Sighisoara

On Sunday we went on a day trip with Mikey, my friend Mirela and her daughter Anda. We left Sibiu on a rainy morning, but with promises of sunshine throughout the day. Mirela was our guide. We drove through Valea Hartibaciului (Hartibaci Valley), through villages, pastures and meadows,  a calm, relaxed drive punctuated by stops to see some fortified churches on the way.

Village on Valea Hartibaciului

Sharing the road 

The fortified churches of Transylvania have been built beginning with the XIII the century by the Saxon and Szekely communities in the areas; as their name implies, they were religious establishments with a military/defensive role as well. They were built like mini citadels, with strong, fortified walls, some of them with dungeons, and always situated on the top of a hill, in the heart of the settlement.

Entrance door to the fortified church in Agnita

There are over 150 such fortified churches throughout villages in Transylvania, and seven of them are included in the World Heritage Site of UNESCO. We did not visit those, but similar churches on our trip. The visit however consisted of a short stop and walk around the church or outside walls, since they are always closed and the only way you can visit the interior is with a previous appointment (which we did not make). The three sites that we visited were standing quiet and lonely, surrounded by trees and greenery, somewhat sad, somewhat abandoned, but dignified, still holding secrets and treasures inside them, silent witnesses of the past.

The fortified church in Agnita with dungeon and clock tower

The outside wall and tower of the fortified church in Bradeni

The clock tower and outside wall of the fortified church in Apold

By 1:00 we were to our destination: Sighisoara. This is a beautiful city which earned a place in the World Heritage Site due to its status of being the only medieval citadel continuously inhabited since the Middle Ages.

Sighisoara welcoming us

In my teens Sighisoara was the place to go, especially during the Medieval Festival, but I never made it. So now, in my 40s, with a 7 1/2 years old boy in tow, I went. When Mirela told me the night before that the Medieval Festival was going onl, I was a bit worried. I was not looking forward to the crowds that usually come to festivals, and to the sea of vendors. I was worried that the people would "hide" the city and we will not be able to really see it. But I was wrong. Sighisoara was crowded, but not rowdy; there were plenty of activities for kids and Mikey had a blast. And ultimately, all the people there, the re-enactors and the vendors and the crowds, served to give it life, so we experienced it in all its glory.
As I said, Mikey had a blast. He tried everything, twice. He did archery, sword fighting, he got knighted, and got to try on different kinds of armor, chain mails, helmets, as well as different kinds of swords and axes. He participated in a fight with another army. He got to be "decapitated" and sit on a throne. He walked around with a big grin on his face, asking questions, wanting to go and do things, and happy as a little boy can be. Between his few words of Romanian and everybody speaking English communication was not a problem.

Archery

A fierce knight

A king

In between his incursion in the past, we got to walk around and experience the city. We saw the clock tower, a couple of the defense towers, the Monastery Church, a few little squares and the little cobblestone streets, going gently up or down, with colorful houses, small windows, and local shops and cafes all over.

Turnul Cizmarilor - The Shoemakers' Tower

Street in Sighisoara

 We also saw the house where Vlad Dracu lived and his son, Vlad Tepes, was born, but did not visit the interior.

The front of the house

The side of the house

We climbed almost 200 steps on the Scholar's Stairs, a covered staircase that students were using to reach their school on top of the hill since the XVIIth century. 

The bottom of the Scholar's Stairs

We took a stroll in the cemetery, during a nice thunderstorm, then ran back for shelter inside the Stairs.

Cemetery in the rain

We  walked and walked and walked, listened to street music and saw the flag jugglers, a few minutes of street theater, and a few knight battles.

Fight re enactment

Flag jugglers

We had a good lunch and then stopped for coffee and desert at a fancy café.

Mirela, Anda and Mikey

Sighisoara was absolutely charming, and the festival a breath of fresh air from the past. Mikey insisted that next time we come to Romania, we must come back and do more things. I agree.
With the dark, we started back home. The drive was quiet for the most part, and quick. I was glad that we decided to take this trip and share this adventure. It was a day that had gone by outside the constraints of time, a day when the past came alive for a bit to fire up a little boy's imagination and to soothe my soul, a day shared with a friend, with inner peace and joy. A beautiful day in a beautiful city with beautiful people. What else can one wish for?

Medieval Festival, Sighisoara, 2018

July 29