Cluj Napoca (or just Cluj) is a lovely little place to visit with the emphasis on “little”. You can certainly walk around all the nice stuff in a day, and get some good photos. The people are nice, the streets pretty clean and it has some great buildings to go “wow” at.
On the way in on the bus – during a rare “awake” moment – I’d spotted a church next to a freeway and between a load of hi-rise flats. It was perched within its own little bit of green land, covered in wild flowers. All very cute. So I set out to find it. This turned out to mean a thirty minute walk both ways, but it was worth it – and the nettle stings I suffered plodding through the foliage to get some pictures. On the grounds I couldn’t hear the nearby traffic. All very tranquil.
I also tried to visit the zoology museum on the university grounds, but after ages wandering around to locate it, I found it to be locked up though the signs did say it was open. Not to worry. I found the ethnology museum and had a quick wander around that which was quite interesting before walking to the nearby train ticket office in the town centre to sort my ticket for that evening. Only it was closed (it being Sunday) and I had to walk to the station to organise things.
With a handful of spare change I grabbed some snacks to eat as I waited for the train, and killed some time on the internet. The crisps I got were not quite like Quavers in much the same way that carbon monoxide isn’t quite air, but never mind.
The train journey wasn’t hugely enjoyable as I’d booked one of the super-cheap ones which had no aircon and there were umpteen flies all over the place. Fast ones as well. I only managed to nail one of the buggers on the whole four-hour journey. Still, I got to Sighosaura after the sun had dropped out of the sky and walked the 50m to my convenient hostel otherwise unmolested.
The poor guy at the desk was exhausted after working a longer shift than he’d been expected, but was still friendly and helpful despite not being able to check me into my room. The one other person staying there had gone out for the night with the only key! As a result, I ended up in a room of my own with a telly showing Soulfly videos. What a shame…
I popped out for some snacks and a beer across the road before everywhere shut for the night then crashed out in a very comfy bed.
