This past couple of days I checked another city off my to-visit list. I took advantage of a business trip my mom had to make and I tagged along to Alba Iulia.
It didn’t start out too well: first thing that morning, I stepped on a bee. Yes, a bee, little insect that buzzes and has a sting. It stung me in the foot - good thing I’m not allergic. Then Alba Iulia was very cold and I wasn’t dressed too warmly, but I had to make do…
Mum dropped me off in a park close to the medieval citadel and pointed me in the right direction. The park was lovely and, best of all, it even had cute metal mushrooms!
While doing the rounds, I noticed a very professional looking map of the citadel, indicating there was a ‘route of the six gates’, which was supposed to take the traveler through all the six gates, to see all sorts of nifty stuff. Unfortunately, the entry gate was barred and there was no one in sight, so I moved on.
The first thing I visited was the Orthodox Cathedral which is right next to the park. A service was in progress, so I didn’t visit the inside, I just poked my head in, but I did walk around the courtyard. Neat and tidy, flowerbeds, newly painted… Too bad the sun was behind the church and I could only take a photo of the entry portal.
It was a sunny day, so the corridors on the sides of the courtyard looked particularly good. The sunlight even matched the color of the walls! I don’t know where the pieces of engraved stone on the floor came from, probably from the diggings in the citadel.
After this short stop I decided that, since the sightseeing route was closed, I would just walk around on my own and see what I find.
The next thing I saw was the old Catholic Cathedral, which was right up my alley. Old gothic cathedral, crumbling a bit… mmm. They’re restoring it, however. I like abandoned-looking places, I wonder what it’s gonna be like when they’re done. They have a lot of work in front of them…
Next off, Michael the Brave, the 16th century ruler who first united the three Romanian principalities. His statue is right next to the cathedral.
A little bit further you can find the Unification Museum. I liked the mixture of old and new - even though the main building has apparently been recently restored, four of the old columns still make up the entrance.
I didn’t feel like visiting the museum so I went on. The next thing I found was the old marketplace of the citadel, now turned into a small park. A very tranquil place, with a lot of benches, looked like the perfect spot for doing a bit of reading, for a date or for taking your kid out to play. I tried the book part (too bad it was so cold and I had to get a move on pretty soon, before I froze to death) and I took a few pictures before going on my way.
And what do I see? Whoa, it’s a banner advertising another sightseeing route! The route of the three fortresses, this time. The signs are a bit confusing, but I found the entrace pretty soon and from the first step it felt like a very good idea. I as greeted by a guy in an old soldier’s uniform, who gave me a ticket and some info. I was in my ‘hi I’m a tourist I have no idea where I am and what to see please help?’ mode and he was extra nice. The ticket wasn’t expensive, by the way, 4 RON for adults and 2 RON for children (that’s about $1,50 for adults and 75c for kids).
A little further on I was greeted by another soldier, who explained a bit more. He told me there are 18 men in total, acting as guides/guards (I suppose) and that they’re actual soldiers from the army units on the outskirts of town, which got decomissioned. He pointed out some stuff for me to see and I took a picture of him too. ‘Of him’ and not ‘with him’ because I visited the place alone and there was no one to take our picture…
The area that can be visited is not very large, but it’s quite modern. What I mean is that there are metal and plastic rails all over the place, which can be good and bad. I didn’t like them that much, I prefer my ruins wild :)
The most important things to be seem inside the citadel are the roman castrum gates…
… the military camp (which doubles as a open-air pub in summer, I think)…
…and the cannon dais, complete with creepy tunnel! You have to go down (steep) steps and then climb back up to get to the cannon, but they’re pretty and well mantained. After I left a group of school kids came to visit the place and one of the soldiers explained them some things about the cannons, but I was pretty far away by then, unfortunately. He kept poking the cannons and pulling levers, it looked interesting :D
There are a couple of spots with an amazing view - one facing toward the cannon dais and the other toward the Horea, Closca and Crisan obelisk. From the latter I also spotted some stairs heading down, so when I left I asked the soldier at the gate for some info. He pointed me in the right direction and I was off once again.
Passing through the 3rd gate (under restoration) I got to the obelisk. I wasn’t that impressed, just a monument. With the ever present grafitti on it… But the stairs led to a much more interesting place. Between the citadel walls and the outer walls there was a space a couple of hundred meters wide with grass, the occasional haystack and no one in sight (except for a lady walking her dog, that is). Walking around there, listening to music, all alone, was just great. I even found a partially collapsed archway to climb!
The locals found a more pragmatic and fun way of using the walls and they drew soccer gates on them :D
Also between the to rows of walls are some… platforms? Four brick walls with a platform on top, covered in grass. Great view of the courtyard/road/whatever from up there.
