AKA A long account of pretty much nothing.
Bucharest? Did I recommend Bucharest? Scratch that! If you only have time for one Romanian town make it Sibiu.
(A total aside: when I was in Bucharest I met an Italian woman who was on a biking trip, we were on the same palace tour and then went out for a beer together. She was wearing an amazing outfit, to my eye, classy black top and stylish short grey skirt. When I complimented her on it she pointed out that it was her biking outfit and flipped the top of the skirt down to show that a biking shorts insert could be clipped in. I was floored - nicest biking outfit I'd seen in my life.)
 |
| The main street of old town Sibiu - one restaurant with so many hanging baskets it almost looks like a garden shop. |
Back to Sibiu. It is working hard to be a good tourist town, and in my opinion it's succeeding. The main street through the old town has been turned into a pedestrian walkway lined with everything from expensive jewelry stores to local craft co-ops, there are licensed restaurants with very comfortable couches and ice cream stalls, something for everyone in other words. Buskers dot the street, which is about a km long, and in the main square at the end there are free concerts in the evening. (I am listening to a full orchestra at this very moment along with maybe 3000 other tourists!) We are not all staying in hostels; at the end of the street are several large modern hotels. Last night there was also another concert further out of town catering to the younger crowd - I might have gone to that too if I'd known of it ahead of time.
 |
| This guy plays outside our hostel each evening (you can see the WH sign above his head) and lulls me to sleep. |
I'm planning to go hiking in the Fagaras Mountains soon, which I might add is giving me the hebejebes, 'cause I really don't know if I'm up to it, but I'm not getting any younger so I figure it's now or never, but I digress... today, Sunday, I had a somewhat eclectic shopping list in preparation for the hike. I wanted all my hiking food (muesli and dried milk for breakfast, gorp for snacks, etc., etc.), a light weight wide brimmed sun hat (I think I left mine in Bucharest), telescopic hiking poles, and a haircut. I hoofed it to the mall and found everything on my list! What a shopping success. I was even fortunate enough to get my hair cut by a woman with no English (one of my travelling traditions it to get my hair cut in a different language as I start out and so many people speak English here I'd been a bit worried on that front. At one point she panicked and went to get someone to translate leading to the lovely question: "Is it too short already or should she cut some more off?") Not only that, get this, I came across the exact biking skirt the Italian woman had had! Shopping City Sibiu really has it all. I was SO tempted to buy one I went back three times to look at them but the last thing I need right now is more stuff. Walking back from the mall my day bag felt about as heavy as I really want to carry for a week and it was only my food of course, all my camping gear and other paraphernalia were resting at the hostel. AKKK!
Monday I wake to pouring rain and the forecast for more of the same in the days to come. Despite being all packed up for my hike I consider waiting a few days for more palatable weather... man it's stressful being indecisive!
A few photos of roof tops and other things on a rainy day.
 |
| I don't know who was having more fun - this kid splashing in the puddles or me trying to get a good shot of her. I didn't quite get the picture I wanted but included it anyway to show the happiness of being on holiday even on an overcast day. |
