We made it back to Brasov in the evening; in time to head out and visit the local Oktoberfest for some beers, sausages and other treats.
Bran Castle
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Our final stop for the day was in Bran – for Bran Castle – also known as Dracula Castle … and one of the drivers for people to come here. The castle itself goes back to the 14th century, built … Continue reading
Peleș Castle & Râșnov Citadel
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This Sunday saw us heading out for castles and citadels. We started early in the morning, first making it to Peleș Castle. Built only in the late 19th / early 20th century in German Renaissance style, this castle was the … Continue reading
Brasov
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After a good breakfast in Viscri (with an amazing rhubarb jam) we continued our journey to Brasov or Kronstadt – a good one hour drive away. Brasov is yet another city with Germanic roots – founded in the 13th century … Continue reading
Viscri
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Arriving in Viscri felt like stepping back in time … Our bed rooms were essentially old farmhouse parlors, in many cases complete with furniture and decoration from as far back as the 19th century. The rooms had a slight museum … Continue reading
From Sighișoara to Viscri
We had another morning for a further wander in Sighișoara – museums and churches now were open and ready for visit.
Around midday we left Sighișoara and made our way to Viscri – or Deutsch Weißkirch – a Saxon village about an hour away from town.
Into Sighișoara
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.
The Mines of Turda
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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
Maramures
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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
… and into Romania
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.
