Avoiding bread has worked. Neither David or I have had issues since we quit eating it. Very sad though as Romania has great bread. I wonder what the additive it that upsets my system??
This morning, I stayed in bed whilst David returned to the train station to see if the logging train was running. Alas when he returned, it was with bad news. :( We gave up, packed the car and went for our included breakfast. You could have anything as long as it was eggs. More specifically, only omlettes. Hmm....No fruit, no hot chocolate and coffee that tastes like sludge.

Turning the car west, we headed to the Merry Cemetery at Săpânţa. As we entered Săpânţa, we saw a sign to a monatery, and remembered that Dan told us about the church with the supposed Tallest wooden structure in Europe. (75m) But as it has a stone base, there are many who dispute its staus. Frankly I don't care if it is or not. It is a tall spire. I was surprised to find this church was unfinished. Even the monatery building was not finished. The resident nun had the basement chapel open so we joined the other tourists. I understood nothing of her speech but we did have a good poke around.

At the Merry cemetery, which was only two blocks away from the wooden church, I was totally amazed at the crosses on the graves. They are just as in the book. (Der, yes I know..) It is 5 Ron to go in and 5 Ron for photos but you can't go and not take photos. Started by Ioan Star Pătraş when he started craving crosses for his church's cemetery. He painted them blue to represent Hope and freedom and then enscribed awitty epitaph to the deceased. He died in 1977 but his apprentice continues the tradition. These crosses are awesome. Some are very sad and even without being about to read the epitaph you can guess at how some people met their end, BUT I really wished I could have read them. :(

Drove to Baie Marie aand walked to the old city wall. We ended up walking around 6km but it was great to be out of the car and using my legs for what they were designed for. The fruit and Veg markets
were interesting and David found some lovely grapes. Much cheaper than Australia. :D

According to LP, the gold mine has in the past leaked Cyanide into the water of the city and therefore the water is not drinkable. Unfortunately, the mine is part owned by and Australian Company. Sad. :(

We saw lots of partially built churches. A country that has hundreds of Churches already but is sorely lacking in basic facilities, roads, transport and in some places, water and they spend millions on yet more churches. Its is all very puzzling. Does a community of 200 people need 3 or 4 churches?

We were due to spend the night at Dej but the road south of Dej was signposted as closed. The detour was 45km north of Dej and David didn't want to drive 45km south only to return 45km north to go south again. I can understand this, so we took the detour towards Cluj. We were hoping to find a hotel on the way somewhere. Would you believe it! When you want a hotel they are thin on the ground. We didn't find one! The closest one we saw was in the outskirts of CLuj. David was wrung out! Many small towns with cows as traffic makes for difficult driving.
David was exhausted so he just stopped in front a hotel. This one was in LP, and unfortunaltey it was correct. You get a lot of bill and little room. :( Barely any features but it was close to the centru. We dumped our stuff and went for a walk. In the centre of Cluj, there was a choreographed fountain, dancing with lights to classical music. I saw there meserised for a long time, just watching the water and then the lovers that strolled past. David was happy photographing the fountain. A good way to finish a long drive.
Found an unnamed cafe for a cheapish sort of meal.

Arriving late on the airport I was welcomed by an old business partner.
He brought me to the hotel, which was in the center just behind the main town square.
After I had checked in and  placed my luggage in the room we went for a beer to one of the terraces on the main square.
This already gave a good idea of the nice atmosphere on this summer night. I did not see many tourists, as most of the people around seemed to be locals.
The next day I had my appointment and after that I had some time available to walk around with a colleague of me.
We went to the parc near the center and even found an old historic carousel with small kids near the pond. After we went back into town and found a nice small square near an old church where we had a late local lunch on a terrace and enjoyed the summer afternoon.
In the evening we found a nice local restaurant where we had dinner. (no English menu, but we found some nice things)
The next day before leaving to the airport I made a photo tour in the center of which you may found some species.
Certainly a town to come back on a touristic trip.

So I arrived Friday night into Cluj and could only manage to find a hostel not full and find a grocery store and get some sleep. So Saturday was the day of wandering Cluj. There is not too much to say here as I didn't really know too much about what I was doing or looking at. I mainly just wandered and got a feel for the people and the city. I saw the Ortodox Cathedral then the very old Gothic Cathedral (which I think was Catholic but maybe Greek). I wandered up into the universtiy district and into an open air market and a skate park.

In the heart of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca awaits its visitors, with the silent full of history walls and hospitable people. Treasures of architecture and years of shaping people’s minds have made this county special in its uniqueness. You’ll see here the famous Transylvanian calm and reflexive mind, seriousness and pride. Come and explore all the ancient and modern beauties and opportunities!

Renowned in the past for its richness and also known as “The Treasure City”, Cluj offers nowadays a wide range of possibilities for personal and company development, owing to its geographical position, the local resources and, not least, the skill, education and seriousness of its inhabitants.

THE PRESENT NAME OF CLUJ-NAPOCA was established on October 16th 1974, on the occasion of the celebration of the first documentary attestation of the city as a “municipium", 1850 years ago. The name derives from the ancient Dacian name Napuca and Cluj (clusa-clausa, meaning a narrow, confined place). Yet the first certified documentary attestation dates from 1275, as villa Kluswar.
2nd century - Ptolemy mentioned in his writings the Dacian village under the name of Napuca. The Romans kept the name after the conquest of Dacia (105-106). In the time of Hadrian the city became the capital city of the new province under the name Municipium Aelium Hadrianum Napocense. Later, it became a colony under Aurelius (161-180).
Middle of the 3rd century - After the Romans abandoned the city, the population continued to live here. As a testimony, the excavations in the Central “Unirii” Square, which are planned be preserved. The centuries that followed were very difficult for the population, as the Ostrogoth and the Gepids invasions plundered the city.
The 9th and 10th century - The first fortified cities of Cluj and Dabaca were part of Gelu’s viovodate (a primitive form of state), which did not resist the pressure of the Hungarian invaders who conquer it.
1241 -Tatar invasion plundered the city and destroyed its fortifications, yet the city recovered and attracted many Saxons who settled in the city.
August 9th 1317 - King Carol Robert made the settlement a city, which triggered the economic flourishing of the settlement. Cluj established many trade contacts with the other Romanian Principalities, as well as with many European countries.
1437 - The Bobalna uprising - the poor inhabitants of the city fraternized with the rioters. Consequently, the city lost some of its economic privileges, which were restored under the rule of Iancu de Hunedoara.
1475 - The Tailors’ Bulwark was constructed as part of a larger system of fortifications. The economic thriving made it possible for the numerous guilds to contribute to an improved and extended system of fortifications which spanned 45 hectars. The city of Cluj owed its development to a great extent to the privileges bestowed upon it by Iancu de Hunedoara and his son, Matei Corvin, kings of Hungary of Romanian origin.
1541 - The Otomans conquered the Hungarian Kingdom and divided it with Austria, the city continued to prosper as Transylvania became an autonomous principality. The first printing house dated from this period, many stone buildings
were built, as well as many schools and a University.
1600 - Michael The Brave, ruler of Moldavia and Wallachia and forger of the Union of the two with Transylvania, entered Cluj after the battle of Miraslau. The rulers of the city revenged the defeat later, by burning at the stakes one of the bravest captains in Michael’s army, Baba Novac, whose body was displayed outside the city, near the Tailors’ Bulwark. A statue was erected there in his memory, in 1976.
1738-1739 - The plague devastated the town, killing more than 10% of the population.
The second half of the 17th century - The economic situation of the city deteriorated and it lost its autonomy. The city entered under Austrian rule and was forced to host the Austrian garrison.
1790 - Cluj became the siege of the Hungarian Governors, reinforcing its political authority, and the capital city of the Ardeal province. The same year, the first Romanian Orthodox Church was built in Cluj, followed by a Greek catholic one (1803), as the number of the Romanians who were allowed to live in the city grew considerably.
1791 - The issuing of The Supplex Libellus Valachorum reinforced the political status of the Romanians.
1848 - The Revolution which spread in the whole Austro-Hungarian Empire involved many Romanians who had studied in Cluj, in the university that functioned here.
1892-1894 - The Memorandist Movement was though the climax of the assertion of the Romanians as a distinct and deign nation. The process which followed in 1894 condemned the heads of the movement.
The 19th century - The economical development of the city continued. Many factories and a the construction of a railway (1870) resulted in an impressive development of the commerce. In 1872 a university was built, as well as another building of the Theatre (1906).
1914-1918 - Many Romanians from Transylvania were forced to fight against their Romanian brothers from the Kingdom of Romania or ended in prisons or killed. Cluj was liberated and Transylvania became part of the larger Kingdom of Romania, after the Union on the 1st of December 1918.
November 3rd 1919 - The Romanian University was inauguated in Cluj. The town flourished between two wars: many schools, churches, museums, institutes and theatres were built, integrating the life of the city into the one of Greater Romania.
August 30th 1940 - The Vienna Diktat imposed onto Romania to give over a part of its territory, including Cluj. Many institutions were forced to withdraw to other towns in Romania.
October 11th 1944 - Cluj was liberated from the German occupation, and passed into Russian administration.
March 13th 1945 - The part of Transylvania which was under Russian military rule was rendered to the Kingdom of Romania.
June 11th 1948 - 32 factories, many hospitals and cinemas entered state property, as well as other important establishments.
October 1st 1948 - The Greek Catholics were forced to adhere to Orthodoxy and many were imprisoned. Shortly, the rest of the religions were banned and the churches were confiscated. Many personalities belonging to a wide rage of activities were either forced to take a back seat, or were imprisoned for their beliefs, while the fighters in the mountains tried to resist the communist expansion.
The communist period was as devastating in Cluj as it was for the whole country. The city suffered, even more than other cities, from the Communist repression.
1959 - The “Babes-Bolyai” University was established, after the union of the “Babes” and “Bolyai” Universities. The University had 10 faculties in 1974.
1968 - The city of Cluj became the political center of the Cluj District. In the following years, many factories were built, as well as many blocks of apartments. The city maintained its position as the second most important cultural and scientific center of the country.
December 21st 1989 - The revolution burst out in Cluj. Eleven people were killed in the “Liberty” Square (today’s Piata Unirii) and other 4 in front of Astoria Hotel. In the evening of the same day, other 4 people were killed at the Beer Factory, followed by 3 in other places of the town. The following years were the years of the consolidation of democracy, of many economic, political, social and cultural transformations, re-shaping the face of the city.