ne slightly unnerving thing about old Sibiu is that the buildings got eyes, man! That is, the wood shingle roofs of many of the old houses have openings in them to allow for small windows. These openings are somewhat curved, and the ones I saw were all dark. Kinda spooky, man. The streets in old Sibiu are narrow and many of them are still cobblestone. Many of the old buildings are painted yellow, pink, light green or light blue. The overall effect is medieval. I think THIS would be the place to spend Halloween.

ibiu was the most powerful of Transyvania's seven walled German cities (the 'Siebenburgen'), and was intensely fortified against Turkish invasions--successfully resisting on many occasions. A good portion of the city ramparts is still standing, with three towers built by separate occupational guilds (carpenters, potters, and drapers) for the defense of the city.

uring the periods when Austria held sway over Transylvania (and Hungary too)--1703 to 1791, and 1849-1867--Sibiu served as the administrative center of Transylvania (in place of Cluj). The Austrian governor Samuel Brukenthal (1777-1787) left behind both an architectural legacy and an artistic legacy. Brukenthal's impressive art collection is now housed in the palace he built, the Brukenthal Museum (one of the best in Romania). The latter Austrian period witnessed the birth of the ASTRA Romanian cultural society in 1861. ASTRA played an important role in the creation and propogation of Romanian literature in Transylvania, opening a library in 1905 (my host in Sibiu works there), and fostering a sense of Romanian national identity.

n Sunday 3 December I attended an Advent choral/organ concert at the German Evangelical Cathedral (begun 1300, completed 1520). The experience was thoroughly Gothic. The church wasn't heated, but that just added to the old-time winter feeling.

he day of my trip from Sibiu to Brasov, a new snowstorm hit. I had originally planned to travel all the way to Bucharest, but my research topic was narrowing down to forestry and wood industries, and on the advice of the geographers in Cluj I would stop in Brasov to visit the Forestry Faculty. This turned out to be a very fortunate move. The train I was scheduled to take was still stuck in the station after three hours. So I took the next scheduled train to Brasov, which left on time. Go figure.

t was already snowing pretty heavily that morning, and the storm only got worse as the day wore on. My impression of the landscape from Sibiu to Brasov was this: WHITE. In fact, there is very little landscape to see during a snowstorm. The train followed the Olt river upstream until Fagaras, but I couldn't actually tell where the heck the river was outside. It was dark before I reached Brasov. I had to scramble to find a room, as most of the rest of the trains passing through were being delayed, and some canceled. Brasov station was a zoo. I managed to get to the center and grab a room before they were all taken (which they soon were). All the trains to and from Bucharest the next day were canceled.

fter visiting the Forestry Faculty, I looked around the Romanian Schei quarter of Brasov (Kronstadt in German), outside the old city walls. By coincidence I happened to visit the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas in Schei on its saint's day, 6 December. This was the first Orthodox Mass I had seen, and it was an impressive sight. Burning candles and incense, icons, frescoes and chants of prayer were all mixed into the service. Outside, the sky was crystal clear blue, and the snow covered almost everything, turning Brasov into a real winter wonderland.

also saw the nearby school, the first to teach the Romanian language, and the first books printed in Romanian along with the printing press used, from the mid-1500s. In the center of town, the Black Church (begun 1385, completed 1477) looms over the main plaza, Piata Sfatului (Council Plaza), which has an impressive Council House in Maria Theresa yellow.

finished off the day with some hot mamaliga and cheese, and went back to the hotel to rest up for the next day's polar expedition to Bucharest. Also Steaua vs. Juventus was on the telly (0-0, FYI). The trip to Bucharest on the 7th went without any problems. Luckily it wasn't snowing as we passed through the Prahova valley (named after the river), and the skiers looked quite happy. I have to admit that for sheer grandeur the Prahova valley is hard to beat. After all, the King of Romania built his summer palace here in Sinaia.

s the train entered the Wallachian Plain (Cimpia Romana) at Ploiesti the vista was that of an ocean of white. Only where industrial or urban constructions (oil wells, pipelines, factories, apartment blocs) rose up was the monotony of snow broken. Near the Gara de Nord the tracks were about 10 cm deep in snow, with footprints here and there which looked at least 20 cm or more.

spent Thursday evening warming back to room temperature, and Friday (8 December) was research day at the Institute of Geography. In the evening I saw a Philharmonic concert at the Athenaeum (completed 1888), perhaps the most beautiful building in Bucharest. The city sights could wait for the weekend.