• Next place Bucharest the capital of Romania.  We had no choice here as by bus it is almost impossible to go anywhere but the capital of Romania from the coast of Bulgaria.  

• We travelled for the first time by train to Sibiu in Transylvania Romania.  The hotel was in a good position close to the Old City area.  Another very historic place but mainly originating in the 12th century as part of Saxon Germany and over the years part of Hungary and also the Ottoman Empire.  As you wander through the Old City evidence of its cultural significance in the EU is everywhere and the clocktower gives you a panoramic view of the whole of the city.  We had a great experience in the Lutheran Cathedral with a young historian giving us some great understanding and history of the 14th century cathedral and Romania.  Like all the cities and towns we've visited in Eastern Europe there is so much to see of the divurse history and nature of these places.  

• Onto another train this time to Sigisoura in Transylvania the original birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (Dracula).  Saxon German settlements were recorded in the 12th century and it was also under the Hungarian Empire.  Another Transylvanian city with a rich history and just a delightful place to stay upstairs in the Old City Area.  Similar historical background to Sibiu and just beautiful to wander around.  The clock tower dominates the city and is a museum within itself with Romanian and Transylvanian history and historical items in the tower as you make your way up the staircase to the top.  As with the tower in Sibiu you get a panoramic view of the whole city from the top.  It was originally part of the fortified walls and is the main gate to the citadel.  The clock mechanism is still intact and a work of art.  We also climbed the 175 step Scholar's Stairs an ancient covered staircase built in 1642 for ease of access to students at the Hill School further up.  Also continuing upwards you will find the beautiful Gothic Church which dominates the hillside above the city.  Although completed in 1488 the church has had a lot of damage over the years from a fire and an earthquake and several other occurrences.  The present state of the church is due to major restorations in 1934 and also 1993 to 1999.  The statues and frescoes are quite beautiful.  The whole of this old city is quaint and has some lovely old streets and buildings to peruse.  

• Onto another bus this time to Brasov in Transylvania.  A very ancient area dating back to settlements in the Neolithic age around 9500BCE and Roman settlements have also been found. As in the other Transylvanian cities we have visited there were a lot of Saxons brought in by Hungarian kings developing towns, building mines and cultivating land between 1141 and 1300.  Over the centuries Brasov has been populated by Germans, Hungarians, Romanians, Greeks and also Jewish communities.   A city of Medieval Saxon Walls and Bastions and of course the Towering Gothic Style Black Church. We found that Brasov had a great deal of history to offer and a lot to see.  The Tampa Cable Car is a great place to start and inexpensive.  Even from the lower station you get a good view of the city as it is a fairly high point.  As you travel up the view gets better and at the top after a short walk you have the (Not Hollywood Sign) Brasov sign a little quirky but brings the tourists in.  The view from here and the top station is magnificent.  Back down again and a visit to the Black Church one of the most important Lutheran Churches in the region it was originally built as a Catholic Church in the 14th century and then became Lutheran after the reformation.  Named the Black Church due to a violent fire in 1689.  It boasts an almost unparallelled collection of Oriental carpets, an enormous organ and countless works of art.  Also of interest is the Neolog Jewish Temple or Bet Shalom Synagogue.  Not sure of the age but some very interesting Jewish history here.  There is so much to see in this city lots of old churches and ancient buildings it's a joy to visit.  We had half a day with a tour guide driving to Bran (Dracula's) Castle just under 30klms from Brasov near the village of Bran.  Originally built as a fortress and customs house in the late 14th century for goods coming in and out of Transylvania and also as an attempt to stop the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.  It has a very mixed history over the centuries (more on the net) with a number of restorations and additonal building done by various rulers.  In 1920 it became a favourite residence of Queen Maria who restored it and arranged it to be a residence of the Royal Family.  Just a wonderful and majestic building to see perched up high with a very commanding position.  Now onto Rasnov Fortress built sometime in the early 13th century as part of a defence system for the protection of local villages that were exposed to outside invasions.  Archeological evidence states that there may have been defence fortifications since prehistoric and Dacian times.  There is more evidence stating that it may have been used as a stronghold for up to 600 years.  There is also a museum in the citadel that gives a brief history of the local habits and crafts also documents, weapons and tools.  

• Onto another train and back to Bucharest for the final two days.  Only one night here at the hotel.  Very convenient across the road from the railway station but not a very good area to wander around and only one good restaurant in walking distance.  Mainly take aways in the station precinct.  All the following day to walk around and get to the old city and back to the hotel for the bus to the airport tonight.  Our main aim was to visit Nicolae Ceausescu's Palace of The Parliament.  A massive building second only to the Pentagon in the United States.  It is also the heaviest building in the world.  Demolition started in the area in 1982, hospitals, national archives, factories, workshops, a lot of the old city centre were demolished and about 40,000 residents were relocated.  Possibly up to 100,000 workers were on the project including about 5,000 soldiers and numerous so called volunteers.  Estimates of up to 3,000 people were lost during construction.  Only about 30% of the building is used now whilst the rest of the building remains empty.  You need to either book into a tour or when you arrive wait for the next tour to start.  We were fortunate as we only had to wait less than 30 minutes.  The tour guides are very knowledgeable about the palace and a lot of the history of Romania but even though they give you a great insight into the building and its contents you only actually see about 10% of it.  According to the guide we had, Romania will never recover the cost of the building which was estimated at US$1.75 billion in 1989 and then in 2006 €3 billion Euros.  Very worthwhile visit.  We continued the rest of the day through to the old city which contains a lot of old buildings, churches, palaces and stately homes.  Historically the city dates back to the early to mid 15th century and there are some fine examples of its building history as you wander around this big city.  Onto a special airport bus across the road from the railway station and back to Australia.