ROMANIA

May 2024

I was in Cluj-Napoca Romania with a group of 17 other volunteers for a Fuller Center for Housing build. The Fuller Center is very similar to Habitat for Humanity Global Village with whom I have been on many international builds. Go to my Fuller Romania page for more information and photos.

During the week of the build we stayed in the city of Cluj-Napoca (with a metro population of a little more than 400,000). It is considered the unofficial “capital” of the historic region of Transylvania. It has existed since the 2^nd Century when the Romans occupied the area. Modern day Cluj-Napoca is home to several Universities, several museums, many good restaurants and landmarks and buildings dating from the Saxon and Hungarian rules.

On my first day in Cluj-Napoca I took a walk through the Cluj-Napoca Botanical Gardens and part of the historic city center. The Cluj-Napoca Botanical Garden, officially Alexandru Borza Cluj-Napoca University Botanic Garden, is a botanical garden located in the south part of Cluj-Napoca. It was founded in 1872. Photos of the Gardens

As part of the build week the local Fuller Center staff arranged a number of tours for the team including a tour through the old town area of Cluj-Napoca where we heard about the history of the city, a tour of the Turda Salt Mines and the Romulus Vuia Ethnographic Park. Photos of Cluj

Turda Salt Mine (Salina Turda) is a salt mine which was established sometime around the 11th–13th centuries and commercial mining activity ended in 1932. It reopened as a major tourist destination in 2010 and has a museum, displays of mining equipment and an underground recreational facility with a Ferris wheel, sports area (mini-golf, bowling, table tennis), and  boat rides on an underground lake. Photos of Salt Mine

Romulus Vuia Ethnographic Park displays traditional village homes, churches and workshops. The buildings are original and have been moved to the park from various parts of Romania. Photos of the park

Following the build 14 members of the Fuller Build team went on a five day walking tour in central Transylvania. Each day we did a different hike around or between villages and usually combined that with a tour of something or someplace interesting in the area. The tour was arranged though Oak Tree Travel SRL and our tour guide was Florin Ionescu (See details and a link at the bottom of this page)

Day 1 consisted of a hike from the village of Rimetea to the neighbouring village of Coltesti, followed by a lunch at a restaurant in the Alba Carolina Citadel, a fortress in the city of Aiba Lulia. Then we traveled to Sibiel and the Pensiunea Cristina which is a lovely guest house that we stayed in for the next three nights. Photos of Aiba Lulia, Sibiel and hike

The Day 2 hike was from Rasinari to Cisnadioara and a climb up to the Cisnadioara fortified church. In the afternoon we went to the city of Sibiu for lunch and a walking tour. Rasinari is a picturesque village near the city of Sibiu. It has impressive mountain landscapes and a rich cultural heritage. The nearby town of Cisnadioara is known for the organization of cultural events and for the fortified church that overlooks the town.

Sibiu is a Transylvanian city known for Germanic architecture in its old town. We had lunch in a nice restaurant not far from the old city walls. Photos of the walk, Cisnadioara church and Sibiu

The Day 3 Hike was from Nucet to Hosman. Nucet is a very small village about 20km from the city of Sibiu. Hosman is larger and is a typical Saxon village with old traditional Saxon houses and a well preserved fortified church. The hike was just over 13km and mostly through a forested area above and between the two villages. Photos of Day 3 hike

We started Day 4 with a tour of Bran Castle then we hiked around the alpine village of Moeciu de Sus. We ended the day at new accommodations in Rasnow.

Bran Castle is a major Romanian tourist destination because of its supposed connection with Dracula and/or Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. Bran Castle is not Draculas Castle. It just happens to look like the castle described in Bram Stoker’s book Dracula.  Bran Castle was constructed in the late 13 hundreds as a border post between what was then Transylvania and Walachia. For a complete history of Bran Castle go to Bran Castle

The village of Moeciu de Sus is located in the Bran Pass just a few kilometers from Bran Castle on the old road between Transylvania and Wallachia. Photos of Bran Castle and hike

The Day 5 hike started in the village of Viscri where we walked through the town and then up into the woods above the town. When we returned to Viscri we visited its fortified church. We then drove to the city of Sighisoara where we toured the citadel and had lunch. We ended up in the village of Biertan where we had dinner and stayed in a nice guest house for the night.

Viscri is a Saxon village best known for its fortified church which dates back to the 12^th and 13^th centuries. The village is a UNESCO World Heritage site and many of the buildings have been restored to their original condition. Photos of Viscri and the fortified church

The citadel in Sighisoara was started by the Saxons in the 12^th century and expanded over the years. Much of the existing old town and fortress is from the 16^th century. Sighisoara is the birthplace of Vlad Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), ruler of the province of Walachia from 1456 to 1462. Photos of Sighisoara

On the final day (Day 6) of our hiking we did a short walk from the guest house we stayed at in the village of Biertan to a nearby village called Copsa Mare. Biertan is a Saxon village and best known for its fortified church which we toured after our hike. Photos of Biertan. Early in the afternoon we drove back to Cluj-Napoca for the night before heading home. I enjoy taking photos which is why this webpage exists and have quite a few subjects that I particularly like. Two of them are flowers and interesting vehicles. Others you can find in another part of my webpage called Photos by Subject.

The hiking tour was arranged through a company called Oak Tree Travel SRL. Florin Ionescu is the Manager and was our guide through the entire six days. I highly recommend Florin and his company. Please visit his website sibiutourguide.com for more information