Romanian Vacation: Part 4

After our amazing time visiting my family in the Moldova region(PART3), (PART 1 and PART 2 are already up) it was time to head back, towards Zalau. We made the best of the long long winding road among sleepy villages by stopping to eat lunch in beautiful places and planning a side quest to see our friends from the US who were also on vacation in Romania. They’re from Sibiu, and they are our closest friends so you KNOW we had to make a pit stop. What was supposed to be one quick visit turned into three days because we just couldn’t part with them and Sibiu has SO much to offer.

ACCOMODATIONS

We got a hotel room at the Golden Tulip, which was a simple block away from our friends. (and such a nice, clean beautiful modern hotel) From there, we walked EVERYWHERE that weekend. CANNOT SAY ENOUGH THINGS ABOUT HOW NICE WALKABLE CITIES ARE.

WALKABLE CITIES

After catching up, we all walked to the town’s old center and ate pretzels from Luca , window shopped and enjoyed people watching. It is always surreal to me how walkable European cities are, how incredible it feels to be able to be AROUND people, to hear noise and music and laughter, walk on cobbled streets and admire ornate architecture. You don’t get that often here in the US and it’s one of those things you don’t realize you NEED until you come to Europe and you see how decadent it feels. The US, especially the PNW often is very isolating and self reliant and finding communities that engage with one another are a rare rare thing, often found in the immigrant populations.

RENEWED PERSPECTIVE

As the sun was setting over these beautiful old buildings, bursting at the seam with life and flowers, we all sat down in a plaza and had Italian food. We watched couples walking leisurely hand in hand, families with kids running without a care, and we couldn’t help but feel like Romanians KNOW HOW TO LIVE. We own a house in Romania and we still have family and it’s always a possible option for us to relocate even part time. As much as we LOVE life in America, days like the ones we spent in Sibiu had us really really questioning our priorities. And I know what you’re thinking – hey Irina, of course it was nice, you were on vacation. And like, fair. But regardless of that aspect, there’s something intangible that sneaks into your heart in Romania.

The next day we were supposed to leave and go back to Zalau, but like I said earlier, it was TOO beautiful to end so quickly so we decided to all take a drive on one of the most beautiful roads in the world, the TRANSFAGARASAN. More on that later this week!

All in all, I cannot recommend Sibiu enough if you’ve been thinking about traveling to Romania. It’s incredibly modern and accessible in all the best way, while not having lost it’s old historic charm. The food is a 10/10 and people are incredibly friendly and open.

Till next time,

XOXO Irina