Goodbye Cluj, Hello Deva

     Before we left Cluj, we went to the Unitarian Center, which houses the high school as well as a trove of photos, books and documents about Unitarianism in Transylvania.   Best of all, we met one of the first female Unitarian ministers who answered our questions and added to our knowledge not only about Unitarianism but about the Communist era in Romania.

      We traveled by van to the Church of the Edict in Torda where Unitarianism and religious freedom was born.  Our next stop was Alba Iulia/Gyulafehervar where we visited the 1000-year old church that contains the tombs of King Sigismund, the King who was converted to Unitarianism, and his mother.  We had lunch inside a restored medieval castle.

     When we arrived in Deva we were greeted by the local Unitarian minister, whose name was also Zoli (Koppani).  We took the funicular up to the citadel where Francis David was imprisoned and died.  Zoli #2 had the key to the iron door that opens to the spot that commemorates David's life.  He read to us the words that David etched on the wall before he died:

Neither the sword of popes, nor the cross, nor the image of death — nothing will halt the march of truth. I wrote what I felt and that is what I preached with trusting spirit. I am convinced that after my destruction the teachings of false prophets will collapse.

A special moment ensued when both Zoli ministers sang a song that was written by David.

     Zoli #2 then took us to his new church building, built with the help of their partner congregation in Appleton, Wisconsin. We were impressed with the wall of hand-embroidered  artwork given to Deva from other congregations all around Transylvania.

Our group dinner that night included a delicious baba ganoush-like appetizer spread, chicken skewers, and the fabulous dessert below.

Our dessert tonight was papanais, a Romanian donut covered with sour cream and blueberries.   Yum! 

And Rob got a second dessert afterwards (surprise, surprise!) in front of the nightly spectacular light and water show in the main square.

Rob enjoying one of his many ice cream cones in front of the fountain at Deva

Mineral, Spiritual, and Physical (updated)

Sunday started with us viewing and learning about the legendary rock at the First Unitarian Church of Kolozsvar from which (supposedly) Francis David preached about Unitarian principles in 1566 and converted the whole city. We then attended the regular Sunday service there (all in Hungarian of course).

Francis David's famous platform

We had a traditional lunch at a local restaurant where we ate a special local dish: Cabbage a la Kolozsvar (baked cabbage with ground pork topped with a sour cream sauce). Dessert was another local specialty: Varga Beles (baked noodles with farmers cheese and raisins, very much like kugel). Delicious!

Then it was on to the scenic Torda Gorge for a hike, with just about everyone else within 100 km. Since it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the uneven path was just as crowded as the scenery was spectacular. Maureen and Rob did the full 1 1/2-hour riverbank walk alongside 1000-ft+ sheer cliffs that rival Yosemite's.  At times, we had to hold onto cables anchored to the cliff to avoid falling into the ravine!

One side of the gorge

"Gorge-ous" Maureen

Rob testing the limit of the safety cable

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the famous Unitarian Church in Metzko, the "Alabaster Village" of the book by Christine Frederiksen Balazs Morgan. The very small rustic church is situated on a hillside just outside the gorge. A picture is worth 1000 words, of course, (see photo), but it's still hard to capture the mood outside of simple, quiet dignity, and inside the light and airy, yet devout, atmosphere amidst the rough-hewn pews and elevated wooden pulpit where the minister and faithful met the previous day to share worship.

Exterior

A sweaty blessing

The long day ended with a leisurely dinner at an outdoor cafe in the old center of Kolozsvar/Cluj, down the street from where not one, but two, Hungarian kings were born.

Additional contributors: Rob and Maureen

Gardens and Festivals

Saturday was our "free" day with nothing specific planned until dinner. After sleeping in a bit to recharge our batteries, we walked around central Kolozsvar/Cluj and decided to hike over to the beautiful botanical gardens.

Japanese garden

Us outnumbered by palm varieties

Along the way we passed through a university campus, saw a nice residential neighborhood, and heard the raucous music of the youth festival at Unirii Square (almost) the whole way. Cluj has been named the European Youth Capital for 2015, which means they must host 300 youth-oriented events over the course of the year. This weekend has been a huge music festival with three stages at various locations in the city. As a city full of universities, Cluj is usually a bit empty in the summertime (according to Zoli, who met us for dinner). This weekend the city is hopping to say the least, with thousands of youth from all around Europe here to to have fun. You'd think that there would be long lines at clubs and restaurants (and there are) but the longest line we saw all day was at the Donuterie. Go figure.

After a gorgeous day of taking in the sights, we ended up in the courtyard of the Art museum (former Banffy Palace) for a well-earned drink.

A refreshing way to end the afternoon

Shortly thereafter, we met Csilla (our guide), John Dale (Csilla's husband and trip logistics expert), and Zoli, who will travel with us for a few days before leaving to meet us in Gagy at the end of the week. We had our kickoff dinner at the famous Unitarian restaurant Rex, where we had a lovely outdoor meal of lasagna and pizza.

Layover in Frankfurt

Jaffrey and I had a 6-hour layover in Frankfurt, where we took the train downtown, had lunch, and walked along the Main River before getting on our next plane to Munich.

Arrival

Rob and I arrived in Kolozsvar (Cluj) yesterday evening and had a little walkabout before crashing. Below are a few random pictures from our walk. There was a festival happening in Unrii Square, next to St. Michael's Cathedral (once the pulpit of Francis David when it was a Unitarian church) with live music. There are lots of young people here, and the city was hopping (though I suppose it could have just been the festival that brought them all out).

Opera House

An interesting recent production at the Opera House

A big crowd gathers for the music

The flights over here went very smoothly via Paris and Bucharest. We are looking forward to catching up with Maureen and Jaffray, who arrived late last night (I hope). We meet up with our guide Csilla for a "kickoff" dinner tonight. Possible activities today may include visits to the Ethnographic Museum, the Art Museum, and the Botanical Garden. We are looking to have fabulous weather while we are here: sunny and generally in the 80s.

Itinerary

Just thought I'd post our current itinerary in case you are interested. We head out tomorrow!

Arlington First Parish

UU Pilgrimage

Transylvania - August 2015

Revised Itinerary: (B/L/D – Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner included in trip fee): hotels subject to change due to availability at time of booking. Hotels may change due to availability at time of booking.

Travelers will be arriving in Kolozsvar/Cluj the night of Friday, July 31, and have a free day to explore Kolozsvar/Cluj on Saturday, August 1.

• Saturday, August 1. Gather at Hotel Victoria in Kolozsvar/Cluj, Romania. Group dinner & orientation. Overnight Kolozsvar - Hotel Victoria (D)
• Sunday, August 2.  Morning Unitarian tour of Kolozsvar including 1^st Church (which houses the famous Francis David rock), the Unitarian HQ & High School, and St. Michael’s Church where Francis David once preached. Optional 11am service at 1^st Church. Group lunch. Optional afternoon visit to the nearby “Alabaster Village” of Mezsko. Weather permitting we will take a hike in the spectacular Torda Gorge before returning to Kolozsvar. Free evening. Dinner on your own. Overnight Kolozsvar –Hotel Victoria. (BL)
• Monday, August 3. Depart Kolozsvar after breakfast for Deva. En route we stop at the Church of the Edict in Torda and again at the 1000-year-old church in Gyulafehervar/Alba Iulia which houses the tombs of King Sigismund and his mother, Isabella. Group lunch before continuing on to the citadel at Deva for a moment of reflection in the cell where Francis David, first Bishop of the Unitarian Church, was martyred. Dinner & overnight Deva –Hotel Sarmis. (BLD)
• Tuesday, August 4. Depart Deva after breakfast for Sibiu/Szeben. Morning detour to visit the fairytale 13^th century castle at Vadjahunyad. Sandwich lunch en route. PM arrival in Sibiu. Free evening to relax or explore the city. Dinner on your own. Overnight Sibiu – Ramada Plaza. (BL)
• Wednesday, August 5. Morning mini-tour and orientation in city center. Free day in Sibiu to stroll the picturesque city, shop, and take in some of the world class museums. Lunch and dinner on your own. Overnight Sibiu – Ramada Plaza (B)
• Thursday, August 6. Depart Sibiu for Gagy. Afternoon arrival in our partner village. Welcome reception & lunch with minister and village families. Tour of the village with the minister as our guide. Dinner with host families. Overnight Gagy – home stays. 
• Friday, August 7. Breakfast with host families. Visit to Bözödújfalu (flooded by Ceausescu), Körispatak (Straw Hat Museum), and Énlaka (Unitarian Church). Lunch at Alpar Dancs's guest house. Tasting cheese specialties of buffalo milk. Return to Gagy, dinner with host families. Overnight Gagy - home stays. 
• Saturday, August 8. Breakfast with host families. Optional program: Unitarian Meeting in Szejkefürdő (near Székelyudvarhely), an outdoor church service and Communion, commemoration of Balázs Orbán, an important patron of the Unitarian Church. Return to Gagy, dinner with host families. Overnight Gagy - home stays.
• Sunday, August 9. Breakfast with host families. Church service in the Unitarian Church of Gagy. Lunch with members of the community. Horse cart ride near the village. Return to Gagy, dinner with host families. Overnight Gagy - home stays.
• Monday, August 10. Breakfast with host families. Farewell and departure after breakfast to begin our journey back to Kolozsvar/Cluj. Stop en route to visit the picturesque Marosvasarhely/TG-Mures city center for a tour of the Art Nouveau Cultural Palace and a group lunch. Afternoon arrival in Kolozsvar. Free time to relax. Group discussion with UUPCC staff about village experience. Farewell dinner. Overnight Kolozsvar/Cluj –Hotel (BLD)
• Tuesday, August 11. Cabs to airport for return flights to US. (B)

Five Days To Go

Unlike four years ago on our first pilgrimage from First Parish in Arlington, Massachusetts, to our partner Unitarian church in Gagy, Transylvania, there will be only four of us on the trip. We are Michael Friedman, Maureen Dolan, Jaffray Cuyler, and Rob Meier.

Michael, Maureen, and Jaffray

Rob

Right now we are busy with last-minute preparations, and full of excitement. All of us will actually be arriving in Cluj (Koloszvar) a day early, so we will have time on our own before meeting up with our guide Csilla the evening of Aug. 1.

To read the blog from our initial visit in 2011, see http://www.firstparish.info/index.php/congregationalworkings/groups-and-activities/partnership-church/transylvania-pilgrimage-2011.