Timisoara - Days 126-128

The 5:30am bus to Timisoara was rought...nothing went wrong just super early. I've been waking up after 8am on most days so my body was protesting but it was really nice to see the city in the early morning. It was still dark when I left and to see the city square completely empty and embraced by early morning fog was a treat. 

The bus arrived in Timisoara before noon and yet again, a random stranger offered to give me a ride part of the way when I asked for directions. Little random acts of kindness and the trust from Couchsurfing hosts really help restore faith in humanity :) 

Timisoara is one of the largest towns in western Romania and is about as flat as Florida - a sharp contrast to the mountainous Transylvanian towns of Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibiu. But it is dubbed the "City of Gardens" or "Little Vienna" because of the abundance of public parks and green space. It's a nice town to walk around and has its share of old town piazzas but personally I didn't find it as impressive or unique as some others in Romania. However, the hosts I stayed with were spectacular. Roman and Sorina are a young couple working in the IT industry but looking for a change. Sorina in particular is a theater buff and currently directing an independent play she created. I tagged along to a rehearsal and couldn't understand a thing, but it's always nice to see people live out their passions. Also, they live with another young couple who are equally awesome :) Despite having to sleep on a cot in a closet/storage room, I would have gladly stayed longer for the company. 

I've come to the premature conclusion that Romanians are very cultured people because after the concert and museums in Sibiu, my hosts and I attended more of the same in Timisoara. After the rehearsal, we went to a screening of a 1931 silent film called Tabu with live orchestral accompaniment then immediately went to another student play about AIDS. We walked out of that one though... 

At the moment, I'm in Belgrade, Serbia. I took a minibus transfer with door to door service; probably the most luxurious transportation of the trip so far. Weather forecast says rain for the next 3 days. 

Sibiu - Days 124-125

Apologies for being a bit behind on my blog - double entry for today.

I made my way from Sighisoara to Sibiu a couple of days ago but haven't really had computer internet access. Sibiu is the last of my three Transylvanian medieval cities and it was also a European Capital of Culture back in 2007. I didn't realize that meant anything until I arrived and discovered the non-stop events going on throughout the city. Plus I totally lucked out on location. My host has a tiny apartment that doubles as a nail salon right in the city center. I mean it is literally on the main square and about 15 steps from the hub of it all.

My first evening in Sibiu, Ovidiu (my host) and I attended a Mozart and Mendelssohn concert by the local Philharmonic. Cost a whopping $2. The next evening was a free, open air concert in the main town square by Loredana Groza, who is apparently the "Romanian Madonna." Perhaps the moniker wasn't derived from her level of fame but rather her age and chosen hair color. But she definitely had tons of energy and jumped around on stage for a good two hours. Then today began a weekend Baroque festival as well as a free museum night. During the day, I walked the town a bit more and attended a folk dancing show and mini concert. At night, all of the museums in town opened their doors to the public. At the moment, "free" is my favorite word, so I took advantage of all of them. First was the art museum, followed by the history museum, then an open air village museum outside the city, then finally the ethnography museum. City of culture indeed. Too bad I'm going to miss the theater festival, jazz festival, book festival, and documentary film festival...

Tomorrow, I'll catch a 5:30am bus to Timisoara, a town in western Romania, close to the Serbian border.

Sighosoara - Days 122-123

I love couchsurfing because you never know what experiences will come your way. Well, yesterday I was privy to a traditional Romanian funeral gathering in a small village.

I'm couchsurfing (or in this case - bewelcome.org) with a German fella who is doing voluntary work at a local guesthouse. The owner/manager had to attend a funeral yesterday in a village about 25 km away and offered to bring us along. Luckily I had something black to wear in my arsenal.

Romania has a strong mourning culture, so the moment we stepped into the family's home, people began wailing and hugging each other. Meinhard and I just stood awkwardly to the side with the flowers we brought. Despite initially feeling totally out of place and invasive, the family quickly embraced us (figuratively and literally) and included us in their celebration of life. We feasted on roasted chicken, potatoes, olives, homemade bread, etc... and the mood turned rather jovial. It was a very international gathering too. In addition to the Romanians, there was a German, two French firefighters, and myself. There were all combinations of languages spoken, and I even tested out my pitiful high school French.

Brasov/Sighisoara - Days 120-121

I totally did the typical tourist thing and went to "Dracula's" castle. It's actually called Bran Castle; creatively named because it's located in Bran, about 30 km outside of Brasov.

The day was a bit overcast with moody clouds, so it seemed like an appropriate destination. Plus, it was one of the few museums that was open on a Monday. There was a public bus that leaves every hour for Bran, but to get to the station, I had to take the city bus...and had a bit of a tiff with the ticket patrol. It was entirely my fault because I didn't validate my bus ticket when I boarded, but four, FOUR ticket patrol officers came around for the checks and wanted to give me a huge fine for not stamping my ticket. I don't speak Romanian, they don't speak English, but we were all speaking at the same time and they blocked all the doors and refused to let me off the bus until I paid the fine. I suppose eventually they realized I was stubborn enough to never pay the fine and one guy created a tiny opening, just big enough for me to squeeze through and run away. That's right, I ran. Partly because I wanted to get away, but mostly because I was really late for the hourly bus to Bran.

Caught it just in the nick of time and arrived in Bran an hour later. The Bran Castle was built initially to defend the Bran Pass and the Transylvanian territory. Eventually, it was given to Queen Maria of Romania and the royal family used it as a part time residence until they were exiled. Either way, it has absolutely nothing to do with Dracula or Vlad Tepes (the historical figured on which Dracula is based).

I cut the day short because it was raining and bought pizza for my hosts and myself. This time, my hosts are a young Romanian couple who both lived in Copenhagen for a few years before moving back to Brasov for an extended vacation. The girl, Irina, is a sociologist and teaches here and there. Her boyfriend, Marius, is a visual artist and works in marketing/branding. His family immigrated to Canada when he was 12, so he's very much North Americanized.

This morning, I bid my hosts farewell and caught the 7:50am train from Brasov to Sighisoara. Like I mentioned before, Sighisoara is another medieval town in Transylvania, and some call it the "Pearl of Transylvania." It really is a gem. The town is smaller than Brasov and is an UNESCO heritage site. So a few years ago, they started pouring money into restoration and tourism and it shows. The old town is called the Citadel and is located on a hill in the city center. Perhaps because it's more closed in and on a smaller scale, you really feel like you're stepping back in time. I went a little shutter happy and took too many photos. Oh, and some gypsy kids threw a rock at me today because I didn't give them any money - quite a welcoming committee.

I'm staying at a guesthouse as a couchsurfer for the next couple of days. My host, Meinhard, is a German guy who travels the world and forms bases in different countries. He does freelance internet programming and other work in exchange for free lodging and also hitchhikes quite a bit. Very interesting fella. He was sharing stories about his time in London living in a squat and dumpster diving for gourmet sandwiches and pastries :) I, of cousre, had nothing to contribute, except when I inadvertently dumpster dove for Upper Crust pizza in Cambridge.

Brasov - Days 118-119

It's not an overstatement to say that I'm absolutely in love with Brasov. And the town is especially appealing after the urban jungle that was Bucharest. Just a short train ride away from Bucharest, and I'm in Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains. Insert Dracula joke here.

Brasov is a medieval town with picture perfect streets, town squares, and buildings in various hues. It's one of the few places I've been where the town is just as pleasant in the rain. The day started out with brilliant sunshine and by mid-afternoon had turned cloudy, and by evening it was sprinkling.

The city has a German section encircled in old city walls, and it's the hub of the city. The cafes, restaurants, and shops line the orderly laid out pedestrian streets. There is also a Romanian section of town called the Schei where the roads are winding and nothing is at a right angle. Historically, only Saxons were allowed to live within the fortified city, thus the two different areas. Both sit right at the foot of the Tampa Mountain (a little bit of home in Romania) and there is a cable car and various hiking paths that lead to the top. The mountain is even complete with its own version of the "Hollywood" sign. I'm not quite sure when it was erected, but if I had one criticism about Brasov, that would be it. It's not like I would forget where I am without it...

Fun fact about Brasov and Transylvania in general - the film "Cold Mountain" was filmed here and after the production wrapped, the cast and crew vacationed in nearby Poiana Brasov resort town.

A perfect start to my stay in Transylvania. Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibiu are like the holy trinity of Transylvanian Medieval towns, and I'm overjoyed to be exploring them in the next week. I would move here in a heartbeat if there were decent jobs available. I did pass by Transylvania University today and saw a big "Confucius Institute" sign, so maybe there is hope?

Just kidding, I wouldn't do that to my mother. Speaking of, a big happy mother's day to my mom and all the moms out there. That includes the new and expecting mothers in my life :) I don't say it enough but I love you mama! One of my first writing assignments in the 4th grade when I arrived in America was to write about one person you admire the most, and like a good Asian kid, I wrote about my mother. I'm pretty sure I was the only one. The teacher showed it to my mom and I was embarrassed  beyond belief! I don't remember what I wrote but if given the same assignment today, I'd still pick my mom - no doubt. Thank you for being there for me and for giving me so many opportunities! The only reason I'm able to defy your wishes and travel around the world as an unemployed vagabond right now is because of you :) 

Bucharest - Day 117

The city map I got at the tourist information center included several 3 hour walking tours of the city, so as a result, I have been doing my fair share of walking. Can't say Bucharest is my favorite capital city, but it does have wide boulevards, beautiful architecture, and a lot of green space, which makes walking for hours in 88 degree heat more bearable.

I mentioned before that Bucharest is the "Paris of Eastern Europe" and today I walked by its version of the Arch of Triumph. Looks exactly the same to me, except for the Romanian flag. I also walked by the Palace of Parliament - a MASSIVE piece of architecture. It is the largest administrative building in Europe and claims to be the the world's second largest building in surface area after the Pentagon.

Of course I need fuel for all that walking and discovered that Romania has arguably the best pretzels I've tasted. They're thinner than US ones, but soft and chewy and oh so delicious when they're fresh out of the oven. And at 1 Leu (30 cents), a really affordable on-the-run snack. However, I have been on a carb overload recently in the Balkans with all the borek/byurek/spanakopita, other cheesy and sweet pastries, sesame rings, etc... and I'm pretty sure I've gained weight at this point. So I decided to go on a "strict diet" and had a cucumber and yogurt for dinner, but now 2 hours later I'm starving.

Bucharest - Days 114-116

As planned, I made the 20 hour journey to Bucharest - painless enough and uneventful. I have to admit that my favorite form of travel is by train and it saddens me a little that people are opting for faster or cheaper alternatives; myself included sometimes. The bus from Istanbul to Bucharest would have taken 12 hours versus the 20 (actually 21) by train, but there's something about the rhythmical clanking of the rail carts and the gentle swaying. The bus from Istanbul to the border was only about a third full and I ended up being the only person in a 6 person compartment when we switched to the train. 

Bucharest is a cool city, at least based on what I've seen so far. There's usually something about a place that surprises me. For Istanbul, it was how the city was so hilly and steep. For Bucharest, it's the sheer number of stray dogs roaming the streets. Bucharest has the highest number of stray dogs in Eastern Europe apparently and they are not all nice...apparently an average of 75 people are bitten everyday! My goal for the next couple of days is to avoid contributing to the statistic.

Bucharest is called the "Paris of the Eastern Europe"and it's apparent in parts of the city. It's an architecturally eclectic city. Many of the "beautiful" buildings were constructed between the two world wars and those are juxtaposed by the massive megalomaniac buildings constructed during Ceausescu's reign. Unfortunately, he destroyed much of the historic city center, and earthquakes took care of another large chunk. Today, the Old Town has shrunk to just a few blocks and up until just a few years ago, it was considered a bad neighborhood. But the city started investing money and renovating the center, and not surprisingly, it is full of bars and restaurants and is the choice hangout place for the young people of Bucharest. That's where my host and I, along with some other friends, went last night to "watch" the Europa Final in Bucharest between Madrid and Bilbao. 

Walking back to the metro station last night, some random guy pretended to be a wild dog and "bit" me on the back of the leg with his hand. Freaked me out but turned out to be quite a funny guy. The girls I was with concluded he wasn't Romanian because he was too friendly, but now I know that pretending to a stray dog is a popular Romanian past time for drunk guys. Yet another thing to avoid.