Serbia

Timişoara Romania

Timişoara is a university city and industrial center in western Romania. Timisoara is known in Romania as the City of Parks. There are Botanical Park (near Piata Unirii, it's the most beautiful park in Timisoara), Rose Park (near Piata Victoriei), Central Park (near Piata Victoriei, just behind the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral), Children's Park (near the Student Campus) and others. I saw many people doing all kinds of activities in the parks. I did not receive reply from the free walking tour, so I did a 4-hr walk on my own via the main squares covering the Metropolitan Orthodox Cathedral, The Opera House, The City Hall, The Philharmonic, the Bastion (Part of Timisoara's old defensive walls now hosting restaurants/shops), and beautiful palaces built at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It would have been easier to tour on a bicycle. I wish I have more time to spend in this city, but I need to go to Belgrade to catch my flights back to USA on July 8.— checked in to Centru Timisoara. I toured the last square in town and the traditional market before I left. The food prices are really cheap here, especially in the fresh/traditional market. I could not help but exchanged $10 to buy a box of blue berry $1.23, a 500g bottle of honey $3, 500g pecan $2.5, 300g grilled pork $2, and 3 pieces of pastries $ 1.7. I saw an boxes of eggs vending machine. — checked in to Badea Cartan.

1st bla bla car ride from Cluj to Timisoara

I took my 1st bla bla car ride to get from Cluj to Timisoara (Hostel to hostel), in 5 hrs (two pickups other than me and then delayed by two road maintainence). Otherwise, I would have to take 10-hr hot train or 6 -hr bus about the same cost ($15). BlaBlaCar is the world's largest long-distance ridesharing community. Profiles of members show how much experience they have of the service, and each user's profile includes a "BlaBla" measurement, which indicates how much they are willing to chat during a trip. My driver was very kind, friendly, and well-travelled. One French passenger did not show up, and we picked up an Italian traveler halfway. We passed a few interesting landmarks in the way. It is a pity that no one offers bla bla car to Belgrade on July 5, so I have to use a shuttle service instead. I will try bla bla cars another time.— checked in to Hostel Costel.

Salt Mine of Turda

We took a bus to visit the Salt Mine of Turda, yet skipped the Turda Gorge natural reservation due to the heavy rain. The Turda salt mine is cold (10c), huge and offers ferries wheel (12 stories deep) rides, boat rides, mini golf, etc. therein. The main conical chamber is 112 meters deep with 67 meters at the base. Because its shape and lack of communications with the other major mining points this mine has a powerful sound echo. The underground lake is between 0.5 and 8 m deep and the center of the lake is an island formed from residual salt deposited. I visited several huge salt mines, but only this one has scifi feel. Salina Turda was ranked by Business Insider as the most beautiful underground place in the world, and ranked 22 among the most spectacular tourist destinations in the world. — checked in to Salina Turda.

Cluj-Napoca, Romania

We hiked up to the used-to-be a cetate (fortress) now hotel Belvedere to enjoy the panoramic views of the city, saw a large iron cross monument, and then visited the botanic garden for the plants and flowers. The Botanical Garden spreads over 14 hectares and contains a small Japanese garden, greenhouses for ecuatorial and tropical plants, a small water course through its middle, and a tower which can be climbed to get a better view of the garden arrangements. — checked in to Cluj-Napoca. We took a free walking tour led by a junior guide speaking slow English but I managed to stay via the walk. Cluj is very pleasant to tour around for those who want to see urban Transylvanian life. Along with fine dining, excellent cultural activities, a wonderful historical legacy and a great atmosphere. We covered three squares and some landmarks/statures. I already visited the inside of a few churches before the tour. — checked in to Centru Cluj.

Cluj Jazz in the Park festival & open air oprea

I survived another 4-HR HOT train ride to arrive at Cluj. A group of us led by a hostel staff to enjoy Cluj Jazz in the Park festival (6/30-7/5). A pleasant way to enjoy a summer evening outdoor. There were many food and drink vendors. The middle of the central park hosts a small lake and the Chios Casino, from the terrace of which you can rent rowboats and hydrobicycles to circle the small island in the centre of the lake. Cluj is a college town with all kinds of events going on all year round. Some of us went to a haunted forest electric music party then after. I just came back to hostel to rest. — checked in to Centru Cluj. I ran into an open air Italian opera two blocks away from the hostel. Nabucco was about the plight of the Jews as they were assaulted, conquered and subsequently exiled from their homeland by the Babylonian King Nabucco (in English, Nebuchadnezzar II). The historical events are used as background for a romantic and political plot. Unfortunately, the subtitle was in Romanian and the guy sit next to me kept on talking to himself, so I left after one hour. Nevertheless, I walked back to hostel after taking some night photos and could still hear the opera when typing in my hostel. — attending Nabucco - Opera Aperta at Piata Unirii.

Sighisoara Romania

The train took 3.5 hrs to travel 95 km into Sighisoara, but we managed to check in a nice pension ( right next to the bad and only hostel) in the dark, cook spaghetti, and go to bed at 1 am. We got up early to tour the town, and climb around. German craftsmen and merchants, the Transylvanian Saxons, were invited to he town by the King of Hungary during the 12th century, to settle and defend the frontier. Central Sighisoara has preserved in an exemplary way the features of a small medieval fortified city and it is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We got up the landmark of the city, the Clock Tower, a 64 meter high tower built in 1556. It is presently a Museum of History. — checked in to Sighisoara, Romania.