40 Traveller
WEEKEND EDITION
Journey
NOVEMBER 28-29, 2015
The Sydney Morning Herald
ROMANIA
Caught in Transylvania mania Tatyana Leonov explores two of Transylvania’s most charming towns.
A
s my train, destined for Transylvania, weaves its way through grassy valleys dotted with haystacks, I try to sit quietly and watch the passing countryside. As we coast further in I can’t help but fidget as the swarm of butterflies in my tummy begins to flutter. Remember when you were a kid and your mum or dad sat down with you to read a new book? It’s that sort of feeling – brand new, unknown, and made all the more exciting as you don’t really know where you’re headed. Transylvania is Romania’s most famous province – and according to Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016 yearbook, it’s the top region to visit in the world. Renowned for magnificent castles (Transylvania is home to more than 100), for cobblestone laneways that coil like spaghetti through enchanting settlements, for impressive Saxon constructions that dominate cityscapes, and for ancient citadel remnants peppered throughout the picturesque region, it’s easy to see why it’s best to come here now before the masses do. The natural backdrop is something too. Serrated mountain peaks surge into the sky and gushing water cataracts down cliff faces, gouging rivers through some of the lushest grassed valleys I’ve ever seen. Transylvania is home to seven former Saxon walled citadels – Bistrita, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Medias, Sebes, Sibiu and Sighisoara. I visit two of the towns and use them as bases to explore the surrounds. My first stop is Brasov, one of the larger townships and a fascinating place to explore. The historic centre is a tapestry of Saxon architecture and is pulsating with energy tantamount to a modern metropolis – probably because of its size and proximity to the Romanian capital Bucharest. Most of Brasov’s main attractions are located within the old city walls and half the fun is getting a little lost along the way. Barely anyone gets lost on the way to the Black Church (Biserica Neagra), the largest gothic church in eastern Europe (the church was marked black after a fire in 1689 and has remained that way since). From large to small I head to Rope Street (Strada Sforii). Said to
TRIP NOTES MORE INFORMATION romaniatourism.com 1HERSA1 0040
be the narrowest street in Europe, it’s comical passing other pedestrians (most taking selfies in the tight space) given the street’s width, which varies between 1.09 and 1.35 metres. A few hours later I see a couple I bumped into on Rope Street (literally) on top of Mount Tampa lining up for ice-cream. Rising almost a kilometre above the city, visitors can scale the forested mountain by foot or be whizzed up in cable car. I opt for the easy option, and ascend to the summit within a few minutes. The view is almost as good as the view at the peak (if not better) as dense foliage obstructs some of the panoramas. I indulge in people watching
between taking in the vistas. A cluster of salivating hikers line up in front of a barbecue manned by a stocky man who looks like an escaped member of the Romanian weightlifting team. He begins to
GETTING THERE
enough to navigate with a guidebook and a sense of adventure. See brasov.walkaboutfreetours.com.
Fly with Qantas from Sydney or Melbourne to Bucharest via London. See qantas.com.au. From Bucharest, Brasov and Sighisoara are reachable via train.
SEE + DO Brasov and Sighisoara are easy
Serrated mountain peaks surge into the sky. grill thick chunks of meat, slapping four pieces between two slivers of white bread for each customer (perhaps in a low-carb phase?). The ice-creams are popular too,
SLEEPING THERE In Brasov, the five-star Aro Palace Hotel is a comfortable option. Many of the rooms have city or mountain
but I wander over to a mother and son selling strawberries and purchase the plumpest, reddest berries I’ve ever seen. They prove a wise choice as the next day I use the strawberries to make friends with my fellow passengers onboard a train from Brasov to Sighisoara. I’m travelling with three bags and one is so large it doesn’t fit anywhere except right in the middle of the six-seater cabin, forcing myself and two others to squash our legs. I apologise profusely and share my strawberries around to try to break the ice. Using a mix of Romanian and sign language my companions assure me it’s no problem and the
only other woman in the carriage (a typical-looking Romanian grandmother if you’ve ever tried to picture one) even uses my suitcase as a table to dice up a huge cold chicken schnitzel for the six of us to share, which she douses in a homemade mustard dressing before rationing it out. I arrive in Sighisoara late afternoon and spend the last few daylight hours exploring by foot. No cars are permitted in the old town and I roam past colourful houses – pops of pastel greens, pinks and blues – taking care to step cautiously on the uneven cobblestone surface while two giggling boys sporting plastic Dracula masks follow me around.
views and the top-floor restaurant is a lavish affair. See aro-palace.ro. The delightful Hotel Fronius (named after the Fronius, a Transylvanian Saxon family) is the best choice in Sighisoara. The house was built in the 1400s and is one of the very few buildings in town that survived the great fire of
1676. Purchased in 2004 from the Fronius family, it now functions as boutique hotel with nine beautiful rooms. See fronius-residence.ro. Tatyana Leonov was a guest of Romania Tourism.