I had planned to take an early minibus from Brasov to Sighisoara, Dracula's birthplace. The trip would take approximately 2 1/2 hrs. A group of students and myself were waiting to get on. Some people got ahead of us in the lineup which meant waiting another 2 hours for the next bus. The train was not an option as it had left and the next one was quite awhile later. When the next bus arrived we all made sure to be at front of the line and not let anyone budge in! Off we all went to Sighisoara, a small medival town.
On the bus Jahnn, from Germany sat beside me and we chatted along the ride. He works for a television company, was heading to Rupea to interview a lady from the village who had contact with Prince Charles when he came to Romania. I learnt about how Prince Charles saved a whole forest from being destroyed. The head of local tourism had wanted to build a Dracula theme park. Prince Charles bought a large piece of property here, not to far from Sighisoara and visits a few times a year. I am told he walks around without any body guards, blends in the the locals. Wow!
The students were from Germany, Spain, Portugal and were studying in Szegred, Hungary. They were further to a town called Tiges Mures after sight seeing in Sighisoara. We all made our way up to the citadel and found a tourist office to obtain a map.
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| Students on tour |
Pietra from Spain was our walking tour guide and she did an excellent job! We started at the Clocktower, the main focal point.
It was a very long, steep climb to this school on the hill. What a trek for the school children! I think these cobblestone streets would be very treacherous in the winter!
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| Old school on the hill The great view from the old school on the hill! |
Until not to long ago this was the cemetery keepers house.
Room with a view!
The tour was quick & very informative. The town was so sweet! I wanted to come back and spend another couple of days here. I headed back to Brasov planning to return here tomorrow. It had gotten dark while I was waiting for the minibus to Brasov. There was another fellow waiting for the minibus as well. When it pulled up the other man got on & the driver said I couldn't as it was full. I did not want to wait another 2 hours for the next one and possibly the same thing happening. I said I would stand but could I please get on this bus. He finally agreed and to my surprise the other fellow was standing also. There was no issue when he got on, must be the tourist in me!
The next day I headed for Sighisoara again, arriving early hoping to catch a mnibus. Darn if a number of people didn't butt in and it was full again! Another 2 hours for next one, okay enough of this. I decided to take a train, although a bit later I was guaranteed to get a seat!
There was an acrid smell of smoke in the air on the train ride to Sighisoara this time. There was a lot of burning of fields and elsewhere, creating a hazy sky. To compound that people were smoking on the train even though they were not allowed to.
Walking up the hill to the Citadel my luggage wheels got a good workout on these cobblestone streets & sidewalks! Checked into my pension, meeting the group from Rome again. I wandered around the streets, surprised at how many tourists were here. Quite a number of Spanish plus Romanians away for the weekend. The air was chilly however this did not stop a number of vendors. They braved the cold to sell the many Dracula souveniors! That night I had the best sleep I have had in quite some time. The next day was spent visiting some areas I had missed the first time around. What a sweet little town!
Saturday there were many school groups touring. The squares, side streets were full of children of all ages laughing, taking photos.
This yellow house is where Dracula, Vlad Tepes lived. It is now a restaurant.
I had dinner at the restaurant one evening, had Translyvania soup which was delicious! Here is some of the decor inside.
I was told there is a legend, not sure of how it goes...about 2 brothers raised by a wolf.
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