Brasov (more)

Rasnov medieval fortress. This is a fortified town built on a rocky outcrop 650 feet up in the Carpathians mountains. Built on the route between Walachia and Transylvania by the Teutonic knights in the early 1300`s. It was a real stronghold intended for long term living. Inside the impressive walls are houses, school and church. I must say after climbing the hill and seeing the fortress walls for the first time it would be a very determined soldier who would attempt an attack. It was forced to surrender only once in 1612 when the invaders found to secret route used to supply water to the fortress. So, the story goes that two Turkish prisoners were made to dig a well, their reward would be their freedom. They dug through 470 feet of solid rock and 17 years later their task was complete. Impressive. The fortress was damaged by fire and later an earthquake and pretty much abandoned. But recently it is being restored. Its a maze of tiny dwellings and steep streets. The views are fabulous especially at sunset.

City walk. Free walking tours are a favourite passtime. You learn so much. We met in the council square, with its beautiful council house. The council square has lots of pavement cafes and restaurants (great people watching). The fountain in the middle marks the place of executions in the old days. First stop, the big Gothic Black Church. So called because during the fire that ravaged Brasov, the wooden roof timbers etc collapsed into the church and burnt so fiercy that the stone walls `bled soot`. It is unusual in that it only has one tower. Gothic churches usually have two, but the cost was such that they decided one would have to do.  Inside is an impressive collection of Ottoman textiles, mainly prayer mats, given as gifts by travelling trades men. Also a painting of the virgin Mary, that survived the fire but who's dress turned from the traditional blue to black. Outside is a statue of Johannes Honterous (pointing at the German school), who built a printing press and translated the bible from Latin to German. Brasov is built in the Saxon/German style, strong solid houses with a shared inner courtyard served by one gateway. Heavily fortified. In between these blocks were little alleyways, each maintained by a different craftsmens guild. Most have been incorporated into other buildings, but `Rope street` still exists. As its name implys it was maintained by the rope makers guild.  It is just wide enough for a fireman to walk through with a bucket of water in each hand. Fire was a major hazard as it could spread quickly in the confines of these close buildings. Inside Brasov city walls lived the Saxon/German community. The Romanians were not allowed to live there and had to go outside the walls at night to their own community. Ecaterinas gate was the access route and would have been guarded day and night. All around Romania you will see church towers and fortifications with a central turret and four smaller turrets around it. This was to signify that the occupants had the right to trial miscreants and punish them. It was a sign to make you behave. On the Romanian side of the walls, there are buildings of great interest. The first Romanian school built in 1495 for the education of notaries, priests and teachers. And the lovely 14th century Saint Nicolae church. The church would once have been highly decorated with a background of a special shade of blue. By the church is a statue of Coresi who translated the bible into the Romanian dialect. In the Romanian square is the statue of the unknown soldier. Vlad the Impaler had a mistress in Brasov, Katherina, her picture hangs above what is now a jewellery shop. 

Tampa mountain cable car. Old and clanky, this cable car takes you up the mountain to a great viewing point. It was bitterly cold and there was ice and snow on the pathways. No safety barrier if you slip! Worth it for the view. You can see the old city walls with the fortified towers. These bastians were used by the trades men for storage in times of peace, and in war times they reverted back to bastions. We didnt get to look inside sadly, just ran out of time, another reason to come back.

Libearty Sanctuary. FABULOUS. In 1998 a Romanian lady called Christina Lapis saw 3 bears in a crate outside a restaurant. These bears, usually captured as cubs, their mothers killed, were there to `attract` tourists. It seems quite disgusting that people enjoyed the spectacle of these beautiful creatures chained and abused in hideous conditions, but apparently they did. Thankfully we are better educated now. Christina made it her mission to get all of these bears into a better place. What she has achieved is fantastic. It is now illegal to hold bears captive in Romania. They are still finding isolated bears in cages, but are working to save every single one. They have a very secure 160 acres of oak and hazel forest, with natural ponds and streams in the lovely Carpathians mountain above Zarnesti in Transylvania. When a bear is rescued, they are usually distressed, under nourished and may never have seen another bear. Some have lived in isolation for upwards of 30 years. Firstly they are released into an observation enclosure, medication is given (for worms etc) and males are castrated. They dont need any additional baby bears! Then they are gradually rehabilitated, introduced to other bears and finally released into the massive enclosure with the other bears. They can never go back into the wild, they haven't the `bear skills` to survive. But here in the sanctuary they have the nearest to a perfect life - a forever home. Some of the stories are heartbreaking. Humans can be so cruel. Of the 101 bears living there we were privileged to see about 15. Its not a zoo. If the bears dont want to be seen they simply walk away into the forest. Visitor numbers are limited, strict instructions are given in a welcome video. No shouting, flash cameras etc. They also have a wolf sactuary, we saw 1 pure wolf and 1 wolf/dog (interbred). Also, there are deer and fox centres and horse, dog and cat sanctuaries. Well worth visiting their website - google it for fabulous videos. Romanian language lesson - Ma urmareste un urs! = Help, a bear is chasing me!

Our tour guide. Bogdan is our tour guide for Peles, Bran, Rasnov and the bear sanctuary. Arranged through a tour operator on Republicii no 58. Wow, were we lucky! We could have paid extra for a private tour, but felt as its still low season the tours would not be busy. As it happened, no one else booked so we got our private tour anyway. Bogdan was fantastic, so much information. He explained about the architecture, customs, religions. He drove us through gypsy villages where we saw people still using horses and carts and wearing traditional costumes. He went at our pace. If you ever come to Brasov, ask for him by name.

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