Alba Iulia - Rimetea - Cluj Napoca - Turda

Day One - Alba Iulia

     This three-day weekend was MONUMENTAL!  The day after I arrived here, I signed up for my first Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) tour.  The goal was a hiking trip in the Carpathian Mountains and walking tours through some of Romania's oldest cities in the Transylvania Region.


  What it turned out to be though was the Romanian version of the Bataan Death March and torture in the form of walking!!!  The Carpathian are the third longest mountain range in Europe behind the Ural and Scandinavian Mountains.  The highest point is Moldoveanu at 2,544m or 8,346 feet.  I took some nice pictures of this peak on day three.

     We departed Deveselu at 0900 on Friday, with me behind the wheel of my favorite people mover van.  I volunteered to drive because frankly, I just like driving.  There were three sailors, Stefania the MWR coordinator, and me.  I drove to the train station in downtown Caracal to pickup our professional tour guide Nicusor (Nicu) Bobocea - who, without a doubt, is the coolest guy I have ever met (ok all you other guys, that's the measuring stick).  If you are ever traveling to Romania, you must hire Nice to help you get the most out of your stay.

     Once he arrived and climbed into the party wagon, we were on our way to our first stop, the city of Alba Iulia for a walking tour then a good night sleep before we departed in the morning for the village of Rimetea at the base of the 3000 foot limestone mountain we were going to conquer.  It was a drive of about 169 miles into the Carpathian Mountains.  After an hour and a half or so, we made a stop for a break in Ramnicu Valcea and to take a quick look at some of the local sights.  It seems no matter where you stop in Romania, there's an Orthodox Church over 700 years old, a beautiful old monastery, a Roman fortress dating back 2000 years, or an incredible statue memorializing a great warrior soldier.

     To get to our destination, we followed the highway paralleling the Olt River.  This river valley is thought to have been created 10,000+ years ago as great ice glaciers retreated but no one knows for sure as there are no glaciers here any longer.   It divides the eastern and western Carpathian Mountain ranges of Fagaras and Parang.  This river is Romania's second largest river flowing south from the mountains to the plains to meet the largest - the Danube.  This is looking north toward Alba Iulia.

      Along the shore of the Olt, adjacent to the rest stop, is an ancient Roman fort built during the times of Julius Caesar and the Roman expansion eastward from Italy.  The fort was built in this location to protect the river passage as this was the only way through the mountains into Transylvania to the north.  The fort is on the opposite shore from where we were but on this side, if you look south down the river on the right side, there are ruins of another part of the fort at the narrowest part of the river where the soldiers could guard the river.

     Having finished our espresso and croissant, it was time to head out again.  We arrived in Alba Iulia, the capital of Alba County, in mid-afternoon.  The storm clouds were chasing us all the way.

Alba Iulia

     As luck would have it, we got to Alba Iulia (Al-ba You-lee-ya) in the pouring rain.   Our walking tour was curtailed shortly after we had begun our trek around the six-sided star-shaped perimeter of the old fort. We were drenched.  Nichol explained to me the history of this structure.  I've included some links (one above about Alba and one below for anyone really interested in history).  This is the largest fortress in Romania, and it is named "Alba Carolina".  Walking through this structure is like traveling back in time through two millenniums within the three fortifications: The initial structure which can still be seen in some exposed areas - Roman Castrum (106 AD).  This was followed by The Medieval Citadel (16th-17th centuries).  And finally, Alba Carolina Citadel, a Vauban style fortification (18th century).  I stood for many minutes and imagined where I was standing, Roman soldiers once paraded and prepared for battle.  Then the Austro-Hungarians marched off to fight the vicious Ottoman Empire hoards advancing from the south.  It was an incredible experience.

     The architect of the fortification, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban lived from (1 May 1633 – 30 March 1707).  He was very famous and very much admired by the aristocracy in France and well-known by Napolean.  He was commonly referred to simply as Vauban.  He was a French military engineer, who participated in each of the wars fought by France during the reign of Louis XIV, King of France from 1643 - 1715.

     Vauban was considered the expert in his field, his design principles served as the dominant model of fortification for nearly 100 years, while his offensive tactics remained in use until the early twentieth century. He made a number of innovations in the use of siege artillery and founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, originator of combat engineering units in the French military.  He is responsible for designing numerous (12) fortifications throughout Europe.  The structures are star-shaped like this one in Alba Iulia.  Vauban Fortifications

      Walking up to the fortress entrance, you are greeted by a beautifully adorned gateway.  It was my first experience with a real draw bridge!  As you can see, there is a huge wooden door spanning the moat (yes, an actual moat) below.

      Here are some photos of the mechanisms built to lift the mighty entranceway.  Try to imagine how many men it would take on both sides to lift this heavy wooden structure (or to let it down without launching several people into the air).

Looking down at the moat and inside the first wall.  Coi fish now occupy this watery space.

      Just inside the gate, they have done a great job of placing period bronze figures throughout the fort. First I had to think to myself - "hey, these look like the same status I can find back home in Boston.  Look at the three-pointed hat, the clothing, and even the rifle.  Then again, as Nice and I talked, the French soldiers had many fronts and many efforts going on around the world at the same time they were in the United States and we were fighting for our independence.  It all made sense now.

     A bas relief carving depicting one of the many battles between the ancient Roman soldiers and the former inhabitants of the region now called Romania - they were the Dacians.

     Remains of the very first Roman fort in this location.

     I didn't get nearly enough pictures of the fortress because of the torrential rains; the location within the valley formed by the Carpathians causes fast-changing, and often unpredictable weather patterns.

     Walking on top of the outer walls, you can see the size and height of the inner walls.  Vauban's thoughts were to create massive earthen walls fortified with brick.  These walls were much better suited to withstand strikes from cannonballs or catapulted rocks than the solid stone structures previously used.

      The artillery emplacements around the perimeter and the stairways leading up to the tops of the outer walls as the cannons pointed out into the countryside to protect the village within.

     You can't have an army without enemies or even some traitors within your own ranks.  Therefore, every camp must have a gallows.  Now it was time to drop to the inner level behind the huge exterior wall.

   
The scale of the walls themselves is simply amazing, they look to be about 12 meters tall or so.  And there were no "machines" like cranes or backhoes - everything was done my man and horse power.  So if the advancing army was able to penetrate the first wall, they had to drop down 12 meters and down attack these walls, all the while at a disadvantage because they were constrained between the inner and outer walls and could be more easily picked off by the defending soldiers above them.

     There are various entrances to quarters and dining areas we visited.  Walking to narrow hallways were armored soldiers once stood was humbling.

     Moving to the top side again, we approached the citadel within the center of the city.  It was a beautify constructed building dedicated to the King and Queen of Transylvania.

     Busts of the King and Queen flanking the entranceway.

     The entrance into the Romanian Orthodox Church.  Pictures alone cannot capture the magnificence of the art or the scale of the building.

The massive chandelier was awesome.

     

     Unlike many European aristocracy, the simple thrones of the King and Queen stood, one on each side of the alter.

     Soaking wet and cold, it was time for an early dinner and to dry off a little before we headed further north.  We chose to dine at the "Medieval Restaurant" built inside what was the former "Powder Room" inside the wall of the fort.

      The weary travelers preparing to sup after a long days journey.

      Tonight I dined on a traditional Romanian bean soup served inside a bread bowl.  It was just what I needed after a wet day of touring Alba.




     With a full belly, it was now time to head further north 53 kilometers (about an hour) into the mountains to our rest stop for the night in Rimetea (Rim-eh-tia).

     Our hotel in Rimetea was beautiful and the people in this small village are very friendly and welcoming.  I walked around a little before going inside and relaxing, the contrasts of what I left behind in the States and where I now am are worlds apart. The people here lead very simple lives and are of the earth, their lives are hard work and family values.  We have forgotten many of these traditional values in America as we continue to strive for MORE and MORE.  It was peaceful and pretty in its own way - I could get used to this.

     Having already eaten an early dinner in Alba Iulia, it was time for a late snack to top off the day- rum soaked sponge cake with LOTS of whipped cream!  Night was falling and we had a big day ahead of us.  A short walk through the village would be a nice way to relax.

     Walking down the street, I heard the rush of a waterfall so I had to explore.  And this is what I found.  The mountain stream coming into the town.

This is the mountain we would attempt to climb in the morning.

      I made a friend.  I've learned to always carry a pocket full of dog biscuits for the vast number of stray dogs throughout the country.  Under the 24 year reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, large numbers of village homes were demolished and people were forced to move into more urban tenement style apartment.  There was no room for dogs here so hundreds of thousands were forced into the streets where they continue to roam and populate.

     Looking out from the rear of the hotel.  Nice backyard.

     The back of the hotel where we would spend the night.  If you look carefully to the right of the building, you can see the ruins of a castle on a neighboring hilltop.  Imagine for a minute 300-500 years ago, a lord reigned over this land from up in that castle with the peasants below him tilling their dams, raising their sheep, making their cheese, and paying taxes to this lord to protect them.  This was happening long before America was an independent country.

      A beautiful end to a beautiful day, time to relax and get ready for tomorrows adventure!