Brasov: The (stake in the) Heart of Transylvania

"I don't need a sign to tell me where I live" - Brasov Citizen

Foodie moment

So it was about time we discovered a decent place to eat on our first day! This time we got some good advice from our hostel host. The restaurant was called Restaurant Sergiana and as you will discover, we became huge fans of their menu over the next 3 days. The first time we went for lunch and ordered the beef stew pie and the roasted lamb chops with 3 Romanian cheeses polenta. Before they came out however, we were treated to some pork (no surprise there) scratchings, also known as crackling, on the house. I love pork crackle, especially when it is free!
The pie was deliciously full of tender meat and gravy (the waiter cut off the pastry top before I got a picture of it) and the lamp chops (which were no longer in the shape of chops) were also amazing, the 3 cheese polenta was extreme in the cheese department to the max!

The second time we went to Restaurant Sergiana we ordered the Transylvanian stew and the chicken schnitzel stuffed with ham, mushroom and cheese. To my delight, we once again got a free plate of pork scratchings. The stew was as yum as any stew I've ever had, and the stuffed schnitzel looked like something out of a master chef contest and tasted just as great!

Cultural moment

Set up in Brasov's main outdoor square was a stage that each night held a free concert. Performing was a mixture of different traditional dancers and acts. We got to witness some great cultural traditional music from the local area which ranged from children choirs to big voiced ladies that sang in an almost yodelling style.

Wow moment

Brasov has a lot of history, and along with it a lot of historical buildings. The entire town is surrounded by an ancient wall that was, like a lot of European cities, built for defensive purposes. Along the wall are several towers, two of which are the White Tower and the Black Tower, both of which are actually grey in colour. We walked up to the base of each, the white one having the best view of the two.

Another of Brasov's defensive structures is the Fortress Cetatuia, which overlooks the entire town from the top of a steep hill. We actually spotted the Fortress from the other side of town and set ourselves the challenge of reaching the top. It was a bit tricky to find the path that leads up to it, and a tiring hike, but the panoramic view from the top was well worth it.

What we learnt today

The first thing you can't avoid noticing on arrival in Brasov is the big Hollywood style sign that sits atop the Tampa mountain. It reeks of cheesiness, and most of the citizens agree, one quoted as saying something along the lines of "I don't need a sign to tell me where I live!". The idea came from the council as a way to try and boost tourism. The neighbouring town Rasnov, not to be left out, also has its own sign. Personally, I didn't mind it, and it was actually pretty cool to climb the mountain (as we will describe later) and view the town from behind the humongous letters.