October Tour of Transylvania

Here are some photos of our trip to the Transylvania region.  We did a big loop going over a beautiful mountain pass, the Transfagarasan (the 2nd highest pass in the Carpathian mountain range) that has been made famous by the British show Top Gear (http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/74640745001).  On our way to Sibiu we stopped at Poenari Castle, where Vlad the Impaler lived, and it is sometimes called the real Dracula's castle.

It sits high up on a hill. There is no road and one must climb the 1480 steps to get to it. This is a view down the valley from the castle.

From here we stayed in Sibiu a quaint old town with German heritage, with winding streets and a beautifully restored pedestrian only town square.

We headed to Brasov and Sighisoara two similar old cities. On the way we stopped at a bunch of fortified churches.

Otto in the top of one of the clock towers

One of the greatest things about the trip were all the castles that littered the country side, although Otto got sick of it pretty fast. We used a guide book to try and find the recommended ones, but while driving we would just see them on the hill tops. This one, the Rupea Fortress, was one of the most impressive. It was build into a black rock formation high up on a hill.  It was first documented in 1324 as a fortress. It has been mostly restored.  Of course the photos do not do it justice. It was hard to capture the awe of seeing it on the hill top as we were driving on the highway.

I LOVE this stuff! Can't wait to get out and explore more...