Sighisoara, in the heart of Transylvania, is absolutely beautiful from the moment you arrive. With its fortified walls, and, cobblestone streets, leading to the center square, you seriously think you are in a small village in southen France. Then you wake up and realize it is Romania. We stayed at the charming Pensione Citadella, right off the main square and close to everything. Our room was not what we had booked, but very quaint all the same (especially since Beth did not mind the Lilliputian bed). Beth had left her polartec on the plane,and that was a big to-do, and they all tried very hard to get it back, but we know it will end up on the back of some gypsy next week. Then the Bank of Transylvania kept denying her ATM transactions thinking (as we later learned) that she was traveling in Ukraine. What does the Bangor Savings Bank in Maine know about the geography of Eastern Europe? Answer-nothing...Ukraine is as close to Romania, as Baltimore is to Miami Beach!
Anyway, the Romainian people are an interesting folk-a cross between the 600 years of Saxon (German) rule and +30 years of Communist rule. So they are either very cold and non-personal, or very organized, cold and non-personal. No eye contact and seem very bored to assist (communist Romainian), or have a close affinity with the word "no" or "neit" but organized and firm about their negativity (German Romanian). So German Romainain would say. "sorry ma'am, not is not possible" and Russian Romainian would just sat "No, Neit". It has been challenging to get things accomplished, but we are going a great job at it!!!
Getting back to Sighisoara...it is not a fairytale village, the narrow streets aglow with lustrously-colored 16th-century houses, their gingerbread roofs spilling down to cute and quaint cafes. A UNESCO-protected citadel also was the birthplace of one of Europe's greatest monsters--Vladimir Tepes, aka Vlad the Impaler (more on him in future blogs). We also visited the Citadel, perched on the hilltop with a fortified 14c wall (including 14 towers and 5 artillery bastions). Last, we climbed the +100 steps up the the church TWICE in one day. Now you see how I broke my FtiBit recorded of more than 100 FLIGHTS OF STEPS in one day!!👍🏻😄.
View from our hotel room
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