A Little Bit of Rome...and a Whole Lot of Sibiu

The time came for us to finally leave Southeast Asia.  Unfortunately, we had a long trip from Indonesia to Romania.  We had to fly to Bangkok...take an overnight flight to Cairo...wait in Cairo until late in the afternoon for our flight to Rome...then, a flight to Bucharest, Romania...and finally a train to Sibiu the following day.  To make it a little more bearable, Lance made plans for a short stay in Rome.  It was a great time to be there because there weren't many tourists and the spring time temperatures were a pleasant change for us.

The Pantheon

The Spanish Steps

Altare Della Patria

Trevi Fountain

On Sunday, it began to rain so we thought it might be a good time to check out the Palazzo Massimo alle Terme (the archaeological museum) which is located near the train station.  

An exhibit featuring a kaleidoscope effect on the statues

We also stopped at the famous La Casa Del Caffee Trazza D'Oro for a cup of coffee.  

La Casa Del Caffee Trazza D'Oro...founded in 1944, is
known for having some of the best coffee in the world.

Here is my idea of a tasty iced coffee!

After a day and a half in Rome we flew to Bucharest...spent the night...then took the train to Sibiu.  We were pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful scenic countryside from the train windows.  

Sibiu is located in the region of Transylvania.  It was designated the European Capital of Culture for the year 2007.  Sibiu is a beautiful city with lovely historic buildings and a great park.    

Soon after arriving we took a guided tour to learn more about this lovely city.

Sibiu is known as the city with eyes.  The gothic style buildings with their heavy tiled roof tops often have small attic windows that appear as eyelids looking down on you.  The locals say, "the eyes of Sibiu are watching you!"     

We arrived just in time for the Sibiu Jazz Festival...which was an unexpected surprise.  The concerts were held on the main city square and the entrance was free.

Food trucks circled the tent where the concerts were held.

Above and Below...our favorite band was from Cuba.  It seemed to be the crowds favorite too.

One of our favorite activities here is to go hiking in the large park that is located about 3 miles from our home.   We go there several times a week. 

We also enjoy visiting the fresh market to shop for fruits and vegetables. 

Lance likes eating his favorite bean and ham soup at the Kulinarium restaurant.  This soup comes in a bread bowl and costs only $4.00.  It makes for a hearty inexpensive lunch.  I prefer the cream of mushroom soup with homemade croutons.  Yum!

In our favorite park is an open air museum, similar to Old World Wisconsin located in our home state.  In Romania they took buildings from each region in the country and placed them in this park.  Below are just a few examples of the many historic buildings you can find there. 

Fresco's located on the inside walls of the church

One evening we enjoyed a wine tasting event sponsored by one of the local restaurants.  As much as possible we try to immerse ourselves into activities that are offered to the local people.  Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating...but we do our best to get involved.  It always seems as though there is someone who knows at least a little bit of English that will talk to you.  

On our way to the grocery store we saw a carnival being set up for the weekend.  We returned on Saturday night to check it out.  It was fun to watch the dancers and see the local products that were being sold.  There were also carnival rides and lots of tasty food.

Romania has been a pleasant surprise for us.  It is much prettier and more interesting than we expected.  In many ways, when it comes to the climate, plants and foods, it reminds us of our home state, Wisconsin.