ROMANIA'S SIGHISOARA'S CITADEL: A BLISSFUL UNION OF PAST AND PRESENT

Marry the woman, marry the family; especially in Eastern Europe.

My motto?

Life’s a party.  Let’s crash it!

Ok, so maybe Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn get credit for being the Wedding Crashers, but hey, this is 2016, a decade and then some beyond their 2005 antics.  Somebody has to continue the tradition. 
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Crashing the party in Romania was easy.  

The Clock Tower was built in the 14th century to help protect the main gate.

Well actually the overnight flight from North America to Romania wasn’t easy, but easier than planning a wedding.
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Newlyweds in Romania traditionally schedule wedding photographers days after the party (doesn’t that put a crimp in the honeymoon?), often in very historic, public venues as stunning as the blushing bride. 

No surprise we found brides to be as plentiful as medieval towns in Romania.  The fall day was chilly but clear. 

My favorite bride?

Aren’t all brides beautiful, shrouded in so much hope and happiness? 
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My favorite Romanian medieval town?  

Did the HOA decide on all the charming pastel colors?

That would be Sighisoara Citadel, shrouded in so much old-world charm and color.
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The UNESCO World Heritage Site is the last inhabited medieval citadel in Eastern Europe, one of seven walled cities (collectively, the seven fortified medieval cities were called ‘Siebenburgen’; Sighisoara was known as Castrum Sex, Fort Six) originally founded by the Saxons in Transylvania in the 12th century.  The German craftsmen and merchants were a talented bunch, attracted to “the land between the forests” by the favorable market rights provided by Hungarian rulers looking to fortify the valley against Tatar and Ottoman raiders.   
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The Saxons arrived from the Rhine and Moselle regions of Northern Europe, most coming from the German state of Saxony.  For 850 years they farmed the fertile land between the forested Carpathian Mountains, gaining respect and unprecedented freedom to move up in feudal society based on their talent and craft.  

Just a sampling of all the 'wedding crashers.'

It was uphill all the way to Sighisoara’s Clock Tower for us 21st century folk touring the medieval city.  The 14th century landmark, one of 9 towers built within this walled city, came with a clock that was still telling time after all this time. 

The Clock Tower also came with a drummer to herald the top of each hour, accompanied by wooden, painted figurines spinning in niches adjacent to the clock, doing their thing, too. 
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We did our thing, too, 

On the site of today’s Sighisoara, there used to be a Dacian settlement known as Sandova dating as far back as the 3rd century BC. It was the site of an Imperial Roman castrum and legion base from the 2nd century.

meandering charming squares, 

Like many medieval town, Sighisora suffered military occupation.

and cobbled alleys,

Sighişoara’s history suggests Vlad Tepes, a.k.a. Dracula, was born in this medieval town.

And here's the plaque that makes it so.

savoring the history,

What the . . . ? The House with Stag is typical of 17th century Transylvania Renaissance 17th century.

the mystery,

The Ironsmith Tower was built in 1632 to protect the Monastery Church.

Wouldn't be a medieval town without a church.

and the architecture.

Personally, I was expecting some wedding cake.

Here's to wedded bliss!  And colorful medieval towns.  

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