TRANSYLVANIAN TRAIN TRUNDLINGS - Sighisoara and Sibiu, Romania

 ......our last blog post from our first thoughts about Bucharest and Brasov........

Old town of Sighisoara, Romania

Rich and a hedge

The train from Brasov further into Transylvania was another visual treat. This time agricultural scenes of green and yellow fields with pretty hills and sheep grazing in the distance formed the view out the window. Small villages with almost exclusively white Saxon-style church spires, red tiled roofs and the odd horse and cart appeared every few miles. We were shocked to see some extremely basic villages with houses made of rough bits of timber and seemingly populated by Roma people. 

Inside the Romanian train, Brasov to Sighisoara

Villages whizzing by our window, train from Brasov to Sighisoara, Romania

Scenic backyards in village, from the train, Romania

We'd booked a hostel online in Sighisoara, liking the look of the ancient building, and hoping there might be some other travellers up for a chat. What we found instead was an empty, soulless place with a cranky and rude proprietor. Since we had already paid for for five nights, we made the best of the situation. The building was indeed a relic of the medieval village, and smack bang in the middle of the old town, but the lack of atmosphere and the bad attitude of the owner was disappointing. 

Our hostel street, Sighisoara, Romania

Pretty Sighisoara is unique for it's completely and intensely intact citadel. The small cobblestoned centre inside the fortified walls and towers is a condensed preservation of the town as it was in medieval times. Only quaint small shops, cafes, restaurants and pensions in the old style are present, with all the main and modern shopping being down the hill in the downtown area. We're not sure how the colouring system works in such protected places, but each building was painted a different shade of pastel, and the results were charming. All traffic except essential vehicles seemed to be banned, so it was delightfully tranquil to stroll around.

Clock tower off the main square, Sighisoara, Romania

Sighisoara was settled in the 12th century by the Saxons, at the request of the King of Hungary, in order to fortify, protect and settle the town. The German/Saxon roots and influence on architecture and culture is still apparent in the town, particularly in the hillside cemetery, where names such as Schmitt, Muller and Wagner prevailed amongst the headstones. Our early morning walk there was enhanced by the twittering of so many songbirds. 

Old Saxon graveyard, Sighisoara, Romania

Spires and turrets of a myriad of houses, churches and fortifications dominated the skyline. The diminutive main square, Piata Cetatii, was home to a few handsome cafe/bars, which were a pleasant spot to sit, watch and enjoy an Ursus (Bear) beer. A few days into our visit there was an influx of young students into the town- if it hadn't been for them, the place would have been nearly empty. 

A pleasant place for a beer, Piata Cetatii, Sighisoara, Romania

An empty Piata Cetatii, Sighisoara, Romania

Although not many travellers about, Sighisoara was clearly a touristy place in busier times. We had a brochure for Medieval Minigolf thrust into our hands in the square, and were left wondering what that was all about. The Dracula tack was in full flow- T-shirts, souvenirs, Dracula's supposed birth room and some sad looking Dracula "experiences" with mannequins, creepy music and the story of Vlad's life (for more information about that myth, see our last blog post here). 

Dracula was here, Sighisoara, Romania

Statue of Vlad, Sighisoara, Romania

We best enjoyed the citadel first thing in the morning, before anyone else was up, and we had the place to ourselves to watch the sunrise and the light gradually glowing onto the medieval buildings on the hill. 

We escaped the centre for what we thought was going to be a stroll in an ancient oak forest on the outskirts of town. MapsMe, however, had other ideas, and took us on a hike up a vertical hill. As lovely as the views were, we were happy to arrive in the actual forest amongst the oak and beech trees, and on relatively flat ground again. A host of bugs accompanied us on our walk- bees, beetles, little flies and the odd butterfly. We had already happily noticed on previous walks how many insects are about in Romania. 

Resting on the hike up a hill, Sighisoara, Romania

Bears about! Sighisoara, Romania

Spring flowers, Sighisoara, Romania

Green oak and beech forest, Sighisoara, Romania

We slept badly at the hostel, especially when a group of Hungarian teenagers descended on the place for two nights, and weren't sad to leave early one morning. We were so excited upon our arrival in Sighisoara, we barely noticed the train station. At 6am on our departure day, however, it was a hovel, full of down and outs, some sleeping, some drunk, and the whole place reeked like sweat. No signs showed departing trains, the only thing that seemed to work in the building was the ear splitting speakers whenever an announcement blasted out. Worst of all it must be the only train station in Romania with no coffee machine! We were NOT happy! Luckily our train was on time and we jumped on when it arrived. Although the trip to Sibiu was only two hours, because of our lack of proper sleep for several days, it was spent in an uncomfortable, un-caffeinated daze, and our bodies ached when we alighted. What we remember of the scenery was misty farmland.

Sal trying not to be grumpy, early morning train Sighisoara to Sibiu, Romania

We were delighted to find our studio in a historic building in the Upper Town of Sibiu to be welcoming, clean, quiet and well equipped for cooking. Accommodation in Romania is a fair bit more expensive than what we would usually pay on our travels, and we hoped cooking our own meals would save a bit of dosh, and also allow us to eat some meals we had been missing. 

Lovely studio, Sibiu, Romania

Sibiu contrasted Sighisoara in it's grander size and it's more "lived in" feeling. The old city was separated in Lower Town and Upper town. Various picturesque lanes, bridges, passage ways and stairs connected the two, and part of a splendid wall with towers surrounded the entire medieval part. The Upper town historically was lived in by the upper class, and was dominated by market squares of various sizes, these days full of ritzy cafes and surrounded by museums. Lower town was primarily inhabited by tradesmen back in the day. Sibiu has the highest German population of all the towns in Transylvania, and has been a centre for the Saxons since it's founding in medieval times. 

Tranquil small streets of Sibiu, Romania

Decorated church archway, Sibiu, Romania

A man and his bike, Sibiu, Romania

Many staircases in Sibiu, Romania

The weather started warming up into a proper European late spring during our stay, and we were able to enjoy wandering, sitting in the parks and partaking in outdoor coffees and ice creams. One special evening was spent in a Baroque hall listening to a young pianist's rendition of Romanian composer George Enescu's sonata, in between Beethoven and Liszt works. Sibiu has always been famous for it's cultural activities- many famous composers of the 19th century played here, and nowadays it has it's own Philharmonic Orchestra.

Bar in a historic tunnel, Sibiu, Romania

Outdoor cafes, Sibiu, Romania

Two churches stood out for us, for different reasons. The Byzantine-style Orthodox Cathedral had an opulent interior, all gleaming with gold mosaics glowing with sunlight entering via the stained glass windows, and deep blue based paintings depicting uniquely Romanian biblical scenes on every surface. We sat happily in this place for some time soaking up the wonderful space and ambience.

Byzantine features, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania

Heavenly light shining in, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania

Freaky painting, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania

Love the carpet in this ceiling scene, Orthodox Cathedral, Sibiu, Romania

Conversely, the Gothic stylings of St Mary's Evangelical Lutheran church were downright weird. The colourful tiles on the exterior of the spire were appealing, but inside was another story. We've come across strange cherubs in churches before, most notably in Portugal's Baroque churches. But the baby carvings in Sibiu's Lutheran church were creepy and ugly, and combined with the skeletons, an evil-looking organ and a disquieting atmosphere in the building, we were happy to leave after only a brief look around. 

Interesting church decorations, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania

Ugly little characters, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania

At least the exterior was pretty, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania

Repulsive little babies, St Mary's Evangelical church, Sibiu, Romania

Our last day in Sibiu saw us becoming carried away at the local flea market, a much worthier affair than we were expecting. An overwhelming place with piles of old junk, clothes, food, tools, and many other items, we happily spend hours wandering and sticky-beaking into what everyone was doing, selling, buying and eating. The best thing was the local Romas dressed to the nines for a Sunday out, with gold, sparkling and colourful clothes and scarves for the women, and a cowboy look for the men with black hats and leather waistcoats. A weirdly huge amount of second hand work clothes, hi-viz vests etc took up a large portion of the items for sale, and we were interested to note, there was only a couple of stalls selling communist-era paraphernalia. Most other post-Communist/USSR countries we have visited have piles of old medals, military uniforms, badges and reading matter from the old times for sale in their flea markets, but Romania doesn't seem so keen on remembering that past. Food was on offer- the choice of BBQ meat, bread and beer. 

Cool dude selling junk, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania

Pork in different forms for sale, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania

All sorts for sale, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania

Roma men looking dapper, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania

Splendid Roma women's outfits, Flea Market, Sibiu, Romania

We realized the reason we like flea markets so much in foreign countries is the glimpse into the past and the tacky present, the reflection of what locals consider precious and worth keeping and buying. Culturally, it can speak volumes about a place.

Romanian men, in particular, love a hat. Most men favour either a trilby or fedora style, or the cowboy-like black Gypsy style with a broad brim to keep the sun off. 

Romanians love a hat!

We felt like we had only begun to scratch the surface in Transylvania, but from Sibiu we were to travel further north to the Maramures region, and hopefully experience some more wonderful, contrasting areas of Romania.

Loving the Romanian trains!

........next up- our favourite place yet- the little village of Breb in Maramures.......