A Train and Bus

Monday, February 02, 2015
Sighisoara, Transylvania, Romania
8:49 am:
I'm on the train again, this time heading to Sighisoara for a few hours . It's supposed to be where Dracula the Impaler was born, and it's a cute, medieval town of about 30,000. It was settled by the Saxon Romans in the 1200s, but apparently only around 500 Germans live there now.

I'm in a private car this time, with 8 seats. It definitely beats the crowded train I took to Brasov on Saturday. Then again, all I have today is my backpack. Cecilia confirmed that the train stations will sell out trains for people to stand. She said Saturday was busy because kids are on 'holiday' next week and many of them were heading to the ski resorts. Today, a woman is sprawled across three seats, one of them being mine (43). I won't kick her out unless someone takes '42,' and don't think I won't ! For now, I can sit back and relax for the next 2.5 hours until I arrive in Sighisoara. I also brought some postcards along if I feel like writing. Today, the hotel called me a taxi, and I only paid 8 lei to the station as opposed to 19 the other day. That is what it should cost .

10:12 am:
My friend in the train woke up so I could technically sit right next to her in seat 43. But I think I will stay where I am at. She is eating a massive sandwich, and does not speak any English. I asked her where she is going and she showed me the time on her phone. Ok, sure. I only know about 10 phrases in Romanian, so that is fair. Romanians love their sandwiches when they travel. Tons of people were eating them brought from home on the train. The rain/snow that fell in Brasov yesterday and chilled me a bit on my walk to church must've been all snow in this area, which is more north. The trees and forests and hills are snow covered, and this is what it should look like in Brasov, except they have had a mild winter. Should arrive in Sighisoara in 50 minutes.

8 pm:
I retuned back to Brasov around 5:45 pm. I decided to take a small shuttle bus back to Brasov, per Cecilia's recommendation. It was a little faster and a bit cheaper. Sighisoara was adorable. They received a few inches of show overnight, so the buildings and trees were covered in a thick blanket of white. Unfortunately, most of the major things were closed, but I still got to see the Clock Tower, the Catholic Church, visit the Citadel and climb the covered staircase to the church on the hill. This made for a great day trip. I thought I might base myself in Sighisoara, but there is more to do in Brasov, so I think I made the right choice .

I stopped at a grocery store and bought some 'Eugenia' chocolate sandwich cookies, which I had read about, as well as a few other local things. I also stopped at a pharmacy for some
cold medicine. I think (am hoping) the woman understood me. I took some over lunch and it seemed to help. Speaking of lunch, I took a break from 'Meat Fest 2015' and had a salad and some cheese with bread. It was a nice change. Speaking of meat, I have seen some stray dogs here, but not nearly as many as I did in Colombia. And these dogs don't look as scraggly or seem as sad. It's probably because they are fed meat all the time.

Right now at I'm Restaurant Transilvania in the Old Town for dinner, and I'm back at it with the meat. My food is about to arrive, so I will stop writing.

10:15 pm:
So I ended up joining two Aussies for dinner who were sitting next to me. It was nice exchanging travel stories and not sitting alone . Of course, dinner was delicious and filling. Now I have to pack and get set to check out. I'm gonna miss Brasov and Romania! More on that tomorrow.

Time for bed!
Jamie

Comments

Joan Robb
2015-02-03

Jamie, these are just wonderful phots. What a beutiful place.

2023-12-09