Sibui is a lovely old city which was designated by the EU as 'Capital of Culture' for 2007. So freshly scrubbed, painted and cobblestoned, the pedestrian friendly centre is very pretty and is seems that every third building has been declared a historic monument. Unique 'eyelid' rooftop windows wink from the pastel buildings and the city has a very laid back atmosphere, brimming with cafes, bars and restaurants.
That morning we wandered the three interlocking squares that make up the town, checking out a couple of shops and churches along the way, before deciding to find a place for lunch. Pizza ended up being the best bet, and it seems it is a Romanian favourite, although standards vary from place to place. This one was pretty good actually and it was nice to sit in the sun and catch up with John and Emily. Later on we met up with some of the other guests from the wedding, including the groom himself who was in a bit of a panic trying to sort out a few last minute arrangements! T.I.R. (this is Romania) became a bit of a catch-phrase for the trip, with the backwardness of the country very evident at times! Later on we caught a taxi back to our hotel near the open air museum, where we decided to head to explore. Officially it's called the Museum of Traditional Folk Civilisation and is a sprawling place with traditional dwellings, windmills and churches brought in from around the country. So we spent an hour or two wandering about, watching about 5 or 6 other weddings going on, before deciding to escape the heat with an ice cream and heading back to our hotel for a bit of siesta.
Waking later that afternoon it was time to get ready for the wedding, which was due to start at 6pm. Meeting the other guests outside we were herded into mini buses and were off for the church. The wedding ceremony was lovely, it was a Greek Catholic Church and the service was all in Romanian, apart from the vows which were in English. The entire service was sung by a lovely animated priest with an amazing voice, and accompanied by the most beautiful sounding choir. Even though we had no idea what was going on, it was a beautiful ceremony and quite humorous at times as it seemed there had been no rehearsal and no one really knew what was about to happen apart from the priest! Iulia looked stunning in her beautiful wedding dress, and she and Ben made a very handsome couple. After the ceremony we all threw confetti over the couple and had a few family photos outside the church before heading back to the reception venue while the bride and groom took off for more photos.
The reception was just down the hill from the hotel we were staying at, in a beautiful setting at the open air museum. A big marquee had been set up in a field next to a little creek. While we waited for the bride and groom we drank cold beers, before being surprised by their arrival in a horse drawn carriage. The reception was great fun, very relaxed and chilled out. There was a continual buffet all night long which people could just help themselves to (the main course was served about midnight!) along with plenty of drink, including more tuica (brandy) and a delicious wine which Iulia's dad had brewed himself - pretty potent though! The food was mainly meat based - as you can see from the picture below - not really suitable for vegetarians! Soon enough everyone was up on the dance floor and the evening just went from there. Later on we were surprised by a performance of traditional Romanian dancing which was just incredible, followed by a group of brave kiwi girls performing a rousing haka. Before we knew it it was 2am and the cake was only just being cut, then about half two a serious DJ with a proper mixing desk showed up, and the real party began! Tim and I managed to sneak away about 3.30am but apparently the die hard people were up to see the sun rise - what a crazy, fantastic night!
No comments:
Post a Comment