Our drive to Cluj was interesting! All started well, but we lost phone signal for a bit … and also the connection to the sat nav … and having taken a turn in completely the wrong direction, it was a little while before we realised our mistake.
It has been hard to judge what speed we should be driving as sticking to the limit has every car on the road overtaking us, but on the other hand we are visitors and should be cautious. Then we were pulled over by the police … was it because we were speeding a little … no, it seemed they were just doing spot checks on vehicle papers so we were soon on our way.
Finally the traffic was heavy in Cluj, unsurprising in rush hour, but our journey had taken twice as long as expected. Fortunately, we kept our accommodation informed on the way, because when we arrived, our host was saving us a car parking space by waiting in the road.
Citadel Rooms is just ten minutes walk to the main square but in a quiet street and our room was great.
In the evening, we walked to Piata Unirii, the main square, dominated by the cathedral …
… but also by TIFF, the Transylvanian International Film Festival which has taken over lots of venues over the city for a couple of weeks to show international films.
Ate in the square watching the world go by …
… and glanced at the film on the way to bed.
In the morning we were brought coffee and a pastry which we ate outside on the balcony then set out to explore.
Cluj is the unofficial capital of Transylvania and another of the seven fortified Saxon towns, not that you’d realise as little remains of any fortifications. Today the continued Austrian-Hungarian heritage is far more apparent with fine Baroque and Secessionist buildings and wide streets, having much in common with Vienna or Budapest.
In front of this baroque backdrop, casually dressed students rub shoulders with the stylish city set and TIFF adds an extra artistic energy.
We began with the Ethnology museum which contains a huge range of utensil for every use but it was the costumes that were most interesting …
… and being able to get up close to some of the embroidery.
The Orthodox cathedral was nearby, a 1920’s Byzantine revival building …
… while the Murano mosaics from Venice were only added in 2001.
A maze of cobbled lanes lead from the main square, full of bars and restaurants and busy in the evening. During the day it is quieter but we spotted a shady brasserie for lunch.
Opposite, was the Matthias Corvinus House is one of the oldest buildings in Cluj, built in the C15th in the gothic style. Now an arts institute, it was the birthplace of Corvinus who became King of Hungary in 1458.
There is also a statue of him in the main square beside the Cathedral of St Michael, built in the C14-15th in the German Gothic style like the Black Church in Brasov.
Inside, the hall church soars impressively sporting a later Baroque pulpit …
… and some C15th frescoes.
Also in the square are the Shot Pillars, seven bronze cylinders erected in 2003 to commemorate those gunned down in the 1989 revolution, around 26.
For a complete change of direction, the Steampunk Transylvania Museum is the only one in Europe, and since we’d visited the only other in the world, in Oamaru in New Zealand, we had to go!
It’s been open for three years and is filled with genuine technical collectibles, and inventive bits and pieces combined with artistic flair and inspired by Jules Verne.
Quite a bit is interactive so it was fun to visit and could even make your hair stand on end!
While walking round earlier, we’d spotted Casa Veche, a restaurant offering a veggie version of samale filled with mushrooms and rice which Chris was eager to try so I kept him company and had the regular dish with smoked pork – another winning dinner!
Tomorrow we move on again
Off Travelling Together 