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It didn’t stop snowing for about a week – every time we looked out it was white white white. By the time it finally stopped there was about 40cm of snow and cars were spinning their wheels all over the place. It seemed that only minimal work was done while it was still snowing which meant the roads were covered. Weather in Chisinau was cold (around -10oC), mostly grey and windy. On the upside we met a fantastic gal, Kaatya, through couchsurfing and the drabness of the days was balanced by the great nights of conversation and mulled wine that we enjoyed at her place.
We did do some wandering around the city but to be honest there isn’t a lot to be seen. In the centre we visited the Orthodox cathedral, Holy Gates and a lovely park with snow covered benches that looked like they’d be very inviting in summer. It was guarded by a statue of Stefan the Great, a prince of Moldova between 1457 and 1504 who defended his country against the Ottoman Empire. In doing so he stopped the Ottomans from entirely taking over Europe and in 1992 he was made a saint by the Romanian Orthodox Church who sees him as a defender of the faith.
On the 21st we spent a non travelling anniversary enjoying a delicious dinner and some swanky wine at a place Kaatya recommended. After a 32 hour train journey on our 3 month, and a 55 hour minibus from hell on our 6 month, I banned transport on our 9 month anniversary of marriage. We left for Romania the next day and arrived in Brasov 10 hours later (on time). At the border leaving Moldova we were a little nervous as we’d never been stamped in to the country. With all the shenanigans between Transnistria and Moldova we hadn’t passed through an official Moldovan border post but all went well and we were on our way.
Finding an ATM was a bit of an issue in Romania and we had to beg money from the bus driver to go to the toilet at our first stop in the country. On arriving in Brasov we ended up walking about an hour to get to our hotel. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, we walked through the main part of town and the temperature at 10pm was actually quite pleasant. There was snow around but it’s been melting today with the warmer weather. It’s unfortunate because I like the fact that it’s not bitterly cold anymore but the slush that the snow has become isn’t my favourite either. Walking today was a gauntlet of drips from the roof, half melted dog poo and piles of slushy snow.
Still, it was a nice day in a beautiful city. The old town of Brasov was founded in the 12th century by German colonists known as the Transylvanian Saxons. They were mostly traders and craftsmen but were also tasked with the defence of what was then Hungary’s southern border. The town of Brasov was fortified and each tower was maintained by a different craftsman’s guild. We went to the Weaver’s Bastion, a hexagonal fortification built in the second half of the 14th century to defend against the Ottoman threat. It amazes me how often I come across historical colonies of Germans in my travels around Europe. Maybe it’s just because I’m paying attention, being a roving half German myself and married to a man of nomadic German background, but they really seemed to move around a lot.
It’s only a few days until Christmas and it’s nice to see people putting up decorations and celebrating the season without going over the top. Sometimes it seems in Australia that by the time Christmas comes around I’ve been bombarded with carols for months and have lost all my Christmas cheer in frustrating visits to the packed shopping centre. Having said that I am getting a little sick of “Last Christmas” by Wham!, which isn’t really a Christmas song so much as a song about a bitter man who got jilted last Christmas. Anyway… in the main square a nice big Christmas tree stands next to a full sized manger and the walking street is decorated with lights. We had dinner at a market set up next to an outdoor ice rink then watched people skate as we enjoyed mulled wine and German gingerbread biscuits. We’ll probably hang out there for Christmas eve tomorrow and enjoy the atmosphere.
Tomorrow during the day we’re heading to Bran castle, also known as Dracula castle for its link to Vlad Tepes. More commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (don’t ask, it was a particularly cruel form of torture) he was a prince of Wallachia in the 15th century. His surname was Dracula, which means son of Dracul (Vlad Dracul was his fathers name) and his name was used by Bram Stoker in his 1897 book. Busloads of tourists have found linkages to Dracula/Vlad Tepes in towns and castles all around Romania ever since. We’ll spend a few more days in and around Brasov then head further north in Romania.
Anyway I hope everyone reading this has a great Christmas filled with love and laughter.
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