Day 10: Timisoara

June 25, 2018

Timisoara, Romania

Today we walked around the old town of Timisoara.  We slept in, then walked until we found a promising café for lunch.  The heart of the old town does not have cars--it is all pedestrian.  In fact, most of the bicycles I saw were being walked.  The streets are filled with sidewalk cafés.  There are sidewalk areas for bistros and restaurants, coffee shops, patisseries (pastry shops), gelato shops, and electronic gaming centers.  And many of the café areas have screens televising the world cup.  We can hear it in our windows from the cafés in the square.

This puppy was with his/her? owners in a nearby café while we were eating lunch.  He followed everyone except his people.  He was so cute!  Everyone walking by had to stop and pet and play with him!

Buildings in Old Town

Buildings in Old Town

Transylvania?

Detail on a building

We saw a stage and tables being set up, must be something coming up, but we'll miss it since we're leaving tomorrow.  There was also an art installation being put up during the day with hundreds of umbrellas suspended from the power lines and other wires next to the opera house.

The umbrellas were all hung up with wire and the guy in the cherry picker was adding wire to hold each one up and opening each of them. 

Here they are all done!

We visited many public squares today.  We are staying on Victory (Victoriei) Square.  We also visited Unirii (Union) Square and Libertatii (Freedom) Square--actually Pieta Unirii and Pieta Libertatii.

Unirii Square is surrounded with Baroque buildings, including the Bruck House, the best known and best restored of the buildings.  Some, like many buildings in the town, are covered with scaffolding and sheeting while they are being rehabbed, but the ones that have already been done are beautiful.

Pieta Unirii

The art museum--do you see the rainbow colors in the windows?  I wonder if that's for Pride?

Catholic Cathedral

Inside the Catholic Cathedral

Inside the Catholic Cathedral

Inside the Catholic Cathedral

Inside the Catholic Cathedral

House on the Square

House on the square

Detail

Serbian Orhodox Cathedral

Inside the Serbian Cathedral

Inside the Serbian Cathedral

the Bruck House

Little girls feeding the pigeons in the square

Libertatii Square contains lines for the trams.  The paving bricks have been laid in sweeping curves to form a huge circle within the square shape.

I have no idea!

Victoriei Square's claim to fame are the Opera House and the Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral.  It is also the largest.  Our host states that it is the city's favorite square to hang out in.

The Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral

On the outside of the cathedral

Inside the cathedral

I believe this is the first person shot in the revolution on the steps of the cathedral.

The  roof of the cathedral porch

The porch of the cathedral

Randy and Joshua

I have only seen one souvenir shop and one souvenir cart in the entire town.  Kind of amazing.  Most people that we have met speak at least some English (unlike Hungary), but they are not very friendly (other than our host).  We have heard other tourists (?) speaking English, but there are not hordes of them everywhere, which is nice.

Our apartment is pleasant with a nice bathroom and a bedroom.  Joshua sleeps on the converted couch in the living room and we have a small dining table and kitchenette.  Air is available but with high temps only in the 70s, who needs it?  Dewpoints also are in the 50s, which is comfortable.  We leave early tomorrow for Sibiu.