JodockWorldTravel

The journey to and from our next destination was almost as much fun as being there. After driving a short distance from Sighisoara, our bus dropped us off in an empty gravel lot. Our guide took us to an informal trail head in the far corner, which led us to a tree-lined path that wound its way behind traditional homes, a couple of which had a back yard full of wild turkeys, alongside horse pastures until we reached the town of Viscri.

Viscri is a quaint little village with no paved roads where every night between six and six-thirty the cows return from grazing the hills above, each going to its respective gate to be let in for the evening. We were there in the middle of the afternoon, so I’m relying on the internet to provide you a visual.

The townspeople use horse carts for local travel and transporting of goods; few automobiles are allowed on the gravel roads and only during specified times of the day.

We continued up another gravel road to the fortified White Church, the most authentic of the churches we’ve seen. The original bones of the church were erected in the 12th century; benches are from the 16th century. There was a very specific seating order designed to represent the circle of life, and social position dictated who sat where. Commoners sat in the center; more important individuals occupied the side seats.

The parishioners who attended this church were very strict rule followers and masters at holding a grudge. (Apparently, they missed the “Judge not lest ye be judged” verse in the Bible.) Between the church and the fortress wall was a large round rock. This was the “Rock of Shame.” If someone was accused of stealing or a woman was accused of adultery (only the women, not the men), the person would be required to stand on this rock throughout the entire service to be publicly humiliated by all of the other parishioners.

Just as with the fortress we saw earlier today, the church is surrounded by a large wall with multiple levels, one of which would have provided housing for the area’s citizens when the town was under attack, and another from which weapons could be fired. A portion of the interior wall of this fortress has been turned into a museum, displaying coins, clothing and other items that would have belonged to the people who would have made use of this fortress.

This part of Transylvania has always been known for its honey. We took a narrow staircase to the upper area of the wall where we found a display of the beekeeping equipment as well as looms and other items that would have been used during the 12th-14th century. We were not able to follow the full circumference of the wall, but we experienced enough to appreciate the beautiful views the townspeople would have enjoyed during times of peace.

We made our way back to town where we learned that before he ascended the throne this was a favorite vacation spot for King Charles, who owns two homes here. When he became King travel became more cumbersome for him – he is required to bring a bit of an entourage now which he thinks creates too much disruption for the town folks – so he turned his homes, which he had combined into one large commune – into a rather non-descript museum. It’s lack of razzle dazzle suits this quiet little town perfectly.

After such a full day we had just enough time to get back and freshen up a bit before heading out to a traditional dinner, which included a guided tour of Brasov, the town where we stayed, hosted by a woman from the 1700s or so.

Romanian architects had quite the cheeky sense of humor. Check out the sculptures in the picture of the hotel on the left, above the windows on the second floor and just below the roofline. And how about the little guy peeking off the roof of the church?

Tomorrow will be our final day in Transylvania. We will be capping off our time here with a visit to Dracula’s Castle before returning to Bucharest and preparing for our flight home on Sunday.