Is This Romania’s PRETTIEST Town & Europe’s HIDDEN GEM? | Sighișoara, Romania | Transylvania Travel

Travel Vlog # 113 | #Sighisoara #Romania
Country 29/193
Today we're exploring in one of Europe's Hidden Gems - Sighisoara! When researching where we wanted to go in Romania, visiting Sighisoara was an obvious choice - and not just as a day trip!
After driving for just over an hour and a half, we arrived in Sighisoara. We rented an airbnb just outside of the citadel. Sighisoara is one of the world's UNESCO world heritage sites. Yes! The whole town!
We climbed up quite a few steps to reach the upper town. We explored the church, cemetery, and surrounding areas before taking the 175 steps down into the main town of Sighisoara.
We stumbled upon a museum named 'Mystical Transylvania', which goes into detail about the true story of Vlad Tepes, AKA Vlad Dracul III, AKA Vlad the Impaler, AKA Dracula. We think that when visiting somewhere with a somewhat fantastical history, learning the 'truth' behind the story is important! This exhibit did a great job of explaining Vlad's life and decision making.
We spent the rest of the evening wandering around what we think may be the prettiest town in Romania as well as one of Europe's top hidden gems! Make sure you add this medieval walled city to your bucket list!
If you want to see what wonderful Romanian food we tried here, make sure to subscribe to see our food tour video!
Thanks for watching :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapters (click to skip)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We're Ashley & Christian, a mid-20’s couple on a mission to see every country - with no time limit.
We'll be uploading the vlogs from our trips over the past year as well as new vlogs, FAQs about frequent travel, packing videos, how to plan your own trips, etc.
While we currently work full-time jobs to support our passion, we will be working towards a year of FULL-TIME travel in the future!
Follow us on our adventures!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***Facebook: / ashleyandchristianyoutube
***Buy us a coffee! www.buymeacoffee.com/ashandch...
***All music is from Epidemic Sound! Get one month free :) ~ www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

[@shapeoftimes]

Romania is beautiful and has a lot of hidden gems waiting to be discovered 🙂

[@AshleyandChristian]

Yes it does! I feel like you could spend years there and not see it all

[@KiLLuminati.]

​@@AshleyandChristian yup! There are a lot of romanians that not visit/see it all the beauties of the country!

[@kingdom_of_impor]

​@@KiLLuminati.Like me! I only explored like 3% of Romania i think

[@KiLLuminati.]

@@kingdom_of_impor si eu la fel 😂

[@chrismac3696]

He was definitely a HERO!!! He fought against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into continental Europe. His army served as a buffer to protect the entire continent. BTW, we can't judge a 15th century ruler with mindsets of the 21st century! The norms and values were quite different in those days! He applied the rules that were common for that period of time! In other words, the main law was: the fist, sword and the stake!! Fair enough?!?! Love you guys! Enjoyed all your videos! KEEP IT UP!!! Chris/NY

[@AshleyandChristian]

That seems to be what we’ve heard!! Widely regarded as a hero!!! Thank you Chris!! We appreciate it 🤗

[@VigilantGuardian6750]

Considering Vlad Tepes was technically a Christian ruler, ofc you can judge, as that's the also morality of people of today who consider themselves Christians, impaling people you capture is of course incredibly immoral

[@FotografulCalator]

Thanks for visiting and promoting my country!

[@AshleyandChristian]

Of course!! We love Romania!

[@JustinBrehm]

You both have made a great video thank you for taking us along on your adventure

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you so much, Justin!! 🤗

[@kaylaandmarkalan]

I’m voting a hero with a plot twist! 😂 Your AirBNB looked nice and homey! The way that all of the architecture and cobblestone was so well preserved is so cool…you just don’t find that here in the states!

[@AshleyandChristian]

Right?! Reason #263738 we love Europe 😂

[@gilfurashardi352]

Excellent video, thank you so much! Your “impaled fruit” made me laugh. I hope to see the same places when I visit.

[@anthony1776diaz]

He's a hero in my book.

[@MariusMitro]

Haha, totally right about the guy in the coffin. We were there in August and filmed the experience, as well as other things around Transylvania. Loved your approach to it in your Transylvania series. You guys rock :)

[@AshleyandChristian]

Yeah just not worth it 😂 thank you so much!!!

[@xikethehippiex]

Awesome Video.

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thanks so much!! ☺

[@karimedinburgh]

Wonderful upload my friend , just subscribed , stay connected !

[@danvision5086]

*WONDERFUL !!!*

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you!!!!

[@traceynewdeck8526]

I love your videos :) So informative and great camera work and research. I started with your Bran Castle video as myself and friends hope to be there in March. Thanks for your content and I wish you a really Happy 2023 Xx

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you so much! We'll be picking back up with the uploading this year :)

[@kingdaniel7083]

Thank you for the nice words about my country Ashley & Christian ! Good luck !

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you! We love your country 🤗

[@ares3470]

your face at 2:29 xD when the dog bark.

[@AshleyandChristian]

😂😂

[@ThruAWiderLens]

Really enjoyed the video! 12:35 We were in Transylvania last month and found that Sighisoara had some of the most difficult cobblestones to walk on, of any place we visited. In Brasov and Sibiu, for example, they were much flatter. Did the Sighisoara residents maybe do this for a defensive purpose?

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you!! I’m not sure why but we noticed that too! I wonder if some of the other towns have had their cobblestone redone?

[@domnuspin]

Herooooo!

[@3wL7]

He is a hero for us, Romanians 🙂 Was he cruel? Yes, probably he was, but he wasn't unusually cruel for those times. He wasn't a demon, he was a victim of a massive propaganda campaign by his enemies.

[@AshleyandChristian]

Definitely agree! I think he was doing what he saw was needed to defend his people and land!

[@averageyoutuber9967]

I like your Romanian adventures

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you :)

[@heba30003]

Yes, Vlad the Impaler is seen as a hero over here in Romania. He's a national symbol. The world was so different back then...a lot more cruel.

[@AshleyandChristian]

Very different! Thanks for sharing!

[@sector5400]

Hero !

[@AshleyandChristian]

That seems to be the consensus!

[@simonavelicu7136]

I wnet to that school on top of the hill! Going up those steps everyday!

[@AshleyandChristian]

That’s awesome!!

[@antonsasaran1377]

In case you guys would like to get a quite documentation regarding Dracula I am recommending the book of Per Olof Ekstrom - a swedish painter and writer , author of the famous One Summer of Happiness book - The Son of the Dragon . Ekstrom died around 1935 and left behind one of the most significant and detailed romanced book about Dracula . Real history , way different than Bram Stoker

[@AshleyandChristian]

I'll definitely look into it! We've actually never read Dracula, just know the basic story 😬 we really only learned about Vlad Tepes while in Romania!

[@antonsasaran1377]

@@AshleyandChristian You will find out where the nickname Dracula is coming from - Vlad s Father has won the Knit ' s Tournament in Vienna earning the Golden Dragon trophy . At that time in Transylvania there was no knowledge about a " DRAGON " so people just called it Drac ( deavel ) and Vlad became the Son of the Dragon ( The Son of the Deavel ) or DRACULEA , in Romanian . And here the history starts...You will really like the reading of this book . Vlad had a Brother -Radu the handsome , gay and abused in Istanbul ( Constantinopole ) the Ottoman Empire' s Capital at that time . Both , Vlad and Radu were educated in Istanbul and Vlad was speaking fluently Turkish , Hungarian , Romanian , German and Italian .

[@AshleyandChristian]

@@antonsasaran1377 I'm going to look into where I can order it! There's so much history in modern day Romania

[@antonsasaran1377]

@@AshleyandChristian Vlad was really a savage ruler , impaling people was his top of the list cruelty - but see how Braveheart ( the Scottish Hero has been executed ) At that time ( still the Dark Age ) this type of behavior was considered very ...cool . A real War strategic he won a lot of battles versus the Ottomans . After he was ambushed and killed his head has been placed in a spare and exposed in Istanbul ( Constantinopole ) Tower . His body has never been recovered ( there is a Monastery in Bucharest claiming to having the tomb with his body but no DNA examination has been ever performed , the clerics did not allow it ) and here is the Legend erupting and turning Vlad into a Vampire searching for ever for fresh blood...Get some garlic while visiting Transylvania again hahaha .Vlad is placed in Romania among the Heroes serving their Country !

[@3wL7]

@@AshleyandChristian If you are interested in Vlad Dracula, I recommend this KZbin channel: "Corpus Draculianum". kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4m4ooWrf7p_bqs

[@superstrongr]

If you know the full history of Romania he’s definitely a hero.

[@vladtheimpaler5440]

Welcome to my Hometown. 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@AshleyandChristian]

Haha perfect name!

[@vladtheimpaler5440]

@@AshleyandChristian Yes,👍👍👍

[@ioanamadalinamersoiu5970]

❤️

[@ploiesti9865]

Love from romania💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@AshleyandChristian]

Thank you!!! 💜

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

Why dont going up in the tower? Is a Nice panoramic View of city

[@AshleyandChristian]

it was closed by the time we got there 😭 next time!!

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

@@AshleyandChristian i understand :(

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

@@AshleyandChristian don't worry,now You have experience 😁

[@AshleyandChristian]

@@catalinvlaescu3889 yes very true! haha

[@shockandawe7274]

Vlad the Impaler's father was born in Sighisoara.

[@claudiageorgianacrisan3254]

Visit Baia Mare, Maramureș!

[@AshleyandChristian]

We’ll add it to the list for next time!! We’ve left Romania already 😭 we still have a few videos to post though!

[@PopescuSorin]

we have T mobile in Romania, here is called Telekom

[@AshleyandChristian]

yes that’s the server we were roaming on! it worked really well

[@zerefcifer]

@@AshleyandChristian I don't know your plan if you pay extra on roaming or not. You can try buying a Romanian sim card. It only costs $5 for a month, and you get 4G+ and 5G internet speed pretty much everywhere. Romania has really good internet speeds.

[@AshleyandChristian]

No we get it for free! That’s whats super nice about T mobile!

[@videoclick2009]

@@AshleyandChristian And it will be nicer next year when Elon Musk will give global satellite connection

[@ionicafardefrica]

in Romania, we regard Vlad as a hero for a simple reason :he was justice. And that's not a mistype, he was literally the spirit of justice and extreme bravery- a fanatic knight who followed his credo and law to the letter, not matter the consequences. One of the stories mentioned a gold cup that was left on a public fountain so everyone could drink, and yet nobody dared steal it. And considering the corruption that comes naturally with capitalism, and that's running rampant through the political class of nowadays Romania, it's not a surprise most people would welcome another Impaler. The irony of the situation is that particular region of Transylvania (sighisoara, sibiu, brasov) was a trading hub and a direct affront to the values Vlad was promoting. Home to rich Saxon trading guilds, and semi independent rulers, part of his father's domain and taken from him in a coup that saw his family tortured and murdered. They were directly responsable for tarnishing his name and yet, they are the ones that are currently profiting from the tourism and the legend. Funny how things turn out.

[@AshleyandChristian]

that’s what we concluded from the exhibit we visited! Really interesting to learn the true history

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

I think was Better in the summer..look borring now Sighisoara 😁

[@AshleyandChristian]

This was July 😬

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

@@AshleyandChristian oops 😁 sorry

[@AshleyandChristian]

haha it's ok!

[@madalinaanton3253]

In Romania we do not really care how Vlad treated civilians at that time and we see him as a hero for what he did with the turks. I do not know how to explain, but you have to be romanian to understand how shamelessly we like this guy although we are such peaceful people. He is not the only gruesome leader we learn about since we are little, there is also Alexandru Lăpușneanu who made a pyramid out of the skulls of corrupted boyars. We study the story of this guy in highschool and noone really teaches us that what he did was wrong, but that he simply gave the people what they wanted: the heads of the boyars. There is also a parallel with the fact that we have no shame for killing Ceaușescu. On the opposite side of the spectrum there is Stephen the Great who built a church for every victory and people in Romania and Moldova worship him as well, he was a contemporary of Vlad the Impaler. So one of them was christian and a courageous leader and the other was courageous gruesome moralist, but we feel no dissonance in identifying with them, and neither does King Charles who seems to understand our side of the story and shamelessly admits he is a direct descendent of Vlad the Impaler, to the horror of british people and the delight of romanians. Personally, as a woman, I am more of a Queen Marie type of gal.

[@AshleyandChristian]

That's what we learned from some locals, I totally understand where you guys come from in liking him! He did so much for modern day Romania. I'll have to read about those other people you mentioned as well. I also loved queen Marie! We learned about her at Bran castle, I think she's awesome

[@ionelghiorghita688]

Actually seems to be yet to "fresh" the Ceaușescu history but when the dust of propaganda will calm down he will be in the top of the national history heroes. He was a very peaceful person, loving his country more than his life and he's time was the only time in all the last 1900 years of sovereignty. Ask historians, read the publishing opera of Eminescu who first wrote about what means a free sovereign Romania and you will understand that Ceausescu was on right path to real freedom and prosperity. It's still a huge shame on us for the way he was killed and judged and all that lies are still blowing in the air and split us.

[@TheLordul20]

there was 300 steps with time they war destroyed or removed!

[@celestindimitriu3675]

Most European countries have roundabouts but the truth is nobody has a more special relationship with roundabouts than Britain has

[@AshleyandChristian]

ok that is very true 😂 those things on the top of a double decker bus are no joke!

[@ionelghiorghita688]

@@AshleyandChristian this is why the tickets are so expensive :you have two in one, trip and adrenaline!

[@BuddhaOwl]

Whatever Vlad is , he till serves his people to this day.And I am not talking only about turism.I know there is the meme that we like to steal wallets but I guarantee you most people here will go out of their way to return your lost wallet to you.Personally I run a little shop and I am not afraid to put alot of my things outside for advertisment , while I chill inside.I never had anything stolen.Most of us would like harsher punishments for crimes , but our government likes criminals more than citizens , sadly.

[@catalinvlaescu3889]

I don't like the hotel....me i paid less for One night and the hotel was in old Town and more more beutifull!...

[@AshleyandChristian]

We definitely prioritized being able to park nearby and have a kitchen! But yes i’m sure the old town hotels are very beautiful inside :)

[@UlmoLOTR]

If the stories you heard at that tour said Vlad the III united Valachia, Moldavia and Transylvania I can't imagine what other lies you were told there. Vlad was an interesting man even in those cruel times. Unfortunately, his cruelty extended to those that didn't deserve it. There is no wonder that the Transylvanian Saxons published horror stories about him in those times, since he butchered their countryside not only once. As in impaling old people, women and children. Yes, he had a taste for blood, even if it wasn't supernatural, his madness was enough.

[@ionelghiorghita688]

I think that you apply the politically correctness rules of today for his time. The "Vlad Țepeș" mouvie is made pretty accurate historical and is showing all the real reasons of his acts. If you know better and more about him let me know otherwise it's just a "progresist" conclusion/judgment.

[@UlmoLOTR]

@@ionelghiorghita688 What I know better is that there is nothing PC in speaking the truth, in this case historical truth. Every historical event and character must be described as accurate as the sources permit, not based on ideology and wishful thinking. The video these two people saw is the later, which is a shame. As it isn't enough that we lie to oureselves, now we trick tourists too?

[@ionelghiorghita688]

@@UlmoLOTR check the "Corpus Draculianum" videos. They are history researchers specialised in "ottomanism". Them conclusions : Țepeș actually killed much less people than many others in his time.

[@UlmoLOTR]

@@ionelghiorghita688 This is not the point, those numbers don't matter or I didn't know it was a contest. The point is that we shouldn't make up stories just to make Vlad III look better or invent events that didn't hapoen. He doesn't need us to find him excuses.

[@ionelghiorghita688]

@@UlmoLOTR this is the point, new Vatican documents are proving that he was really what we know and even more as importance for the Europe defence and I even see a video made in an Italian University speaking about his importance for the Europe. So we should not be shamed anymore for our history but better continue to "dig" looking for the true. Why do you think that many people are easy finding artefacts around Sarmisegetuza but no-one oficial is trying to dig knowing that there are few levels of civilization. The winners don't like the real history they have them own one. Look at the KZbin video called "Originile limbii române" and you will understand better why.

[@truettrusler1485]

WHAT DO YOUTWO...DO FOR A LIVING.

[@AshleyandChristian]

I'm a nurse! Christian works in IT/cyber :) we have flexibility with our time off. (I have a lot more since I work per diem!) That's why I go on solo trips sometimes!

[@AbelDimitriev]

Vlad Dracul it was not a hero, it is a f*king LEGEND!!

[@aurelianstanica2708]

Did he kill poor and hungry people? Are you sure about that? I don't know where you got this version of the story from, but I guarantee you that it's BS. He used to kill enemies, like the Ottoman Empire, and sometimes his own people, but only thieves and not poor people. During his reign, stealing was not tolerated, while the rest of Europe was rampant with stealing and smuggling. This was not due to Vlad, but rather because of his strong leadership. Saxons, who were originally from Germany, were doing business in Romania and prospered under Vlad's rule. However, they became too greedy, and Vlad had to intervene to calm them down. This is why the Saxons created propaganda stories about Vlad. Many rulers, including Vlad, helped the poor, and sometimes to do so, they had to take back from the rich boyars. Unfortunately, many of the boyars were Jews, Saxons, and Hungarians, while the peasants were Romanians. However, not all boyars were like this. Today, we still have a system that encourages foreign businesses to flourish, while many Romanians struggle or leave the country to work abroad. Currently, between 8-9 million out of 20 million Romanians are living outside of Romania.

[@danascully6698]

Deci vrei sa zici ca hotii nu erau saraci. Cica omora numai hoti! Pai aia erau saracii care furau o bucata de paine sau ce mai gaseau sa-si potoleasca foamea! Deci, in concluzie omora saraci! Logic, nu crezi?

[@ionelghiorghita688]

@@danascully6698 Uită-te la film, "Vlad Țepeș" și ai să înțelegi că era vorba de gunoaiele ce traiau in jurul târgurilor, ziua cerseau și "dadeau cu geana" și noaptea furau și omorau distrugând mediul comercial ca se fereau comercianții să mai vina.

[@ionelghiorghita688]

Actually the historians knows that the Saxons was German Jews and the Hungarians leadership was descendants of the Kazars leadership, also Jews. This is why all of them never paid taxes, same as today and the multinationals. It's a book written by an English traveller 200 years ago about all the area. He's saying that in Poland not just they didn't pay any taxes but anyone else was allowed to practise commerce. You can find also a video on KZbin about the Hungarians history and the way they was lead by Arpad, an ex kazar leader.

[@aurelianstanica2708]

@@ionelghiorghita688 Well said Ion.

[@ionelghiorghita688]

@@aurelianstanica2708 please reply to let me know if you can see and open the KZbin video called "Originile limbii române". Considering the complete luck of reaction I suppose that it's banned.

[@ppn194]

Iaşi

[@blabla-rg7ky]

8:10 I don't know what was presented to you in the film you just watched but Vlad is a national hero. He's only a villain to criminals, thieves and wrong-doers. Vlad (the Impaler) was the nephew of the great Wallachian Voivode Mircea the Elder, and during one of our many battles against the Ottoman empire we had to concede Vlad to the Ottomans as a compromise to stop the war (the Ottomans used to recruit soldiers for their army from the territories they'd conquer, and Romania - sadly for us - have provided the Ottomans with many - literally abducted - kids, each year)... So anyway, after one of those numerous battles, Vlad was conceded to the Ottomans who did actually take care of him in the sense that they didn't sodomize him or turn him into Janissary (infantry units of the Ottoman army) which they used to do a lot with our kidnapped children, but that also could be because Vlad was royalty, and royalty had privileges even back then.... So anyway, as Vlad grew up being educated at Constantinople (the current Turkey capital, Istanbul) he learned a lot of things (good and bad) from the Ottomans, one of which was the method of impaling people, a (cruel indeed) method that the Ottomans used to use on their enemies quite often. That's where Vlad had first experienced impaling and when he returned to Wallachia (southern Romania back then) as a next-in-throne candidate the wrong-doing and criminality were running rampant on these lands, there literally was no one, nor any law powerful enough to punish the criminals and thieves, so brutality was kind of the only way to force the evil abide the law. Vlad was a very righteous (in the true, correct sense of the word) personality, so seeing the extreme levels of corruption and thievery that the peasants and common folks endured under the boyars of that time - and when opportunity meets demand, as we like to say - it was the perfect opportunity for Vlad to bring law and justice to these lands by punishing the wrong-doers with the only method that he saw (back in Constantinople) works well: impaling. So, he started his "work" and this method was so efficient at striking fear into the wrong-doers that within few short years (2 if I remember correctly, but I could be wrong about the number, but it was a short period indeed) nobody even thought about stealing other people's stuff, much less actually stealing it. Legends say that you could leave a golden chalice on your porch or in the middle of the street and nobody would even touch it if it wasn't theirs, for fear of being impaled. That effective this method of punishment was, and that's why Vlad is known as Vlad the Impaler. An inhumane method of punishment, yes. But that's by today's standards which are high, you need to understand that 600+ years ago people were bigger brutes than today, so harsh times call for harsh methods. So, if this looks like villainy to you then I'm sorry to say, but you're as evil as those wrong-doers because you side with them in this story.