coffeeshop

the newest coffeeshop in town ... is actually a bus stop . looks very comfy and it would be soooo great if they really served coffee . or maybe they did ... morning hours only .

twins

these are romanian shepherd puppies .

underneath

there are some canals underneath the city , parts of a small river that is mostly covered and i imagine is was a blockage or something so they had to clean it ... hundreds of p.e.t.s from whoknow where ... and nice smell for your alfresco coffee in "probably the best city in the world" hahahaha

little bird girl

feeding the birds in the old council square during the golden stag festival (you can see the scene in the background)

new mobile ?

...and in case you want to be up to date with the latest gadgets here's the samsung showroom on wheels . i don't care for mobile phones or even buses but this strange looking automobile is interesting , especially the front and the driver's seat. it was parked in front of the "aro hotel" last week .

the harvest day 2009

last weekend we celebrated here the "harvest day". many years ago this used to be quite a big deal but not anymore . it used to be a real fair and it felt special , maybe because it was one of the few . now , our autumn habits have changed and this fair is nothing but some decorations in the city markets (by the way , brasov has 6 markets but only 3 important ones : star ; dacia ; astra) a little bit of food (meat+fire=love) a little bit of drink (must and wine) and a little bit more fruits and vegetables on the stalls . but the feeling is lost and this year the whole thing was pretty quiet.

the golden stag scene

3 weeks ago , between 2 and 7 september the "golden stag" was once again visiting the old council square in brasov . it's a pop music festival and international contest started way back in 1968 . after only 4 years the communist regime decided it's too much freedom and too much joy so a long silence of 19 years ended in 1992 when the festival moved in the square . since then , almost every year we have a week with a lot of music and a great summer atmosphere . it's definitely one of the best times to visit brasov (if you can find a place to stay). the festival has 2 parts , an international contest and guest performances of romanian and foreign stars. during the years a lot of well-known artists perform live in brasov and a funny fact , even christina aquillera partipated in the contest before she was a big star.

during the festival the old town is vibrating with music and more . it's a great time and if the weather is good . like it was this year , it's sightseeing during the day , concert in the evening and party after hours . of course , a lot of stalls with snacks and souvenirs , other connected events , all the bars . cafes and restaurants with outside tables are trying to cash in , the prices are slightly higher , more visitors and tourists ... and so on . but it's something in the air , brasov becomes a place where you like to live.

old council house

every tourist in brasov has a picture with this building . this is the center of the old town , the old council house . because it's more than 500 years old during its life it use to have different functions and now is part of the brasov history museum . this picture was taken during the "golden stag" pop music festival 3 weeks ago . i'll show you more about this festival tomorrow .

little oktoberfest 2

ready to open the first (and the only real one) beer barrel ...

so . how was it ?

unfortunately i only have one good thing to say about it : the atmosphere was great ! it was a real party and you can see that the people really need this kind of fair . the german band (wirbelwind) really fit the event with their old euro-pop covers and drinking songs , most of them in german of course (they have a lot of experience with this kind of beer festival) and they were the best part of the fest .

other than the atmosphere ... a lot of snacks : mici ; sausages ; ribs ; trout on a stick ; prezels ; crepes ; waffles ; donuts ; caramel apples ; popcorn ; boiled corn ; cakes ; gingerbread and many more but the real food was far from the german quality promised by the organizers and it was quite expensive . for the drinks , they only had 5 types of beer , none from germany and it was not so good and more expensive than at a restaurant and they only used plastic cups . also some sodas , fresh orange juice , cocktails , must (unfermented new wine) and mulled wine / gluckwein and coffee .

the location has a great view and very nice surroundings but too small and crowded and also the service was poor and unfriendly , probably they were overwhelmed by the crowd but an incredible thing happened , after the first day when they saw it was quite a success , some of the prices were higher .

i can't wait for the next year and hopefully it's gonna be a lot better .

little oktoberfest

Prosit ! or

Noroc !

Oktoberfest is in Munich and is still on till october 4 , but Brasov has (first time this year) a little oktoberfest . Maybe not a big one but the newest one and the one with the best landscape and view ... hahaha . But it was very short , 18-20 september only.

We used to have beer festivals before but this time it was a strong german touch including the consul of Germany in Romania and the mayor of Nuremberg , a german band and supposedly german food .

More about the food and beer tomorrow but let me tell you that we were lucky and the weather was great so the place was really crowded all the time . I would say a big succes so maybe next year they will organize it better , they will also use the stadium across the street and it's gonna be longer . Great idea , great response from the public , but everything else was "romanian style"...

bastionul funarilor

the ropemakers' bastion is in the middle of the south-eastern side of the brasov medieval walls and was mention in a document in 1416 . used to be 12 m high in a hexagonal form . it was almost destroyed in a fire in 1689 but rebuilt . the house inside was built in 1794 .

east side 2

more walls on the eastern side . on this side there used to be 8 towers and 3 bastions . 2 of the towers are still standing .

east side

we're moving north on the east side with the walls facing the tâmpa mountain . on this side there are 3 sports complexes and 2 playing grounds . and a lot of places to rest and relax with a great view .

bastionul tesatorilor 2

two sides on the outside and the inside of the linen weavers bastion

bastionul tesatorilor

we will make a tour of the medieval fortification of brasov (check the map from yesterdays post) . walls , bastions , towers ... old rocks . 500 years ago these were some powerful defensive weapons . i don't think they saw much "action" but this was the point , to scare away the enemies . still , some parts were beaten but another kind of enemy : time ....ok , let's start with the "bastionul tesatorilor" = linen weavers bastion on the southern corner . today a museum that can be visited on the way up on tampa mountain , it is the largest medieval bastion in brasov and the best preserved among the seven initial watchtowers built around the city walls. it was first built during 1421-1436 and rebuilt in 1570-1573. inside the construction there are three main protective corridors. The wooden galleries surround a small central square.