Balkans 21 Sibiu (巴爾幹半島21 錫比烏)

After Brasov, we had to be on our way again to another part of Translyvania.

We passed through more river valleys

The weather was quite unstable. Sometimes we got the sun and sometimes we got rain

Our first rainbow in Balkans

We passed through a river

And a bridge

As the water was slow, there were algae everywhere

a river we passed

There was another rainbow

This one is much better formed

We even had a double rainbow!

Another bridge we passed

It was still raining

The sky had cleared somewhat

A village we passed

There were some mudflats

the clouds had cleared somewhat

But there were soon new clouds

The sun was setting

we passed through another plain

We've arrived at Sibiu. This is the Piata Mare, first mentioned in 1411 as a grain market, the Great Square – the largest square in the city of Sibiu, called in ancient Romanian Sibiiu and Hermannstadt in German and Nagyszeben in Hungarian, a city in Transylvania, with slightly less than 150,000 people situated 134 miles NW of Bucharest, straddling the Cibin River (a tributary of the river Olt) and capital of Sibiu County, between 1692 and 1791 and 1849-1865 and the capital of the Principality of Transylvania and a quiet witness to the town’s lively commercial activities through the centuries, its assemblies and even public executions. Located in the heart of the old walled city, the square was designated an architectural monument by UNESCO and features some of the most impressive buildings in Sibiu. It was designated a European Capital of Culture for the year 2007. Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxons, the old city of Sibiu was ranked as "Europe's 8th most idyllic place to live" by Forbes.
The town is divided into an upper and a lower part. For hundreds of years, this walled town in the heart of Transylvania was one of the most powerful and prosperous strongholds in Europe. Surrounded by imposing walls, Sibiu’s original fortifications included 39 defensive towers, five bulwarks, four gates and five artillery batteries. Although the entire network is remarkably well-preserved, the best-maintained section is the southeastern side which has been reinforced several times throughout the centuries since attacks most often came from that direction. Three 15th century towers have withstood the test of time: Harquebusiers’ Tower (Turnul Archebuzierilor), Carpenters’ Tower (Turnul Dulgherilor) and Potters’ Tower (Turnul Olarilor). The 16-th century Great Tower (Turnul Gros) was the site of Sibiu’s first theatrical performance, staged in 1778. At the centre of the upper town are three beautiful squares. The Great Square is the site of the Roman-Catholic church and the Brukenthal Palace, where you will find one of Romania's most important art collections. The square is linked to the Little Square by a passage beneath the Council Tower, which is worth visiting for the excellent views over the town. The third square, Huet Square, is dominated by the Evangelical Cathedral.

But first, we had to have dinner

our dining room

it had mirror on its roof

And grilles separating the room into two

Two musicians: a keyboardist and a singer who sang with feelings. I bought their CD

Our waitress

Some of our tour group members were dancing

Early the next morning, I got out to look around

This is  a really old town. There are churches everywhere

The streets were quiet

The shape of some of the houses are very peculiar . This is the Borel House built and added to between the 14th to 18th centuries.

There are some open air restaurants by the side of that famous bridge of the upper town underneath which is the road leading to the lower town.

This is the oldest bridge in the city

Some Medieval arches

The road under the bridge leading from the new to the old town

There were flowers out side some of the houses in the old town quarters

This is the entrance to the old town 

This is a restaurant but used to be a stop for horsesmen

this post with hooks was intended for horses' reins. 

Some houses have steps outside

The way down the old town

The sun  was rising

The road follows the slant of the hills

Red of dawn over the old town

A path leading back to the town square

This is another historic building with some sections going back to the 15th, some 17th and some 18th centuries

A cobble-stone flower bed and old fashioned cast iron stands at the side

This is another historic building: the oldest part going back to the 15th century and the latest 18th century

The winding roads are full of arches

Many of such houses are still inhabited

They follow the contour of the land

Another narrow street in the upper town

This is a Reformed Church built in the 18th century

 

From time to time there are such long and narrow passages between houses

This is the Cariatides House from the 18th century with a very old fashioned wooden door.

 This is the Ernst Weisenfeld boarding school, one of the oldest in the country

Another very old building with paints peeling off

The is the Orthodox Cathedral of Holy Trinity built in early 20th century by Szalay Ferencz

 

A detail of its door

its interior bathed in colors of various shades of gold

Another view

its altar

The eye-shaped windows are typical of the houses here: anything to do with the "evil eye" sold as a charm against evil in Turkey?

Back into a corner of the town square

Another old street

Two identical houses at the corner of the town square

An inner court of one of the houses

This is the new town library

Flowers outside the flower bed of the library

This is old Bibliotheca Astra(Star Library)

A chess board at a public park. Who left the roses there?

This is the Lutheran Church

The Building of the the Public Health Service

More old buildings, all painted yellow

The sun had come out for our breakfast

A public park close to our hotel

The is an office of the political party

Back to the town square

The office of democratic liberal party

 Graffiti on a public phone booth

The windows had white porches painted above them 

One of the inner courts

The entrance to the inner court

A bakery

This is how the chef transport the bagels from the over to the shelf

A popular type of bread which I saw many worker eating on the streets

Pastry

Pies

another patisserie

American influence

An icecream parlor

A salon

Another bakery

a book shop

Some of the books on display

More books on display

A really old building

its entrance

An orthodox priest 

We are preparing to leave the city