Sibiu

My faith in taxi drivers is restored.

On alighting (thats a nice old fashioned word.) from the train. We stopped at the ticket office to buy onward travel tickets. (Thats going to be a journey!) Then headed for the taxi rank. Three drivers are leaning on a taxi having a smoke. I show them the address and they say `No`. Basically its 5 minutes walk. They point us where to go, and we all have a laugh. Nice guys. Could have strung us along, but no. Then we get to a choice in route, left or right? A young couple stop and show us the way. People are so nice! :-)

We walk through the most fabulous square (Piata Mare), beautiful buildings, cafes, bars, restaurants. (More later about the square.) Our instructions are very clear. Through a red door by the shoe shop, into a hidden courtyard. Our apartment is number 3 accessed by a key in a keysafe. (Reminds me of home). It is the cutest studio and it has a BATH! Its a little bath, but its the first since last June! And the studio itself is so beautifully decorated, and has a lovely Romanian enamel stove (not working, but very pretty). Love it. Essentials - Carrefour Express right opposite the shoe shop. Its a pedestrian street full of nice shops and restaurants. Very nice. We are lucky again.

First stop Tourist Information. Sadly closed down, but the man in the kiosk by our apartment directs us to a book shop which has city maps etc. Love a map.

Piata Mare square is dominated by The Roman Catholic Parachial Church.Its just as impressive inside. The Council Tower is attached to one end of the Church. It was built as a defence tower originally, then became a fire watching tower, a jail and a warehouse. The view from the top is fabulous over the wonky rooftops. Brukental Palace, which is now the National Museum, is considered to be one of the greatest European Baroque treasures. So ornate. Then, next door, The Blue House! Originally owned by Baron Lambert von Moringer, it had a varied history as a ballroom and theatre, the home of the Law society, the Society of Transylvanian Naturalists. Then became the headquarters of the Gestapo in World War 2. It is a lovely building, plainer than most, it almost hides itself away. But, you can imagine the nasty things that went on behind those closed doors. The high roofs of the buildings have narrow slitty windows set in the ventilate the attics, however they look like eyes. The feeling is that you are being watched, which during times of conflict would have been unpleasant to say the least.

Piata Mica is a smaller square a couple of minutes walk through an archway from Piata Mare. There was a market while we were there, selling mainly tourist soveniers. Again the cafes and bars were busy with people enjoying the sun.

Liars bridge. Legend says if you tell an untruth as you cross the bridge it will collapse. The name is actually a miss-spelling of the German word `Liegenbrucke`. Which means Lying bridge, as in lying down. Its a picturesque bridge with ornate iron ballastrades.

We had a lovely time in Sibiu. Great food. We met an American girl from the apartment next door, who is working at the university as a literature lecturer. I was glad to pass on a book to her that we had both read. Hate just leaving a book behind, but can't carry them either.

Onwards......