Day 2, 21 October 2023: Craiova - Alba Iulia - Sibiu via Transalpina - 344km.
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| Transalpina road |
The Transalpina or
DN67C is a 148 km national road in the Southern Carpathians
and is the highest altitude road in Romania at 2145m (Urdele pass).
It connects Novaci, south of the Parâng mountains with Sebes in the
north. The road is
closed in winter and opens from mid-May to mid-October, but given the
good weather, windy but without snow, we were lucky on our trip and the road was still open.
Our motorcycle at Transalpina road
Transalpina is a Latin name
and means "the country beyond the mountains".
History says that the road was originally built by the Romans. In the
late 18th and early 19th centuries the shepherds contributed to the reconstruction of the road according to their income, and the Germans
resurfaced it during the World War Ι.
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| We enjoy the windy day at Transalpina road |
The road was known as Poteca
Dracului (Devil's Path) but renamed when in 1939 King Charles II passed through
it with his son Prince Michael I to Drumul Regelui (King's Road).
Windy day at Transalpina road
It was used again by the Germans during the World War ΙΙ and for 70 years it had minimal maintenance.
A lot of turns and beautiful autumn colors
But in 2008–2009 the
transformation of the road began, it cost 385 million euros, a
project that received a lot of criticism, it was considered useless
and a product of corruption. The Transalpina today is mainly used by
tourists and takes about three hours to cross over.
Lake Oașa (Lacul Oașa)
Lake Oașa (Lacul Oașa)
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia - The white princess of the Transylvanian valley
Alba means white, from the old
Slavic name Belgrade (White Castle), and Iulia comes from the name of
the Romanian Prince Gelu (Iulius in Latin), who was the governor of
the region in the 10th century, so the white city of the Prince,
the white Princess we could say.
The sweet climate and the
rich soil have
supported the cultivation of vines since ancient Roman times in the
region of Alba Iulia, located on the Transylvanian valley.
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| Orthodox Cathedral of the Reunification |
In Roman times it was called Apulum and was an important military
center of the Romans and this is shown by the temples, mosaics,
public baths, amphitheaters and the many statues have
found in the area.
In
the Middle Ages it was in great prosperity and here Prince Michael
(Mihai Viteazul, Michael the Brave) in 1599 managed to unite the
three regions of Romania, Wallachia, Transylvania and Moldavia.
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| Bronze statue at the streets |
And
here on December 1st,
1918 Transylvania was united with the rest of Romania and in 1922
Prince Ferdinand was crowned king of Romania.
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| Bronze statue at the streets |
In
the center the city has
wide streets, the Habsburg citadel is one of the most impressive in
Europe, with many historical and architectural attractions such as
the Catholic Cathedral, the Batthyaneum Library, the Orthodox
Cathedral of the Reunification, the Babilon which houses the National
Museum of the Union, the Apor Palace, the Princely Palace and the
University.
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| Bronze statue at the streets |
We had time only to visit only the Parc Cetate at the historic center, the Reunification Cathedral, the Cetatea Bastionara Alba Carolina with the Bastions, the Saint Michael Cathedral, the Princely Palace of Alba Iulia, and we enjoyed our coffee at the ''Dante Cafe'' & Dine near the park.
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| Bronze statue at the streets |
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| Sibiu, great square |
Sibiu-The medieval city of Transylvania, which tests if lovers lie and its houses do not sleep
Sibiu may not be
Transylvania's top tourist destination, but its tourist crowds have
been steadily increasing since Forbes magazine ranked it as the 8th
most idyllic city in Europe (published in 2008).
Great square
Sibiu is 275 km away from
Bucharest. It has approximately 134,000 inhabitants and due to its
history it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as a
representative example of a medieval city. In 2007 it was the
Cultural Capital of Europe together with Luxembourg. The Cibin River
divides the city into two picturesque districts.
Beautiful house at Sibiu
Traditionally the Upper-Town
was home to wealthy businessmen and merchants and the Lower-town
was the area of
artisans and
manufacturers.
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| Bridge of Lies |
The history of the city dates
back to Roman times, but the big change came when in 1147 the Saxons
settled in the area and a German-speaking minority was created in
Transylvania, the city used to be called Hermannstadt.
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| Bridge of Lies |
Bridge of Lies
For Romanians, however, it is
the most ideal romantic destination, since they consider Sibiu the
most romantic city and according to tradition they come to the city
to verify if their love is true. According to the legend the 'Bridge
of Lies', a cast-iron bridge built in 1859-1860 and connecting the
Great and the Little Squares, will shake violently if someone lies to
the questions were asked by their the other half, the time they are
upon the bridge.
Another legend says that merchants crossing the
bridge often tried to cheat their customers. Those who were caught
lying were thrown from this bridge.
According to another legend the
bridge was the meeting point for men attending the military academy
with their mistresses. The young men did not show up and left the
girls waiting for them, until they realized that they had been
deceived.
Another legend says that the bridge was often crossed by
young couples promising eternal love. Girls claimed to be virgins and
the lie was discovered after marriage. As punishment they were thrown
from the bridge, which was the place where they had originally
claimed their lies.
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| "Open eyes" at the attics of the houses |
Open eyes
It is said that the houses of
the city do not ''sleep'', because in their attics they have small
windows that look like ''open eyes''.
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| The stairs passage |
The Stairs Passage
The
Pasajul
Scarilor is
a passage of steps from the 13th
century, a graphical,
architectural
masterpiece with twin staircases and archways, connects the Upper
Town to the Lower Town. At one end of the passage there
is the city's oldest
building which now hosts the oldest restaurant in Romania, The Golden
Barrel (Butoiul
de Aur).
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| Holy Trinity |
Holy
Trinity, The
Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral
(Catedrala
Ortodoxa Mitropolitana Sfanta Treime)
It is the seat of the Romanian
Orthodox Archbishop of Sibiu and Metropolitan of Transylvania.
It
is built between 1902-1906 in the style of a Byzantine basilica,
inspired by Hagia
Sophia with the main spires
influenced by Transylvanian
church architecture and
Baroque elements.
The
interior is dominated by a massive gold chandelier and features
neo-Byzantine decorations. This is the second largest Orthodox
cathedral in Romania (the biggest one is located in Iasi).
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| Holy Trinity |
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| Holy Trinity |
Sibiu Lutheran Cathedral
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| Lutheran Cathedral of Saint Mary |
The Lutheran Cathedral
of Saint Mary is the most famous Gothic-style church in Transylvania. The big height of 73.34 m is a landmark of the city. The four turrets
situated on top of the steeple and used to symbolize that the town had the right to sentence to death. It
belongs to the Lutheran, German-speaking Evangelical Church of
Augustan Confession in Romania.
We
had great time at Sibiu. We rent a room at an old house with a yard at
the historic center, near the Large Square and we had an excellent night
at Atrium restaurant, next to the Bridge of Lies, at Piata Mica.
The night was warm like a summer night, there was a piano outside of
the restaurant next to the bridge and the pianist chose to play a nice
collection of songs, our Aperol drinks on the table, such a great night!
Continue reading, our next route is to Sighișoara and Brașov.
Day 3 - Sibiu - Sighișoara - Brasov - The birthplace of Count Dracula - what to see at Sighisoara
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| Stairs passage |
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| Lower Town |
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