Transylvania- Breathtaking Summer Destination

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There are plenty of summer holiday destinations to choose from and tourists are spoiled for choice. However, for history and culture-lovers and those of you who love to go sightseeing, Transylvania is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the top summer destinations!

My boyfriend and I decided on the spur of the moment to go on a city break and picked some of the most renowned places in Transylvania and went ahead and booked a night at Ibis Hotel in Sibiu and a second one at a small, lovely pension - Citadela Pension in Sighisoara. To our delight, the pictures of the pension posted on the website heralded not only an impressive interior design of the pension, but also the atmosphere and the feel of the 1820s. Indeed the owner went to great lengths to preserve that old feel through the vintage furniture and details. We highly recommend the pension, perched high in the medieval citadel of Sighisoara. The view from the attic window was spectacular and we loved everything about it.

According to Wikipedia 'Sighisoara is an inhabited medieval citadel that, in 1999, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its 850-year-old testament to the

history and culture of the Transylvanian Saxons.Birthplace of Vlad III the Impaler (in Romanian Vlad Țepeș), Sighișoara hosts, every year, a medieval festival where arts and crafts blend with rock music and stage plays. The city marks the upper boundary of the Land of Sachsen. Like its bigger brothers, Sibiu(Hermannstadt - The European Cultural Capital in 2007) and Braşov (Kronstadt), Sighișoara exhibits architecture typical of medieval Germany. During the Communist era, this German area was preserved, and the original architecture is still in place.'

The Traditional Museum ASTRA is another piece of jewelry that is a must-see. I am ashamed to admit that though I've traveled abroad extensively, this is the first time I've visited this place and that's a pity! It is mesmerizing, with acres and acres of land and small houses depicting simple life of fishermen, peasants, woodcutters etc. Here's what their website says:

'Situated in the natural reservation of Dumbrava Sibiului, on the road to Rasinari village and to

Paltinis ski resort, 8 kilometers away from the city centre, the Open Air Museum spreads across a

96 ha area of which an area of 40

ha is covered by the permanent exhibition which is the largest

open air ethnographic exhibition in Europe.

Inaugurated in 1963 under the name of the Museum of Folk Technics, the museum currently has

over 400 monuments of folk architecture and technique as well as an impressive collection of

ethnographic heritage objects. The collection of mills, the wooden churches, and the traditional

homesteads are very popular and very much appreciated.

The museum is divided in 6 thematic sectors, 36 thematic groups and subgroups.

Conceived as a living museum, it hosts many traditional events such as: traditional fairs, folk

festivals, workshops, performances and much more. The traditional function is kept for the wooden

churches where all religious ceremonies specific to Romanian tradition are regularly performed.

The exceptional natural landscape makes the open air museum adequate during both summer and

winter, for educational visits, relaxing walks, drives by carriage, sleigh or sailing, according to

everyone's taste.

The museum has its own traditional inns, spaces suitable for practical lessons, a lake, a

playground, over 400 parking

lots and over 10 kilometers of paved alleys.' www.muzeulastra.ro

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Photos

PENSIUNEA CITADELA
Bijuterie a timpurilor vechi

SIBIU
I'm holding a ''ie'' - traditional Romanian outfit that I bought for my little niece :))