Saturday, December 29, 2018: Sighisoara to Brasov:

           

This morning after breakfast, we walked around inside the walled part of Sighisoara before many other visitors arrived.  We climbed lot of steps to the what we thought was a castle at the top of the hill, instead it was a school and a church that was closed.  Back in the main square, the church opened at 10:00.

Sighisoara City Wall Tower

Wall Tower Mechanized clock

Fortified Church on Hill Top

Another Wall Tower

            Once on the road, we stopped at several fortified churches along our route to Brasov.  Most fortifications were completely closed, but one was open, so we could see inside the fortress, however the church was closed.  

            As was stated yesterday, the country roads to the small villages can be challenging.  Today we had one of those roads. It appeared they had just put new culverts in place, so those spots in the road were very soft.  It was an 8 km challenging drive.  The fortification was interesting, as there were 5 towers, but again the church was closed.  A phone number was listed, so a gal who was formerly from Romania and spoke Romanian, called the number.  However, the person with the key was sick and WOULD NOT open the church for the 7 person who were there to see inside. The road we drove when leaving the village was much better, thank goodness.    

Another Closed Fortified Church

Castle Ruins

Bee Truck

            It was 2:00 when we checked into Hotel Kolping in Brasov. Cal was tired, deciding to stay at the hotel, while Cherie and I drove to Bran Castle. The setting was beautiful, with the castle perched on a rocky cliff. The snowy mountains surrounding the castle added to the setting. There are tiers of towers giving it the look of a castle. Bran Castle was relatively small, with lots of stairs, little nooks and rooms.  There was a central courtyard you could view from almost everywhere.  We were so glad we went to visit Bran Castle.  We went at our own pace as things were well signed. 

            Back in Brasov, we walked downtown to find a place for dinner, as well as stroll the Christmas market in the large square.  It had snowed again, just enough to make walking a little tedious.  We found a Hungarian restaurant where we had a wonderful meal.  The Christmas lights in downtown Brasov were fantastic. 

Bran Castle - Hollywood Dracula Castle

Basnov City Wall Tower

Basnov Christmas Market