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