BIERTAN
Fortified Church
Biertan is home of the Fortified Church. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the Evangelic Episcopal See for almost 300 years from 1572 – 1867.
Tunnel entrance
Altar
The altar is sculptured in wood and has 24 icons with each showing a different biblical scene.
One of the more interesting things about this church was the door of the vestry, built in 1515. It had a lock with 19 bolts in one, which was awarded first prize at the World Exhibition of Paris in 1900.
19 locks in 1
-
- Vestry door
-
- Ornate door hardware
-
- Window fortified church
Although this was interesting, it was not a must-see stop in my opinion unless you are collecting UNESCO sites and want to check it off your list. Continuing on…
Road signs
SIGHISOARA
Sighisoara
I was looking forward to our stop here. Sighisoara is another UNESCO site and considered to be the most beautiful and well-preserved inhabited citadel in Europe with authentic medieval architecture.
It is the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler. The inspiration for Bran Stoker’s book, Count Dracula, Vlad ruled the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462.
Town Square
The highlight was to be a visit to the Clock Tower which can be seen in the background of the picture above. Unknown to us, or evidently our tour company, the street to the Clock Tower was closed for the day due to some filming and we were not allowed past the barricade. We were still able to have a nice lunch in the square and look around a bit.
-
- Medieval Weapons
-
- Transylvania
-
- Traditional clothing
I found the town square quite touristy, but still enjoyed the color. I think this is a place better visited on your own where you can take more time and not just a pass through.
BRASOV
Brasov
Still in the Transylvania part of Romania, Brasov is a metropolitan city of around 250 thousand people. Dating back to 1235 AD, the city combines medieval history with modern-day industrialization.
One of the first books printed in Romania
We visited St Nicholas Orthodox church which is attached to the 1st Romanian School. In the school museum can be found a variety of first Romanian books and the first printing press.
-
- St Nicholas Orthodox Church
-
- St Nicholas Church
-
- St Nicholas Church
-
- Buna Vestire Orthodox Church
-
- Red shutters
-
- Roman Orthodox Cathedral
By the end of the day we were tired and things were getting blurred together. As much as I enjoy having someone take me by the hand, get me from point A to point B, tell me what I am looking at and explain the local history, this was too much to crowd into a single day.
I think this was one of the first tour groups on this itinerary, and perhaps they were still in the process of working out the kinks and logistics.
I felt that we had just touched bases with each stop instead of experiencing it. That is one of the negatives of taking an organized tour. The plus side that offsets this is making the most of your limited time and squeezing in as much as possible.
I am looking forward to finding a happy medium in our future travels.
How about you – do you prefer a guided tour that can make the most of your time, or traveling independently so you can spend as much time as you like in each location?
A Note From Abroad 
The world is a big place with many things to see.
LikeLike
We could travel our entire lives and only scratch the surface.
LikeLike
The city itself looks so charming and lovely. I have been always a big fan of UNESCO World Heritage Sites so I am adding it to my bucket list right away 🙂
LikeLike
I have become more and more interested in visiting UNESCO sites, and this one did not disappoint. Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. 🙂
LikeLike
Looks like a really interesting city to visit!
LikeLike
Each of these cities were interesting. I would have liked to have had a bit more time exploring them.
LikeLike
I’m Romanian and just got to see Brasov for few hours. I need to make some more time and visit the country. There are quite some nice places to see there.
I usually like to do my own thing and visit at my pace. We did take guided tours though, when we had just few hours to visit a city.
LikeLike
We have started arriving in a country a few days early and staying a week or so after any booked tours to allow ourselves some time to explore at a slower pace. It is a bit of a compromise that allows us to cover more ground yet still wander on our own.
LikeLike
I could not resist looking at your posts about Romania because I think it’s such a stunningly beautiful and strange place. Excellent posts (so much so that I shall be back to look at others relating to other destinations you and I share as interests). Examine a blog called “In search of unusual destinations” and you’ll find posts about some of the countries you have visited (Romania, Poland, Turkey, USA, etc.). Safe travels! Phil.
LikeLike
Hello Philandre, so glad you stopped by. I appreciate your recommendation and will check it out.
LikeLike
Hello! I’m super excited that our next country on our long term slow travel trip is Romania! Think we’ll base ourselves in Timisoara for a month. Thanks for the info.
LikeLike
Your welcome. Have a fabulous trip!
LikeLike