Month: August 2018

Saturday, August 25

Our plan was to return to a bunch of places we weren’t able to see the first time we visited them.  These things happen.

The first place we went back to was the Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul but they were having a wedding so we just stood in the back and watched.  In the background we heard a solo soprano singing Panis Angelicus by Franck accompanied by an organ.  It was beautifully performed and added so much to the occasion.  We’ve seen so many weddings since we’ve been here.  The Summer is always a popular time to get hitched.  We’ll try again in a few days.

In keeping with the theme of  the day we returned to the Black Tower.  This time it was open and we were able to climb to the top and take pictures.  There was an art exhibition of works by Romanian artists on every floor that was fun to see.

Then we returned to the White Tower.  You can, of course, climb the stairs like we did the first time we were there but we found that there is a path connecting the Black and White Towers that is a much easier walk.  It’s a pleasant walk through the woods on a gradually sloping path.  This alternate path was never mentioned on any website that we’d seen.

The White Tower was also sponsoring an art exhibit of Romania artists.  These works all had QR codes that would link a smartphone to short films showing how the pieces were made.  It was all  part of the One Night Gallery organization that fuses art and technology.

On the way back to our apartment we stopped at the farmers’ market and picked up some more tomatoes.  We also got blueberries and nectarines.  Everything we’ve purchased from this market has been incredibly fresh and delicious.  It’s been such a treat.  We’ve had to train our bodies to eat fruits and vegetables again but it’s been worth it.

Later that evening we continued our tradition of Saturday Night Drink Your Dinner; it’s now one week old.  Our goal was to find a place that served a Brasov brewed lager called Ciuc.  We finally found a nice quiet restaurant near the front of the Black Church and settled in for the evening.  I ordered the beer and Deborah ordered a Cuba Libre (she wanted an Aperol Spritz but they were out of Aperol).  We also ordered a ham and cheese crepe.  The beer was light in color and in taste.  It wasn’t the best beer I ever had but it was quite drinkable.  After we finished the crepe (it was rather small) we split a plate of Spaghetti Carbonara. We haven’t had good Carbonara since we left Italy.

(Brasov’s Local Ciuc Beer)

Distance walked: 7.3 miles

Sunday, August 26

Today we climbed Tampa Mountain; it’s the large mountain that extends over the entire eastern part of the city.  At the top there is a lighted sign that the locals call The Hollywood Sign (it says, “Brasov”).

(Tampa Mountain)

At the summit there are a number of trails and nature walks but first you have to get there.  There is a steep trail with almost 200 stairs that goes along the spine of the mountain, there’s also a long switchback path up the face of the mountain and, for the faint of heart, there’s a 2.5 minute cable car ride.  We opted for the switchback route.

(Another Way To Go)

Mountain climbing doesn’t seem to be Deborah’s favorite sport.  She kept asking, “When is the fun going to start?” and was constantly on the lookout for snakes and bears.

(Five Minutes into the Hike)

The path up was rather narrow and rocky and at times somewhat slippery but we wound our way up in just under an hour.  It reminded me of a story from when we visited Masada in Israel some years ago.    Our driver, a man named Schlemi, was narrating the drive up the mountain and said…

It’s a long winding road that goes back and forth and back and forth.  Schlemi is going to screw you all the way to the top.

Once at the top we wandered over towards the famous sign.  There was an observation platform where everyone was admiring the view and taking selfies.  Back over near the cable car there was a small restaurant and we made use of their facilities before heading back down.  Deborah wanted to take the cable car but acceded to my desire to walk back down.

(We Made It!)

Back on Earth we headed over to a nearby restaurant that we’d previously scoped out called Restaurant Transylvania.  The menu featured local dishes and the prices seemed very reasonable.  I ordered Pork Transylvania which was pieces of pan fried meat with polenta covered by a fried egg and shredded cheese.  Deborah had a chicken schnitzel with a side of Romania potatoes (seasoned pan-fried slices of potato).  It tasted even better that it sounds.  We washed it all down with two bottles of sparkling water.  Service in most restaurants is glacial compared to what we’re used to in the U.S. but in this place our food came almost immediately.  It had obviously been prepared to order because it was steaming hot.  We’d like to know how they managed that.  The restaurant only takes cash but we didn’t care because the total bill was just 48 Lei (about $12).  It’s amazing that this restaurant is not more popular.  The service was great, the food was terrific and it’s just a block away from the main square.  We’re going to leave a great review on Google.  Get the word out!

Distance walked: 7.6 miles

Friday, August 24

We were warned that train service in Transylvania required “patience” but we decided to try our luck.  We had the option of going by bus but we prefer the train whenever possible.  The schedule was rather limited and we were forced to book tickets on the 6:08 am train, which meant that we would be getting up around 4:30 am.

Because we were taking such an early train we hoped to schedule a taxi the night before.  Unfortunately, none of the usual apps (Uber, Taxify, etc.) support advance reservations in this area.  We did try to call a taxi in the morning but none were available.  Luckily for us the train station is only about 1.5 miles from our apartment so we walked.  The streets were mostly quiet except for the occasional group of intoxicated youths who were just on their way home after a night of drinking.

The trip to Sibiu, a 2.5 hour trip by car, took almost four hours on the train.  It stopped at every single station along the way.  Still, it was a nice way to see the countryside.  The scenery was mostly rolling hills and fields of corn separated occasionally by a shepherd watching over a flock of sheep all backed by the Carpathian mountains.  From the station in Sibiu it was just a short walk to our destination: the old town district.

Sibiu is located about 90 miles due West of Brasov and  has a similar history.  In the 12th century it was the largest and richest of the so-called “Seven Cities” – the towns in Transylvania that the Saxons settled.  The Upper Town, occupied by the Saxons, was protected by high walls and towers while the Romanians lived in the unfortified Lower Town.  We had researched the city before setting out and were armed with a long list of things to see and do.

Upon entering the main town square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we noticed people scurrying about setting up for some sort of festival.  Watching other people at work always makes us hungry (it had been more than five hours since we’d had breakfast) so we walked over to the nearby small square and ordered cake and coffee at Lilli’s Cafe.  It was going to be another one of those four/five meal days.  We chose well.  In spite of the fact that the coffee was quite strong we liked it a lot and the homemade cakes were oh so delicious.

The first stop on our itinerary was the Lutheran Church.  It’s by far the city’s largest church and is famous for its richly decorated interior.  Construction began on this Gothic style church in 1351 and was completed about 150 years later.  It was originally a Catholic church but has since converted to Lutheranism.  The church was hosting a small exhibition on Anne Frank in the vestibule area but the main church was closed to visitors because of a two year renovation slated to be completed near the end of 2019.  The bell tower, which is said to have the best view of the city, was open and we planned to come back later and see it for ourselves.

Adjacent to the church is the Bridge of Lies.  This small pathway connects the Huet Square to the Small Square.  It is said that if you tell a lie while standing on the bridge the bridge will know and will make noises.  We stood in the middle and told some real whoppers but didn’t hear anything except the nearby cars.  Maybe you have to tell your lies in Romanian to get a reaction.

Next we visited the Roman Catholic church in the main square.  It’s a Baroque style building that was built in 1726.  The church recently underwent renovations and is in wonderful condition.  The interior is very pretty with many frescos and lots of beautiful stained glass windows.

Our third house of worship was the Orthodox Church which was just a few blocks away.  Eastern Orthodox is the religion that most Romanians practice.  The building was constructed between 1902 and 1906 in the neo-Byzantine style and is the second largest Orthodox Church in all of Romania.  We’d seen a lot of Orthodox Churches but this was one of the most beautiful we’ve encountered.  Every surface was painted with frescos of bible scenes and, as usual, there was a large wooden panel up front that held a myriad of icons.

(Orthodox Church)

After leaving the church we walked around to the East side of the city to see what was left of the original fortifications.  Originally the town had 39 towers, five bulwarks, four gates and five artillery batteries.  We found a  street that ran alongside a long stretch of the old wall where three towers from the 15th and 16th centuries still stand and have been fully restored.  We were not permitted to enter any of them.  We also wandered to several locations where some of the other towers were said to have stood but nothing of them remained.

(Medieval Fortifications)

Back in the main square the medieval festival was in full swing.  There were many vendors selling period style food, artisanal foods, candies and souvenirs. Near the town hall there was a display of medieval weapons.  I had a chance to swing a very heavy two-handed sword.  It’s hard to believe that knights laden with armor and weaponry could move at all.

(Knight Errant in Training)

Before eating lunch we went back to the Lutheran Church and climbed the bell tower.  The way up was via a very steep and narrow set of rickety wood stairs.  It felt like we were climbing a ladder.  It might have been a difficult climb expect for the fact that there were many landings and we frequently had to wait for others to pass before proceeding on up.  Along the way we encountered three large bells which are now electronically controlled.  Once at the top we were able to visit windows on all four sides of the tower.  We had a great view of the entire city and took lots of pictures.

For lunch we went to another restaurant in the little square called Crama Sibiana.  We shared a pork fillet Sibiu style and a cabbage salad.  The pork dish was similar to a cordon-bleu and came with something like a tartar sauce.  It was all very tasty.

(Pork Sibiu Style)

Next was a visit to the Brukenthal Palace / Museum which is billed as Transylvania’s finest art museum.  The palace was built in 1790 by Samuel Brukenthal who was then the governor of the province.  The house was opened as a museum in 1817 and was one of the first museums in Romania.  The museum has two permanent exhibits: The Palace & European Art Collection and a separate collection of Romanian Artists.  The cost for the first exhibit was 20 Lei per person and the second part was 6.  We opted to see the palace and the European collection.  At 40 Lei (about $10) it was a hefty price tag for the area.

The palace was a lovely building that seemed to go on and on.  We wouldn’t call it elaborate but all of the rooms had decorative ceilings with plaster medallions, gold leaf and original period furniture.  The collection included works by Ruebens, van Dyck and Bruegel.  Most of the works were removed to Bucharest during the communist occupation but all have since been returned. It was a very nice collection but we think some of the museums in Bucharest had higher quality works.

Upon leaving the palace we stopped to watch a blacksmith demonstration.  We saw him complete a sword and watched as he hammered and twisted a flatten piece of metal into a rose.   There was a large crowd and they all seemed to be having a great time.

We spent a few more hours walking around town before heading once again to the small square for some dinner at Lilli’s Cafe.  We ordered two iced coffee drinks and a shrimp bruschetta.  What we got were two hot coffee drinks with straws, one set of silverware and a shrimp and arugula salad with flat bread.  It was not what we expected but it was all exceptionally good.  The waiter, who seemed to be new, was probably better suited to another profession.

We ended the day by walking back to the train station by way of the Lower Town – the Romanian district.  The area is known for its houses with eyebrow windows.  By the time we got there it was after 5:00 pm and virtually all of the businesses had closed for the day and only a few restaurants were open for business.

The train back to Brasov was an express and took about three hours and fifteen minutes.  We decided to call a taxi for the trip back to our apartment and arrived back to our apartment around midnight.  It had been a long day.

Distance walked: 10.5 miles

Thursday, August 23

A few days ago we discovered a self-guided walking tour featuring many of the old medieval structures around Brasov.  When the Saxon’s arrived they fortified the city with a series of towers connected by sturdy walls to aid in the defense against invading forces.  Once a tower was completed it was assigned to a guild to stock it with supplies and maintain its structure.  The towers became known by the name of each guild.  There is a carpenter’s tower, a goldsmith’s tower and so forth.  Part of the old wall still remains and a number of the towers can still be seen.

The first structure we encountered was the Graft Bastion, built around 1515.  It’s a two story tower just outside the perimeter of the city wall.  We’re not sure what the “Graft” guild did but we think they may be running the bus lines today. 😉  There are stairs to get to the tower but it was closed for renovations.

(The Graft Bastion)

Nearby, up the hill, accessed by a long, steep staircase, was the White Tower.  It was constructed in 1494.  It has a commanding view of the area from the Southwest to the Southeast.  We heard that there was a great view from the fourth floor of the tower but it was closed because an art exposition was being prepared.  The climb to the tower was pretty difficult so we were somewhat disappointed but we were determined to come back and climb the tower on another day.

Not far from the White Tower we found the Black Tower, which dates from around the same time.  It was situated on a hillside and was accessible via a series of sloping paths.  It’s known as the Black Tower because it was covered in black soot from the fire of 1689.  It too was closed pending the installation of an art exhibit.😝

Given our late start it was now time to take a break for lunch.  Our host had recommended a restaurant near the city square in Piata George Enescu call Dei Frati.  It’s one of the highest rated restaurants in the entire town.  I ordered the daily special: spaghetti con vongole (spaghetti with clams); Deborah ordered a green salad with prosciutto, avocado and sectioned grapefruit with a balsamic dressing.  It was some of the best Italian food we’ve had since we left Italy.  At $21.98 (not including the tip), including two large bottles of sparkling water, it was one of the more expensive meals we’ve had in Transylvania but it’s likely that we’ll go back again.  We also found several other restaurants in the square that seemed interesting.  It’s good to have options.

(Spaghetti con Vongole)

Fun Fact: While most restaurants accept credit cards the tip must be paid separately in cash.  Only in restaurants that cater exclusively to the tourist trade can tips be put on a credit card.

After lunch we walked across to the Northeast side of town and continued the walking trail from the other direction.  Here, following the base of Mount Tampa, we found a long section of city wall and several old towers.  None of these towers were open to the public but it was a pleasant walk in the shadow of the mountain.

(The Carpenter’s Tower)

Of course, the entire outing was just an excuse to justify a trip back to our favorite pastry shop and get another chocolate blob.  In addition to the Grille Joffre (the chocolate blob) we tried another confection which resembled the chocolate blob but was covered with cocoa powder.  This new blob was more like a rich chocolate cake with candied orange pieces.  We ate it but still liked the original the best.  We washed it all down with two cappuccinos which were better than you would get in most coffee houses.

On the way out we picked up some cookies to keep our strength up for the walk home.  We left with 100 grams of iced gingerbread cookies, 100 grams of butter cookies with raisins (we thought they were chocolate chips) and a block of their house chocolate.  We were looking forward to dessert that evening.

We found a fantastic web site that does a great job of describing Brasov and several other cities in Transylvania.  If you want to know more click here.

Distance walked: 8.8 miles

Tuesday, August 21

Today we went to Bran Castle.  The castle is in the city of Bran, which is about 15 miles South West of Brasov.  It took 45 minutes to get there using the public bus system.  Our understanding was that a one way ticket was 7 Lei.  The trip to the castle cost 8 and it cost 7.5 to get back.  We strongly suspect graft and corruption.😉

(Majestic Bran Castle)

Bran Castle is one of the most popular sights to see in all of Transylvania mainly because of its association with Dracula.  Here’s a little background regarding the real life Dracula – he was never a vampire.  This is the short version of the story…

There was a real life historical figure in the late 1400s named Vlad III who was also known as Vlad Țepeș, Vlad the Impaler and Vlad Dracul.  In 1431 Vlad’s father was decorated by Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Hungary with the Order of the Dragon, Superior Class.  This was a Medieval knightly order aimed at defending the cross and destroying its enemies.  It’s symbol was a dragon.  In many languages the word for dragon is Dracul.  In Romanian, however, Dracul is translated as devil.  Vlad’s father proudly carried his dragon banner wherever he went but many locals believed him to be in league with the devil.  Vlad inherited the title from his father.

Vlad was also know as The Impaler because he tortured and executed his enemies in a pretty gruesome manner.  People would be hoisted onto a sharpened pole piercing them through the anus and chest cavity.  It was a horrible and painful way to die.  In 1462 Vlad’s army was in retreat from the invading Ottomans.  Vlad attempted to discourage the invaders by impaling 20,000 turks along the Ottoman path of march.  The Ottoman’s were horrified and fled.  They didn’t wish to fall prey to such a madman.

Bram Stoker never visited Romania but combined several myths and stories to create his novel.  He used Vlad’s reputation, stories about blood sucking South American vampire bats and the myth of the Romanian Strigoi, who have many characteristics that we have come to associate with vampires (and werewolves) to create his novel.

Vlad was ruler of Wallachia at three different times in 1448, 1456-1462 and 1476.  At one time he was imprisoned in Bran Castle; it was never his castle.  He is thought to have been assassinated  around 1476 by agents of the Ottoman Empire.  He is well known and beloved in Romania for defending Romania from the Ottomans and would likely never have been widely known if it hadn’t been for Bram Stoker’s book.

Construction on the castle began in 1211 and was completed in 1388.  Ownership changed many times but for hundreds of years it was an important border crossing point whose main function was collecting taxes.  In 1920, after the fall of the Habsburg Empire, the castle was given to Queen Maria of Romania who used it as a summer residence until her death in 1938 when it was inherited by her daughter the Princess Ileana.  In 1993 the castle was restored and opened as a museum and finally in 2009 ownership of the castle transferred back to the descendants of the Royal family: Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth.

(View from the Parapets)

Today the castle resembles its configuration from the 20th century.  The rooms are arranged as they would have been when Queen Maria was in residence with her family.  Most of the furniture on display was donated by the Royal family.

(The King’s Dining Room)

The interior of the castle is a labyrinth of whitewashed, plastered narrow corridors and steep steps that were overflowing with eager tourists.  There was lots of pushing and shoving and tempers flared more than once (and this was on a Tuesday).  The rooms are smaller than one would expect, which is likely because in Medieval times it was difficult to heat large rooms.  Every room contained a plaque explaining its function and was decorated with personal mementos of the Royal family.

The path through the castle ends in a very pretty little courtyard where there is an old well and access to the chapel.  The castle overlooks a garden that was designed by Queen Maria and includes a tea house which now serves as a public restaurant.

Tickets cost about $10 per person.  We also purchased the audio guides at $1.25 per person.  The audio guides really didn’t add much to our experience.

After visiting the castle and garden we were on the lookout for a place to have lunch.  There were quite a few restaurants near the castle but they were filled to capacity with hungry tourists.  We decided to walk a couple of blocks away and managed to find a lovely little restaurant that was attached to a small hotel.  We relaxed in the calm atmosphere of the shaded patio and enjoyed the fresh air (no one was smoking).  This was one of the best meals we’ve had in a while.

For an appetizer we ordered the Transylvanian Cheese Pie.  It’s two very thin pancakes stuffed with a mixture of sheep and goat cheeses with a liberal amount of dill that was baked until crisp.  Deborah had a tomato salad and I had a hamburger with fries.  Everything was freshly prepared with local ingredients and was absolutely delicious.

 

(Transylvanian Cheese Pie)

For dessert we shared a Romanian speciality: Papanasi.  It’s a light, eggy, sweetened dough that is first fried and then baked and covered with sour cream and fruit sauce.  Sometimes they are stuffed with jam, too, but this one wasn’t.  We should have ordered two!   Total cost: around $19.00.

(Papanasi for Dessert)

Distance walked: 8.1 miles

Sunday, August 19

Today’s big activity was a trip to the supermarket.  Our host had recommended the Billa near our apartment but it no longer exists.  We did find a Carrefour market nearby and settled for that on our first day in town. We have experience buying groceries all over Europe and Carrefour, a French chain, typically has a poor variety of goods and are notorious for their high prices.  We try to avoid them whenever possible.

Today we did our own research and found a Lidl supermarket just a few blocks away.  It was worth the trip.  Lidl is a German Supermarket Chain that has been in most of the countries we visited.  We first saw them in Bulgaria but we mainly shopped at the Billa that was close to our apartment.  Like so many American chains every Lidl store is setup the same way and carries the same goods so it is a familiar experience every time.  They also have great prices.

The entry way always has a large selection of chocolate bars, cookies and breakfast cereal.  Here in Brasov we purchased a 200 gram (almost a half pound) bar of white chocolate for 75 cents and a 100 gram bar of milk chocolate for 25 cents and while they’re not from big name companies they’re actually quite good.  A 400 gram jar of Nutella usually sells for between $7 and $8 in most stores.  In the Budapest Lidl it was about $4 and here in Brasov it was only $3.  In case you think we’re only eating chocolate, 500 grams (1.1 pounds) of ground beef cost us about $3.50.  Two medium sized  rolls of paper towels were about 45 cents.  Prices are not that good everywhere but they’re always better at Lidl.

(Cheap Chocolate)

In Bucharest it seemed like the only place to get groceries was at the Mega Image brand stores which were on just about every corner.  We thought that their logo looked exactly like the one from the Food Lion Supermarkets located primarily in southern U.S. states.  It turns out that Food Lion was founded in North Carolina but was purchased by the Belgium based Delhaize Group in 1974.  The Lion logo was introduced in 1982 when the name of the U.S. chain was changed to Food Lion. Use of the Lion was an homage to the founder, Ahold Delhaize, whose nickname was “The Lion”.

Distance walked: 5.0 miles

Monday, August 20

We went out to see some of the sights for ourselves.  The day started with a visit to the Church of the New Dormition of the Theotokos.  The church owns some property on the square and rents part of it to KFC and part to a pastry shop.  Access to the church is through a passage found between the two stores.  From a distance it looks like you can pray and eat chicken at the same time.

The area around the church doors is covered by old twisted vines that are a favorite hangout for the neighborhood cats.  We had fun watching them scamper along the vines while trying to avoid the tourists who were trying to pet them.  Inside the church is typically Eastern Orthodox.  It’s on the small side but very pretty and in excellent condition.  On Saturdays brides and grooms line up outside to get married but they’re careful not to look at one another because it’s bad luck.

Next we headed over to the Basilica of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.  It’s one of the larger Catholic Churches and, having been built in the late 18th century, is in the Baroque style.  The church was closed but we were able to peer inside and confirm that it is quite lovely  We’ll go back to see it another day.

Then we went back to that wonderful pastry shop to find out what “the chocolate blob” actually was.  They call it “Grille Joffre”.  Joffre Cake is buttermilk based chocolate cake filled with chocolate ganache and covered in chocolate buttercream.  It was invented by a famous pastry shop in Bucharest named Casa Capsa to honor a World War I hero named Marshall Joseph Joffre.   This version seems to be just the best part – the ganache.  We did visit Casa Capsa when we were in Bucharest.  We thought it was a chocolate shop but it turned out to be a fancy restaurant that also served high end pastries.  We didn’t eat there.

Our next visit was to the only synagogue in Town: Beth Israel.  In 1807 Rabbi Aaron ben Yehuda was given permission to live in the city – a privilege that had previously only been granted to Saxons.  The Jewish community was officially founded 19 years later and the synagogue was built in 1901.  In 1940 the Jewish population of Brasov was around 4,000 and in May 1944 all 150,000 Jews living in Transylvania were deported to Auschwitz where virtually none survived.  “Night”, by Elie Weisel, tells the story of the Jews in Transylvania during World War II.  It is a true story and an excellent read.  Today the Jewish population in Brasov numbers around 230.  To the right of the entrance of the synagogue you will find a lovely memorial to the Transylvanian Jews of World War II.

The interior of the synagogue is brightly decorated in blue and white eschewing the dark woods typically seen in similar buildings.  The interior was well lit by stained glass windows all long the walls depicting the coats of arms of cities from all over Israel.  We were told that this is an Ashkenazi congregation and that they hold services every Saturday morning.

(Synagogue Beth Israel)

Just a few feet from the synagogue is the famous Rope Street.  At just four feet wide is one of the narrowest streets in all of Europe.  In the Middle Ages houses were built right next to one another in long rows without any space in between.  Narrow streets / passages were ocassionally built in the middle to enable fireman to quickly get from one street to another.  Rope street was designed to be just wide enough to allow one person carrying two buckets full of water to pass through.  When we were there the street was closed for maintenance.  There was a large sheet of wood blocking the entire passage so we were not able to see anything at all.😣

Afterwards we walked through the gates demarking the Saxon portion of the city into the Romanian part of the city where we visited the Basilica of Saint Nicolas.  The incredibly picturesque church with high steeple towers is situated at the base of the mountain chain.  It looks like a picture from a fairy tale.

The church was first built out of wood in 1392 but was replaced with a stone structure in 1495.  It is a mix of Byzantine, Gothic and Baroque styles featuring a main tower and four smaller towers.  This configuration of towers was an important sign in the Middle Ages.  It meant that the king had granted the city the right to use capital punishment.  It was a warning to anyone entering the town to stay on the right side of the law.  Towers like these can be seen all over Europe.

(Saint Nicolas Church – Notice the Towers)

The Saxon portion of Brasov was protected from invaders by walls but the Romanian side was not.  In order to protect themselves the Romanians built a wall around the church.  In the event of an attack the nearby residents would flock to the church for protection.  This is known as a fortified church and examples can be been seen throughout Transylvania – mostly in smaller, poorer cities where the cities were not protected by high walls.  The cemetery on the church grounds contains a monument to and the grave of Nicolae Titulescu.  He was a Romanian finance minister, a foreign minister and the president of the League of Nations.  It was his request that he be buried in Transylvania.

Next to the church is the First Romanian School – the first school in Romania where students were taught in the Romanian language.  Today it is a museum. The school building was constructed in 1495 and the school opened shortly thereafter.  It continued to educate children until 1941.

The school contained one of the first printing presses in the region and provided books for the children.  The first printing press began operations in 1556 and used hand carved wooden plates.  It took three years to print one book.  The museum contained the first printing press and several subsequent presses that were used throughout the years.  The collection includes books produced on site, 4,000 rare books, several hundred rare documents and one of the oldest bibles printed on goat skin.  Also included in the collection were a number of music books written using the Byzantine musical notation.

(Music by George Ucenescu using Byzantine Notation)

After leaving the church grounds we decided to take a walk around the Romanian side of Town before indulging at an incredibly popular gelato stand.  It was definitely one of the best ice creams we’ve had since we left Italy.  We shared one scoop of chocolate banana.   It was fresh, creamy and full of flavor.

Distance walked: 8.1 miles

Friday, August 17

We took the train from Bucharest North Station to Brasov, in the heart of the Transylvania region.  We were warned that the train service in Romania is not up to the same standards as Western Europe but our trip was completely uneventful.  We even arrived a few minutes early.

The train station has a bad reputation and some really bad reviews but we found it to be bright, clean and very nice.  Like so many buildings in Bucharest it must have once been grand and elegant but it still retains much of its charm.  As is our habit we were over an hour early so we settled into “So Coffee” for some cappuccinos.

We’d been looking forward to this leg of our trip for quite some time.  Transylvania is well known for its association with Vampires and other dark legends and is reputed to have a completely different character from other parts of Romania.  Whereas most of modern day Romania was under Turkish rule for so many years Transylvania was part of Hungary and later under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until World War I.  After World War I Hungary claimed part of the territory and it didn’t become fully part of Romania until the end of World War II.

As our train progressed north the character of the landscape changed dramatically.  The scenery changed from urban to suburban sprawl to rich farmlands to lush green forested mountains.  Much of Transylvania is within the Carpathian Mountain range and our destination, Brasov, is nestled in a deep valley.  Immediately upon disembarking we were asked if we wanted help with our baggage – in French (do we look French?).  Later that day we were addressed in German and in Italian although most people were speaking Romanian.  This was going to be an interesting experience.

Our apartment is just a ten minute walk from the Old Town district and has a lovely balcony with a view of the nearby mountains.  The place is huge!  There are two bedrooms, a large kitchen with dishwasher and washing machine and a large living room with a nice selection of satellite TV stations.  Even the Internet service is fast.  On the down side it’s a fourth floor walkup but we certainly could use the exercise.  Did we forget to mention the air conditioner? We probably won’t really need it.  Whereas Bucharest was hot, humid and in the 90s just about every day, Brasov is in the mountains where there is a nice, fresh breeze and the temperatures stay in the 70s.

After settling in we walked over to the Old Town district.  We fell in love.  It’s a charming area with cobblestone streets and beautiful old style colorful  buildings.  There were so many interesting pastry shops that we knew we had our work cut of for us.  We stopped in one and ordered what looked like a large blob of chocolate.  It turned out to be a rich chocolate that was a cross between a fudge and a frosting.  Inside were finely chopped nuts and some kind of crystalized sugar.  It was wonderfully decadent.  We’re going to have to go back and find out what it’s called.  We also ordered two meringues filled with chocolate cream.  They were very good but couldn’t compare to the chocolate blob.

(Meringues and The Chocolate Blob)

We hit a grocery store on the way home.  Their selection of fruits and vegetables was poor so we were delighted to find a large farm stand directly in our path.  This wasn’t your typical mega-farm fare.  This was produce from small local farms and everything looked amazing.  We walked away with some apples, peaches and a half dozen ears of corn.  We had fresh corn with butter and salt for dinner and peaches for dessert.  Yum!

Distance walked: 4.4 miles

Saturday, August 18

We walked over to Old Town in the morning and had coffee in one of the many attractive cafes situated on the main pedestrian walkway.  Our cappuccinos came with a small, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie that was so delicious that we knew we had to come back later and try some of the pastries.

At 10:30 am we met the free tour in the main square.  Our guide, Simona, was an energetic young woman with a great sense of humor and a wealth of information about the city.  She explained that the part of the city that we were in was historically Saxon.  In the 11th century the king had invited Germans to the city to help promote trade and develop the city’s fortifications.   The Romanian part of the city was located outside of the walls.  This was a typical configuration for most of the cities in Transylvania and the reason you find so many fortified churches (more on that later).  Because of the ethnic make of the area there are three major religions here: Romanians follow the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Germans follow the Lutheran Church and the Hungarians follow the Catholic Church.  All three sects manage to co-exist and get along nicely.  We even spied a synagogue on our route.

The tour lasted almost 2.5 hours and gave us a great overview of the Town and the area in general.  As usual we’ll go back and visit all of these sights (and more) and report back in detail.

We had a late lunch at a Romania restaurant that our guide had recommended called Sergiana.  We got a complimentary plate of cracklings shortly after we sat down; they were served with a sliced raw red onion.  I ordered a pork loin stuffed with sausage and cheese that came with a side order of shredded potatoes with cheese, cheese sauce and a slab of bacon (you can never have too much pork or cheese in your diet).  Deborah ordered a chicken schnitzel covered in sesame seeds that came with a baked potato with dill and garlic sauce.  We didn’t have room for dessert.

(Pork with Pork and Cheese)

After lunch we went back to the apartment to rest before attending an organ concert at the Black Church at 6:00 pm.  The so-called Black Church is a large Gothic style church that was originally named The Church of Saint Mary.  Construction started in the late 14th century and was completed about 100 years later.  It was originally a Catholic church but was converted to the Lutheran faith in the late 17th century.  It is called “Black” because the outside stones turned black in the great fire of 1689.  They have since been cleaned.

Brasov was located at the crossroads of many important trades routes.  The city collected taxes of 20% on all transactions and was, for a while, a very wealthy place.  Many tradesman offered donations to the church during this period.  One of the most popular donations were handmade Persian rugs and as a result the Church has the second largest collection in the world (the largest is in Turkey).  The church also houses one of the largest organs in Europe.  It has over 4,000 pipes and contains over 74 registers.  Our guide said that humans can only hear 63 registers and that the others were for dogs.  It’s a very pet friendly city.😁

The church charges 10 Lei to enter but the cost for attending the concert was 12 so attending the concert really only cost us 2 Lei (about 50 cents).  The concert consisted of a piece by Lübeck (a Baroque period German composer), The Tocatta and Fugue in C Major by Bach and The Choral in E Major by Franck. We were grateful that it only lasted about 40 minutes.  The organist was pretty bad but the organ was magnificent.

After the concert we walked around the church.  In line with the Lutheran faith the church was rather sparsely decorated.  Lines of pews had been painted with the symbols of the German guilds.  The pews belonging to the richer guilds were in the front of the church.  Above the pews we saw a few dozen of the famous Persian rugs.  Many had beautiful and intricate patterns.

There is a well known fresco in the church of the Virgin Mary flanked by Saints Catherine and Barbara.  Mary’s dress was originally painted blue.  During the fire of 1689 most of the interior of the church was destroyed.  The fresco survived but the color of Mary’s dress was turned black.  Nothing else in the fresco was altered.  It is considered a sign that Mary is protecting the church and the city.

(The Black Madonna)

We decided to drink our dinner.  We’d heard about some local spirits and wanted to try them.  We found a local pub along the main pedestrian walkway and sat outside at a table underneath an umbrella.  We ordered a shot of Zetea and an Aperol Spritz.  Zetea, sometimes called Țuică, is a strong spirit originating in Transylvania made from fruit (typically plums) with an alcohol content of around 50%.  It tastes like straight whiskey with a fruity aftertaste.  Aperol Spritz is a common drink found all over Europe.  It’s very similar to a wine spritzer.  We also tried a local Brasov beer (technically an ale) called Mustata (Mustache).  It was surprisingly good (we’ve learned to steer clear of lager style beers.)  Just so we had something in our stomaches we also ordered a few appetizers: an assortment of bruschetta and some garlic bread with cheese.

(Brasov’s Mustata Beer)

We had originally intended to stay in Brasov for just ten days but since we’re enjoying the city so much we decided to extend our stay for an additional two weeks.  Belgrade will just have to wait.

Distance walked: 8.3 miles

Thursday, August 16

In the morning we caught up on some housekeeping.  In the evening we went out to the Stavropoleos Monastery Church.  The nuns there are renown for their singing of Byzantine chants during services.  The church even sells recordings on CD.

The complex consists of a small church building and a courtyard ringed by the monastery.  The church, whose patron saints are the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, was built in 1724.  Originally operations were financed by an Inn located on that site that was demolished in the 19th century.  Remnants can still be found in the courtyard.

(Monastery Courtyard)

The church itself is rather small, with twisted Solomonic style columns and colorful frescos inside and out.  As is typical in Eastern Orthodox churches there was no seating.  The services, run by the nuns, started with recitations followed by passages sung in Byzantine chant style in unison.  We listened for about 15 minutes before heading out to dinner.

(Main Altar)

Energiea, located in an old printing house, is a restaurant near the river in the Old Town district.  We found it using Google.  It’s a typical looking restaurant with a number of umbrella covered tables on the sidewalk and seating inside.  When we arrived all the outside tables were filled so we opted to sit inside.  Unlike so many European restaurants this one had air conditioning.

The restaurant is known for contemporary food and for its selection of craft beers.  The menu leans heavily on organic and locally sourced foods with a good selection of vegan entrees.  We ordered two of their specialty drinks: Jasmine Iced Tea with tapioca pearls, mango puree and fresh orange juice (it’s their version of bubble tea) and a homemade ginger soda made with honey and fresh lemon juice.

(Bubble Tea and Ginger Soda)

For the main course we had a rack of pork ribs that came with french fries, a side salad and a sour cream and dill based dipping sauce.  We also had a warm chicken salad with avocado, bacon and sour guava dressing.  There was a full rack of ribs and the plentiful french fries were hand cut from fresh potatoes.  The guava dressing was rather unusual but quite delicious.  It was a gourmet feast.  There was so much food we couldn’t finish it all (and that’s saying something).  It was a wonderful way to spend our last evening in Bucharest.

(Ribs for Dinner)

Distance walked: 2.7 miles

Tuesday, August 14

Another day of abusing tennis balls.  This will probably be my last time on the courts in Bucharest because we’re leaving soon for other destinations.

We booked ten days in Brasov, which is in the heart of Transylvania.  We intend to use that city as a base and do a number of day trips.  We’re really looking forward to this leg of the trip as it’s one of the main reasons we came to Romania in the first place.  After that we’re booked in Belgrade, Serbia for two weeks.  We plan to hop all through the Balkans until December when we finally reach Greece.  We don’t know which places we’re going to like the most so we’re just keeping our plans fluid for now.  As soon as we know where we’re going we’ll let you know.

Distance walked: 4.8 miles

Wednesday, August 15

Another trip to Latin Pizza for lunch.  We really like this place.  It’s a fun experience.  Their pizzas are large, rectangular blobs of handmade thin crust goodness.  They make over a dozen different types.  You pick the type and the size you want and they cut your portion using a pair of scissors – just like they did in Rome.  We ordered the margarita pizza and one covered in spicy sopressata salami.  It came to about one pound of food and we ate it all.

After lunch we stumbled onto some Romanian style donuts called gogosi that are typically sold out of small street windows.  They resemble calzones but are made from light, sweet dough.  Often they’re stuffed with fruit and sprinkled with powdered sugar but we got ones that were filled with Nutella and vanilla custard (and covered in powered sugar).  They were hot, fresh, greasy and oh so delicious.

(Gogosi – Romanian Donuts)

That evening we went out to a concert at the Romanian Athenaeum.  It’s an absolutely gorgeous neo-classical building that’s home to the Romanian Philharmonic.  The building was opened in 1888 but suffered significant damage during World War II.  It was fully restored after the war during the period of Soviet occupation.

(The Romanian Athenaeum)

The building has an incredibly impressive interior.  You enter into a large marble covered hall in the middle of a circular colonnade suitable for fancy receptions.  In the back you can see two sweeping staircases that outline a stage-like area where a full orchestra could entertain.  Access to the theater is through four unsupported circular staircases.  It’s a fairly small, round theater with seating for only about 800, but it’s a grand sight.  The ceiling is decorated with intricate patterns.  Art Nouveau style light fixtures cover the perimeter and all along the walls are frescos depicting the history of Romania.  You can take a paid tour of the building but, as usual, we preferred to see a concert there.

(Graceful Circular Staircase)

The Romanian Philharmonic has the summer off so we saw a concert from the Festivalul International VARA MAGICA.  The Summer Magic Festival is an annual event making its seventh appearance at the Romanian Athenaeum.  It comprises a number of different groups performing many different styles of music.  We saw The Romanian Youth Orchestra perform a program consisting of The Peer Gynt Suite, a short piece for Violin and Orchestra by a modern Romanian composer, a short piece for Cello and Orchestra by a modern Romanian composer, Bartok’s Romanian Dances and Symphony Number 5 by Tchaikovsky.

(Theater Interior)

It’s not clear how old the performers were but they appeared to be college age.  The string section was very strong, the woodwinds were good but the brass section left something to be desired.  The conductor, 71 year old Horia Andreescu, was a horror.  He gave the orchestra no direction, no cues, no beat and was about as unclear as could be.  The orchestra could have used his help in some difficult passages but none was forthcoming.  They played well in spite of him.

(Stage)

Distance walked: 3.7 miles

Sunday, August 12

On Saturday we picked up some Vietnamese takeout for dinner.  Even though the place is just across the street from our apartment this is the first time that we noticed it.  Everything looked great and the smell was wonderful.  We couldn’t resist.  We’re not 100% sure of what we ordered but we got three spring rolls (we asked for four but after some back and forth we came to realize that only three come in an order), some rice with chicken and vermicelli noodles with beef.  It was all really quite good.  It was a bit of a challenge to order because the staff in the restaurant spoke hardly any English and you know we don’t speak Vietnamese or Romanian!

(Vietnamese Food for Dinner)

We also picked up something for dessert.  Just a block away is a small Turkish cafe serving all sorts of goodies that we were introduced to in Bulgaria.  We bought some rose flavored Turkish Delight, vanilla flavored halavah and something called Kadaif Nuca, which we had never seen before.  The pastry was similar to a bird’s nest and the filling was similar to baklava but it had a crunchy top layer that was covered with nuts.  Of course the whole thing was drenched in honey syrup.  It didn’t stink!

(Turkish Desserts)

Continuing on our quest for interesting food we decided to go to the Mega Mall on Sunday.  It’s a rather large shopping mall that was built in 2015.  Deborah had been going through shopping withdrawal so this seemed like a kind thing to do.  The mall is about three miles from our apartment so it made for a nice stretch of the legs.  After yesterday’s feast we needed the exercise.

We scoped out the mall before heading to the food court.  What should we see there – Nadelya, our favorite pastry shop from our time in Bulgaria.  We were DEFINITELY going there for dessert.

(We ate at Dinner for Lunch!)

The food court had a huge selection.  Like so many places we’ve been one of the most popular places was KFC.  They also had a McDonalds, Taco Bell and Sbarros but of course we opted for something local.  We wound up getting our food from a place called, “Dinner (food)”.  Think My Cousin Vinny.  How could we resist?  We shared an order of fried cod and fried chicken.  They came with a cabbage and dill pickle salad and a rice pilaf with peppers.  Yeah, these people really love their carbs.

(Lunch at Dinner!)

Afterwards we headed over to Nadelya.  We were shocked to see the prices.  In Bulgaria we paid around $20.00 for two cappuccinos and two pieces of cake.  In Bulgaria that was a lot of money.  This time we ordered two fancy coffee drinks (cold lattes with caramel sauce) and two pieces of cake and the cost was only about $11.00.  It was the same cake we had eaten before and it was so very good.  We had one piece of the meringue cake (they called it  “French Kiss” in Bulgaria) and one piece of their signature “Nedelya” cake.  It’s a good thing that the mall is about three miles away or we’d be in real trouble.

(Dessert at Nedelya)

While we were at the mall Deborah desperately tried to buy a pair of shoes.  Her Tom’s died back in Dresden and she’s been on a hunt ever since.  It was only a matter of time before she reverted to her old habits.  One of the stores had a great sale on Tom’s but it turned out that the only sizes they had left were unsuitable.  She did manage to buy some socks and a watch band.  Some habits are hard to break.

Distance walked: 8.9 miles

Friday, August 10

I managed to find a nice little tennis club about 3.5 miles from the apartment in an area we had not yet explored.  Our host had recommended a club near the Spring Palace but since no one there ever answered the phone I was on my own.  I looked at it as an opportunity to try out the local bus system and to see some new parts of the city.

To use the bus you first have to buy a pass and then you have to put some money on it.  I had some trouble finding a place to purchase the card.  In frustration I went down to the Metro station but the woman in the ticket booth said, “Metro, no bus”.  I think that was all the English she knew but it was enough to tell me to look elsewhere.  I eventually found a ticket booth near the bus stop.  Again the woman spoke almost no English but after a short discourse I walked away with a pass loaded with two rides.  It’s not that we’re ugly Americans but we’ve been in so many countries where so many different languages are spoken that it’s impossible for us to keep up.  Can you imagine trying to learn Polish in just two weeks after you just spent a month in The Czech Republic?  Fortunately we’re rather creative and most people speak enough English that we’ve managed to get by quite well.

The bus drivers in this city are almost as crazy as the rest of the drivers (probably worse than Rome and rivaling New Jersey) but I managed to get to the club with an hour to spare.  The manager was very upset but was unable to tell me why.  Finally he phoned his boss and we had a nice chat.  They thought that I would be upset because I had to wait an hour for my coach to arrive.  I explained that I had no idea how long it would take me to get there, preferred to be early rather than late, and was not at all upset.  I don’t think they really believed me and insisted that I take a bottle of water while I waited.  I know that Romanians are always late so maybe this was new territory for them.

The manager, who said he spoke no more than 50 words of English, and I had a nice chat for about 45 minutes.  Between my Italian (Romanian and Italian are both Romance languages and are fairly similar) and his English we somehow managed to cover a lot of ground including his divorce, his education, our travels, The World Trade Center bombings, different tennis surfaces and pickpocketing.  We only resorted to Google translate once.  It must have been an amusing sight.

Finally my coach arrived and it was my turn to play.  It had been over six weeks since I held a racket and I had no idea what to expect.  For once I was pleasantly surprised.  My timing, footwork and ball control were all very good and I was hitting the ball with a lot of power.  Even my volleys seemed to work.  Two days on and six weeks off – maybe I finally found a routine that works for me.  It was a very hot day and I stopped to suck wind a few times but other than that it was a very pleasant experience.  I hope to go back at least one more time.

Coming home I just missed the bus so I decided to walk.  For over an hour I was at the mercy of the rush hour drivers but somehow managed to make it home alive.  Walking can be a very dangerous activity in this city.

It was a costly day.  The bus tickets (including the cost of the pass) totaled $1.07 and the tennis court and coach together cost a whopping $17.85.  I guess we’ll have to economize on dinner.😉

Distance walked: 5.4 miles

Saturday, August 11

Time for another museum!  Today we went to the home of one of Romania’s favorite sons:  George Enescu.  Enescu, born in 1881, was a music prodigy.  His primary instrument was the violin but he was also a respected pianist, composer and conductor.  At the tender age of seven he became the youngest ever to attend the Vienna Conservatory.  He continued his studies in Paris.

Initially Enescu was known as a gifted violinist.  He started composing at the age of five and throughout his life wrote pieces that featured the violin.  During his time in Vienna and Paris he was intimately associated with many famous musicians including Faure, Brahms and Massenet.  In 1923 he made his US debut by conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra and The New York Philharmonic.  He also had a number of violin students, the most famous of which was Yuhudi Menuhin.

(Enescu’s First Violin)

In 1937 Enescu married Maria Rosetti.  Maria was also known as the Princess Cantacuzino because of her previous marriage to Mihail Cantacuzino.  The Enescus lived in a palace located on Caela Victoriei which Maria inherited from her late husband’s father.  That house in is now the museum.

The museum has a small but very nice collection of memorabilia chronicling his life.  There were pictures from his time in school in Vienna and Paris, correspondence from other famous musicians and several original scores.  The collection includes several of his pianos and his very first violin.  There was a grand salon with a pair of pianos that is now used for chamber music performances.

The Cantacuzino Palace is a magnificent building in the French style.  Unfortunately, it is in poor repair and a few rooms are open to the public.  The house was used during the Soviet occupation as the Institute of Romanian Soviet Studies.  After George’s death in 1955 Maria donated the house to the State as a museum.  There is also a smaller three room house in the garden where the couple lived from 1945-46.  That house is also in poor condition and is not open to the public.

(The Cantacuzino Palace / George Enescu Museum)

For lunch we headed over to a cafe we read about online.  It’s called Dianei 4, which is also it’s address.  The restaurant has a reputation for excellent coffee drinks.  Deborah tried to order a Quesadilla but was told, “No”.  It turns out that that we could only order from the Brunch menu until 3:30 pm.  Instead we opted for two orders of Steak and Eggs which came with complementary coffee drinks.  Deborah ordered a cold Chocolate Latte and I ordered an EggNog latte.

(Chocolate and EggNog Coffees)

There was a lot of food. The plate contained two scrambled eggs, four pieces of marinated and grilled beef, a tossed green salad with balsamic dressing, fried potato wedges, home made seeded bread and some sort of dipping sauce (we have no idea what it was – it was like thousand island dressing with mustard).  Everything was delicious and we really liked the coffee drinks.  At $18.00 it was a bit pricey for these parts but we thought it was a good value.

(Steak and Eggs)

Distance walked: 4.9 miles