Well……you aren't going to get much today. I stayed in the hotel room. After spending all night with a mild fever and chills, I decided to bite the bullet, face my FOMO and try to get better. I knew that today was going to be more walking than we've done on any of the rest of the trip. I just didn't think I was up for it. I would have about killed myself trying and then I would miss out on tomorrow as well.
So I spent the day in bed streaming "Ted Lasso." It at least made me smile. I tried to nap but I just couldn't seem to manage it. Doug brought me a cappuccino from breakfast and two small chocolate croissants. I barely managed to get them down. I just wasn't hungry.
The day passed slowly yet quickly. It's that weird dynamic. Around 1 PM Florin dropped by with my lunch (it was included today). I had WhatsApped him not to bother but he did. He also left all of their purchases from the market they visited for our impromptu snack fest tonight. I'm glad he left it because that stuff weighed a ton. I would have hated for him to have to carry it around all day.
I was a bit hungry by then so I was also happy he hadn't listened and brought my lunch :-). Once I opened it though, it just didn't do it for me. Usually we have a bowl of soup as a starter. That's what sounded good…well, that and gelato :-). However, no soup. Instead there was a gaggle of sautéed veggies, fried cheese, regular cheese….None of it even remotely appealed to me. I did munch on some mushrooms though. I was hungry.
It was around 4 PM when I was finally able to sleep. Doug woke me from a sound sleep when he came in at 5. At 6 we had to be upstairs in the restaurant for our local snack experience. I was feeling okay so I donned a mask and went. I really didn't eat much. Nothing appealed. Really, all I wanted was something cold and delicious sliding down my throat. I always want ice cream or gelato when I don't feel well.
The others ate the cheeses, walnuts, cherries, and grapes. I did try some of the national drink that Doug had bought for the couple who had treated us to the tasting a few days ago. They very generously shared it with the group. They are traveling with only carryon so couldn't take it back home. I have to admit that stuff went down well. It actually kind of tasted like cough syrup.
After we had cleaned up our mess, Doug and I headed to the pedestrian walk where the much longed for gelato was calling out to me. The walk seemed to take forever. I was wearing out fast. When we arrived, I chose the very first gelato stand. Mine was chocolate hazelnut. Doug got pistachio and chocolate hazelnut. To be honest, it was just okay. It wasn't chocolate enough for either of us but it was cold and soothing so no complaints.
Tonight I am hoping for a good night's sleep and to wake up tomorrow feeling 100% better. I don't want to miss a second day! Plus tomorrow we are heading out of town to one of the ten most beautiful medieval castles in the world—Corvin Castle. I can't miss that. And Florin said it wasn't much walking. Fingers crossed!
That was my day. Doug was great and took notes as well as photos for me. So here is a short compilation of what I care share about the beautiful city of Sibiu which is called the City With Eyes. Why is it called that? All you have to do is look at some of the older buildings. They have attic windows for ventilation that look like eyes. Cute and yet a bit eerie. I did manage to see at least a couple of these windows before today. I had heard about the houses and was excited to see them. I'm glad I did.
House with "eyes"
The history of the city is very similar to most in Transylvania. Sibiu was initially a Dacian settlement and the a Roman settlement called Cedonia. The settlement was founded again in the 12th century by the Saxons. No surprises there. In 1366 it was called Hermannstadt after the founder of the city., Herman of Nuremberg. By the 14th century it was an important trade center. It was the most ethnically German of all the seven citadels.
This is the largest citadel in Transylvania. It had the typical defenses we have found in the others that we have explored on this trip. It had a defensive corridor with protective towers. The old dungeon/prison is now the Philharmonic in Sibiu. That's an interesting change—from a prison to a source of culture. Another interesting building was the yellow Archive Building. This is where the government stored all of the records it kept on the people of Sibiu. We have seen another of these archive buildings in Brasov.
The main square or Grand Square is a huge open expansive surrounded by government buildings. It links with the Small Square which has a plethora of cafes you can enjoy. The Small Square links with Huet Square which has the German Protestant Church. We have to send a picture of that to Doug's mom as she is Lutheran and loves seeing the churches.
Like most citadels, this one also has a clock tower. It dates back to the 17th century. Probably one of the most unique things the group saw today was a Communist Post Office that was still in use. From the pictures, it looked pretty much like any post office.
Former Communist Post Office still being used
Having loved the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, I was sorry to miss the Holy Trinity Cathedral. This cathedral was built to resemble the Hagia Sophia. I'm sure the frescoed interior was as awe-inspiring as the exterior. The church dates back to the early 1900s. Doug told me that in 1977 an earthquake struck the city. You can still see the cracks it caused in the floor of the cathedral. There was one detail in the interior that our group hadn't seen before. It was a curious fresco called "the Eye of God." Frankly, in the picture it was a bit strange but maybe it worked in context of everything around it.
The Eye of God
In the afternoon the group had free time. Florin volunteered to take whoever was interested to an open air museum. Doug went. It was a showcase of 300 houses from all over Romania. He enjoyed it as it was out in the country as well as something different. He saw all types of architecture, some that we had already seen as well as some new types such as the delta houses which are found in the delta region of the Danube in Romania. The houses there are blue to keep the mosquitoes away.
He saw more of the "Eye" houses. The "eyes" were created because the Power-That-Be decided to tax people on the number of chimneys they had in their houses. This was a way to have ventilation but not be taxed.
Another different style of home was the Maramures houses. They are in the northern region of Romania close to Ukraine. The post-trip is going there so those people will see them but we won't. Anyway, these houses are decorated with wood carved like rope. I'm not sure why.
Maramures Style arachitecture
The museum even had a Romanian windmill as well as a wooden Ferris wheel. The Ferris wheel is still actually used for festivals. What I really hated that I missed was seeing the animals. Doug got to pet a horse and watch some sheep. Darn!
And speaking of festivals, I would be remiss if I did not add that we are here in Sibiu right at the perfect time. They are having their International Theater Festival. They have a huge screen set up in the Grand Square. Festivities are happening late into the night all weekend. The pedestrian area was pretty congested when we went to get gelato tonight. I know several in our group plan to take advantage of this serendipity and enjoy the spectacle.
Meantime I am going to bed and hoping for a better day tomorrow 
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