Tuesday we drove into the Transylvanian countryside to see some of the smaller villages. The route we planned included Biertan, Criș, Daneș, and Malancrav.
We did a quick drive through the small village of Daneș but continued on to our next stop, Biertan. The main feature of the village is a fortified church. We walked all the way around the church (looking for the entrance) but did not go inside.
Biertan looks rather like an English country village. Locals were selling souvenirs – the lady below is carving a wooden spoon with a hatchet!
Next stop was the village of Malancrav. It is known for the beautiful landscapes surrounding the village, which is shown below.
The guidebook explains that Malancrav has the highest proportion of remaining Saxons in any village in Transylvania. This is partly due to its isolated location – the road literally ends at the far end of the village and we drove right to the end of the road. It’s rustic here! The photo below was taken through the car windshield.
The highlight of the day was the surprise “find” of the Renaissance-style Bethlan Castle at Cris.
Julia, one of the caretakers gave us a brief history of the castle. She explained that it was built in the Renaissance but suffered greatly during the Communist period. Today it’s being slowly restored through the work of the St. Francis Foundation.
The interiors are mostly bare but there are some frescos that have been uncovered.
The land surrounding the castle is lovely. Julia told us that there is a 150 year-old ginkgo tree on the property.
We enjoyed our day trip as there are many interesting villages in Romania and the landscapes in between are gorgeous.
Today we’ve moved on from Sighisoara and we’re now in Brasov. Along the way, we visited the hilltop fortress at Rupea.
We’re at Hotel Bella Muzica in Brasov’s city center. It’s rainy today but we have a cozy place to relax.
