We now continued into Transylvania – towards our first overnight stop in Sighișoara or (to use the German name) Schäßburg.
With the region settled since Roman times, the city itself goes back to the 12th century, when immigrant Saxons established the town here. Many of the buildings in the historic city center today go back to a bit later in the 16th century.
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We had another long travel day ahead of us. George proposed an alternate routing passing through Baia Mare (including an option to taste cookies made by his mother) and Turda. Turda was a big surprise to all of us … … Continue reading
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We now had a full day in Maramures. We kicked it off in the morning with a visit to the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța – famous for its wooden crosses telling and depicting scenes of the dead person’s life … … Continue reading
We continued the journey by train in the early afternoon … from Debrecen – crossing the Hungary/Romania border (thus leaving the Schengen area) – to Satu Mare … a train trip of a bit more than three hours.
In Satu Mare a van was waiting for us – to continue the journey to Vadu Izei by road … another good two hours. We finally made it in the evening … with a great dinner (traditional Romanian fare) waiting for us.
This next day was a long travel day; we left Eger in the morning by bus, making our way to Debrecen (about three hours) … our first (and only) stop-over for the day … a few hours to explore town and get ready for the ride into Romania.
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The tour now officially had started. We left Budapest by train Monday morning … our first destination being Eger, featuring a nice old town, a castle – and being famous for its grand red wines. We made it into Eger … Continue reading
The planning for my summer vacation this year did not work out as desired; I basically changed my plans in the last minute and as such saw me in early August to decide what to do in September.
I reviewed my options and decided to stay in Europe this time … Eastern Europe being the destination – Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and a flying visit of the European part of Turkey.
A short flight got me into Budapest … my third time in Budapest … so no stress, just going with the flowing and enjoying this great city (which remains to be my favorite European big city).
A business meeting did bring me back to Raleigh, North Carolina.
Below some impressions from my short connecting flight from Charlotte to Raleigh featuring some amazing cloud formations …
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I spent this weekend in Middle Rhine Valley with a couple of friends. Purpose of the visit was to go for a hike from Kaub to St.Goarshausen along what is probably the most dramatic landscape along the middle portion of … Continue reading
A visit of Cologne had been on my list for quiet some time now, however I never actually made it there – despite of Cologne being home to one of the most impressive buildings in all Germany (if not the most impressive one) – the Cologne Cathedral.
A special offer by the German rail company now made me consider and I ended up buying a ticket and headed for a trip to Cologne. During my visit I – obviously – spent some time in and on top of the Cathedral; beside that I also did a city tour and spent some time getting lost (i.e. exploring) on myself. Below some photographic evidence.
