Saturday, September 19, 2009

Pictures!

So it’s Saturday and I took to the city armed with my camera. There are several key landmarks in Cluj. The St. Michael's Church in Unirii Square, built in the 14th century and named after the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Cluj-Napoca is one of them. In front of it, the equestrian statue of Matthias Corvinus, erected in honor of the locally-born king of Hungary is currently under repair. Another major church is the orthodox cathedral (which I can see from my window). Saturday is wedding day and there were weddings all over the city in the multiple churches. On the same big piazza you can find also the National Theatre (UNESCO protected).

It’s difficult to walk in Cluj and not see something to capture on camera as they are many monuments and styles mixing old and new. But what I find most interesting is that it seems like behind every door, there is a courtyard with gardens, apartments, small shops, sometimes cafes and restaurant. To that extent, Cluj reminds me a lot of Italy. I started to take pictures of these doors opening on other worlds, but I will never be able to put all pictures here (who said “thank God”?). I'll post pictures of these doors in a future post.

So without further ado, here are selected pictures of my errands today:


Not sure here if it's Rome thanking Cluj, or the other way around.

Saint Michael Cathedral, named after the saint patron of Cluj. 14th century young!

The Orthodox cathedral.


The fountain and Orthodox church in the background.


The pedestrian area.


The National Theater (and a bride to be).


A small place with outdoor terraces in the student quarter. By the way, I said earlier that I thought there was traffic. The locals warned me that the students start school on Oct 1st, and then there is really more traffic...


The interior of one of the many churches. Absolutely magnificent.


On one of the interior gardens, behind a busy street.


The modern face of Cluj.


Le 91 Gare Montparnasse- Gare du Nord


My lame attempt at composition, but hey I can tell you that at 75cts the lbs, these Muscat grapes taste as good as they look!

1 comment:

  1. Stephan, I love your writing style! How interesting to read about your own country seen trhough the eyes of a friend who traveled and saw a lot. I was a student when I was last time in Cluj (hmm…a good 12 years ago) and I remember saying that if I were to settle in Romania it would need to be in that part of the country. There people are, indeed, really nice, with a good sense of humor and much calmer than the ones from the south – Bucharest is a wild place! Life is never a rush in that area! It was really good to see all the pictures; I miss those parks and I love the “old” flavor of the city, the history abounding generously around you. It was funny to see some Dacia parked along your street . The cuisine is also better than in the south, and once you get to travel around and go to the monasteries…you’re going to be immersed into another type of world all together. Anyway, we’ll watch your escapade with much interest! Have fun and keep us posted! Cristina PS: Very inspired to cover the “where is Cluj, anyway?! question – we had fun with that”

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