Bună ziua from the Dacia, the international train linking Bucharest with Vienna. It's not too crowded, air-con is working. Perfect train for another little domestic trip, as I will get off before we reach the Hungarian border.
After all these years living & travelling to/from 🇷🇴 I finally have the pleasure of a proper CFR @_DiningCar added to my train. Friendly service, fresh salad, filling mixed grill cooked in the kitchen. By no means haute cuisine but I approve! Bottle of white for €6 is nice too.
Great scenery, Boney M.'s 'Rasputin' playing on the dining wagon radio. The proper way to travel, really.
Crossing the Carpathian Mountains..
Arriving at Predeal station..
Rolling into Braşov while 'Walking on Sunshine' is playing on the train radio. Proper 1980s retro vibes from both the song and Braşov's North Korean style station.
The Transylvanian countryside between Braşov and Sighişoara.
It's a slow but certainly a quite pleasant journey.
Approaching Sighişoara..
In the distance you can see the walled old town of Sighişoara on the hilltop. The birthplace of Vlad Tepeş, better known as Vlad the Impaler.. the legend of Dracula was based on him! Wonderful town to visit, but this time I'm staying on the train for one more stop.
I really should revisit this gem of a town once again. Visited many times before, and had an overnight here as recently as last autumn on a road trip, but that just didn't do it any justice.
We are now fully in the land of the Saxon fortified churches. This is the church at Şaroş pe Târnave (Scharosch). The huge, famous fortified church at Biertan is only a few miles away.
Mediaş station is nicely renovated. In fact, the entire railway line here has been upgraded to modern standards. I'm getting off here, ready to explore the 2nd largest city on the province (județ) of Sibiu after the city of the same name.
Walking to my apartment for the night. First impression: this town is absolutely cute. Like a smaller, even more sedated version of Sibiu!
My apartment oozes tons of charm. An absolute gem.
Let's find a place for dinner here. And not get distracted too much by the prettiness of this town as there will be more time for sightseeing tomorrow.
This place under the umbrellas will do, I think!
Passage bistro: Roasted red pepper soup, duck with red cabbage, pancakes with chocolate sauce and crushed biscuits. Perfect.
Mediaş at night. Such a quiet, peaceful and gorgeous town. Really love it so far. Time to sleep now, will explore more around tomorrow during daylight!
Goodmorning from Mediaş! A nice breakfast on the main square before I start to explore this city.
From the main market square I follow the cat up on the stairs to the hilltop fortified church.
A walk around the fortified church, which reportedly has the 2nd largest tower of all Romanian medieval churches after Bistriţa.
Inside the evangelical church, which has three altarpieces and several historical carpets. A minor entrance fee of 2 euro includes a free tour by enthusiastic young girls working/volunteering for the church.
Walking to one of the old towers, the Steingasser Tower.
From the walled old town you almost walk immediately to the foot of the green hills surrounding Mediaş. Short climb up for a panoramic picture - and back again to cool down with a tasty lemonade.
The municipal museum (4 lei - about 0.80 euro entrance fee) has signs in Romanian only and nothing too special, but it's not too bad for a quick visit if you have time. The scale model of medieval Mediaş is cool, and there are some decent archaeological artefacts.
From the museum, it's back to the main square by walking through some cute little streets.
From the central square along the abandoned synagogue uphill to a newly renovated part of the old city wall.
Under the blackmith's tower there is a nice café with book exchange/library.
And back down into town for a tasty pizza before my train back to Bucharest.
Across the ugly communist part of town to the train station..
Top tip: the small train station café might be the cheapest in all of Romania. Glass of wine? One (!!) lei (0.20 EUR). A beer at 2.5 lei (50 eurocent) is not bad either.
And there it is, the late afternoon IR train from Cluj to Bucharest. Three carriages only!
Views from the long ride back. Six hours and ten minutes travel time. Plus a five minute delay departing Braşov.
And as the train arrived on time, I still made it to the last bus home.
With Pixie the cat doing her normal welcome home routine by rolling around demandinf belly rubs.
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