One thing I will always be grateful for during this part of the trip is the fantastic weather we got in Sighisoara, which was unparallelled by any other city. Cluj wasn't bad, but was blustery at times; Alba Iulia was overcast, and Oradea was downright dreadful, pouring for two days straight and making it near impossible to go out and explore properly. I suppose that's what you get when you travel in November. None of the other three cities were anywhere near as picturesque as Sighisoara, or as photo-worthy, or enjoyable in general, so in this gamble of russian roulette I'd say pick Sighisoara as the sole destination to have impeccable weather.
Lots of walking around, which was immensely enjoyable in this weather.
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I spent most of my childhood, and my adult life, moving around: from East to West, and then back again, and I have repeated this pattern in my adult life, although in shorter spurts. As a result, this seems to have contributed in no small part to my personality and the way I deal with life and the people I meet. I find it relatively easily to put down roots, but don't feel too much regret when I have to move on. This is usually a good thing, but it can also be bad. I usually revel in my sense of displacement - it has served me well so far - but sometimes I wonder.
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There are a lot of unusual things about travelling in early winter. The people you meet, for one thing. I've had a few less than stellar nights - the seedy Zagreb hostel I was at when doubling back up the Balkans, for example; that was probably my least favourite night of the trip. I was genuinely concerned for my safety. Mostly though the winter crowd is much more pleasant than the autumn and late summer crowds. You don't really see the difference as much in the big tourist cities such as Rome, Florence and Naples, but venture just slightly off the beaten track - ie Sarejevo and Split, to name a few - and the people you meet are - I hesitate to use the word interesting, but suffice it to say that the people I met on this trip were more similar to me than previous trips. All of them were my age, or only one or two years older. That was very nice.
Concordia, as always.
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| Mamaliga |
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