We started our trip toward Maramures further south, in the city of Alba Iulia. Aside from its historical significance, Alba Iula (Karlsburg's Weissenberg in German) is not much for the eye as most of its older buildings were bulldozed under Ceausescu with concrete replacements favored. In the heart of Alba Iulia's citadel are the Roman Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals. Several famous Transylvanian princes are buried in the Catholic cathedral. The Orthodox Church (1922) was built for the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie (their frescoed portraits are on the rear walls). The 58 meter tall bell tower and gardens are striking. It is also within these 18th century walls that the Act of Unification between Romania and Transylvania was signed (1918).

North from Alba Iula, we passed through wine country and entered the town of Teius. A few kilometers north is the town of Aiud. Aiud (Nagyenyed in Hungarian) has one of the oldest fortresses in Transylvania with its intact walls and eight towers.



A summer rain shower caught us by surprise and fortunately, we were able to immediately pull undercover at a MOL gas station. It was here we met a Romanian rider traveling to Targu Mures for a 5-day rock festival and then on to Sighisoara's medieval festival.



Turda (Torda) is known for its salt mines and gorges. The 13th century mines closed in the 1930s with a portion of the area today used to aid those with respiratory ailments.



Route E60/E81 provides a great scenic road with a winding descent into Cluj-Napoca. Since we had spent time previously in Cluj, we continued north passing the town of Gherla (known for its notorious prison). It was on to Dej with its ominous factories pushing pollutants into the surrounding countryside.



With afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s, we continued north to our destination, Maramures. – BGR & HSR