Bumps, Bends, Mixed Up Plans
"A wizard does not make mistakes. He makes unexpected possibilities." – Merlin
Tag: Transylvania
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Chapter 29 in which we fly around Bologa fortress
August 2022 Village Bologa is situated on the river (surprise!) Bologa. Above the village on top of a steep hill lies one of the first Hungarian fortresses in Transylvania, which was known as Sebesvár. After several centuries of service the fortress was finally destroyed through explosion. Years of neglect turned it into what some sources…
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Chapter 27 in which we explore Scărișoara Cave and try traditional fast food
July 2022 in Romania was sunny and hot. We did not have an air conditioner in the apartment we rented in Cluj, so we decided to go to a cold place. There is a glacier cave in Transylvania. Even in summer it is so cold in the cave, that ice does not melt, and the…
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Chapter 26 in which we find a decent tea shop in Cluj-Napoca
July 2022 The Balkans is not the best place to be a sophisticated tea addict. In a regular supermarket it is common to find a green tea called “Green Tea”, a black tea called “Black Tea”, a few teas flavoured with fruits and berries “identical to natural”, maybe, herbal teas. While Dmitry is OK with coffee most…
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Chapter 25 in which Dmitry is trying to return to work, but becomes a drone pilot instead
As it was mentioned in the previous chapter, we were going to Cluj-Napoca, and that is what we did. To be exact, we rented an apartment in Floresti – a suburb of Cluj.
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Chapter 24 in which we descend underground
July 2022 There is an old salt mine in Transylvania. It was first mentioned in 1075 and the first official document granting privileges to use the mine was issued in 1271. Explorations stopped in 1932. You can imagine how deep they dug during centuries. These days there is a salt therapy spa, a museum and…
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Chapter 23 in which we cross the Carpathian mountains
July 2022 By now you might think that we only visited Castles in Romania. That is not true. Our next point of interest was DN7C. Well, it is not really a point. It is a paved mountain road better known as Transfagarasan (Transfăgărășan). The road connects Transylvania and Wallachia crossing the southern Carpathian Mountains between…
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Chapter 22 in which we go to Peles Castle
July 2022 Peles Castle is relatively young. It was built between 1873 and 1914, by this time old mature castles got destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times. By the XIX century castles had lost their importance for fortification. While Castelul Peleș is built on a hill, it is not surrounded by a high wall…
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Chapter 21 in which we visit Bran Сastle
July 2022 One cannot come to Transylvania and not visit Bran Castle – Dracula’s castle. The gloomy hilltop castle seems like a perfect vampire’s lair. It is not, though. And it was not. Vlad III the Impaler (Vlad Țepeș, Vlad Dracula) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula are loosely connected and neither of them lived in Bran…
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Chapter 19 in which we start this blog
July 2022 From now on we do not make stupid jokes about vampires in Transylvania. We are dead serious! See for yourself. Who would make a door on the upper floor with no stairs? There are no stairs inside of the house either (and no way to the upper floor at all). And why would…
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Chapter 18 in which we go to Brasov, but stumble upon another fortress
July 2022 We had already failed to settle somewhere cheap and meditate for a month, so we continued our trip. We left Deva and we were going to Brașov. We booked a reasonably priced accommodation in the old town for two weeks. In the middle of the day we reached Fagaras and decided to stop…