We start our three week Europe trip in Hungary where we spend just one full day while visiting family and decide to do a short side trip to the Godollo Royal Palace which is relatively close by. There is almost no one in the parking lot and soon we are at the entrance of the impressive palace. After paying the entry fee we start our tour with the upstairs apartments which are part of the renovated part of the castle.
 |  |
| Godollo Palace | Former guard post |
In fact the whole castle was used by the Soviet and Hungarian armies for decades and then it was used as an old people home before the restoration and reconstruction started in the 1980s. Due to this there isn't a lot of original furniture left, much of what is in the castle is donated after the restoration work started. The rooms are quite beautiful and large and we understand why Austro-Hungarian royalty were using this as a summer palace during the Imperial times. It even has an orchestra room which is quite neat.
 |  |
| Inside the castle | Imposing door |
 |  |
| Prepared table | Detail on the wall |
As we exit the castle we enter the interior courtyard which is quite spacious and allows us to see the castle from a different viewpoint. While from the front you can see only one side of the castle from here you are surrounded by all three of them so it looks actually more impressive and larger.
 |  |
| View of the castle from the interior square | Outside statue |
Besides the castle the gardens are also quite impressive with some great views of the castle. There is still work to be done in fully landscaping the grounds but it is an enjoyable walk before the heat wave forces us back inside to drink some cold juice and eat some sweets at the small cafeteria before returning to our accomodation for the night.
 |  |
| Castle in the distance and pool | Walkway in garden |
 |  |
| Flowers in the garden | Garden view |
After leaving Hungary we spend a few days in Bucharest the capital of Romania both on personal business but also to sightsee. This time we do a lot of sightseeing from the car and we notice a lot of areas in the city that are still in need of repair but much of it is spruced up from our last visit especially in the central area.
 |  |
| Bucharest - Buildings from communist times | Not the best maintained building |
One of the more interesting sights that we visit this time is a house/farm in a village near Bucharest at the invitation of the owner. It is a relatively new household and it is quite impressive with ducklings, chicken and rabbits and lots of vegetable lots - it is a very enjoyable afternoon spent with family.
 |  |
| Country farm near Bucharest | Ducks enclosure |
 |  |
| Cage with ducklings | Close up of ducklings |
 |  |
| Lots of chicken | Even a few rabbits |
And of course there is traditional Romanian food and beer so we leave the feast completely full and barely able to move.
 |  |
| Romanian traditional food - mici | Cat protecting the beer |
However the major attraction that we finally succeed visiting on this visit is the Palace of the Parliament - one of the largest buildings in the world and probably the biggest legacy of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The reason we never visited it is that you need to reserve space on a tour prior to visiting and we never were sure when we are free while in Bucharest but today we finally have some time and make the reservation.
It is impossible to take a photo from the outside that takes full justice to the size of the building and even finding the correct entrance in the scorching heat almost discourages us after 15 minutes of walking but we finally get there and join our tour in the much cooler palace.
 |  |
| Wanted to visit for some time | Palace of the Parliament (small part) |
 |  |
| Guide discussing the rules | First inside hall |
The tour leads us first through one of the lower levels passing paintings done by the favorite artist of Ceausescu and entering one of the more well known rooms, the CA Rosetti Hall. The major claim to fame is that the chandelier is so huge that in order to be cleaned there is an interior room in the chandelier from where the cleaning (and bulb changing) is happening - quite impressive.
 |  |
| CA Rosetti Hall | Huge crystal chandelier |
 |  |
| Paintings hall | Balasa painting - Ceausescu favorite painter |
The tour is continuing through a few more rooms where we learn that the majority of the building materials are sourced from Romania except the wood one of the doors which were received as a gift from Mobutu Sese Seko the President of Zaire/Congo. It was quite a huge undertaking for the country with 3,500 tonnes of crystal for 480 chandeliers, 1,409 ceiling lights and mirrors being manufactured; 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze for monumental doors and windows, chandeliers and capitals; 1,000,000 m3 of marble 900,000 m3 of wood (over 95% domestic) for parquet and wainscotting, including walnut, oak, sweet cherry, elm, sycamore maple; 200,000 m2 of woolen carpets of various dimensions (machines had to be moved inside the building to weave some of the larger carpets); velvet and brocade curtains adorned with embroideries and passementeries in silver and gold.
 |  |
| Nicolae Iorga Hall | Beautiful ceiling |
 |  |
| Everything is made/grown in Romania | Except the wood in these doors |
The building has no AC but is cooled through a natural cooling system that has vents throughout the buildings and it works surprisingly well.
 |  |
| The doors can be completely opened to create a long hall | The natural cooling openings |
 |  |
| Another one of the many rooms | Interesting detail |
Soon we reach the point where we climb to the second floor which is as majestic as the first one. However not all of the glitz is real - our guide let's us know that some of the paintings are posters as they could not (due to funding issues most likely) paint the halls as initially intended.
 |  |
| Going up | Another of the many chandeliers |
 |  |
| Upper floor hallway | Not real - just a reproduction |
It is interesting to see the extent of the megalomania of the ruling family with a French King inspired audience room and huge (empty now) places set aside on the walls for their photos.
 |  |
| The French inspired room | Was supposed to be the audience chamber |
 |  |
| Human Rights Hall | Second largest chandelier |
The curtains on the stairwell are also quite an attractions due to their size - we are sure if they were to fall they would kill the person who would have the misfortune to stand below them as they are very heavy.
 |  |
| Those are really huge curtains | In fact they are 2 levels high |
 |  |
| Lots of press conferences are held here | IIC Bratianu Hall |
Another interesting room is the Unirii Hall where the official Year End Ball is held - it is a huge room, not sure how many people it can hold but it is certainly a lot.
 |  |
| Take Ionescu Hall | Unirii Hall - very large |
 |  |
| The official Year End Ball is held here | It is a huge hall |
Another major room that we visit is the Al Cuza Hall where concerts are being held - to get an idea of the scale of the room when looking at the photo you can imagine that the small seeming stall above the door can hold a full size orchestra. The tour ends at a balcony with the view that Ceausescu engineered by destroying a whole neighborhood and building similar looking buildings that were supposed to be ministry buildings and houses for the favorites.
 |  |
| AL Cuza Hall - that is a full orchestra stall in the back | It is the tallest room in the building |
 |  |
| View from main balcony | You can see quite in the distance |
After leaving the palace we wander around a bit through the neighborhood in the air conditioned car trying to compare architecture styles before stopping at the Unirii Mall to do some window shopping before we leave Bucharest the next day.
 |  |
| Driving through the central area | Still in the area around the Parliament |
 |  |
| Older impressive building | Nice house along the way |
Today we are leaving on a whirlwind trip through a part of Romania we have not visited often, Moldova, in the eastern part of the country. It has been historically a separate principality until it united with other majority Romanian principalities in the 19th and 20th century to create what is now Romania. The start of the trip is along drive through Bucharest with its crazy traffic until finally hitting the highway and arriving midday at our first point of interest, the Berca mud volcanoes.
 |  |
| Leaving Bucharest | Colorful trash containers |
The Berca mud volcanoes are spread out over at least three areas and we wanted to see them for some time however they are out of the way compared to our usual route through Romania. This time we finally made the detour and arrive at the parking lot for the first area (Paclele Mari) from where we follow other people to the entrance from where we can see the volcanoes in the distance.
 |  |
| Where are the mud volcanoes? | There they are in the distance |
 |  |
| Paclele Mari Mud Volcanoes area | Solid crust .... we hope |
What is most surprising to us is how desolate the area is where the volcanoes erupt - it is completely devoid of all plant life. Also, at least in the beginning, we are quite careful walking on the crust as we are afraid that it will break and we will be swallowed by hot mud until we learn that in fact the mud is cold and the crust can sustain us quite well as long as we don't jump in right into a mud volcano (not recommended). The eruptions are fun to watch it is almost like watching a real volcano erupt only the volcano is only a few tens of centimeters high.
 |  |
| Small mud eruption | Close to the (cold) mud |
 |  |
| This looks like a mini volcano | Close up of volcano |
Still the biggest one of the volcanoes is impressive and it even erupts quite often which makes for a nice spectacle that we enjoy.
 |  |
| So tranquil | Start of eruption |
 |  |
| Almost there | Explosion |
Before returning to the car we also do a short walk in the area to enjoy the nature that is in full bloom however it is quite hot outside (a heat wave has hit Romania during our trip) so we soon retreat back towards the car.
 |  |
| Short hike in the area | View of Romanian countryside |
 |  |
| Flowers near the trail | Hills extend as far as you can see |
Before leaving however we are hungry and decide to eat at the nearby restaurant some traditional food from the area - the Plescoi sausages. They are unexpectedly spicy but quite good and after having our fill we are ready to leave.
 |  |
| Plescoi sausages - traditional food in the area | And lots of meat |
Our next stop is nearby, a second area of mud volcanoes called Paclele Mici. Here we actually have to hike up a hill to the mud volcano area - it is a very nice and short hike through the flower fields that we thoroughly enjoy.
 |  |
| Second area - Paclele Mici Mud volcanoes | Quite a climb |
 |  |
| Starting point | Flowers by the trail |
 |  |
| Yellow is a common flower color | Very common flower |
Even though judging by the name this is the smaller volcano area it seems more impressive with one of the volcanoes creating a 6 foot crater from which the "lava" was flowing down regularly.
 |  |
| Paclele Mici field | Looks quite active |
 |  |
| That is a serious mud volcano | Which is even erupting |
There are also a few other imposing volcanoes by size - some of them look like a nice place to take mud bath (not recommended and illegal).
 |  |
| Overflowing volcano | Almost dying out |
 |  |
| Boiling mini lake | Small, cute crater |
After finishing our visit it is time to return to the car and the main highway and continue further north.
 |  |
| View from the top | Paclele Mari view from Paclele Mici |
After another hour or two we arrive in the vicinity of our accomodation where to our surprise we have to pass a wooden bridge that is marked by a wooden door over a large enough river. In fact as we learn later the river was a historic border of Moldova vs. Wallachia to the south and destroyed to previous more robust bridge during a flood. Still we pass it safely and soon arrive at the accomodation on the other side.
 |  |
| Traditional water fountain | Gate for the bridge? |
 |  |
| Should we really drive over this? | River below bridge |
Our accomodation is a guesthouse and the host greets us with home made lemonade and sweets before showing us our rooms up some scary looking stairs. The rooms are nice and we relax a bit before gearing up for the last attraction of the day.
 |  |
| Steep stairs to room | Guesthouse room |
In fact we have chosen the accomodation to be close to the attraction which sounded quite interesting to us - the "Living Fires" of Andreiasu de Jos. We are quite happy that we made the decision as the road is slow going with lots of unexpected obstacles (cows). Arriving close by we notice that the bridge is looking shaky again so we decide to stop at the bottom of the hill and pass the bridge by foot and walk the last 100-200m by foot. While that sounds easy the fact that it is all uphill takes our breath and we have to stop multiple times before arriving at the fires.
 |  |
| Waiting for the cows | Near the parking spot |
 |  |
| Decided not to cross that bridge by car | Village from higher up |
The fires are special given that they are burning naturally (supposedly) being kept alive by natural gas coming through fissures in the ground. In fact we observe that on the trail up to the main area where even the maintained trail has a small fire peeking through a crack.
 |  |
| Getting close to the Living Fires (Focurile Vii) of Andreiasu | Unexpected well maintained info board |
 |  |
| Can you see the fires? | Fires are even the trail |
The main area has a stone circle surrounding it and it is quite interesting to watch the fires in the falling darkness as they become more and more visible (one of the reasons we came here in the evening). After enjoying them for some time we return to the car and to our accomodation to eat dinner and the retire for the night.
 |  |
| Smaller fire | They are seemingly everywhere |
 |  |
| Quite impressive... | ....and hot |
In the morning we eat the complimentary breakfast prepared fresh for us as the only guests, wave goodbye to the now friendly dogs (when we arrived we were quite scared of them) and drive back over the rickety bridge towards the main highway and then towards the North of Moldova.
 |  |
| Breakfast table | Lots of food |
 |  |
| Guesthouse and (mostly) friendly dog | Road to guesthouse |
Our first stop is close by, the Marasesti Mausoleum, built for the Romanian heroes that stopped the German advance in World War 1 together with Russian troops keeping Moldova free at least for a bit more time (until Russia withdrew from the war). The mausoleum is quite impressive as we view it from the street so we decide to pay the entry fee to also visit the inside of the structure.
 |  |
| Marasesti Mausoleum | Getting closer |
 |  |
| Cannon projectiles from the battle | One of the generals |
The inside of the mausoleum is full of rows and rows of names of fallen soldiers including a Russian general - it is sobering to think how many people died in this battle in a few days of fighting. One interesting feature of the mausoleum is that you can climb inside the cupola to see a fresco of the major Romanian battles of World War 1.
 |  |
| Inside the mausoleum | Central cupola |
 |  |
| All the battles are memorialized here | We are here |
 |  |
| Thee are names everywhere | A general is buried here |
There is also a small museum that documents the battle and we wander a bit through it but there besides the description of the battle there aren't a lot of artifacts and soon we are out and on our way.
 |  |
| The smallish museum | Lots of frescoes |
Our next stop is in Bacau where we discovered there are remnants of a princely court from the time of Moldova's golden age. Finding it is quite difficult as you have to be aware it is in a church yard in an unassuming area where chicken are running free on the lawn.
 |  |
| Bacau - in front on the princely court | In the middle of the city - chicken |
On the way to the ruins we visit Precista Church which is actually the church built for the now ruined princely palace during the reign of Stefan cel Mare. It is quite beautiful in the traditional Orthodox style with a richly decorated altar and we walk around admiring it before continuing to the ruins.
 |  |
| Impressive entrance | Precista Church |
 |  |
| Inside the church | Protective tower |
The ruins that are preserved are the foundations of two of the buildings from the court and you can walk through one of the ruins which is interesting and we can explore the few rooms before returning to the car and continuing on the way.
 |  |
| Part of the ruins - you have to use imagination :) | This part is more impressive |
 |  |
| There is a stair even going down in the ruins | Inside the ruins |
After all the sightseeing we are hungry so we stop at an Inn of legend on the way - Hanu Ancutei (Ancuta's Inn). Well - it actually is famous only due to a book written by Mihail Sadoveanu one of the more famous Romanian writers and the inn burned down way back with the new one being built recently but who is counting :)? It is actually quite rustic looking and big and the food on offer is very varied. We are trying multiple menu items and all of them are quite good and we leave satiated and satisfied.
 |  |
| Hanu Ancutei - an inn of (Romanian) legend | The entrance - impressive |
 |  |
| Inside the dining room | Chairs have the Moldavian emblem |
 |  |
| Traditional moldovian food | Mushrooms are always a delicacy in this area |
Next we are driving to Probota monastery one of the many Unesco recognized monasteries in Northern Moldavia and likely one of the least visited. Even we can barely find the road to the monastery as it is unpaved the last kilometers from our direction which is quite a surprise. The monasteries in Northern Moldavia have 2 major characteristics, they are protected by a thick wall against the invasions from Turks, Tatars and any other invaders/pillagers and they are painted on the outside which earned them the selection as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The wall (likely restored) is very impressive and as we are entering we are surprised that no one is around to take the entrance fee so we enter looking for someone/anyone to ensure that it is ok to enter.
 |  |
| Probota monastery wall | Quite impressive |
 |  |
| Entering the monastery - no one around | The monastery church |
We finally find a nun (it is nun monastery) and she is quite happy to let us visit pointing the major attractions and we buy some souvenirs before we start admiring the relatively faded but still impressive paintings on the outside of the church.
 |  |
| On one side the paintings are well preserved | The other side - less well preserved |
 |  |
| Close view of the exterior painting | Impressive tower |
Inside and safe from the elements the paintings are better preserved and we enjoy our quiet walk through the monastery church. We are surprised to see the tombs of some relatively famous Moldovan rulers are inside this quiet church - Petru Rares, son of the greatest Moldovan ruler, Stefan the Great.
 |  |
| The "ctitor"s - kings or nobles who paid for the monastery | And their graves - in this case king Petru Rares and family |
 |  |
| The altar | God looking from above |
 |  |
| Interior paintings - impressive | Detail of painting |
During restoration work done in the late 90s various ruins were uncovered and restored in the courtyard with one of them being the rooms where the noble travellers slept while visiting the monastery.
 |  |
| Ruins in the courtyard | Some are protected but not renovated |
 |  |
| Going down in the renovated part | This was where noble travellers slept |
Leaving Probota we decide for one more stop in Suceava, the historical capital of Moldova. As we are on a monastery tour what we are looking specifically is the Unesco protected church, Saint John and with the help of the GPS we locate it quickly. It is even open at this late evening hour (around 7PM) so we enter to visit it and are surprised at the style it is built in which is quite different from the other monastery churches. The biggest difference is the roof which has decorations more closely associated with the Austro Hungarian regime and not medieval Moldova. It was likely changed during the restoration works in 1896 when this part of Moldova was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and it is quite beautiful in our opinion.
 |  |
| Downtown Suceava | Looking for the Unesco Church |
 |  |
| Found it - Saint John the New Monastery | Close up view - the roof covering is beautiful |
As it is an active church when we enter we notice that there is a worship service going on so we sit back and look from afar. We are surprised to see that the men and women are sitting in separate aisles we were not aware this is something usual for the Orthodox faith. The inside paintings are less restored than in the other monasteries but still beautiful while outside only part of the monastery is still painted. Overall it is an enjoyable stop but it is getting very late and we still have a little bit to go so on we go.
 |  |
| Inside the church - men and women are separate | Less inside paintings as in other monasteries in the area |
 |  |
| Outside detail | Lots of saints painted on the outside |
After a beautiful drive through Bucovina's (Northern Moldavia) hills we arrive at Gura Humorului where we are staying for the night. Checking in takes some time as we cannot find anyone in the building one of reasons being that they were collection cherries from the trees on the property. A benefit of this is that we now have fresh cherries to eat which we do after we buy a few more provisions from a nearby store. After that as we are quite tired we go to sleep as tomorrow is a long day with lots to do and see.
 |  |
| Our accomodation for the night | Inside the room |
 |  |
| Inside decoration | And some cherries as a gift |
We have chosen Gura Humorului as it is right in the middle of the monastery area and after eating a very good breakfast made especially for us we are underway to Voronet monastery, the most famous of the Bucovina monastery which is only a few kilometers away from our acconodation. It is also much more developed for tourism compared to the monasteries we have been the previous day with a parking lot placed at a distance from the monastery to force people to walk through a souvenir street where everything seems to be for sale (and of course we cannot resist and buy something :)).
 |  |
| Good breakfast | Villa next to the road |
 |  |
| Walking towards Voronet monastery | Lots of knickknacks to buy |
Voronet major claim to fame is the blue that was used to paint the exterior of the church, it is so famous that it has its own name "Voronet Blue". ANother reason Voronet is on the Unesco World Heritage List is because of the well preserved exterior paintings which are quite impressive as we start looking at them.
 |  |
| Voronet monastery - the most famous in Bucovina | The famous "Blue of Voronet" |
 |  |
| Swallows are nesting under the roof | Looking for food |
The most interesting frescoes are at the back of the church where the Judgement scene is painted with the Hell and the punishments that are incurred being especially proeminent. We are a bit surprised to also see the zodiacal constellations on the church - are they really part of Orthodox lore? Inside the paintings are also well preserved in a similar style to the previous monasteries we have visited and we enjoy examining them also until it is time to leave as we still have a lot to see today.
 |  |
| Lots of saints are painted on the outside | Well preserved outside panel |
 |  |
| Fighting (against Turks) is a common theme | The back of the monastery - the Last Judgement |
 |  |
| Torments of the sinners | Zodiac signs (?) |
The next monatery on our itinerary, Humor Monastery, is relatively close but on the other side of Gura Humorului. On the short drive we feel sometimes like we have been transferred to a different epoch with horse drawn carriages on the road and haystacks everywhere- quite a bucolic landscape. After parking near the monatery we pass a few more souvenir stands before arriving at the entrance.
 |  |
| Relatively common - carriages on the road | Lots of hay |
 |  |
| Everyone seems to sell carpets | Every monastery has a souvenir area in front |
Entrances to be more correct - we are a bit confused which of the two churches the historical one is until we notice which one is charging for the entrance :) and in we go. The church here is a bit different with no tower and we learn that the reason behind it is that only prince (voievod) built churches had the tower while this one was built by one of the wealthy nobles.
 |  |
| Entrance to Humor Monastery | Gate to the new church |
 |  |
| Humor Monastery | Protective tower |
There is also a freestanding tower that can be visited by those without fear of heights as the stairs look a bit iffy even though they are sturdy. The major reason to climb it would be the nice bird eye views of the monastery and the interesting top floor where you can almost imagine how the defensive layout looked. We also like the rose garden which is well maintained with lot of color.
 |  |
| Inside the tower - old chairs | Small window for protection |
 |  |
| Rose garden | Close up of rose |
Painting wise the most special thing at the monastery is the open porch in the back which was closed at the other monasteries. The paintings here are well maintained which is a miracle given the fact that the monastery was abandoned for almost 200 years between 1786 and 1990. Inside the structure is quite similar with the other monasteries with lots of painted saints covering every inch of the walls.
 |  |
| Outside paintings - well maintained | Constantinople siege |
 |  |
| Looking up you see...angels | And lots of saints |
Continuing towards Moldovita monastery the next planned stop of today we stop at an in village coffee shop for some refreshments and also to look at the impressive WW2 guns nearby.
 |  |
| Coffee stop | Guns from the second world war |
Moldovita monastery seems to be quite beloved by tour groups and it takes some time before we are able to pay the entrance fee to enter through the intimidating entrance into the monastery. Moldovita seems to be one of the better preserved monasteries or at least that is what we think until we circle it and notice that the other side is missing almost all paintings - quite weird.
 |  |
| Moldovita monastery entrance | The monastery and a priest in front of it |
 |  |
| Fountain to provide water during sieges - maybe | View from the side |
 |  |
| Seems like a completely different one from this side | And from the back - special architecture |
The paintings that exist are beautiful and similar to the ones we have seen in Voronet and other monasteries - the Last judgement and the accompanying hell seems to be a prevailing topic as well as the Siege and Fall of Constantinople that had a huge impact on the Orthodox world.
 |  |
| The siege of Constantinople - a common theme | Biblical theme |
 |  |
| Also common - Last Judgement | This is how the devil looks like |
Inside it is richely decorated as it befits a princely monastery with the founders/ctitors proeminently painted near the golden altar. Near the entrance we also notice a lot of graffiti done by travelers in the 19th century when the monastery was abandoned which is quite fascinating to us as we try to determine the countries they were coming from.
 |  |
| The founder inscription | The founders |
 |  |
| Altar - impressive as usual | Looking up |
 |  |
| Cutting heads off is a very common theme | Lots of "ancient" graffiti |
One of the more special attractions at Moldovita is the house where the princes stayed when they visited the monastery the clisarnita. It is both pictoresque from the outside and it houses a small museum with some interesting historical artifacts inside including the princely throne of Stephen the Great (Stefan cel Mare) the greatest prince/king of Moldavia.
 |  |
| Clisarnita - house of the voievode (king) | Walls are now overgrown |
 |  |
| Petru Rares statue | Inside the small museum |
After three monasteries we stop at a less visited attraction along the way, Ciumarna church, an old wooden church moved from a far away town through the villagers effort to this small village. Surprisingly the church itself looks quite new while the belltower looks much older - even climbing up to the bells on the shaky stair is quite scary.
 |  |
| Ciumarna - old wooden church in the distance | Actually it looks quite modern close by |
 |  |
| View of village from church | Church cemetery among flowers |
 |  |
| Climbing the bell tower | And the bells |
Continuing we enjoy the views and the nature along the way as we take the mountain roads to the next monastery on our list, Sucevita monastery. The entrance is, if at all possible, even more impressive with a huge wall surrounding the monastery church and a sturdy large stone tower protecting the only entrance.
 |  |
| Bucolic views on the way | Sucevita monastery in the distance |
 |  |
| Impressive entrance | Wall is well restored |
The church is quite beautiful (as all the monastery churches are) with some good frescoes even though some of them are quite similar with the other monasteries which makes a lot of sense given that they were built around the same time so they likely took inspiration one from another.
 |  |
| Very colorful church | Ascension to heaven scene |
 |  |
| Devil/Dragon in hell scene | Sinners in hell |
We visit the museum where it almost feels like we are assumed to be thieves as the one guard is following us throughout the facility until we exit and decide to enter the church to see the well preserved interior. Afterwards we look in more detail at the exterior noticing some details that we missed the first time including some 19th century graffiti which means that this monastery also was abandoned for some time.
 |  |
| Entrance tower from the inside | Fortifications are impressive |
 |  |
| Exterior paintings look great - maybe they are retouched? | Close up view of back of monastery |
 |  |
| Lots of graffiti | Part of it is under repairs |
As we are close to finishing our monastery loop we have one more stop planned at Marginea village, famous for its black ceramics. We are quite surprised at how many tourists are here and we also emter a few stores and even buy a few souvenirs before continuing to the last monastery for the day.
 |  |
| Marginea village - famous for black ceramics | Some of the samples |
 |  |
| Waiting after a horse drawn carriage | Lots of storks in the area |
Arbore monastery is probably one of the least visited monasteries from the Unesco list as it is a bit off the main tourist trail and it is a bit less impressive due to being built by one of the nobles and not a prince. It also wasn't maintained for quite some time and therefore the exterior paintings are completely gone from one wall but the other walls and especially the back are quite beautifully painted.
 |  |
| Last monastery of the day - Arbore monastery | No exterior paintings on this side |
 |  |
| In the back they are preserved however | Same style as the other monasteries |
 |  |
| Same themes also - Fall of Constantinople | Saint torture |
Inside is another story with the paintings well preserved and/or restored and we admire them for some time before remembering that we still have a long way ahead of us and returing to the car for our drive towards Transylvania.
 |  |
| Ctitor/founder painting... | ...or maybe it is this one? |
 |  |
| Inside altar | Well preserved paintings inside |
Our decision is to pass through the mountains near Neamt through the famous Bicaz Gorge and stop in Miercurea Ciuc in a majority Hungarian-ethnicity county for the night. We pass by the Neamt castle which unfortunately is already closed before slowly reaching the narrow Bicaz Gorge.
 |  |
| Neamt castle in the distance | Starting the climb through Bicaz Gorge |
 |  |
| Road becomes worse and curvy | The canyon starts to close in |
And narrow it is - the road is basically going through a slot canyon with many turns that could certainly create car sickness if you are susceptible to it (luckily no one is). It is a very scenic road with tunnels and some great views including the Red Lake created by landslide about a hundred years ago where you can still see the trees peeking out from the water which is quite interesting.
 |  |
| Can it get any closer? | Yes it can...scary |
 |  |
| The road continues to climb | There are a few tunnels |
 |  |
| Impressive stone pillar | The Red Lake |
And then suddenly we are out of the gorge and on the eastern edge of Transylvania that we are going to skirt for the next day. Here the road is much straighter and we are passing past green fields and small towns at speed as we are trying to make it to our guesthouse before darkness.
 |  |
| Building along the way | We are in Transylvania now |
We are lucky that we have the GPS guiding us on the narrow steep one way streets near the city center and we find the guesthouse with no problem. Our room is nice and split into two areas separated by interior stairs has even has a whirlpool which is quite nice. We are hungry but it is late and we are tired so we eat from our provisions and soon are asleep.
 |  |
| Our room in Miercurea Ciuc | We even have a jacuzzi |
In the morning we eat the good even though more standardized breakfast (in the other guesthouses almost everything was handmade with a lot of homegrown ingredients) and explore the grounds before walking towards downtown Miercurea Ciuc which we plan to visit for a couple hours.
 |  |
| Africa in Romania | Breakfast - more standardized than in previous hotels |
 |  |
| Fountain in courtyard | Very artistic |
While it is not an important tourist attraction the downtown area is nice enough with some interesting monuments like the monument of the Soviet heroes that liberated Romania. But the major point of interest is the Miko Castle, the castle of the local noble which is now a history museum that we intend to visit.
 |  |
| Downtown Miercurea Ciuc | Monument to the Soviet heroes |
 |  |
| Orthodox church | Miko castle |
We start with the historical area that, while interesting, is relatively small and focuses more on the history of the castle than of the entire region and therefore stops more or less when the castle was sacked.
 |  |
| Viziting the historical museum | Castle well remains |
 |  |
| A bit eerie | Medieval weapons and armor |
The second area of the museum is the ethnographic area and that is more interesting, showing how people lived at the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th century. It also has an interesting section about the history of printing in the area which we enjoy before we visit also the temporary exhibition about forced migration in the area which was not an unusual occurence in the last centuries as the territory changed hands between Hungary and Romania a few times.
 |  |
| Interior courtyard | Ethnographic part |
 |  |
| Traditional handicrafts | Helped by modern machines |
 |  |
| The beginning of printing in Transylvania | Really old bible |
Before leaving we walk once more the downtown area, it is a pedestrian street with relatively few pedestrians this morning. There are a few shops open that we enter and windowshop but then it is time to go back to our car and leave the city.
 |  |
| Central Miercurea Ciuc downtown | Old buildings in the downtown area |
Our next stop is close to Miercurea Ciuc, in fact it might be in the extended metro area, in Sumuleu where we want to visit the Franciscan Monastery. The monastery is famous due to its annual Roman Catholic pilgrimage when around 100,000 people come here to pray at a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary which is supposed to fulfill wishes and to cause miracles. There are quite a few tour buses here and pilgrims inside even outside the pilgrimage period but for us after admiring the church it is time to leave south towards Bucharest.
 |  |
| Sumuleu Franciscan Monastery | Interpretative sign |
 |  |
| Inside the church | Standing in line to see the relics |
On the way we stop at a famous Romanian resort, Baile Tusnad (Tusnad Baths), which now seems in need of some investment to spruce up the facilities. We decide to do a short hike into the forest on the shortest trail we can find.
 |  |
| Baile Tusnad downtown | On a short walk through the balnearic town |
 |  |
| Following the signs | Mineral water - not that good it is medicinal |
While it is short the trail goes up and up towards the Apor Bastion built as a viewpoint over the small city and the valley. On the way we keep a wary eye for bears as supposedly there are quite a few in the vicinity however the only thing that we see are berries which are quite yummy.
 |  |
| Bear danger sign | Strawberries along the way |
 |  |
| Apor Bastion - our goal | View from the tower |
On the way back we wander a bit more through the downtown area and are impressed by how unmaintained and basically delapited some of the beautiful villas are. However the one church we notice is very well maintained and painted in the Moldovan style on the outside which might tell you something (or maybe nothing) about the priorities of the people. Before leaving we cannot resist eating a langos (a local sweet donut type specialty) which is quite good and gives us energy for the remainder of the day.
 |  |
| Colorful church | And the tower in front |
 |  |
| Delapidated building | Soooo tempting |
Our last two stops of the day are at two fortified churches, one of them being recognized as an Unesco World Heritage site and the second one if it isn't it likely should be :). The first one we stop at is Prejmer Fortified Church, the most impressive and well known of all fortified churches. From outside it looks very imposing like a king's castle and to us it is impressive that the village was able to come together to built this fortress around their church to protect themselves from any invaders. Of course it does not work against the stork invaders :) which seem to be everywhere during this time of the year.
 |  |
| Another family of storks in Prejmer | Prejmer fortified church |
 |  |
| Quite impressive wall | I would attack from here :) |
The entrance is protected by a double gate so even if the invaders were able to breach the first one they had to pass through an interior courtyard and then through a second gate inside a tunnel while under fire from everywhere. It was under siege around 50 times without being conquered which is quite impressive in the grand scheme of things. There is a small museum near the entrance with some interesting artifacts from the peasants living in the area and we walk through it before entering the church courtyard.
 |  |
| Entrance to the church | Small interior courtyard before main gate |
 |  |
| Small ethnographic museum | Lots of pottery |
 |  |
| Main gate | One spike is broken - there is a legend regarding that |
At the center of the fortification is the church which is built in Lutheran style (Protestant Germans lived in the area and built the church) with few decorations. However it is quite large and has a relatively unusual feature that inside it it is built to look like a cross (likely) with the two perpendicular rooms being quite similar in length (a usual church has only one big room with the altar at one end and the entrance at the other).
 |  |
| The church in the middle of the fortification | Inside the church - organ |
 |  |
| And the altar | Side entrance in the church |
Surrounding the church are of course the walls and built in the walls on the interior side are a multitude of small rooms, each numbered and each assigned to one peasant family to retreat to during times of danger. You can walk on many of the stairways but you cannot enter most of the rooms likely for safety reasons. However what you can do (if you can find the right passage) is to enter the fortification ring on the top of the wall. That one is quite impressive as it is covered (different from many other fortresses we have seen but which makes a lot of sense against arrows) and has lots of defensive openings towards the exterior for shooting as well as pouring various liquids over the poor invaders below.
 |  |
| Each family had their own small room | Like a labyrinth on the wall |
 |  |
| Wonder how safe they are to climb | Safe enough it seems |
 |  |
| Walking in the defensive enclosure on top of wall | Good for dropping things on the invaders |
Before leaving we also visit a few of the rooms at the ground levels that have been transformed each into a small museum focusing on one area of interest - the school, the workshop and so on.
 |  |
| Workshop | Everyone contributed |
 |  |
| School room | One of the more interesting rooms |
The second fortified church that we visit is close enough to Prejmer at Harman. It is a bit smaller in circumference but it is still looks very forbidding from the outside as we walk around it looking for the entrance.
 |  |
| Harman fortified church - similar but different | Walls are still impressive |
 |  |
| View from the other side | The house has to be new |
The entrance looks less impressive than at Prejmer but the church looks more interesting with steep (really steep) stairs on the outside. As there is a group inside the church we wander around on the walls to take a few more pictures before entering it.
 |  |
| Entrance to the fortress | Fortress wall from inside |
 |  |
| The centerpiece church | Steep stairs up the church |
 |  |
| View from above | The ring walk around the church |
The church is built similarly to the Prejmer church however here we can climb high in the bell tower for a great view of the surrounding area. While we enjoy the view however the bells start ringing which almost scares us enough to fall down the stairs - those bells are really loud if you are next to them while ringing.
 |  |
| Inside the church - organ | The altar |
 |  |
| Group of tourists visiting the church | Dragon above the entrance |
 |  |
| Climbing in the bell tower | View from top |
One of the more interesting attractions is one of the wall rooms which was a chapel during the time it was Cistercian monastery and still has all the paintings that were found underneath the newer paint layers.
 |  |
| Fewer families lived here than in Prejmer | The well |
 |  |
| This is different - a painted chapel | The topic seems similar - the Last Judgement |
As at Prejmer a few of the rooms were converted into small museums that we visit with an eye on the clock - we are the last visitors inside and we still want to visit the fortification level in more detail.
 |  |
| Workshop | Schoolroom |
 |  |
| Black was the go to color it seems | Looks like a dowry chest |
About 20 minutes before closing time we finally make it to the fortification level - it is an eerie experience to be the only people in the whole fortification as we walk round and round looking for the descent stairs. In the end we give up and likely there are none - we exit at multiple levels above the ground without any way to reach it so we trace back our steps to the initial stairs and then we are out of the castle with the doors closing behind us for the night and now it is the time to drive without stopping to Bucharest.
 |  |
| Lot of stairs to climb | We are on the defense level |
At least that is the plan but it doesn't survive the encounter with reality - basically there is an accident that stops all traffic through the mountain for about two hours while we wait for something, anything to happen. This is the only way through the mountains with any detour being 3-4 h more so no one is budging. Vendors start to appear selling fruit and we buy a small basket which is even smaller than it looks in the photo as it has a fake bottom beneath the fruit - very inventive (and annoying). As soon as the traffic starts moving we pass through the Prahova valley tourist resorts and then take the interstate back to Bucharest which is an interesting experience at night but somehow we manage to get the right exit and arrive home late in the night. Now we have one day of rest before moving to Transylvania again to Cluj Napoca this time for a week before starting back towards the US.
 |  |
| Unlucky - accident in front stopped the traffic for hours | At least we got something to eat |
 |  |
| Predeal - one of the major Romanian tourist towns | One of the villas |
While we have no large trip planned from Cluj Napoca we still intend to visit a few attractions on day trips. However the first trip is to a close-by mall to get some provisions and even eat some sweets at the food court and then a day of relaxation before our first day trip in the mountains west of Cluj Napoca.
 |  |
| Cluj Napoca mall | Eating sweets |
As we start our day trip we decide to stop in Turda, a small historical city close to Cluj Napoca. The downtown area has quite a few impressive buildings a sign of its former importance and after sightseeing a bit we stop at a sweet shop for some good ice cream (and other sweets) before continuing into the mountains.
 |  |
| Turda downtown | That is a huge sidewalk |
 |  |
| Old building in central plaza | Colorful houses |
 |  |
| What should we choose?! | Special icecream |
Our goal is a ruined castle in Coltesti deep in the Trascau mountains. The road is an interesting mountain road passing past camping spots full of people and then pictoresque village after village. As we approach Coltesti we are suprised at the number of tourists in Rimetea, the village right before Coltesti, there seems to be a fair going on with no parking spot in sight and with parking area being created in the field between the two villages. We stop at one them to admire the impressive views of the mountains surrounding us, while not that high they look quite forbidding.
 |  |
| Driving into the mountains | Rimetea village is quite busy today |
 |  |
| Downtown is even more busier | There is a festival going on - parking was expanded |
 |  |
| Szekely stone | Quite impressive |
Right in the center of Coltesti we veer away from the main street and continue up a side street towards the castle but soon we are forced to stop and park the car and it seems it is time to put on our hiking boots (figuratively speaking of course).
 |  |
| Center of Coltesti village | Road up toward the castle ruins |
 |  |
| Old wooden door | Not what we expected when we looked up |
The trail marked as a hiking trail goes through the tail end of the village first and we can get glimpses of the village life over the low walls before finally exiting it and starting to hike across seemingly endless fields. And we can also see our goal in the distance high on a hill - the ruined fortress of Coltesti (also called the Trascau fortress).
 |  |
| More modern fence | Traditional haystack |
 |  |
| Exiting the village | First view of the castle |
The views are the surrounding mountains are quite impressive but what we enjoy most is the cacophony of colors created by the wildflowers that are blooming in the fields next to the road. It is a very enjoyable hike as we start to slowly climb towards the fortress.
 |  |
| Impressive mountain | Nice views |
 |  |
| Lots of wildflowers | Haven't seen that many for some time |
As we approach the fortress we are trying to identify the way in as the trail leads us towards the back and then starts to climb much more rapidly through the wildflower fields. Somehow without noticing we are soon at the walls and the only thing left is to identify a breach to enter the fortress.
 |  |
| Still a way to go | Looking back |
 |  |
| Very impressive from this side | This is the way in...probably |
 |  |
| Getting close to the walls | Now to find the breach so we can enter |
There isn't a lot left of the castle except the wall after it was destroyed by Austrian troops following the rebellion of the local count. But as we are exploring we can understand why this place was chosen - it has a great view of the village (and the village can see the castle looming overhead just in case they think of rebelling) and of course it is a good defensible position.
 |  |
| Inside the castle - tower ruin | Exploring the ruins |
 |  |
| View of the village from the castle | I can see why they built the castle here |
The one thing that survived (or was rebuilt) is one of the towers that you can enter with a bit of climbing. Inside it is not restored but still you can see the remnants of the wooden beams supporting the higher stories of the tower.
 |  |
| How is this still standing? | One end of the fortress |
 |  |
| The other end - much better preserved | Inside the tower |
As we start on our return hike we notice that a lot of people are climbing now towards the castle - as we overhear them it seems they are all tourists from Hungary that have come here using a minibus that we find at the base of the hill. Returning at the car an old peasant lady starts offering us different home grown produce and in the end we have to buy something even though that leads to her trying to sell us almost everything in her house.
 |  |
| Lots of people are climbing now | Looks like landscaped |
On the way back to Cluj Napoca we park with difficulty in Rimetea and visit the festival - there are lots of souvenirs shops, churches are open and full but in the end we still cannot identify if this an one time thing or a weekly festival. After being satisfied that we have seen all the interesting sights it is time to return to Cluj after our long daytrip.
 |  |
| Stopping at the festival | Rimetea church |
Still we have one more thing for today on our plan - it is a bit spur of the moment as we are invited to free performance of the local ballet troupe in the middle of Cluj and we go there for an hour or so just to soak in the ambiance and enjoy the play before returning home as we are quite tired.
 |  |
| Cluj Napoca street festival | The stage - waiting for the start |
 |  |
| Zorba ballet | One of the dances |
As we spend quite a few days in Cluj we use them to explore the city, both places we have been before and some that are new. The downtown area of Cluj is located in a valley surrounded by hills and we always enjoy viewing the city from the hills surrounding it. Visiting the malls to see what is new (not much :)) and the downtown area are also staples of each of our visits.
 |  |
| View of Cluj Napoca from the hills | Penguin in one of the lyceums |
 |  |
| Modern mall | University building |
The most popular downtown area is the Central Plaza in front of St Michael's Church with cafes, bookstores and other small stores surrounding the plaza with the university only a stone throw away and the historically important Matei Corvin birthhouse on a close by alley.
 |  |
| Downtown old building | Beautiful detail |
 |  |
| Central area of Cluj | Central Plaza with St Michael's Church |
 |  |
| Matei Corvin birthhouse | Close up of house |
The old university neighborhood is full of old, architecturally impressive buildings and we even find some ducklings near a close-by stream which is quite nice.
 |  |
| One of the university buildings | Ducks nearby |
 |  |
| One of the many impressive buildings | Beautiful building |
Near the university is the old cemetery situated on a hill which makes walking through it a bit tiring. There are quite a few important Hungarian and Romanian artists and politicians buried here and a helpful map can lead you to the their tombs - you can of course also just walk around marveling at the intricate tombs of old.
 |  |
| Walking to the old cemetery | Map with all the important people buried here |
 |  |
| Cemetery view | One of the impressive tombs |
There are other interesting areas of Cluj as the area near the Central market with its Mihai Viteazul (the Brave) monument and a bit farther the monument to the people killed in Communist prisons which is quite sobering. The area also has a smattering of turn of 20th century buildings that sometimes look out of sync with the communist high rises close by.
 |  |
| Hill with hotel in the distance | Old tram still in use |
 |  |
| Monument to people killed by the dictatorship | All the different communist prisons |
 |  |
| Another major plaza | A couple of old buildings around the plaza |
Each time we visit we want to take in one of the city's museums and this time we decide on Art Museum located in the Central Plaza. We are interested in it both because of the art protected here but also because it is located in the Banffy palace, one of the many palaces of the proeminent family of nobles from this area during the Hungarian times. We are surprised at the difficulty of finding the entrance which is up the stairs with very little information and afterwards we are a bit lost in trying to find the museum but at least we have a good architectural tour of the building before finally finding the right entrance.
 |  |
| On the way to the Art Museum | Art Museum building |
 |  |
| Inside the museum...where is the art? | This is more like it |
The museum has a lot more famous Romanian paintings and painters than we expected including some that were featured on Romanian postage stamps.
 |  |
| Old altar from a nearby church | Close up of historical church painting |
 |  |
| Famous painting of Aman - even featured on a stamp | Peasants are very common in Romanian paintings |
The major topics for Romanian painters around the turn of the 20th century were peasants and nature - there are a lot of paintings of peasants ploughing the land, resting and riding their carts as well as of rural landscapes and flowers - they are quite nice and we enjoy our walk through the museum and snap photos of everything - we had to pay extra for photos so we went crazy:).
 |  |
| Rural landscape | The oxen cart by Grigorescu |
 |  |
| Luchian painting | Quite a large collection |
The temporary exhibition is comprised of photos from Eastern Europe and it is quite interesting and we spend some time trying to identify the places before returning through all the exhibit halls to the entrance and leaving the museum (there is only one entrance which might be a fire hazard with such a relatively sizeable museum).
 |  |
| More modern art in temporary exhibition | There are some interesting photos |
As we are quite tired after our museum visit we stop at a restaurant that we always wanted to go near the the Matei Corvin birthhouse - we are happy that they have freshly prepared mushroom dishes and they are quite delicious.
 |  |
| Mushroom ragout | Typical Romanian meat fest :) |
We always like to hike the mountains around Cluj but we almost never have any chance to do it while visiting. This is why this time we jumped at the opportunity to do a short hike with a few friends in the forest surrounding Cluj. The hike starts near a guest house and then we follow a dirt road climbing past houses and villas towards the forest. Everything is green which is quite a contrast to Arizona and we enjoy the difference as we slowly climb towards the forest which seems just out of reach as the road turns left and right to touch all the houses on the hill.
 |  |
| On the mountains near Cluj | View from the trail |
 |  |
| Haystacks are everywhere it seems | Everything is green |
And then suddenly we are in the forest with the first tree sporting an impressive numbers of hiking signs with most of them not being followed up on any of the other trees?!? Luckily one of our friends has quite some experience with the area and decides to lead us to the most interesting site close by - the trovants.
 |  |
| The number of signs is ....confusing | Let's go this way |
What are trovants? Well they are stones that are sculpted by the erosion in such a way that they look like balls. Some of them are really looking like they have been artificially polished and it is quite interesting to take a look at them as they are quite common for a portion of the hike both left and right.
 |  |
| Trovants in the forest | Interesting... |
 |  |
| That one doesn't look natural | Bowling ball? |
As it is getting dark we turn around at a fresh water spring which is surprisingly well built and maintained in the middle of the forest. As we exit the forest we also catch a glimpse of the sunset over the city - it is beautiful and a fitting end of our time in Cluj.
 |  |
| Spring in the forest | Sunset in Cluj |
On the last full day before starting on our return trip we do one more daytrip, this time to Targu Mures a city close by to Cluj. We have used this road before but never during this season and we are surprised at the fields of sunflowers on the way - they are quite pictoresque. Entering Targu-Mures from this side is not the most scenic as you pass for some time near the chemical factory Azomures, the economic motor of the city, and the only major industry from the communist times that hasn't closed since then. After passing it and the commercial area and malls that have sprouted next to the factory we enter the city proper and soon we are reaching the downtown area with our major attraction for the day, the Culture Palace.
 |  |
| On the way to Targu Mures | Entering the city through the industrial zone |
 |  |
| Approaching the downtown area | Anchoring one end of the downtown area - a church |
 |  |
| On the other side of the downtown - another church:) | The Culture Palace building |
The Culture Palace was built in the early 20th century in a gorgeous combination of Viennese Secessionism and local folk art and while we have seen it from the outside we never entered it for a visit. But today is that day and after paying the entrance fee we are on the ground floor and we start to explore the different open rooms. Part of the visit is the Philarmonic concert hall which is impressive to see outside of a concert and completely empty.
 |  |
| Beautiful inside | Small practice room |
 |  |
| Philarmonic concert hall | Big chandelier |
All the walls are painted with stories or with beautiful abstract decorations while the glass panels for the windows are highlighting different composers and writers. There are also a few small museums and the beautiful Hall of Mirrors where each story depicted by the window panels is described through the speakers - it is an interesting introduction to Hungarian and Romanian folk tales. After visiting everything that we can find open we are quite hungry so we exit the palace and start searching for a place to eat.
 |  |
| Original glass panels | All have a portrait of a famous composer/writer |
 |  |
| Different style of painting | Everything is painted and decorated |
As we are looking for a good restaurant we also take time to enjoy the downtown area which is mostly well restored with some interesting buildings. The restaurant that we settle is a cheap self serve restaurant however the food is good enough and energizes us for the rest of the day.
 |  |
| Downtown building | Always loved this type of building |
 |  |
| A special Romanian gyro | Schnitzel - good enough |
Before returning back to Cluj we decide to also walk through the more modern downtown area of Targu Mures in front of the National Theatre. While this was a major commercial area during the communist times it doesn't look that well maintained and busy now with many shops shuttered and even some closed passages. But overall it is still an interesting place to visit just to see the contrast vs. the more historical downtown just a few steps away.
 |  |
| Central communist built plaza | National Theater |
 |  |
| View of old town from plaza | Funny fountain |
After finishing our visit in Targu Mures it is back to Cluj and packing our luggage as tomorrow we are starting on our way back to the US with a 2 days stopover in Copenhagen. This is due to the fact that there aren't many planes out of Cluj towards international destinations on non budget airlines and we wanted a cushion in case anything goes wrong (and of course also to visit Copenhagen:)). Overall ignoring the heat wave that was heating up Romania during our visit we enjoyed visiting both some old favorites and some new attractions across the country and we can't wait to see what we can find to see and do the next time when we visit :).
No comments:
Post a Comment