Dinner with the Boss

Last night, Kája and I were invited for dinner with David, Zuzka, and the kids.   

I had told Kája that we were going to my boss's house for dinner.  He must have had something from the 1950s in his mind because he was thinking that we needed to wear suits.

Of course it was nothing that formal.  We had a great time!  

Saxon Heritage in Transylvania Tour

On Sunday we did a Saxon Heritage in Transylvania tour.  The Transylvanian Saxons were German-speaking settlers who lived in Transylvania for about 800 years.  They were invited by Hungarian kings in the 12-13th centuries.  The Saxons were trades and crafts people who helped strengthen Christianity and defended the eastern border of the Kingdom of Hungary.

Siebel was our first stop.  It's a rural village, off about 400 people, in the foothills of the Transylvania Alps.  

The Holy Trinity Church is an Orthodox church built in 1765 and it's a registered historic landmark.  There's a small cemetery adjacent to the courtyard.

Next to the church is the Museum of Icons on Glass.  It opened in the 1960s and has one of the largest collections of glass painted icons in Romania.

Fântânele is a nearby small village of about 250 people.  It's small but it's a nice place for a walk.

The Saint Nicholas Church was built in 1771 and is a registered historic monument.  

The hill next to the church is a cemetery and there's a nice view of the local area from the top.

Sibiu is about 170 km (105 miles) from Cluj.  The city is home to about 134.000 people.  It used to be known as Hermanstadt and it's the capital of the historic region of Transylvania. 

The Lutheran Cathedral of Our Lady in Sibiu was built in the 14th -16th centuries.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Trinity was built in the 18th century and is considered one of the most important Baroque churches in Transylvania.

The Thalia Hall opened in 1788 and it is home to the Sibiu State Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Carpenter's Tower is part of the city's historic fortifications.

Sibiu was a lovely city but unfortunately we only had a couple of hours to visit after lunch.  I'm definitely up for a weekend trip to Sibiu to properly explore.

Salt Mine and Hiking Tour, Romania

On Saturday we took an all-day tour to see some of the sights near Cluj.  It was a full day, with just us, another couple, and our guide Tudor.

We started off at the Turda Salt Mine about 35 km (21 miles) from Cluj.

Table salt was continuously produced here from the Middle Ages until 1932.  It reopened in 1992 as a salt therapy centre.  It was renovated in 2008 and opened for tourists in 2010.

There's an underground layyrinth carved out of salt, numerous chambers with historic mining equipment, and an underground lake to explore.  

Less of a salt mine and more of an underground theme park.  There's a Ferris wheel, miniature golf, table tennis, bowling, and boats to keep people entertained. 

After the salt mine we headed to Cheile Turzii, the Turda Gorge about 30 minutes away.  

The Turda Gorge is a 3 kilometre limestone canyon that's home to 1000 plant and animal species.  There are caves here that were inhabited since Neolithic times.

We spend about two hours doing a 9 kilometre (5.5 mile) hike.  The views were lovely and it felt good to do some hiking.

After our hike we visited a small village called Rimetea which used to be an important mining town. 

Rimetea has been inhabited since Roman times and is now home to about 1000 people.  

Although a Romanian village, the population is about 85% ethnic Hungarian.  In Hungarian, the village is called Torockó.

The former local administrative budding was built in 1889.  In 1952 it became an ethnographical museum.

The Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael was built in 1933.

The interior was absolutely stunning.  Well worth a visit.