with a tour of the Biserica Evanghelica Church where two organists were rehearsing on two different organs so that there was a stereo sound effect. After seeing the church, I went to the top of its tower for wonderful views out over the city. I met Mustafa, a young man from Istanbul here for a training course who has the day off and was seeing the city himself. I wandered up and down the streets just admiring the well-restored architecture of the city.

It's now mid-afternoon. I will return to my hotel and move my bags into my room. Later, I'll probably go walk around the walls of the old city. The museums are closed today, so I am saving them for tomorrow.