With night upon me, I headed to Bucharest. Gruia met me at the train station and took me on the subway. While I really needed a shower, Gruia was hosting a birthday celebration at a local restaurant and no shower was to come. In Romania, it is traditional for the person celebrating the birthday to purchase drinks for their friends. Gruia would not accept anything. In all, I met an eclectic group of Romanians. Many of whom worked in urban planning and design and a few who did not. After drinks, we headed onto an underground bar, which is in an a flat where Gruia once worked. With a well-stocked bar, music, and a tremendous window view of the lane below, I felt I had entered a different time. With an early morning ahead, we returned via car to Gruia's block. Even at night, I was suprised by the imposing nature of the communist apartment buildings, which stretched symmetrically for blocks.
In the morning, we rose early to find an entire breakfast spread awaiting us. Gruia's mother is an engineer who works at one of the airports in Romania. She greeted me kindly and her hospitality abounded during my stay. I hope that Gruia can someday come and visit and allow my mother to spoil me as his mother did. She does not speak English, but I promised to learn some Romanian in order to thank her properly. After breakfast, we met two of Gruia's students and began our trek to the fortified churches of Transylvania, retracing my route from the previous day. Our first stop was Peles Castle, which was constructed in 1873 and occupied by King Carol I. The place was both imposing and extravagant, but the stop was short as our intention was not modern castles,but rather fortified churches. These Saxon churches were constructed in vast numbers all over Transylvania to protect the Germanic population from invading and marauding Turks. They are the only fortified churches in the world!
In Cincu, we discovered the true reality of these wonderful and historically unique structures. Cincu used to have a large Saxon population; however, following World War II, the Russian occupation led to massive deportation to work camps in the Crimea. While many returned sometime later, nothing would be the same. In the 1980's, the remainder migrated to Germany in a cash for Germans program, executed between West Germany and Romania. After, the Roma population grew, yet some Romanians remain. The church utilized tiered defenses with outer walls and the sanctuary as the citadel. The walls, complete with arrow slots, were tall and imposing. The limited numbers of windows were above reach. As we walked the streets, it was if we had entered a ghost town, abandoned by time and people alike. We found a number on the door and Gruia called to have the church unlocked. Little did we know that the little old man who arrived by bicycle was an amature historian. With his insights, we examined the whole of the church from the burnt door frame, a consequence of a Turkish siege, to the removable floor panels, which exposed an internal well, the burial ground of cremated Turkish enemies, and an escape tunnel system which runs to an old cemetary. We were even permitted to climb the belfrey. The cost was minimal while the experience was priceless. Given the absence of a protestant community, the church is in disrepair without an ally.
After a longer car ride and a short stop at another fortified church, we reached Biertan. Here, we checked into a central guesthouse, which Gruia had arranged for the night. The fortified church of this town is well preserved from its outer walls to its central church with external towers and layered defenses. Its preservation results from its designationas a UNESCO World Heritage site. Unfortunately, regular hours terminated in early December and the Saxon manager (one of the few Saxons around) was an obtuse little old lady. We decided to try the next day. As dinner came, we dined on sarmale, Romanian stuffed cabbage. We enjoyed an excellent soup and tasted the locally made wine. We were also given local moonshine or tsuica, which made me warm from my head to my toes. With the evening still young, we went for a walk around the lighted church. upon returning, we snacked on sarmale and drank tsuica to excess while discussing the world. It was very personable as these strangers in the morning became friends by evening. As our inhibitions declined, the conversation ranged from Romanian politics to the perception of America within the group.
In the morning, we woke to a full breakfast complete with homemade cheese which I struggled to eat. After, we walked onto to Copsa Mare, a nearby town several miles away. The walk was through the country side along an unpaved road. While some complained, I found the walk exhilirating. Reaching a fork, some traveled down the main road, while the majority traversed a shepard's trail which cut the ridge overlooking the village. The scenic path provided a beautiful overview of the layout of the town and another fortified church on the other side of the village. As we descended into the village, we soon had a follower: A young Roma around the age of 8 who was quite happy to meet his first American. Our little guide took us to the church, describing the village. After we toured the church, we gave him a small sum only to realize that his family had a home. His father angered by his son begging asked us if he had asked for money. One of the members of the group informed him that it was money for the service that he provided. These words placated the father. The walk back to Biertan was marked by singing and laughter. Soon, we were back on the road.
At this point, the tsuica took control and I soon fell asleep. Our journey for the day took us to the Secular/Hungarian area of Transylvania, where the population does not actually speak Romanian. This area served as the birthplace of the Unitarian church. In Darjiu, we saw a Seclar version of a fortified church, complete with a long-running mural of conflict within the sanctuary. These murals depict the legend of King Ladislas, Paul's Conversion, and the Martyrdom of the 10,000. Here, the walls which surrounded the church were remarkably higher and more imposing. This site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as well. After, we began our trek back to Bucharest. On the way, we stopped and enjoyed some real goulash and various other Hungarian dishes. Given my experience to this point, I looked forward to what Bucharest had to offer.
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