Escape to myself

I left Budapest at 11 last night on the sleeper to Sighisoara. Night sleepers in Eastern Europe have a resonance… spies, murder and intrigue are the tropes we have from films and novels. The reality was less romantic and much more interesting. . An antique station and an even more antiquated train in a cramped couchette I slept fitfully through the night lulled by the rocking and juddering of the train as it made its way through the darkened Transylvanian countryside on the ten hour journey.

I arrived on a damp cold morning and took the 15 minute walk to the hotel where I have a clean and spacious room with shower in a pleasant part of town near the town centre. After hostels three days in a double bed in a friendly pension will be a respite.

I’ve taken my first stroll up to the citadel. This is a remarkable town founded as a fortress high on a hill top in the thirteenth century and noted for its connection with Vlad Dracul who was ruler of Wallachia. There are several surviving towers each built by one of the town guilds and some remaining walls and bastions. Cobbled streets lead up to the hilltop lined with brightly painted buildings. No wonder it has UNESCO status. Well preserved and yet still a working town. It was settled by German workers in the 1200s and has a distinctly German feel to the architecture.It’s also the centre for hiking trails. It has two excellent churches with some interesting wall paintings and furnishings. It’s also nice to hear a Latin based language after the Slavic of Czechia and Slovakia. I can read a few signs!