Up this morning at 0730 as the housekeeper due in at 0800 so thought I should be respectable.
Left Tiffany's apartment just after 0900 with my medium backpack and headed off. First stop to Costas for a quick coffee and the found the metro, successfully brought a ticket and boarded with one change along the way to get to Gara de Nord - the main train station. Successfully brought a ticket to Sighisoara - about 5 hours away but not until 1300. Cost was 89 lei approx 10 pounds. Went to Maccas for lunch and queued up 20 mins for the toilet. Boarded train after a lot of standing around - first class was airconditioned thankgoodness - an aisle seat so not so good but immediately fell into a solid 2 hour sleep potentially missing some wonderful scenery. Then changed seats fro a better view. Arrived in Sighiosara about 1830 and decided to walk to the Old town - about 30 mins. Walked up to the Old Town as it sits on a hill above the new town. Finally found a hotel which was off the main Piata Cetatil. Hotel Sighisara was lovely and comfortable - no lift - stayed on the 3rd floor. Very hot still. Cost was 215 lei - approx 45 pounds. A cultural festival was happening with a big stage set up and lots of noise which carried on into the night and did not stop until about 0200.
It was warm into the night. Went out and explored and then say and watched the performance for a while. Had an enormouus fried cheese pastry thing for dinner.
Sighisoara is famous as the birthplace of Vlad Tepes - the Impaler who later was known as Dracula. He was born in 1431 near the Clock Tower - tommorrows photos. His father was a Knight of the Order of the Dragon and was named Vlad Dracul. He had a privileged childhood until his father gave him and his brother as hostages to the Turkish Sultan where they were subjected him to various cruelties including rape which i guess then set him up for later in life. He was called the Impaler because of his torture method which was somehow to inset an stick or metal bar up along the spine impaling the victim and it would take several days for them to die in a torturous way.