Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson, Roberth Nordin
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Tuesday 11th of April
08.08 The first note this Tuesday is made at Casa cu Cerb (http://www.casacucerb.ro) in Sighișoara. We have slept here for one night. Today I woke up by myself without any wake-up call. Roberth has set out on another morning run. Voices can be heard right now outside our bedroom door.
08.33 The newly arrived Roberth has just been followed in the shower by Christer. As soon as he's done his thing, we'll probably have breakfast. One reason why we heard the voices so well may be because the door was a little ajar. Roberth was so eager to run that he forgot to close the door behind him.
09.05 We sit and feast on breakfast in a cellar vault. Casa cu Cerb is both a hotel and a restaurant when it is high season here in town. What has been here before?
09.38 Now we have eaten breakfast and paid for the stay. We messed around at breakfast and chose a different table than the one the hostess had set just for us. It is important to be observant. Now we're going to unwind. From experience and travel habits, we know that you should take the opportunity to rest and conserve energy whenever possible.
10.51 It is again time to step out of a room and an accommodation. However, there is still a lot of time left here in Sighișoara. There is more that we want to see and do. There is more to marvel at. It is more than four hours until our train leaves here.
11.00 We, or rather Christer, returned the key at the reception. Now we are back outside the Catholic Church of Saint Joseph (Biserica Romano-Catolică "Sfantu Iosif"). It is now time to plan where we will stroll next.
11.42 At the outdoor terrace of Mimoza Wine & Dine (https://mimoza-winedine.eatbu.com) on the cozy street Strada Octavian Goga, there will be a late eleven o´clock coffee. As I said, we sit outside the restaurant by a wall and have umbrellas hanging over us. I have a memory of seeing that form of decorations on another trip. It was in Liverpool, right?
Typical street in medieval Sighișoara.
Roberth and Peter have checked out and are heading for new adventures.
View of Sighișoara town.
Strada Octavian Goga, Sighișoara.
The local boy, Vlad Tepeș, the model for Dracula.
Time for lunch at Restaurant Casa Vlad Dracul.
11.51 We have received cool wooden coffee trays with holes for a cup and sugar cubes. The cups seemed to be twisted and the coffee was weak. Weak coffee remains weak even in beautiful vessels.
12.17 After we've finished drinking we've returned to the older, more upland medieval parts of the town. Now we are on a newly built wooden terrace below the clock tower. We make a short stop for photography and rest.
12.21 There will be a new note from a new bench. We now have a view of the Hilton Hotel and the Trinity Church (Biserica Sfânta Treime).
12.41 Things are happening here. First came two children. One of the children was carrying a cube-shaped rock, paving stone? The child dropped the stone against a wall and let it fall down. In addition, we have had a visit from a big, happy, black dog.
13.17 The spring sun is shining and warming us. We talk about a little bit of each. This is vacation, freedom. This is the kind of thing that makes the journey better and gives it meaning.
13.45 Now we have ordered lunch at Restaurant Casa Vlad Dracul (https://casavladdracul.ro) on Strada Cositorarilor 5. When Christer and I were here last time, we ate at the outdoor terrace. Now we are in the courtyard and will drink Recas Cabernet Sauvignon, a Romanian wine. Wonder if we drank Romanian wine earlier on the trips. Vlad Ţepeş, the model of Count Dracula is said to have been born and spent his first four years in this house in the early 15th century.
14.37 We got good food and drink. When we asked for the bill, we got the neighboring table's bill. The total cost was the same as my dish cost. We gave the bill to the neighbours and asked for our bill instead.
14.47 Satisfied and happy, we now take a break in a park.
Two lunch guests at Restaurant Casa Vlad Dracul.
Mural inside Casa Vlad Dracul.
Romanian countryside is passed on the way to Sibiu.
The railway station in Sibiu.
Turnul Sfatului, Sibiu.
Some children greet the pedagogue Gheorge Lazar.
15.15 We have walked back to the railway station and we are back on board a train. Later this evening, it has become time to revisit another city from the interrail trip era.
15.43 The small and slow local train has been rolling for almost a quarter of an hour. The trio sits calmly and quietly in first class.
16.46 After standing still for 17 minutes, we leave Copșa Mică. The landscape has a tender and clear greenery.
17.42 Now we begin to see the end of another train journey. Everything has gone smoothly and quietly. I hope a little more happens as soon as we step off.
18.18 We have arrived in Sibiu and from the railway station we have walked to Piaţa Mare (Main Square). I am sitting on the plinth of the statue of the scientist, writer and educator Gheorghe Lazăr (1779-1823). Me and Christer were here in the city in 2003 but we don't recognize anything about the station or the way into the center. Strange how selective memory is. From here on the square, however, we have many clear memories of what we saw and what we did. Sibiu, called Hermannstadt in German and Nagyszeben in Hungarian, has 155,045 inhabitants and was, together with Luxembourg, European Capital of Culture in 2007.
18.30 After seeing Podul Minciunilor, the Bridge of Lies and our old accommodation in the city, Pensiunea Podul Minciunilor, we will now take a long walk to our new hotel. Podul Minciunilor is a cast iron bridge from 1860. It has many legends surrounding it because of its name. The most popular one says that the bridge will collapse when someone standing on it lies.
18.47 We left Piaţa Mare and soon reached the natural history museum and a large hospital. Along a busy road, Strada Bâlea, we now walk towards our new home here in the city.
19.06 Sirens are heard through the window of room 11 at Hotel Sonne (https://sonne.ro). There's no water kettle in sight here either. Soon we have to go out again. There is no time to rest when you reach a new city so late.
Podul Minciunilor, Bridge of Liars.
Hotel Sonne, Sibiu.
We have moved into room 11.
Kombinat Gastro-Brewery, Sibiu.
Christer and Roberth visit Kombinat.
Christer's interesting dinner, trout meatballs together with rice in vegetable sauce.
19.52 We search and search about dinner and supermarket alternatives in the surrounding area. No matter what and where, we should find a way out of here. There is no food in the room.
20.14 We have chosen a different route for the walk towards the more central parts of Sibiu. We are now walking along Strada Ștefan cel Mare towards an exciting restaurant that we found with the help of Google Maps.
20.27 At Kombinat Gastro-Brewery (https://kombinat.ro) a trend on the trip has just been broken. We have ordered 0,4 liters each of the house beer. Too small! There were no larger glasses. In addition, of course, we ordered food from the interesting menu in accordance with tradition. Kombinat cooks from local ingredients and also has its own small brewery.
21.31 It was good, the service was excellent but there were no huge portions. Now we will slowly find our way home to Hotel Sonne, but first we need to do some shopping.
21.44 We found the store Profi City and have bought a little of everything there from a fairly small selection. Now we pass the Academia Forțelor Terestre Nicolae Bălcescu military school while a light drizzle falls on us.
22.17 It has been an intense day but now we are back home and can consume some of the evening's purchases. The Champions League match between Manchester City and Bayern Munich is playing on the TV. Things are going well for City!
23.21 It feels sad that we didn't get more time here in Sibiu, but we plan to see a bit more of the center tomorrow morning on our way to the train. Now we need to sleep.
Wednesday 12th of April
07.59 Despite it´s raining outside, Roberth is faithful to his tradition. He has gone out for his morning run. His zeal impresses me. I feel inspired to... well, I'll probably come back to that.
08.20 Roberth has returned. He is not too wet. He will get wetter now when he has to shower.
09.30 Instrumental versions of hits from the past entertained us in the large breakfast room. Now we are going to close the accounts in yet another room.
09.47 We are out on a detour which, after some stops, will eventually take us to the railway station. In light rain, we first go the same way we came along yesterday. This first walk will therefore take us back to Piaţa Mare square.
10.15 There are certain things that I have done before on trips. One such is enjoying a double espresso at Starbucks Coffee. Now I'm doing it again. There aren't that many souls who made their way here in the rain this morning. This Starbucks is located at Piaţa Mare 16.
11.15 After finishing the coffee break, we have taken a walk to take pictures of the Cathedral Catedrala Sfânta Treime. Now we´ll go back to the train station.
11.46 Along the way to the station, Roberth bought two pastries. Now we are on board a train of the same model as the one that brought us here. Roberth and Christer are sitting in the right places. I didn't find my seat and have sat in another one. Christer has a talkative, curious next-door neighbor. The guy who will travel to Făgăraş explained that we are in Romania and no one sits in the right seat here. Also, he thinks we should keep track of our things because, according to him, there are a lot of bad people here.
Breakfast at Hotel Sonne.
Towards Starbucks on a rainy morning.
Muzeul Național Brukenthal, art museum in Sibiu.
Catedrala Sfânta Treime, Sibiu.
Biserica Evanghelică Sfânta Maria with Transylvania's tallest church tower and the largest church organ in the Balkans.
A dog and a stationmaster at Dumbrăviţa Bârsei station.
12.39 Outside there are thick clouds over mountains with snow-capped peaks and also the green nature. Some of the highest peaks in the Carpathians are south of us but the visibility is too poor for us to enjoy any views. Inside the second class, people are conversing and now we stopped for a while.
14.05 Just before Făgăraș, Christer's seat neighbor hand-rolled a cigarette, it wasn't a pretty cigarette. He took it, his bag and got off. Now he and others stand smoking on the platform.
14.17 Most of the smokers have come back in but our train is still standing at the station in Făgăraș.
14.23 We have now left the station a bit late. Christer has a question about whether we should change hotels in Bucharest. It would be convenient to have a hotel where we can store the luggage as we do a city tour on the last day. We will have a closer look at this tonight.
15.03 I've been stretching my legs here on the train. Further on in the train, there is a small party. Some gentlemen are drinking. One of them is in a wheelchair.
15.37 Now we are back in Braşov, a city that Christer and I visited during the train bum summers of 2002 and 2003. Will I enjoy myself as much as on the last visits? One thing is worse this time, the weather. Much else might be better this time?
16.01 Roberth, I and another man have helped the wheelchair-bound man I saw earlier. We carried the man and the wheelchair down the stairs from the platform. It was heavy. Was the wheelchair made of cast iron? The toothless man laughed happily and allowed himself to be carried. Now is the time to buy bus tickets for the local bus here in Braşov.
16.09 It went fine to buy the tickets in a machine. I hope now that we can find a stop and the right bus. Braşov was founded in the 13th century by the Teutonic Order and then became the center of the German-colonized area of Transylvania. In German, the city is called Kronstadt. From 1542, the city also became the center of the Reformation in Transylvania. Brașov became a Romanian city through the Peace of Trianon in 1920. Today, 283,901 inhabitants live here.
The stay in Braşov started with a good deed.
Curtea Braşoveană, Braşov.
Piața Unirii, Braşov.
Poarta Șchei, a 19th-century gate into the Old Town.
Poarta Ecaterinei (Yekatarina's Gate) city gate from the 16th century.
We walk towards the center of Braşov.
16.17 It was not easy to get from the station across various well-trafficked boulevards, but now we are on the right side of the road in any case.
16.23 From the Piaţa Dacia stop we will go towards more central parts with bus 4. The bus service here in the city seems to have recently been rescheduled. According to our itinerary we were supposed to take bus 51 but it doesn't seem to exist anymore. A few Roma boys sniffing glue circulate around the stop, horrible to see.
17.06 We got off the bus at the Biserica Neagră stop in the central parts of the city and walked the last bit to the hotel Curtea Braşoveană (http://curteabrasoveana.ro). Here they were waiting for us and the man at the reception seemed to know exactly who we were. Are we the only guests? Along the way here, there was snow on the pavement. Now we are in room 14. Here, in addition to the usual things, you will also find a kettle in a room. Finally we have a kettle! Hurray!
17.37 Now I want to go out and see Braşov anyway. As I said before, I have good memories of this city. Unfortunately, the train times meant that we once again arrived too late to have really plenty of time here. Maybe we'll have time to see a bit tomorrow morning too?
18.03 We passed two beautiful city gates, first we came to Poarta Șchei which was built in the 19th century and spans the street Strada Poarta Șchei which continues into the older districts. Now we are at Poarta Ecaterinei (Yekatarina's Gate) which was built in the 16th century by the city's tailors.
18.11 We have continued towards the center and are now at the beautiful Gothic Biserica Neagră (Black Church). It is called black after a fire in the 17th century. There is more to see and do here in the city.
18.24 It is, as in the last visits, still beautiful in the square Piaţa Sfatului in the heart of Braşov. There are plenty of people and birds here.
18.36 After walking along a pedestrian street (Strada Republicii) that neither Christer nor I remember from previous visits, we have now seen some court buildings. Now we turn again.
19.34 The city tour ended with a visit to the Carrefour Market in the Star shopping mall. There we bought, among other things, wine with snacks. Now we are at home in the room for some alone time before dinner.
Biserica Neagră (Black Church).
Braşov text on the Tâmpa mountain.
Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov.
Casa Sfatului, Braşov.
Some say this is one of Europe's most beautiful squares.
Consiliul Județean Brașov.
20.16 During the break in the room, Christer has rebooked us in Bucharest. Now we have rooms in a hotel that is open all day and promises luggage storage. Now is the time to go out for a short while and for a short walk. We intend to have dinner at a restaurant just around the corner.
20.29 The short walk ended at the restaurant Casa Românească (https://restaurant-casaromaneasca.ro) at Piaţa Unirii. Traditional Romanian food is promised here. Now came our meal drinks. Christer and I have chosen beer. Roberth treats himself to wine.
20.40 The waiter just arrived with three glasses of plum brandy. We cannot say no to this.
21.01 It was good brandy! Now the food has also arrived. It's time to enjoy.
21.54 Christer probably chose the tastiest and most economical dish, really good pork together with the classic Romanian side dish mămăligă. However, Roberth and I are still very satisfied. Once home, it will now be coffee for Christer and me. I have with me the coffee pot that was bought on the New Year's trip in France. If we have a kettle, it must be used.
22.26 It is time to air the evening wine. It should be decanted into something similar to a flower vase. You take what you have. The Champions League game between Real Madrid and Chelsea is played on the TV. But truth be told, it should probably be played in Madrid and not on top of our TV.
22.55 Premiat Fetească Neagră wine, air-dried ham and Cascaval de capra cheese. Not bad for a Wednesday night in April.
23.32 It was good to eat and drink. Dinner party is over. However, we have not managed what we did in France and had balcony wine. The balcony is missing. Romania has a lot to offer. In the Allsvenskan ice hockey final at home in Sweden, Modo and Djurgården will meet. The first game will be on Sunday.
Alcohol before food creates smiles.
Christer's dinner, the pig's alms with cornmeal porridge (pomana porcului cu mămăligă).
Champions League football on TV. On the table wine in a vase with some cheese and ham.
Thursday 13th of April
08.14 Today my parents celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary at home in Sweden. The three travelers here in Brașov don't celebrate much. At least we woke up and got up from our beds.
09.01 Now we are going to leave the room here at Curtea Braşoveană for a while. One of the trip's breakfast meals must be eaten. Sure, bedside breakfast has a certain charm, but I prefer a solid hotel breakfast.
09.40 There was nothing wrong with that. It was a good breakfast in the right amount. Roberth has changed clothes after breakfast and laced up his running shoes. It's that time again!
10.13 After Roberth's return from the run in the local area, we have collected the personal belongings.
10.32 Now we are ready for the day, ready to regroup. What's in store today? Yesterday we carried a man in a wheelchair. Today maybe we get to read to a deaf person? You never know what will pop up when you're out and about.
10.52 Today the sun is shining on us and the city feels so much nicer and more beautiful. Roberth has called his sister Anna to talk a little about their mother's upcoming 70th birthday which falls on Sunday, the same day we return home.
11.03 With coffee of different strength and quantity, we are now sitting at the outdoor terrace of Starbucks Coffee. We are at Braşov's beautiful square, Piaţa Sfatului, a square that can probably be translated as City Hall Square..
11.58 The coffee time ended and we aimed for a ticket machine for the upcoming local bus journey to the railway station. Now Christer has bought a ticket for us each in a machine near our hotel. This effort wore us down and we take a bench break at Piața Unirii. Well, to tell the truth, we thought it was a bit early to take the bus already now, so we're waiting a bit.
Breakfast at Curtea Braşoveană.
This is where we have stayed.
The weather is much better today.
Roberth drinks morning coffee at Starbucks.
Roberth has arrived in Sinaia.
Teddy bears at Cofeteria Caramello in Sinaia.
12.17 Bus number 4 arrived at our stop. We got on board and validated the tickets. When we eventually reach the railway station, we´ll get off.
12.34 The bus has slowly but surely been filled to capacity with passengers. This has also taken time. Now it's almost getting stressful to catch the train.
12.46 Once we arrived at the railway station, there was a ticket check outside on the platform before we were let on board the train bound for Bucharest.
13.12 Traveling by train through Romania is quite comfortable after all. Outside the train, spring grows stronger. We are just starting to roll out of Braşov.
13.38 We have stopped in the ski resort of Predeal. The altitude is significantly higher here (about 1100 meters above sea level) and there is still snow here and there in the forests.
13.57 Some teenage girls have got on in Bușteni and are now arguing with the conductor about something. Wherever you go in the world, there are teenagers and they all have roughly the same behaviour.
14.05 We got off at the station in Sinaia. The conductor politely informed us that it was time to get off. This will be the first visit to this town for all three of us. Others who get off have probably been here before. The small town of Sinaia with 11,918 inhabitants is located in the Carpathian Mountains at 767 meters above sea level and is a popular winter sports resort with cable cars and ski slopes. In the city there is also the Sinaia Monastery, which gave the city its name. Here you can also find the royal Peleș Castle and the smaller Pelișor Castle.
14.25 The first thing we did after walking up the stairs to the town center was to sit down at Ramayana (http://www.ramayana.ro/sinaia/), a restaurant that also has a branch in Bucharest. I took out the journal to document a little. A little girl who wanted to sell flowers read the text and hurried on. She understood that I would not understand what she wanted to say.
15.18 It took time to get the food but it was worth the wait. Now we're going to get up and climb up. The hotel we booked is further up town, about two kilometers from here. There will probably be some uphill to get us there.
15.44 We have followed the street Strada Aosta in the direction of the hotel. The birds sing beautifully around us. At a bus stop I take a short bench break. We have walked 1,38 kilometers from the center but more remains. We are walking on really steep slopes and the jackets are starting to feel too warm. On the horizon is a mountainous and beautiful nature.
Mixed selection at Ramayana Café & Restaurant.
Good drinks while waiting for the food.
Main street in Sinaia.
Roberth walks along the Strada Aosta.
The walk uphill continues.
The apartment at Hotel Casa Iris.
16.08 After even more uphills and winding roads, we finally arrived. We are now in room 214 at Hotel Casa Iris (http://www.casa-iris.ro). It is not without the fact that it is nice to put away my old, faithful backpack. It feels like we'll probably take a bus back to the train station tomorrow. It was a long way to go and we have targeted local buses in the immediate area.
16.31 This is not a bad room. It is rather an apartment. Here there is a family room, two bedrooms, a bathroom and no less than two balconies. We should probably enjoy ourselves here.
17.05 Breathing is calmer. The bodies are cooler and coffee is drunk. We have small bottles of wine in the refrigerator's minibar. Also, we have plans for our time here.
17.18 It has become time to go out for an afternoon walk to look for restaurants, a possible grocery store and sights.
17.49 The room has kept us in for a while longer, but now we must finally get out.
18.32 A mission is completed. We have found a small Minimarket at Strada Furnica 37. Roberth has bought salami and wine for tonight. It is easier to walk without a pack on your back and also downhill. I am now sitting on the same bench as three hours ago. It stands outside the beautiful Hotel Furnica.
18.48 We have now been to Peleş Castle. The road there was closed by a barrier so we had to see and photograph it from a distance through the trees. We probably should have come during the castle's opening hours to gain access to the area. The castle (Castelul Peleș) is a summer palace that began to be built in 1874 for the then king Carol I. Right next to it is the smaller castle Pelişor. It is easier to photograph. A little further up behind Pelişor, in a castle called Foișor, Romania's last king, Michael I, was born on October 25, 1921.
19.01 We have sat on a bench opposite the hotel La Tunuri and studied people who were helped to check in. Now it's time for dinner.
Hotel Casa Iris, Sinaia.
The road from the hotel.
A well-guarded place.
Our best photo of the closed Peleș Castle.
Pelişor Castle, a gift from King Carol I to nephew Ferdinand and his Maria.
Tonight's dinner will be in this beautiful building.
19.23 The restaurant Carol Gastro Bierhaus (https://carolpeles.ro) right by the castle will prepare our dinners.
20.20 We have music from the eighties for your ears. We have been given good food for the mouth and it is a beautiful decoration for the eyes. See there, a summary of the current situation at this pleasant restaurant visit. Lucky we found this restaurant as we don't really fancy going back down to the center just to eat.
20.53 Walking home in the dark was fine. No bears attacked us but there are plenty of barking dogs here and there. Now we're going to load up for Thursday fun. Possibly there will be a small bath in the bathtub.
21.44 It took time to fill the bathtub, a bathtub with a jacuzzi function. It was just a short dip for me.
21.57 Now we have repeated something we started with during the trip to France earlier this year. Christer and I have been drinking balcony wine. This time it was Sânge de Taur (Blood of the Bull) that was drunk. It was a very sweet wine. We are not big wine connoisseurs. We mostly look for cheap bottles, so it was probably a dessert wine. Now Roberth has also joined the evening wine and salami.
22.11 Roberth was freezing and chose to quickly return to the room. It's dark and cold outside. In the evenings and nights, the dogs take over and roam around the village. Is there any purpose to it? Are they going to scare away the bears that are in the forests here?
22.37 Now it's time to unwind and eventually rest your heads against the pillows.
You can see 98 photos from April 11 in this photoalbum.
You can see 110 photos from April 12 in this photoalbum.
You can see 121 photos from April 13 in this photoalbum.
