Rosie and The Operator have a long day driving from Bucharest through to Sibiu. We are going to traverse the infamous Transfagarasan Highway in Romania to get to our destination. This route is one of the countries most spectacular and internationally renowned driving roads after it featured on Top Gear as one of the best drives in the World! It is an incredibly winding road that scales up and over the Fagaras Mountains and rises to a height of 2042 meters.
The road was built between 1970-74 on the personal orders of Romania’s Communist Military Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu who, infamy has it, wanted to create a strategic route across the mountains to ferry troops north should Romania be invaded by the USSR.
This legend of course ignores the fact that a perfectly good, far quicker route not dependent on mountain weather already existed, around the base of the mountains. Still, it was another sign at the time, to serve as a proud example to the rest of the world exactly what Socialist Romania could achieve. Built solely as a status booster and vanity project by Ceausescu with little regard to cost or usefulness just because….he could. The irony of a road that could be open only a few months of the year.
What?! The road is not open all the time?! Of course not Rosie, it is built over a mountain, it snows at that elevation for most of the year and the weather is really shitty up there right now….Rosie has made a rookie planning error…a large one it seems and has disappointed The Operator no end.
What was going to be a car sick inducing, white knuckle ride for Rosie and an exhilarating, crazy grin on his face the entire way whilst swinging through every curve and switchback for The Operator ….has turned into us not upgrading the rental to something with better handling.
The Operator disappointingly climbs into his wee Opal Astra and, taking the lower highway around the base of the Fagaras Mountains, we get to Sibiu in quick smart time because the Transfagarasan Highway is still closed when we visit.
So, all of these beautiful photos above of the craziest road ever….Rosie has stolen from the world wide web and The Operator can only dream about what might have been on this epic drive over those mountains as we skirt them in the pic below.
Instead of a whole day driving to Sibiu and taking in the grand scenery…we nailed it in 4 hours on the motorway with barely a glimpse of Romania to be seen. Our apartment hosts wanted to know when we were 30 mins away from arriving, Rosie duly texted, they wanted to know what kind of car we were driving and its colour as well. OK….
We were told by them that the parking was on the roadside in front of the apartment so we were duly looking for a carpark as we approached the address of the house. A group of people on the road starts waving at us…its our hostess…and yes, the host has parked his car in a carpark for us and is moving it as we speak so we can pull in….right in front of the door! Bless, what great service that is! It was so smooth, easy and seamless…there were no other car parks…Rosie was wondering how long he had been parked there for and how long they had been waiting.
This is a medieval town and we are staying in the medieval heart in a medieval house! The curved street above is ours and the first yellow house on the bend is the one we are staying in. This is the outside below, the house with the brown wooden shutters on the second storey.
Through the large, arched, outside double doors we entered into what would have been the courtyard where the animals were housed back in the day.
The huge house is built around the courtyard in a U shape over two levels and, judging by the amount of mail boxes here this house has been divided up into quite a few apartments over the centuries. Our studio room is quite a good size and looks out over the street whilst our hosts live across the hallway.
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, central Romania…I know right, Transylvania, it sounds so romantic and such a daring, wild, remote place to be. Well, they are the images from the movies…its not really like that at all. Although Rosie must say that when you put on your Dracula voice and talk in an accent like him….that is exactly how Romanians sound when they talk English! Cool or what…if only I could get one of them to say…I want to suck your blood….Ps we came across Draculas Blood Bank…ok, bad joke Rosie.
Anyhow, Rosie digresses, Sibiu has a chocolate box old town quality, it is stunningly beautiful and its Germanic architecture is a legacy of the 12th century Saxon settlers that originally came and settled here.
Rosie shouldn’t really call this place a town, after all over 150,000 people live in the old town area, but that is the vibe and feeling this place gives you. It is busy and bustling, but never on a scale that is too much, just one to make you feel excited to be out and about and of course to make for good people watching when you pick the perfect terrace to sit on and believe me there are plenty!
Rosie discovered that the houses around the town all have watchful eyes…yes they do, and seem to follow your every move. Look up at the roofs and see the squinty eyes of the windows in the roofs. This peculiar architectural style was very prevalent in this area when the 15th century. All of the houses had roof voids, and still do today. You would store your fruit and vegetable harvest, flour and meat up in the cool, dry, attic and the eye slits in the roof are for ventilation to keep everything fresh. Check out all of the rooftops in the pictures, you will see what I mean.
Sibiu is divided into Upper and Lower Towns. The Upper Town is the old town and is spread out over three squares. The Lower Town is more modern and gets even more modern the further out of it you walk.
In the Old Town, (The Big Square) the Piata Mare is the heart of the medieval town, its square is huge and devoid of traffic. Numerous cafes with flower strewn terraces and grand buildings line the periphery and it is a great place to catch your breath in the space it affords.
Next to it is Piata Huet, a smaller square where you will find the Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral, one of the main landmarks in the city, that you can see from any part of the town because of the pointy spire and beautifully coloured tiled roof. There was a lot of scaffolding around it when we arrived in town and unfortunately it was shut to tourists for renovations.
Piata Mica (The Small Square) was Rosie and The Operators favorite square in the town, yes, unfortunately it is a giant car park but the hustle and bustle of all of the traffic, comings and goings of the locals and the full restaurant terraces under the green leafed trees made for an awesome atmosphere to sip an Aperol Spritz and watch the world go by.
….so much so, our bar that we frequented daily said they had run out of Aperol because we had drunk it all the prior day…never mind…GnTs it is.
Connecting Piata Mare and Piata Mica is an archway on which the Council Tower is built on top of, up the tower Rosie puffed to get this great view over the town.
Unfortunately, there was no balcony or opening windows and all photos had to be taken through the glass…it was clean enough and the day was overcast so there was minimal reflections and Rosie’s grumbles were minimal. How could you grumble at this view! All of the aerial photos of the different squares that Rosie has already posted were taken from here.
See the beautifully curving brown street below. This is where our apartment is, the yellow house on left hand bend. From up high it gives you a great view of how big these medieval houses and their yards are.
The tower itself is the symbol of Sibiu and was built in the 12th century although it has had many rebuilds since then. The tower has also had many purposes through the ages, from where it was used to store the wheat for the town and also utilized as an observation point in case of fire. Today, the tourists climb it for the view and the inside floors as you climb are used to showcase town exhibitions.
Crossing the road out of the Piata Mica is The Liars Bridge, which was first built of wood in the 1600s, it was then rebuilt in 1859 to became the first wrought iron bridge that was ever constructed in Romania.
The bridge itself connects the Old Town with The New Town and has many legends attached to it as per its name. One legend says that any Lieing Merchants were taken to and thrown off the bridge by their cheated buyers. Another says that lovers used to walk the bridge and the girls would pledge on it they were virgins….if after their wedding night it was proven she wasn’t and was lieing….she too would have been dragged to the bridge and thrown off. The essence….all liars who walk this bridge will be caught out…and thrown over the side.
It is beautiful. As are the ancient buildings that surround it. A small café with carafes of flowers on the tables that line the footpath sits at one end. A grand piano was sitting in the street and a man was playing it so beautifully as we wandered around taking photos.
Rosie loves this artistic take on the Medieval Nail Tree. This version is a modern sculpture and looks awesome. Back in the day a steel nail was a valuable item to own. They were hammered into specific trees when the owner was off to war or on a long journey to ensure their safe return. The ancient branch of a 400 year old nail tree in Vienna is the only other one Rosie has ever seen.
The squares are all linked together with skinny pedestrian passageways that open up in the most unexpected places. They are long and narrow and look like they have been bored through the buildings as quick shortcuts from one area to another.
The street leading off the Piata Mare is the widest and has the most even, smooth paving stones we have come across, which allows you to be able to take in your surroundings better rather than having to watch foot placement at every step. This street has no traffic and the morning sun streamed down the middle of it, we sat and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and a Romanian bagel for breakfast before walking on around the corner to the Medieval Walls.
The walls were the first line of defense for the city in the 14th century. Each section of the wall had a bastion watchtower which was manned by one of the 19 Trade Guilds in the town.
The three towers that still stand along this stretch of wall today are the Carpenters Tower, The Potters Tower and the Blacksmiths Tower. The walls were just glowing in the early morning sunlight and were quite spectacular in their girth, height, decoration and sturdiness.
Stepping down into the defence gully on the outside of the wall which is now a footpath and wandering the track between the grassy banks was just lovely.
When Rosie says wander, she really does mean it, this town is the perfect place to wander around. The colourful houses and the winding lanes make it so pleasant to walk aimlessly and just snap off multitudes of photos.
Ambling on we came to the towns Greek Orthodox Church built in 1902 on the outskirts of the Old Town….it was spectacular! Okay, it is nothing much to look at on the outside…you might even be tempted to wander past…but please don’t! It is incredible inside! So cool, dim, huge, cavernous, gleaming with gold décor embellishments and smelling of rich, aromatic incense.
Why are their no seats in Greek Orthodox churches whispered Rosie to The Operator? Rosie loves a seat to be able to sit and ogle the grandness around her. The Operator googled it for Rosie and all Orthodox worshipers stand for the two hour services, as you do not sit when Jesus is in the house as he is within the sacraments. There is no shame in sitting, and children sit at their parents feet and there are seats dotted around the edge of the church for the elderly. Interesting.
Across the road from this church, Rosie is only guessing, there is no reference, she thinks this blue building is some official building to do with the church. A convent or a priests equivalent? Because through this archway was the most amazing painted corridor, that everyone was walking past, Rosie is feeling smug she was nosey enough to discover this wee gem.
Walking through the fortified arched gate of The Tower of the Stairs that leads down onto The Passage of the Stairs you find yourself on the staircase that links The Upper and The Lower Towns. It sounds complicated…but follow the pics, you will get the gist.
It is another beautiful place to pause and take pictures. Walking further on into the new town, we came to the local fruit and vege market. It was in full swing and busy with locals purchasing produce and buying meats, cheeses and small goods from the small shops that ringed the outside periphery.
The smell of the huge strawberries and cherries, freshly picked in the height of their season was heaven, seeing them in their giant mounds on every table was incredible!
What a great start to seeing the sights of Romania! Sibiu is the perfect place to spend a minimum of a couple of nights. There is so much to see, do and enjoy here….your only regret…will not be spending more time here!
Tomorrow Rosie and The Operator are taking a half day trip from Sibiu out to see the picture perfect Corvin Castle. You thought Slovakia had a lot of castles, well, Romania is right up there too!
Like the look of Romania? Check out our first stop in Bucharest as we explored the Old Town.
These travels are all part of a 24 day Eastern European Roadtrip that started in Kosice Slovakia and took in the Super Cities of Vienna and Budapest along the way.
You can also check out chronologically where we have been by scrolling to Rosies ‘Eastern Europe Road Trip’ under Europe on the Homepage.
