Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt


23/6 - 25/6 Timisoara - Sibiu


Monday 23rd of June "The heat is on"

09.20 A wonderful and welcoming late morning is here. Next a shower and breakfast before I do the town.

10.45 It is time to talk a walk to the town. We will take some pictures and get ourselves something to eat and drink. It seems to be warm outside.

Piata Unirii in Timisoara

11.49 We have been looking for a train ticket office and the tourist information. Found none of them. Right now we are sitting in the Square of the old town.

12.39 What a joy, we found the tourist information, train ticket office and even got ourselves a beer each. We will enjoy it as we write our postcards.

15.41 After the tickets were bought we returned to room #114, our home. We looked for things to see and a place to dine at.

Romanian-orthodox cathedral in Timisoara

16.28 Sitting at Cafe Baneatana by the Bega channel. Dinner ordered. Schnitzel for me and spaghetti for Christer. My attempt to order in Romanian amused the waiter.

18.26 Back home after dinner and shopping. It is close to 32°C outside. This sure wears you down and one have to add fluids as one looses it out.

21.15 It is 28°C inside the room. Looks like it will be a rough night. I hope a shower will ease some of it.


Tuesday 24th of June "Hypnotic train ride"

06.52 I slept well The heat went away during the night but I am afraid it is coming back. In forty minutes, we will start walking to the station.

08.11 Sitting and waiting for the train. We saw many cars as we walked here, one of them a lorry carrying pigs.

08.24 In the train compartment that's old but has soft, leather covered seats.

08.43 The ride slowly goes on, a little more then 5 hours and 30 minutes left to go.

10.19 Our trip takes us through a hilly, agriculture landscape. Just 4 hours left to go.

12.11 After a light lunch and a stop in Simeria, which took some minutes, our train moves on once more. All is well but to be on the train for 2 more hours seems heavy. The scenery now is more mountainous

13.20 ONE hour left. It is HOT in here. In a little more than an hour we will walk through this heat carrying our backpacks

16.04 Time to tell what happened since we got to Sibiu. We walked from the station to the tourist information. There we got help from a guy with a slick tongue. I guess he is able to sell a comb to a bald guy easily. He arranged for a room and ended up with an offer for us to go back to Sweden by bus. Doesn't he want us in town? We went to our home in Podul Minciunilor, which means Liars Bridge. The place got its name from a bridge nearby. The legend says that if you stand on it and tells a lie the bridge will collapse. Our place is at Azilului 1 and costs 350, 000 lei per person per night. Our hostess gladly instructed us in a furious pace. I went to get some money and on my way back I caught a hat that had been blown away. The owner was pleased and thankful. Back here again, it's time to pay. As the deal was closed, our host got a 0,5-litre Coca-Cola bottle from behind a sofa. It wasn’t Coca-Cola in it. But home made cherry brandy. He removed the cap and served himself some of the brandy in it. He then poured it into the two glasses that I brought with me. It was a bit tricky to get them up the stairs and through the doors but I succeeded. I gave a glance at our neighbour before I went inside, he seems shy.

Podul Minciunilor (Liar´s bridge)in Sibiu

Piata Mare in Sibiu

21.17 Back after a dinner at Mara, where we managed to get the waiters moving. One of them ran back and forth telling us the latest news about the beers we ordered. The only place beers existed on the menu. He finally brought us a can of beer each. After these small problems, he brought us a really tasty dinner.

"Our street" in Sibiu


Wednesday 25th of June "Town walk"

09.10 After a good night sleep it's time to wake up and get ready!.

13.35 Just finished lunch at La Turn by the City's square. Good food and beer and soon time to taste the coffee. After that, train tickets, souvenirs and God knows what.

14.28 The coffee was black as night, strong as hell and damn hot. Just the way I want it. After the coffee, we went to buy a timetable. Now, we are thinking of how to get to Brasov. Will we do as planned or catch a later train? We saw some militaries on our way back. Has the war begun?

19.51 Back at La Turn, this time for dinner. I am having grilled meat and Christer pork chop with Serbian rice. The militaries have left the square, all is peaceful.

20.34 The food was excellent. As we sat there, a beauty with dark hair walked in and flirted with us. It was obvious that the beauty has some plans for us. It was a dog of some unknown kind.

22.49 Just tested some local beer. Our neighbour has his window blinds down. Who is he? A famous author that came here to be incognito? A celebrity of some kind? Or maybe a criminal or gangster? He might be a relic in the house, like the Major in Fawlty Towers?


You can see 15 photos from June 23 in this photoalbum.
You can see 5 photos from June 24 in this photoalbum.
You can see 7 photos from June 25 in this photoalbum.


CONTINUE


free counters