We had a little time before we needed to go for the train and decided to head out for breakfast, that is until we found that everywhere seemed to be shut until 10am for breakfast. Undeterred we walked up to the citadel having exhausted the possibilities below and found a hotel offering food to anyone who walked by as well as residents. We made the most of this opportunity and then headed back to the hotel to collect bags and walk to the train station. Being cautious as ever we arrived with plenty of time and sat around waiting with many locals. Due to timings we had decided to go for the slow train which was also the locals train. As such train 28 was much more basic than anything we had been on so far and stopped frequently. It seems that walking on tracks isn't so much of a no no as it would be back home, some of the stations didn't really even have platforms and people to jumped on and off when the train came to a stop.  

With three hours we had some time to watch the world go by and in general it needed some repair work and a lick of paint. But as we got closer to Brasov there were more signs of built up areas and on arrival we were surprised with the modern feel of the city. Perhaps the contrast should not have been so hard to predict given that Brasov is ten times bigger than Sighisoara. The train station was actually off the map of our guide but we had taken some screen shots of maps on Eleanor's phone and hesitantly navigated our way to the hotel. This turned out to be a nice place with some curiosities. A very small duvet, more like a single, on a double bed, see through curtains (to entertain the neighbours?!) and an odd reluctance to serve us breakfast the next day despite the fact that they would be paid to do so.

After dropping our bags we managed to get a taxis to the center of town. Brasov itself seems to be segregated into a lovely old town, surrounded by the old city wall, and the more modern and functional area. Brasov is considered to be the first stop for tourists in the country and we immediately saw more than in Sighisoara. We stopped by the Black Church, which is the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul, but it had just shut before we arrived. The weather was windy but at least dry and so we headed to the cable car up Mount Tampa. This ridge overlooks Brasov by some 500 metres and is in fact where the towns original defences were until Vlad the Impaler attacked it in 1458 and subsequently dismantled it and then in an effort to keep up his reputation impaled 40 merchants at the top. For us it was a less terminal journey to the top. On the way there, after some appropriate hunting, we found what is claimed to be the narrowest street in Europe at a little over a metre wide, although alleyway would be a more accurate description.

At the top of the ridge we walked along to the very peak for the best views, just above the Hollywood style 'BRASOV' sign. The wind was terrific but thanks to a concrete buttress largely just above our heads but we could see it blowing in bad weather so there was little time to dawdle. The view looking down onto the town laid it out like a map. We could see further up the valley and spotted a grey smear up the hill side. At first I thought this was a landslide but on closer inspection with the camera it turned out to be an extended graveyard. From this vantage point we could clearly see the old town and where the city walls once were as well as the two defensive towers on the opposite hill. With snaps taken and a chill in the air we jumped on the cable car down back into town, some food and then back to the hotel.