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ROMANIA
Location - Eastern Europe; Capital - Bucharest; Population - 20 million; Currency - Romanian Leu
From Bucharest it's a comfortable two hour train ride to Brasov, the heart of the tourist industry in both Transylvania and Romania - April 2012. MORE ROMANIA
50 Lei (plural of Leu)
Mt Tampa rises above Brasov for a glorious view of the city, with the clouds settling in a Transylvanian valley beyond
The Council House is at the centre of Piata Sfatului in Brasov
On the hillside behind Piata Sfatului are the Black Tower (left) and White Tower (centre) - Brasov
The Tampa Cable Car is the easiest way to get to the top of Mt Tampa - Brasov
The massive Brasov sign on Mt Tampa that's pretty much visible from anywhere in town
The snow covered mountains around Brasov
A close up of St Nicholas' Cathedral and Piata Unirii - Brasov
The 14th century St Nicholas' Cathedral - Brasov
Strada Sforii is the narrowest street in Brasov
A restaurant sign near Piata Sfatului - Brasov
Climb the steps to the White Tower and check out the museum inside - Brasov
The Black Church dominates the view from the White Tower - Brasov
Looking past the White Tower to the Council House - Brasov
The tower of the Council House (left) and a distant Piata Sfatuluio - Brasov
A memorial to victims of the 1989 revolution stands in front of the District Council building - Brasov
The hilltop Citadel lies above the Central Park's orthodox church - Brasov
The 15th century city walls are punctuated with towers and bastions - Brasov
Colourful buildings behind the Black Church - Brasov
The Black Church and Mt Tampa - Brasov
The Black Church was built between 1384 and 1477 - Brasov
Piata Sfatului has plenty of outdoor cafes and restaurants to keep you busy - Brasov
The square is the hub of the city and lively all day - Brasov
A decorative Easter sign opposite the Council House in Piata Sfatului - Brasov
Go upstairs to the Casa Hirscher cafe for a ringside seat of Piata Sfatului - Brasov
Branching off Piata Sfatului is Strada Republicii, a pedestrian shopping street - Brasov
A local band play at the Irish bar on Strada Republicii. The guitarist was top banana - Brasov
A quiet sidestreet in the old town - Brasov
There's no escaping Dracula in Transylvania! Bran
14th century Bran Castle is known as Dracula's castle, a 40 minute bus ride from Brasov - Bran
Vlad Tepes was the Prince of Wallachia (an historic area of Romania) in the 15th century.
The bloodthirsty Vlad was given the name Tepes, meaning 'impaler' as he indulged in impaling his enemies with a wooden stake.
His real surname was Draculea - Bran
Irish author Bram Stoker combined fact with fiction, drawing on Vlad Tepes for his world-famous novel Dracula - Bran
It's thought that Vlad Tepes only visited Bran Castle once, if at all - Bran
The 'secret' staircase in Bran Castle - Bran
Most of the castle exhibits belonged to Queen Marie, Queen consort of Romania between 1914 and 1927 (and born in England) - Bran
The inner courtyard of Bran Castle - Bran
It's a bit of a scrum squeezing past tour groups but understandably so - Bran
Rainclouds descend on Bran. It rained virtually every day of my two weeks in Romania..
Between Brasov and Bran is another castle town, Rasnov
It's a steep walk up the hill (or take a car) to Rasnov Fortress - Rasnov
The 13th century fortress is mostly in ruins but there's a few reconstructed buildings - Rasnov
The main draw is the superb view across the plains below - Rasnov
The Transylvanian town of Rasnov below
A horse and cart trots through the streets - Rasnov
The journey from Brasov to Sibiu passes the Fagaras Mountains
Piata Mica is one of the central squares in the 2007 EU 'Capital of Culture' Sibiu
Restaurants at Piata Mica - Sibiu
Eyelid windows look down on Piata Mica - Sibiu
Walk through the Turnul Sfatului arch (Council Tower) to Piata Mare - Sibiu
The Banca Agricola is the curved building in Piata Mare - Sibiu
Bars, restaurants, a museum and a church make up Piata Mare - Sibiu
The impressive Piata Mare - Sibiu
Colourful buildings surrounding the Council Tower at Piata Mare - Sibiu
Dracula welcomes you to a sports bar on Strada Nicolae Balcescu - Sibiu
Fading grandeur on Strada Cetatii - Sibiu
Sibiu's Evangelical Church contains the tomb of Vlad Tepes' son Mihnea Voda cel Rau (Prince Mihnea the Bad)
Steps lead down from Piata Huet to cobbled pedestrian streets - Sibiu
A quiet pedestrian street near Piata Huet - Sibiu
More steps, this time at the Council Tower, afford views of Piata Mare - Sibiu
Piata Mica is in the foreground with the Evangelical Church behind - Sibiu
Any idea what this says? Graffiti on Strada Ocnei, Sibiu
Between the train station and the old city is a Soviet war memorial - Sighisoara
A minute's walk further on is Saint Treime Orthodox Church, on the banks of the Tarnava Mare River - Sighisoara
The citadel of Sighisoara is centred on Piata Cetatii
The citadel complex dates back to the 12th century - Sighisoara
A souvenir shop on Piata Cetatii - Sighisoara
The square is busy during the day but dies down in the evening - Sighisoara
The 14th century Church on the Hill - Sighisoara
Reach the Church on the Hill via a covered stairway - Sighisoara
A Lutheran cemetery lies next to the church, here with the Goldsmiths Tower behind - Sighisoara
The Monastery Church spire stands to the left of a winding Tarnava Mare River - Sighisoara
A major attraction in Sighisoara is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, Casa Vlad-Dracul, where he is said to have lived until he was four
Welcome to Casa Vlad-Dracul - Sighisoara
A painting of Vlad Tepes aka Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia and inspiration for Dracula - Sighisoara
Casa Vlad-Dracul has been converted into a restaurant - Sighisoara
The restaurant menu includes Dracula pork medallion, Dracula spicy shrimp and of course a variety of Dracula cocktails - Sighisoara
A cafe/shop selling Dracula spicy coffee uses the same entrance as Casa Vlad-Dracul - Sighisoara
Casa Vlad-Dracul lies close to the 13th century Clock Tower - Sighisoara
The Clock Tower greets visitors walking up to the citadel - Sighisoara
Walking beneath the Clock Tower - Sighisoara
Take the stairs up the Clock Tower for views of Sighisoara
Beyond the church is the Tarnava Mare River - Sighisoara
If you're looking for tacky, kitsch souvenirs you've come to the right place. Did I buy a Dracula mug? Of course! Sighisoara
In one of the corners of the citadel is a softly lit Shoemakers Tower - Sighisoara
There's a mixture of renovated and crumbling buildings on the edge of the citadel - Sighisoara
A colourful street in the citadel - Sighisoara
Vlad Tepes is on show next to the 15th century Church of the Dominican Monastery - Sighisoara
Sit in the small park next to the City Hall to take in views of the town below - Sighisoara
Make time for a visit to this relaxed town - Sighisoara
Website and content Copyright © 2008-2012 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.
LINKS
www.cfrcalatori.ro - Romanian train timetables; buy tickets
www.autogari.ro - Search for buses in the country
www.romaniatourism.com - Official website of the Romanian Tourist Board
www.turism.sibiu.ro - Guide to Sibiu
Wasteels - Contact these guys for international train tickets from Romania
I am not responsible for the content of external websites.
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