This Global Walk Outside | Day 30: Romania
My name is Casey Bloom and I live in Transylvania, Romania, more specifically in the medieval citadel of a small city called Sighișoara (sig-ee-shwar-ah). I’ve been serving cross culturally since March 2015 as a social worker in different capacities, but mostly with teenagers and children.
FIND ME AT:
My absolute favorite thing about my balcony is the view. I probably have hundreds of photos taken from my balcony, mostly of sunsets. I am constantly left in awe of how the sun sets over Sighișoara. My other favorite thing is sitting on the balcony in the morning with a cup of coffee and a book.
A magical pink sunset view from my balcony.
When I first moved into this apartment five years ago, I was left with a rusty, white metal table and two chairs. The chairs were very uncomfortable, which meant that I spent very little time on the balcony. The space was very “blah” and uninviting.
Just recently, I purchased a balcony furniture set in an effort to spend more time out there. I found a simple, yet colorful, outdoor rug which brightens up the space a bit. It has truly made a difference and I’ve sat out there more in the last few months than I probably have in the last few years. I wish I hadn’t waited so long to make those changes!
Simple furniture set and colorful outdoor rug on my balcony.
I also have a shared yard, as I rent an apartment on the top floor of a large home. I don’t spend time in the yard, even though I definitely could. I enter/exit through a gate at the back of the yard, and I really love the view of the house (as seen in photo 3My yard) from the gate.
This is the view of the house upon entering the gate to the yard/house. I live on the second floor.
The view of the yard from my kitchen window in the winter.
My street: This is right outside of my gate. The yellow/orange wall to the left is the wall of my gate.
In my neighborhood (the medieval citadel), most people have a small, enclosed courtyard, which is used for relaxation, hosting family and friends, etc. A lot of people also have small gardens in their yards with vegetables and flowers.
Most houses (not in the citadel) also have enclosed courtyards, with larger gardens of vegetable, fruit trees, grape vines, etc. Romanians make the most of their outdoor space in very practical ways. Additionally, there are a lot of communist-era apartment blocks in my city, which means that a lot of people also have balconies. There is usually some balcony seating, but this is also where laundry is hung, as dryers are not super common. Often times, the apartment block will have a shared plot of land nearby for gardening. Each renter has a designated plot where they grow whatever they’d like (flowers, vegetables, etc.).
Another view of my street from a few houses up the street.
The view from my balcony on a clear, beautiful day.
A colorful, cloudy sunset view from my balcony.
This is a photo of the top two floors (main floor and my apartment on the second floor) of my house, where you can see my balcony. There is a door right below the center part of this photo, which takes you into a basement-like part of the house.
This is the main square of the medieval citadel, which is one street over from where I live. This photo was taken on a walk during the lockdown, which is why there’s nobody around. Sighisoara is a very touristy city so it was incredibly odd for it to be so empty during 2020.
This is one of the main sights in the medieval citadel, along with a handful of other towers (blacksmith’s tower, shoemaker’s tower, etc.).