Once in the forest, the scenery continued to impress though it was nice to have the change.
There were quite a few funghi around - both on the ground and the trees. Colin decided to join them for this
one!
As we descended lower, the trees seemed to become taller and more slender. We still didn't see any bears or
wolves though.
Although slightly lacking in contrast, this shot displays the extent of some of the forests on the
hillsides. They went on as far a the eye could see.
We eventually made it down to Sebesu de Sus in the late afternoon. It was almost like stepping back 150
years. The village seemed quite dead to the world and rather primitive in many ways. We were hoping to hitch
a lift down to the railway but only saw one car in the whole village! Everyone seemed to use the
characteristic Romanian horse and cart to go about their primarily agricultural lifestyle.
The village did display some good architecture though as can be seen in this Orthodox church.
After walking a kilometre or so beyond the village, we managed to get a lift a short way on a cart. I guess
it was all part of the rural Romanian experience and it certainly saved our by now weary legs a little.
We eventually made the short journey by train to Sibiu, a medieval city in Transylvania, and checked into a
western style hotel for the night. This is the main square, Piata Mare, the following morning which I
believe is quite unique in that it is not enclosed by any religious or council/government buildings.
To get a good view of the city, we went up the tower of the 15th century evangelical cathedral. One of the
best things to see was not the cityscape but rather the amazing tile mosaic on the church roof!
We did also get a good view of some of the older buildings in the city centre. This is Piata Huet, just
behind the church.
This is an arcade to one side of the Piata Huet.
To the other side of the centre are the best remains of the city walls. This is the Big Tower looking
towards the Potters Tower.
The following day we were back at the railway station waiting for our return train to Bucharest. Unlike a
lot of British trains, these all seemed to run on time and I was told this is nearly always the case in
Romania. Colin and I bought two first class tickets for the 7 hour journey for around £8! The trains
aren't particularly plush and first class only means there are three seats across a compartment rather than
four as far as I can work out. Worth the money though for the extra space!
The train initally wound its way along the valley to Brasov near where we had started. To the south, we
could just see the Fagaras mountains which we had traversed earlier in the week.
Back south of Brasov, the train snaked its way along scenic narrow valleys through some of Romania's
popular skiing areas. The train got to Bucharest about quarter of an hour early only leaving us with an
uncomfortable night at the airport before the journey back home.