Sibiu, Romania has it’s eyes on you!

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Travel Spirit

One of the first things I noticed while roaming the streets of Sibiu, Romania were the roof vents that appear to be eyes. So cool! If you’ve never heard of Sibiu, you’re not alone. Before planning my Eastern European journey, I hadn’t either. Sibiu was originally part of Germany and dates back to the 12th Century. After World War I, it became part of Romania.

In 2007 it was designated the European Capital of Culture for the year, along with Luxembourg. Forbes has ranked Sibiu as “Europe’s 8th most idyllic place to live.

My last post left off with having stopped in Sighasoara for a few hours on route from Brasov to Sibiu. We boarded the 3:00pm train in Sighasoara, after picking up our luggage from the holding room at the train station, and arrived in Sibiu at 6:05pm. We walked the 1/3 mile to our Airbnb and after settling in, walked to a nearby Supermarket for some breakfast items.

The following morning, with only one full day to explore, we set off to see this delightful City!

We wandered down this cobblestone street…

and decided to climb these steps…

We stopped in the lovely Holy Trinity Cathedral…

It was a perfect day for exploring…blue skies and comfortable temperatures!

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I’m in Love with Sighasoara

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Travel Spirit

We departed on a 2 1/2 hour train at 8:52am ($7.50 per ticket reserved online ahead of time) from Brasov for Sighasoara, one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Europe. We didn’t spend the night, just explored for a few hours, before boarding a train to Sibiu. The train station has a place to store your luggage for a small fee.

The brightly painted houses and cobblestone streets were just so darn cute!

We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe and I had a refreshing lemon beer with my pasta…

Fortified with some food in our bellies, we climbed the 160 steps (we’re half way up at this point) of the Scara Acoperita where there’s a church and then we came back down.

A park bench, wooden door, and beautiful flowers provide the perfect setting for a photo…

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A Spooky Visit to Bran Castle aka Dracula’s Castle in Romania

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Bran Castle aka Dracula’s Castle, situated 18 miles from the quaint and historical town of Brasov, is so much fun to explore! Dating back to the 15th Century, there isn’t much evidence that Vlad the Impaler, who the character Count Dracula was devired from, had many ties with Bran Castle. During our visit, there were school children running through the castle and visitors were allowed to freely roam the castle.

Here’s the courtyard…

The entrance to the castle is at the top of these steps…

A spooky stone passageway leading to…

The bearskin room…

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Beautiful Brasov, Romania

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Arriving to Brasov, Romania via train in the afternoon after exploring the breathtaking Peles Castle, we checked into our Airbnb located conveniently in the Old Town, and walked to the Supermarket. With only 1 1/2 days to explore, we were anxious to get started.

The main square called Piata Sfatului, is full of life and beauty! The large dark brown building in the background is called the Black Church and is over 500 years old.

Children and birds are wonderful subjects to photograph!

The fountain at the square seems somewhat modern, but contrasts nicely with the historical architecture surrounding it.

I felt like I was dropped in a photographer’s paradise!

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Train to Peles Castle in Romania

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Travel Spirit

The train from Bucharest to Peles Castle takes only 1 1/2 hours and what awaits you is simply magical! I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “pictures don’t do it justice”, and in this case that is so true! Researching the logistics of stopping to see Peles Castle on our train ride from Bucharest to our next Airbnb in Brasov, Romania, I discovered you could “supposedly” leave your luggage at the train station for a small fee. Well, that’s not the case anymore. Fortunately, a restaurant agreed to keep our luggage for a few hours while we explored the Castle. We took a taxi that should have cost about 10 lei (but was 20 lei = $5) three miles to the castle located in the Carpathian Mountains.

Peles Castle (it’s actually more like a palace) is splendid! I think someone came up with that word to describe it! Wandering from room to room, I felt the excitement rising, wondering what delightful things we were going to see next.

Here are some interesting facts gathered from Wikipedia:

The collection of arms and armor has over 4,000 pieces, spreading over four centuries of history

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Bicycle Riding in Bucharest

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Travel Spirit

I’m on a bus from Tallinn, Estonia to Riga, Latvia and have wifi…yeah! Anyway, thought I’d continue on with my epic adventure through Eastern Europe. For our second and final day in Bucharest I had planned to visit Tineretului Park, which was located about three miles from our Airbnb. Upon arrival, we rented bicycles and discovered some beautiful features at the park…a lovely blue fountain to go with the blue sky…

A large clear green pond surrounded by a walking/biking path…

that’s me…

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Free Walking Tour of Bucharest

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Travel Spirit

Walkabout Free Tour offers an informative and interesting free walking tour of some of the highlights of Bucharest, Romania. After leaving Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria on a bus at 11:00am, transferring to another bus in Ruse, Bulgaria and arriving in Bucharest at 2:30pm, Jing and I took a 2 mile taxi ride to our Airbnb, where we hefted our luggage up to the fourth floor, which meant eight flights of steps! I am determined to pack lighter for the next trip. We settled in and walked a mile to meet up with the two hour walking tour.

Some of the highlights they cover are the lovely Stavropoleos Convent…