This is our first trip to Europe since Covid started so we decide to take all possible precautions. We try to avoid European Union or British airports due to the risk of being caught under a new rule or restriction and decide to fly via Istanbul using Turkish Airlines. But first we stop in New York City where we exchange the domestic airline for a Turkish flight and even glimpse the fabled TWA Terminal, now abandoned.
We have to take the AirTrain quite extensively to make our way between the terminals but we make it in time and soon are on the intercontinental flight.
The food is better than on the usual planes but we are of course stressed that we will get Covid, which would really put a spanner in our holiday plans, so we don’t enjoy the short periods that we are unmasked. At least the lounge in Istanbul isn’t that used so we can eat our fill before the last leg to Cluj.
And here in Cluj disaster strikes. The medical control person decides that the US vaccination card is not recognized and that we have to quarantine for two weeks. This would basically mean that for almost the whole period that we are in Romania we would be stuck in one room. We protest as the law and every bit of information we have tells us that it is recognized but he tells us that unless we accept we cannot enter the country so what can we do? So we quarantine at home and start a lawsuit against the government to enforce the law while also getting help from the US embassy that completely agrees. Long story short after three lost days right before the trial the medical authorities decide that lo and behold the US vaccination card is recognized and the quarantine is rescinded. And we are free to go outside, finally.
Of course it is a rainy day after some nice days prior with us getting rained on while we try to find a restaurant to celebrate our release with our relatives.
We find one in the Central Square, it is great food that we really enjoy after eating the same thing more or less for three days in quarantine.
Then it is time to buy provisions from the nearby supermarket. It is a very busy supermarket and our relative is scared of catching Covid so we try to be as swift as possible so we can retreat to the safety of the outdoor areas.
During our days in Cluj we have time to explore also the outlying neighborhood with communist high-rises, while they have been renovated it is impossible to make them looking…nice or something like that.
This is true even of the smaller buildings with covered garages in front, it is difficult to fall in love with them in any way shape or form.
There are a few older buildings that escaped the wrath of the communist demolitions, or simply were the only buildings in an area before the high rises were constructed. The major examples are the remaining churches from major monasteries that were owning all the land around them. With the land nationalized, it was used for dwellings and now the churches and the outlying remaining structures are surrounded by high rises.
There are areas both very modern and very old in Cluj and we enjoy walking and exploring all the different nooks and crannies.
The downtown area is full of beautiful buildings from the early 20th century and we always enjoy visiting the downtown and seeing all these magnificent buildings.
Many of the interesting buildings are close to the two main squares, each anchored by a church, one Orthodox and one Catholic. The Orthodox square also has the beautiful Romanian Theater and Opera.
But special buildings are everywhere in the historic downtown area and we have a few days to enjoy them while we visit this beautiful town.
We also explore a few places with sentimental value during our days in Cluj going up and down the hills and enjoying our freedom.
As always when in Cluj we also visit the graves of some our relatives in the Central Cemetery and explore a bit more the large cemetery finding a small tank commemorating the Soviet soldiers killed in WW2 in the area.
In the downtown area is the house where the famous Hungarian King Matthias was born, at that time Transylvania was part of Hungary.
On a different day we also pass the University where doves and students enjoy the suddenly great weather. It is great to have at least one day which has good weather.
We eat at least one more time in town some traditional Romanian/Hungarian food like csorba and goulash, they are really good and we keep the restaurant in mind for future visits. We also decide to explore the next day the nearby Central Park and the Cetatuia Hill an exploration described here.
One of the more famous and older churches in Cluj is the Franciscan Church. It was built between 1260 and 1290, on the site of an older Catholic church destroyed during the Tatar invasions in 1241. it is quite beautiful inside but rarely open so we are happy that we are able to visit it today.
One of the days we decide to eat some street food from a stand in front of a supermarket. While we dare to eat the “mici” we don’t dare to drink milk from the outdoor dispenser. There is a limit even to our courage.
