RO: Ei bine, da, stim cu totii ca Transilvania e fix inima Romaniei, si la propriu, si la figurat 🙂 Si-are de toate pentru toti. Ba orasele medievale, fortarete, castele ori cetati vechi de cand lumea si Pamantul, ba sate traditional sasesti, ba Tinutul Secuiesc, biserici fortificate (nici nu sunt mai bine de 150 de biserici fortificate in Transilvania :D), peisaje frumoase, vinuri cat cuprinde (pai doar n-o fi numai Toscana renumita pentru vinuri bune!), drumuri intortocheate, chei, lacuri, munti, folclor, traditii. Cum sa nu vrei sa vezi minunatia de Castel al Huniazilor? Sau Cetatea Alba Carolina? Satucul Viscri, cu biserica fortificata? Sau Cincsorul cu pensiunea in fosta scoala saseasca sau fosta casa parohiala de vizavi. Sighisoara cu cetatea si privelistile dementiale de sus, de la turnul cu ceas. Salina de la Turda, centrul vechi din Cluj sau Targu Mures, Sibiul cu pietele lui romantice si colorate, Brasovul cu Piata Sfatului si stradutele lui inguste si incalcite. Nici Drumul Cetatilor nu suna rau, o oprire la Rasnov, una la Fagaras, la Slimnic langa Sibiu si poate si la Biertan pe langa Medias. Si cate si mai cate ar mai fi, ca lista parca nu se mai termina iar trei zile mari si late au din pacate numai 72 de ore. Asa ca hit the road, Jackie, la drum lung cu noi!

EN: Oh well, yes, we all know that Transylvania is precisely the heart of Romania, both literally and figuratively. And it has everything for any of us. Either medieval towns, fortresses, castles or old citadels. Or traditional German villages or the Hungarian Land, fortified churches (there are more than 150 fortified churches in Transylvania :D), beautiful landscapes, wines all over the place (what have we thought, that only Tuscany is renowned for good wines?!), sinuous roads, channels, lakes, mountains, folklore, traditions. How could you not see the beautiful Corvins Castle? Or the Alba Carolina citadel? Or the Viscri village, with its fortified church. Or Cincsor with its guesthouse, built in a former German school or the parish house from across the street. Sighisoara with its citadel and amazing views from up above, from the Clock Tower. The salt mine from Turda, the old city of Cluj or Targu Mures, Sibiu with its romantic and colorful markets, Brasov with its Council Square and its narrow and puzzling streets. The Road of Citadels does not sound bad at all, a stop at Rasnov, another one at Fagaras, at Slimnic close to Sibiu and maybe also at Biertan, around Medias. And who knows how many of them there are, as they seem to be endless and three days unfortunately only have 72 hours 🙂 So let’s hit the road Jackie, we have a long, long road ahead!



RO: Buuuun, pornim la drum cu planuri mari, sa vedem Transilvania din scoarta-n scoarta! Si incepem timid cu Sibiul cel vizitat si ras-vizitat, de-l stim mai ceva ca-n palma. Dar hei, daca si nomadul de Matt spune ca asta-i orasul lui preferat din toata Romanica, ni se iarta deturul neplanificat 😀 Si-apoi care-i baiul, Alba e doar la o aruncatura de bat si ziua-i lunga tare la inceput de mai! A si apropo, in caz ca data viitoare vom avea ceva mai mult timp de zabovit prin Sibiu, pe drumul inspre Medias este si cetatea Slimnicului. Sau biserica fortificata de la Valea Viilor. Ori poate un pic mai departe cea de la Biertan. In caz ca nu am retinut ca in toata Transilvania sunt peste 150 de astfel de biserici fortificate, o mai spunem inca o data 😀 Iar in Sibiu aproape ca nu-i sat in nordul judetului care sa nu aiba biserica sa inconjurata de ziduri de piatra. Aaa, si sa nu ratam iar palatul Brukenthal de la Avrig! Sau o a saptea vizita la Castelul de Lut de la Valea Zanelor 😀 Sau de ce nu, satucul multicultural Richis, unde s-au adunat strainezii europeni, veniti sa traiasca “visul romanesc” (nu pe cel american) unde altundeva, daca nu la tara 🙂 Am adunat cateva dintre locurile care ne-au placut cel mai mult pe un board pe Pinterest, sa fie la indemana pentru cand ne-or trebui 🙂 Si le-am pus frumusel si pe un traseu pe Google Maps, potrivit cam pentru o zi intreaga de batut in lung si-n lat judetul Sibiu. Cat despre locuri frumoase de cazare, ne tot straduim sa ajungem de ceva vreme la Copsa Mare (langa Biertan).

EN: OK, and we’re starting our road trip having big plans to see Transylvania from tip to toe! We’re slowly starting with the famous (and way too visited by us) Sibiu, as we already know every inch of it. But hey, if Nomadic Matt also said that this is his favorite town in Romania, we are forgiven for our unplanned detour 😀 And in the end, Alba Iulia is just a stone’s throw away and the day is so long at the beginning of May 🙂 Ah, and by the way, just in case next time we’ll have some more time to wander around Sibiu, on the road heading to Medias there is the Slimnic Citadel. Or the fortified church from Valea Viilor. Or a bit further away the one from Biertan. If we did not already keep in mind that there are more than 150 such fortified churches in Transylvania, we’ll say it again 😀 And in the northern part of Sibiu county there is almost no village without a church with stone walls. Aaaaah, and let’s not miss the Brukenthal Palace from Avrig! Or a seventh visit to the Clay Castle from Valea Zanelor 😀 Or why not, let’s see the multicultural village of Richis, where all the foreign European people have gathered to live the “Romanian Dream” (not the American one:D), where else, if not at the countryside 🙂 We selected some of the places we loved the most in a Pinterest board, to have them at hand if we’ll need them again in the near future 🙂 And we also put them all on an itinerary on Google Maps, suitable for an entire day of wandering around the Sibiu county. As for the nice places to stay overnight, we’re struggling for some time to get to Copsa Mare (close to Biertan).



RO: Cat despre Alba Iulia… ei bine, recunoastem ca ni s-a cam pus pata pe oraselul acesta, pe cetatea lui minunata, pe oamenii primitori si pe cafeneaua Framm’s, unde stau cocotate pe pereti pozele cu MIG-uri ale prietenilor nostri de la Cluj 🙂 Si adevarul e ca nu prea intelegem de ce Alba Iulia nu are notorietatea Clujului, Brasovului sau Sibiului, pentru ca este un oras absolut superb! De fapt intregul judet Alba este o surpriza. Toate satele arata atat de bine, orasele sunt renovate, caile ferate reconditionate, pesemne ca aici chiar s-au folosit cum trebuie fondurile europene 🙂 Si apropo, am dat de o pensiune dementiala intre Alba si Cluj, Pensiunea Larix, simpla dar cu o arhitectura minimalista geniala. O incercam data viitoare! 🙂 Aaaah, si sa nu uitam! La inceput de mai te intorci in timp in Alba Iulia, pentru ca are loc Festivalul Apulum. Asa ca intreaga cetate e plina de daci si de romani, de spectacole, lupte de gladiatori, demonstratii de mestesuguri si jocuri 🙂

EN: As for Alba Iulia… oh well, we have to admit that we’re quite crazy about this city, its gorgeous citadel, the welcoming people and the Framm’s coffee shop, where we can find pictures with the MIG airplanes hanging on the walls, all taken by our friends in Cluj 🙂 And the truth is that we don’t actually understand why Alba Iulia isn’t as famous as Cluj, Brasov or Sibiu, because this is an amazing city! In fact, the entire Alba county is a surprise. All the villages look so well, the towns have been renovated, the railways reconditioned, seems that someone used properly all those European funds 🙂 And by the way, we just found a perfect guesthouse between Alba and Cluj, Larix Guesthouse, simple but with a great minimal architecture. We’ll try it next time! 🙂 Aaah and let’s not forget! At the beginning of May you can go back in time at Alba Iulia, because the Apulum Festival is taking place. So the entire citadel is full of Dacians and Romans, shows, gladiator fights, handicraft workshops and games 🙂 

RO: Si-acum doar n-o sa trecem prin Transilvania fara sa vedem Clujul! Chiar si-un sfert de secunda, cum ar spune Mono Jacks 🙂 Un pranz in Livada, o poza de sus, cu tot orasul, de la Belvedere, o fuga prin centrul vechi pe la Piata Muzeului, cea mai veche si mai veche piata din tot Clujul, apoi prin Piata Unirii si Cluj Arena (ca tot n-am vazut-o pana acum!), un apus vazut din parcarea supraterana de la Primarie si iooooooi, gata, am pornit din nou la drum! Dar trecem pe lista pentru data viitoare gradina botanica si… hm… varza a la Cluj 🙂 Si hai ca iar ne-am intins si cu pozele, si cu vorba, asa ca mai lasam cateva si pentru articolul urmator 🙂

EN: And heeey, we’re not gonna pass through Transylvania without seeing Cluj! Even a quarter of a second, as Mono Jacks would say 🙂 Lunch at Livada, a picture from up above, with the entire city, at Belvedere, a walk in the old city center in the Museum Square, the oldest town market in Cluj, a short visit in the Unirii Square and Cluj Arena (as we haven’t seen it so far!), a sunset seen from the multi-storey car park from the city hall and yoooooy, we’re all set and ready for some more driving! But we’re adding on the list for next time when we’ll be in Cluj: the botanical garden and.. mmmm… the cabbage a la Cluj (local dish). Oh well, seems that we kept talking and posting pictures on and on, we should leave something for the next article as well 🙂