I woke up very early, as the cold was more intense than expected. At 7am. everybody woke up. We prepared our coffee made in a plastic bottle (like in the army!) using cold water from the brook that runs a little further ... The tents were wet from the humidity and had to hit the sun to dry. We were not bothered by that, as we waited for our friends from Brasov.
We took a short walk away and by the time we returned the tents were already dry, at least externally. We took our things and started to pack. By the time we finished, our friends came: Marcel, Mihai and Florin. The moment of our meeting was so warm! Tight hugs and smiles!
Before leaving we drank a coffee in a “terasa” (=canteen) and then started for the most beautiful part of the “Transfagarasan”. The helical turns offer breathtaking views. This section has been identified as one of the most beautiful roads of Europe. Many tourists come every year to ride and enjoy the stunning scenery it offers. The road is at a relatively acceptable condition. The Romanians have informed us that they resurfaced the road when they were shooting the English broadcast “Top Gear”.
We stopped several times for photos. Just below there is a waterfall, “cascada”. You can reach it through a walking path from 2 to 2.5 hours. We didn’t have much time left, so we continued our descent of Transfagarasan and reached the highway E68 connecting Sibiu with Fagaras. Our friends suggested taking a different route than the one we had planned, to visit Sighisoara. We liked the idea because the town has a medieval castle, very well maintained and impressive. In 2007, that I visited I had the best of impressions!
We followed the route Sibiu - Medias - Sighisoara. Crossing the central Transilvania, we met beautiful villages with long-standing old houses. Some of them in their facades have labeled the year of manufacture and were aged 300-400 years. Most of them are preserved and refurbished, keeping its traditional architecture. One also characteristic of these houses is the large doors that they have, by the fact that previously were used for the entry of horses. Nowhere could see buildings in different styles. Not bad at all!
Just before the city Medias, something was wrong with my motorcycle. At once I realized that I had probably flat tire. We stopped and confirmed my thought. Unfortunately I somehow made a small hole. We tried to repair, but not the right way. The result was that it continued losing some air, but I could ride without problems at least until Brasov.
As we entered Sighisoara we could see the beautiful castle towering over the hill. The castle has two entrances; one is used for passing vehicles, paying a fee. We ride around and entered on foot from the gate «Turnul Croitorilor».
The medieval castle is one of the most beautiful and well maintained Romania. Since the last time I visited, they had made several changes which made the place more scenic and beautiful. If you disregard the presence of parked cars, entering the castle gives you the impression of another era! The paved walkways, the colorful medieval houses, the remaining bastions are some of the elements that create this spectacular setting.
The Sighisoara is the birthplace of the most famous personality of medieval Romania, Vlad Tepes. There are no official reports of his birth there, but the fact is that during the period of the 4 first years of his life, his family was in that city. Nowadays, this restored building has been converted into a restaurant and the only thing that reminds its history is a marble plaque stating that Vlad Tepes lived there. You can also find there the family’s coat of arms, the Dragon. From this comes the name of Vlad Tepes, as «Dracula», which of course is based on the novel.
One also important landmark of the city is the tower with the clock «Turnul cu Ceas». This is one of the remaining towers-bastions, which has a clock that runs constantly for over 400 years! The tower serves as a museum and has stunning view. As we waited for our friends, we decided to take a short walk around and then go back to our motorcycles. The truth is that Sighisoara has many things to see and worth spending more time.
We took the road to Brasov (120km.). We crossed the mountains Persani, passing through beautiful villages and stunning scenery (especially between the villages Moghiz-Rotbav). About 40km. before our destination, we stopped in a natural park, to eat something different: “ciorba de fasole”, soup with beans served on bread instead of plate! Truly impressive and very tasty!
Late in the afternoon we arrived in Brasov and went directly to one of our friends’ home, Marcel’s. He opened the wooden door and parked our motorcycles in a hallway before the courtyard of the house. The small fountain, the grass and the flowers were so calming, making us feel that we were not in a town house.
Bianca and Cristina were waiting for us there, Marcel’s and Mihai’s wives... They had stayed home to make all necessary preparations for the meal. Marcel immediately brought us beers to cool up, and that was just the beginning! We took a bath and sat in the courtyard chatting in all 3 languages. Marcel set the fire in the grill and the beers soon were replaced with whiskey! The evening passed really pleasantly. In fact, Florin was a bit drank and wanted to sing and dance ... Late in the evening, relaxing, we all had the same thought… How a simple "internet contact" had become a very good and true friendship...
