Romania > Colorful Sighisoara

On the ground floor, a breakfast buffet is ready. The buffet is simple but good. The small coffee machine struggles with the cappuccino. Just after we’ve taken three cups, the machine breaks down completely. Next to it is a machine that only makes coffee.After breakfast, we pack our things. We carefully back the car out of the courtyard. This can only be done in reverse, which makes it a bit tricky to see if any traffic is passing. Safely, we turn onto the road and enter the traffic of Cluj-Napoca. We follow the route back to Turda, and from there the E60 highway towards Sighisoara. A drive of just over two hours.Sighisoara is a fortified town that has historically played an important role among the warring parties: the Hungarians, the Saxons, and the Romanians. Because of this, the present-day town still has many Hungarian influences. Around noon, we arrive in Sighisoara. We park the car in a parking lot at the foot of the fortress. The parking meter only accepts coins. We think ten Lei might be just short, but the meter won’t accept any extra coins beyond ten Lei. The daily rate is 16 Lei and the meter doesn’t give change. Unfortunately, we don’t have six single Lei coins.

Romania - The charming streets of Sighioara

We put one more Lei in the meter and can park until three o’clock. We adjust our visit accordingly.Several stone staircases lead up to the fortress of Sighisoara. We climb up. The highlight of the town is the clock tower. The tower was built in the 14th century as a gate tower and served as the main gate of the citadel and as the town hall until 1575. The clock was added in the 18th century. Of the fourteen towers that were once part of the city wall, only four remain intact today.Behind the clock tower is the Piata Cetatii square. The square has several terraces and restaurants. The houses inside the citadel are all painted in pastel colors. The streets look picturesque. On the edge is the Scholar’s Stairs, a staircase with a wooden canopy from 1642. Under the canopy, students of the high school on the hill could reach their school in the shade. Next to the school is the Biserica din Deal church, and here is the old cemetery.Back at the square, we order lunch on a terrace. I order soup. My soup is served inside a large hollowed-out piece of bread.

Romania - Several gates lead to the fortress of Sighioara

Funny and local. On the square, there is also a tourist train. After lunch, we decide to take a ride on the little train. The ride goes around the citadel. We pass the parking lot where our car is parked. After about twenty minutes, we are back.We take the last photos of Sighisoara and walk down to the car. Our parking time is almost up, but we have seen enough of this lovely town. It is no coincidence that this town is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.Tonight, we stay in the center of Brasov, a city east of the Fagaras Mountains, which we crossed a few days ago. Soon after leaving Sighisoara, the sky clouds over and thick raindrops fall on the windshield. We were lucky with the weather. It rains all the way to Brasov. Water flows down the roadside. Because of the weather, the evening rush hour is busier when we enter the city just after five o’clock.Our apartment is in the city center. We double-park briefly to unload the luggage, then park in a paid parking lot further down the street. This seems like a somewhat more expensive parking lot, but in the rain we don’t feel like searching further. The cost until tomorrow morning will probably be around twenty euros.The apartment is spacious. There is a double bed in the living room and two separate beds in a bedroom. From the window, we look out onto the Piata Sfatului, the square of Brasov. Outside, the rain continues heavily. Large puddles form along the roadside. Passing cars splash water onto the sidewalk. We decide not to go far for dinner. We cross the square and choose a Vietnamese restaurant. Luckily, there is just one table left inside. It’s too wet for the terrace.