From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

On Tuesday, we left Deva and visited the fairy tale medieval castle of Janos Hunyadi, a famous warrior and father of the renowned King of Hungary Matthias Corvinus (Corvinus is the Latin version, named after the raven on the family coat of arms). 

Hunyadi Castle

There is lots to see at this amazingly preserved castle. It is every kid's dream of what a knight's castle would be like. 

Jaffray and Maureen exploring the defenses

We had a lot of fun climbing up towers, taking in the Knight's Hall, and even experiencing the decidedly creepy dungeon.

Display in a dungeon cell

Reminders of a more recent past aren't too far away. Just a few hundred yards to be exact, where the skeletons of communist-era mining and factories make for quite a contrast.

View of crumbling industrial plants and mining facilities from the ramparts of the castle.

There are lots of souvenirs for sale outside the grounds, including ones inevitably featuring Vlad Tepes---whom the infamous Dracula is supposed to be based on (he was a contemporary of Janos Hunyadi). Jaffray was surprised, but the vendors swore to her that it was true (although portraits of Hunyadi and Tepes look suspiciously similar).

After a lunch break, we headed to Seben/Sibiu, the European City of Culture for 2007. Zoli took his leave and headed back to Gagy to prepare for our arrival on Thursday, and we checked in to a hotel directly across from the amazingly scenic old city center. Sibiu is a German Saxon town, and the architecture is charming:

The "eyes" have it

You never know what you are going to see. At dinner there was a quite the tableau to take in: from brides and grooms getting photo opportunities to dogs riding on bikes. More pics and stories from Sibiu tomorrow!

Contributed by Jaffray and Michael.