The Square in Brasov
The "Junis"
No 21 Email – Brasov – Romania
A short trip to Brasov took me to the train station some 4 km away from the center of the town.
My hotel is supposed to be very close to the main square but I had no information on how to get there. I took a taxi and gave the address to the driver who (of course) assured me that he knew the place well. He dropped me at a side street and pointing at another street starting on the opposite side he told me that it was the street I was looking for.
First of all I realized that he charged me too much for the short trip from the station and then I found out that he dropped me at the wrong place. Fortunately, the driver of an express delivery service not only told me where the right street was, but he took me there! I walked up and down the street and could not find the pension. I asked the people at a nearby hotel and told me to look for a red door with a small sign under a bell? I finally found it, but nobody answered.
So far, things were not working too well for me! During my search for the pension I had come to a hotel that offered a private room (with breakfast) for 25 euros/nite. A bit more than I wanted but I was getting tired and I took it. The room was nice and the location couldn’t have been better.
The hotel, attached to a nice restaurant, is located in one of the several pedestrian-only streets that leads directly to the large Brasov’s main square, 3 minutes away.
The large square is home to the Council Home and the best Tourist Information Center in Romania. It also has a large fountain and plenty of benches. The square, surrounded by cafes and baroque facades, is the center stage for many events; a market, a parade, or some music.
Every city should have such a meeting place.(most cities and villages in Mexico, have such a square). It is fair to mention that it wasn’t always as pleasant as it is today, as witches were once burned and prisoners tortured in what is today the Council Home.
Part of the wall that surrounded the square and the Old Town still remains, as well as some of the fortification’s towers, and several churches.
Brasov is in a valley, and a cable car reaches one of the nearby peak for stunning views of the the town.
Seven cultural/religious groups called Juni, wearing different costumes and organized by age, participate in a horse - mounted very colorful parade that take place each year the week following Easter.
They arrive at the main square, go around the square three times and then leave thru another street. They hold a “bludgeon” and shout “Christ is Alive!”. The public responds with something like “Yes He Is”.
From Brasov I took a train for a one-day visit of nearby Sinaia, a popular ski-resort and the site of the Peles Castle. No, it is not the Brazilian soccer star castle, but King Carol First’s magnificent extravagantly furnished castle.
This is school vacation time and it shows as the castle is full of visitors, some with guide, some (like me) with self-guided pamphlets. I was able to maneuver around the guided tours to see most of the displays and artifacts. In the end a better way than being stuck in a tour, and be barely able to even hear the guide speech or to even see most of the displays.
The castle is definitely not set up as a friendly place. The large ground around the castle is full of signs warning you to not walk on the grass, and there isn’t a single bench or anything else to sit down. The place is also full of guards. You can see the picture; give us your money, make a quick tour, and leave!
I also took aside trip to the Bran to see another castle. It sounds like I am out of churches and monasteries and into castles! Not for very long I am afraid. The Bran Castle is called Dracula’s Castle even though Vlad Tepes only dropped by once in the 15th Century (remember that the real Vlad Tepes, called the Impaler, was the “too” real inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula).
This was worth a visit as the unusual 60-meter castle stands atop a rocky outcrop between facing hills.
Next Sighisoara.
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