Chapter 2b: Cluj, Salina Turda and Paltinis

I can't believe how long it takes to go through this whole trip that we had! When I was travelling I didn't even realise how many stuff we've done, how many kilometres I drove, I was just fascinated by everything.
After visiting the Corvins Castle and Prislop, I drove straight to Cluj (and it was quite a long way) so in the evening we just stopped at a pension right cross the street from the Botanical Garden and went to sleep immediately! In the morning we woke up super early (7.30am - which for me is very early) and started visiting the city.
Well, I liked Cluj, I loved the people, I loved the vibe but I think from an architectural point of view I was expecting a bit more. I was looking for that centre area like you have in Brasov or Sibiu. Cosy, with little cafes, pedestrian area and so on. But it was nowhere to be found.
So after few hours of sightseeing (and shopping in outlets!!! there is no holiday without a bit of shopping, right?!) we decided it was time to go to Turda Salt Mine and drive to Sibiu.



Turda Salt Mine is F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. I felt like in an "underground wonderland." The feeling when you go deep, deep below combined with the design inside the mine and the lights was unbelievable. There is no wonder why it is in top of "Unbelievable travel destinations around the world" according to Business Insider. It is a must go. I've visited other mines before, but this one....is the best. Big congrats to the team that designed and made this place so fabulous!!
Besides its fantastic design, you can do sooo many activities inside: there is an amphitheatre where they usually organise concerts (can you imagine an orchestra playing in a mine?! oh that sound...), playground area, ping pong tables, underground lake where you can go by boat and so many other wonderful things. You'd better check their website and plan a visit there asap!

After this down the rabbit hole, Alice in Wonderland kind of adventure, we started driving to Sibiu. Very close to the city we felt like we need more nature, so we decided to detour a bit (again) and drive up in the mountains in Paltinis. Very nice place. In winter there is a ski resort, but now it was just us, the sky and the most spectacular sunset from this trip.

Here are the pictures from the day: Cluj, Turda Salt Mine and Paltinis. Hope you like them!

Roxana