Sunday, December 23, 2018:  Brezoi 

            It was a slow relaxing morning of coffee and breakfast.  At around 11:00 we left in two cars for the town of Alba Iulia where there is a wacky star shaped Citadel. We took 2 cars, instead of cramming into 1 car for a 3-hour drive.  

We drove on the same road to Sibiu as last night, however we could see the whole gorge in the daylight today. There is enough snow the accentuate the rocks, and ridges in mountains.  It is beautiful, as the leave are off the trees, allowing you to see in the distance.  This area badly needs a Motorway, as there is heavy traffic on this road, and very few places to pass due to all the curves following the river.  The Motorways are limited in Romania due to politics, money, and environmental issues.  The issue of Motorways will limit progress in Romania.

Host's Cabin

Surroundings

Once in Alba Iulia we found parking on the Citadel grounds.  Inside the Citadel is the Romanian Orthodox church where King Ferdinand and Queen Maria were coronated.  It is a lovely church.  Next to it is the Roman Catholic cathedral, but it was closed, so we could not see it inside. The front part of the Citadel has been restored with EU monies.  It is lovely. The other side needs restoration too, which hopefully they will do, in the near future. While in the restoration phase they found many Roman ruins, which have been save and are on display.  There was no snow on the ground.

The Citadel Alba Ilia

Making another Hungarian Sweet

We stopped for a late lunch before driving back to their residence.  By the time we were less than half way home, it was dark. 

Before going back to the house, we stopped at another monastery.  It was dark, so we could not see the surrounding area, only the church and monastery on which there were lights. This Monastery is the oldest one in this region.  There were paintings on the exterior as well as the interior.  Some of the interior was not totally painted - not use if it was under restoration or what.

We finally made it back to the house. Dead tired from all the driving. Driving distances does not seem to bother them. Driving is a tension experience.   

One of the Oldest Monasteries in Romania