No Room at the Inn

Hmm... I really should phone ahead but I'm in Cluj Napoca back In Transylvania and after wandering around the streets without a map and finding the hostel, only to find out there's a film festival and no room in any cheap acccomdations. Change of plans and looks like I'm to Sighisoara on the 7:15 p.m. train. Came in this after noon from a 6 hour train from Suceava and off again. I was in a train cabin with a friendly local and family and he showed me all his pictures of his wife, home and dog on his phone. All 329 of them. It helped passed the time.

As for Suceava, went up to see the Monasteries which are essentially fresco painted churches surrounded by fortified walls built about 500-600 years ago. Surprisingly, many of the paintings have remained and the monasteries continue to thrive. I ended staying the night in a farmer's home which was very comfortable (there was hot well water!) and the food hearty (bacon slices slaughted from their barn, fried potatoes and fresh vegetables grown in their back yard, jam made by quishing it and adding sugar, etc.) but I may have caught some stomach flu from eating it as my stomach is rumbling and I've gotten to know the Romanian washrooms very well lately. The hike on this "trail" turned out to be literally a logging road except they still pull the logs by horses and later by wagons. Unfortunately, it was also very muddy and the weather has not been the best. Still it was nice to walk in the woods and get some fresh air.

Hope you are all doing well....