I like Europe. A two hour flight brings you into a completely different world. Today I arrived in Cluj-Napoca (Kolozsvár, Klausenburg), a city in Transylvania (Siebenbürgen), Romania. My friends Petra and Achim picked me up at the airport, with them I will be traveling in the next 2 weeks.
Petra and Achim had already flown a few days before and had time to explore Cluj. They guided me around in the afternoon. Hungarians, Romanians, Germans and Jews made this city. This is evident through the many churches – all denominations are represented here. Also two synagogues are preserved. One that looks like a strange functional building and a second in Moorish style. They are both closed. Today is Passover, one of the highest Jewish holidays – an active community does not seem to exist anymore.
The city looks run down, maybe also because of the gray weather. I looked at the crumbling facades and wondered if there is a future beyond the visible past. “Yes, there is,” says Achim and points to the glass palace of a bank.
Tomorrow we will go to Suceava, the starting point of our journey through Southern Bucovina. A new adventure begins.
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Vanished World 
Christian:
Although the weather may have been gray the buildings are beautiful – lots of character and interesting details. Have a safe trip and I look forward to seeing what you will be sharing with us on the rest of your trip.
Best regards,
Simon