The new customs and Traditions museum in Guru Humorului
Another diorama of the traditional dressups at New Year's Eve which grafts together pagan customs to Christian festivals.
The dramatic Bicaz Gorge in the Carpathian mountains. Wherever the road widened the were souvenir sellers, but they were not pushy.
Clara, a gypsy lady in her home. In the background is part of her dowry. These gypsies look North Indian and dress in bright Indian fabrics and appear to have many of the same customs including a caste structure and arranged marriages with the girls often below the legal marriage age. Education does not appear particularly highly valued.
Clara's young sister who is 14 and has left school and ready to marry. When she marries she will take the ribbons out of her plaits and cover her hair.
The fantastically complicated lock - 19 locks in one in a room at the church in Biertan. Local lore says feuding couples were locked in with only one set of cutlery and one bed. If they had not resolved their differences in two weeks they could get a divorce. In 400 years only one couple did.
The clock tower in Sighisoara.
Impromptu dancing in the square in Sighisoara. The Saxons established
a trading town here in the 12thC and fortified it against amongst others the Turks. The houses are connected by tunnels and according to legends this is where the Pied Piper brought the children of Hamelin.
Casa au Cerb, our hotel on the Square in the Citadel.it is a lovely place. There is a photo of Prince Charles on the reception desk.He is trying to help save Romania's forests.
An over restored citadel which looks better from a distance.
Bran Castle also known as Dracula's castle. originally built in 1377. It was a royal residence and Queen Marie had it extensively restored in the 1920s.
Inside Bran castle
The first printing press in Romania in Brasov dating from the 16thC. Recently during restoration of a church several thousand books from the 11thC on, but mostly 16th and 17thC were found including the first bible in Russian.
The town square in Brasov. with the 1420 Council House on the left.
Black Church in Brasov. Inside is a huge collection of Anatolian prayer rugs gifted to the church by the merchants of the town. During the uprisings in 1990, people sought sanctuary in the church, but they were fired upon in the doorway and you can still see the bullet holes in one of the columns inside the church.
Peles castle was begun in 1875 as a summer palace for the king. It was the first castle to have electricity, an elevator, central vacuuming system all provided from its own hydroelectric plant. The decoration is mind boggling, lots of beautiful woodwork.
Waiting to tour Peles castle.
Fresco in one of the courtyards.
As we got near the Danube delta there were forests of wind turbines funded by the EU.
Wonderful photos, loving following your travels. (Haven't been able to comment until tonight)
ReplyDeleteThat lock is an amazing contraption.
ReplyDelete