WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE
Visiting a Christmas Market in Transylvania
Another part of our experience traveling through Romania
By the minute more and more people filled the market. Arriving from all directions now the food stalls had a queue, children were running around between our legs and lots of skaters were on the ice.
It was late November when we visited Sibiu, the city my father studied to become an engineer in the past century. It was a sunny day in November and yet another stop on our road trip through Romania.
We had tried to visit other markets before but no Christmas markets were open yet. Except for the one in this Transylvanian city.
Arriving across the Bridge of Lies, the first cast iron bridge in Romania built in 1860, we entered the old town of Sibiu.
While overlooking the rooftops of the old buildings my father was telling me a story of recent years when a bear was causing problems in this area, eventually entering the city and walking across the roofs in the city.
I still can’t see a bear up on those tiles. But this is Transylvania. While you’ll say it’s all about the tales, these animals still roam in the wilderness of the Carpathian Mountains.
Back to my story. Just before noon, we arrived at the Christmas Market. The stalls had just opened and we were among the first visitors this morning.
The market wasn’t huge compared to the ones I know from Germany but a variety of stalls was offering souvenirs, cheeses, alcohol and other sweets. A small skating rink was pitched in the corner and soon the first children were sliding across the ice.
Without the intention of buying anything, we loaded the bags with presents for friends in Namibia. We had just booked our flights to return to Africa right after the vacation in Romania.
With a cup of hot mulled wine in one hand, we looked for cheeses and palinka, a local fruit spirit.
One stall took our attention because all items were in blue. My sister’s favorite color. That made it easy for me to pick a present. A small Christmas tree hanger.
Further down different decorations sparked my creativity. Dried oranges and lemons were creating a wonderful scene. I used to dry them myself and put them on Christmas wreaths. Maybe something I could do again this year.
Looking up from the stalls you could see the tall church overlooking the market. A tall Christmas tree was standing in front. Countless lights were spread across the entire square and this must be a wonderful sight at night but we won’t be here in the dark.
These days all Christmas markets have some fair features such as a Ferris Wheel, a carousel and a small train for children.
A small terrace was built in the middle of the market, slightly elevated above the rest. A perfect place for couples to take a picture together or for me to get a shot of the market.
We enjoyed lunch on the market before heading on and leaving town. None of us are city people. We can only spend so much time among people before we get pulled out into nature again.
But more about that in the next post.
This is a writing prompt response for Globetrotters’ monthly challenge. Read about the guidelines here:
These were my first two responses:
Read about other submissions:
Elvie Lins with “Christmas Through a Muslim Lens”
Vickey Maverick with “Lüneburg’s Christmas Market Is a Distinct Fairy Tale Setting”
Rose Ernst with “A Postbox for Santa”
Chau Trieu with “4 Best Christmas Treats in The Netherlands”
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