Monday in Sighisoara

Ciao!

I pride myself on knowing at least how to say hello, goodbye, and thank you, in any country where I travel. I will tire my readers out with my "ciaos" between Italy and Romania.  :)

We had booked four nights in Sighisoara, so on Monday morning we still had two days left in which to explore. It was a good thing too, because there was a lot to see even in such a seemingly small place. Also, I think it's nice, if you have the time and the means, to soak up the atmosphere of a place and really get to know it, instead of just dashing in and dashing off again the next day.

So Monday morning we set out again, and I took a lot of random pictures of things along the way like doors and windows and odd little buildings here and there. We actually struck out towards the lower part of town, which is considered to be the "new" part of town even though many of the buildings are historic.  This required us to walk under the old clock tower and through what was almost a maze of an entrance into (or exit out of) the city. Some of these pictures were taken of parts of the wall in that area, and also looking back into and up at the city from our descent into the new town.

Here are some morning shots around the Old City.

Plants in a Sunny Window Opposite Casa Legenda

Top of the Clock Tower in the Sunshine

Here is a picture of an old doorway in the wall as we descended into the Lower Town.

Yellow Building Viewed from Descent into the Lower Town

Doorway in City Wall 

Clock Tower from Outside City Gates

An Interesting Building in the Lower town

A Row of Colorful Buildings in the Lower Town

Old Town is up the hill towards the right facing this row of buildings.

These last few shots were taken as we headed away from the Old City, and the next few are taken of the Old City as we turned around and headed back in its direction.

Clock Tower from a Distance

Clock Tower from the Lower Town

Interesting Buildings with Clock Tower in the Background 

Pizzeria La Perla

Clock Tower Against the Sky

By the time we reached this point it was lunch time, and we came across a restaurant rumored on Trip Advisor to be the best pizza in Sighisoara, so we decided to stop for lunch. Meals in this country continued to prove interesting, this one being no exception.

First, I ordered the "bean and bacon" ciorba, because I was on a mission to try every kind of ciorba in Romania. Ciorba typically refers to a brothy soup, made from a vegetable stock that sometimes contains a beet stock they use for flavoring. It has chunks of meat and vegetables in it, as opposed to "suppa" which is a smooth pureed or bisque-like soup. I learned that in Romania, ham is translated as "bacon", so what I really had was ham and bean soup. It was good, but I realized quickly it would be too much so I encouraged Jimmy to help me eat it.

We both ordered pizza, or so I thought. I wanted something with salami, but also with olives. The description on the menu was hilarious. It described my pizza as the "Discomatique" and said it had salami, onions, olives, and "mild peeps". Jimmy and I decided these must mean peppers, and we were right. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. I thought I was getting a thin crust pizza, and this is what was set down in front of me.

Now That's a Pizza Pie!!!

No wonder the waitress had snickered when she took my order! I also ordered sliced tomatoes, while Jimmy had a "bacon" pizza (ham) and french fries. Take a gander at this meal.

Sliced Tomatoes at La Perla

"Bacon" Pizza

Fancy French Fries!

You can see Jimmy's Peroni in the background, and my piecrust in the foreground. Jimmy has been doing a tour of Europe in beers. He's like my sister in that he's sampled the local beer, or even the not so local beer in the case of Peroni in Romania, pretty much everywhere we've been. I think he prefers the Austrian Gosser and the Hungarian Dreher the best, although he pines quite often for a good Bass Ale or Newcastle.

Here's a parting shot of my "Discomatique."

The Discomatique!

There was a little park across from the pizza restaurant with blooming trees and a local Idler's Club. The  park and the square it's located in are named after Hermann Oberth, the Romanian scientist who theorized that space travel would be possible. One of his pupils worked with NASA and was involved in the flight to the moon.

Flowering Trees in Hermann Oberth Piata

The Local Idlers' Club

I was trying to surreptitiously take the picture above and I feel it could have been much better. I always feel so self conscious trying to take photographs of people without asking them if it's okay.

After lunch we headed back into the Old Town, passing some colorful buildings along the way before heading into the arches and walled passages that comprise the old entrance into what is locally known as The Citadel.

Arrangement in Turquoise and Green

Hosta in Planters

Here is that old Clock Tower again.

I call this one Beggar's Arch because every time (except this time) that we passed it someone was sitting there begging.

The Beggar's Arch

Approaching the Citadel Entrance

Entering the Citadel Walls

And finally, here is the Clock Tower as it appears from the long entrance into the Citadel.

Clock Tower and Citadel Walls Viewed from City Entrance

I took a lot of pictures of the rooftops atop the city walls, as well as portions of the walls themselves. I think it's hard for people to imagine how these old fortified cities were like huge castles. The walls were like a giant keep that protected everybody and everything inside, but you had to have roofs and windows to look out, as well as many points of egress and ingress. I was fascinated by the tiles on the roofs, the little windows, and always the view of things way up high from the ascent into the city.

Tiles Atop City Wall

Portion of the City Walls

Rooftop Covering Portion of City Walls

Scoala din Deal and the Tanners' Tower

After getting back inside the Citadel we wandered about town a little bit more, always taking photographs at every turn. Here are some of the main square.

School Spires Over Sighisoara Rooftops

Here is a cool door and a funny sign.

A Pretty Green Door

Here is the gate to the parsonage of the Catolica Biserica.

Parsonage Gates

I liked this sign on the gate.

Don't Block the Door

We walked around to the Evangelical Church in town and to the little viewing area in front of the city hall which is next to the church. I thought these pictures were funny. It seemed as if everybody was out enjoying the view.

The Idlers' Club of Old Sighisoara

Nuns Enjoying the View

I just couldn't stop taking pictures of the Clock Tower. This is what it looked like from over by the Evangelical Church.

Butress of Evangelical Church in Sighisoara

Church Bricks

More Masonry

Here are some cool floor tiles, but for the life of me, I can't remember where I took this picture. I know it wasn't in the church because we didn't tour it until Tuesday.

And finally here is another shot of the Catholic Church which we wandered by on the way back to our room.

Upper Facade of Catholic Church in Old Sighisoara

Here is a picture of Vlad Tepes near the town hall.

Vlad Tepes-Sighisoara's Most Famous Native Son

We decided to walk back up to the church on the hill and the cemetery at the end of the afternoon because it was such a beautiful view and such a peaceful walk. Here are some pictures that are much like those the day before.

Covered Staircase Leading to the Church on the Hill

Covered Staircase Looking Down

Ropemakers' Tower

Ropemakers' Tower with Tall Pines

 In this trip to the cemetery we chose not to backtrack to the main entrance but wound our way down along the hillside and among the graves to a path lower down, which led to an exit further down the hill. It was a beautiful tree-lined walk and there were some pretty views of the old city walls.

Guardhouse Near Cemetery Exit

View of the City from Cemetery Hill 

Back Exit to Cemetery

Old City Walls Near Cemetery Exit

City Walls

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We came across an old shed housing antique carriages.

Antique Carriages

We stopped at a little cafe on the way down and had something to drink. Then, as the sun got lower and the air got chillier, we headed down to the guest house to get ready for supper.

We decided to eat at Casa Cu Cerb which was recommended as being one of the best restaurants in Sighisoara, and I'm happy to give it that accolade myself. It was splendid. Casa Cu Cerb means "House of the Stag", and it was in my photograph from Sunday depicting a white building with antler's mounted on the side of it. It is a hotel and restaurant, housed in a historic building, and let me say, it was absolutely fabulous. One of the best meals we ate in Romania.

For about $25 USD, we had a three course meal and Jimmy drank two beers. I was still on my ciorba sampling mission, so I tried the chicken and rice ciorba, which was delicious. I ordered Saxon Rolled Roast with sauteed vegetables and boiled new potatoes, along with a tomato gherkin salad. Jimmy ate pork schnitzel with potatoes. He drank two beer, I water, and we ordered dessert. I mentioned that Jimmy had wanted to try the pancakes that were on all the menus. All over Europe people eat what are essentially crepes for dessert, although they may be folded or rolled up, and may be called anything from cakes to pancakes to crepes, etc. I ordered the chocolate, and Jimmy ordered the blackberry. There were two per order, so we shared with each other. We both agreed we couldn't decide which was better---the chocolate or the blackberry. I think it was whichever one we happened to be taking a bite of at that point.

I had told Jimmy before the meal I wanted to do a better job of taking photographs of our food to show my mom and dad and sister. After the meal Jimmy said, "Did you take any pictures?" No, I had forgotten. I took my camera out and jokingly took a shot of our empty plates. It should tell you how good our meal was, and just how hungry we were after our second full day of exploring.

The Remains of a Saxon Rolled Roast and Wiener Schnitzel

Das ist alle leute! Until the next most, this is Annoyin' Conqueror signing off!