Hansomat: Sibiu, RO - Still Sibiu

Sunday, December 06, 2015

Sibiu, RO - Still Sibiu

We slept in a bit; we did not want to be in the high mountains when it was cold in the morning. On those high passes there might be snow in September, so we had a leisurely breakfast. The sky was dark and threatening too. We waited some but finally, it was time to go. All packed, we said good bye to the great couple who run the Santa Maria. I started my bike and pulled back to give Carol some room. Carol swung her leg over the bike, hit the starter button and…. Nothing!

No, it was not the kill switch that was on. What was it? All was fine when we came to the hotel but now, it looked like the battery was dead. Checked if the head light went on when Carol turned the key, and no, no lights. No sounds, cannot hear the starter motor even trying to turn. Bummer!

OK, let’s start from the beginning. I parked my bike and inspected her bike, and I determined her battery was totally dead. Luckily we had jumper cables, cables of the old type, where one jumps from bike to bike. I took off my saddle to access the battery on my bike, and then I took off Carol’s side plate, part of her cover on the tank until I could finally get to her battery. (Her bike, the 650 GS is a bit of a pain to get to anything). Now, cables are attached and? Yes, her bike started and I let it run for a bit. But it idled roughly; I kept my bike running as well to make sure current flowed from my bike to her bike. I even revved my engine a bit to bring the RPM higher; I don’t want to drain my battery, too.

After about 5 minutes I think that Carol’s battery has had enough time and I disconnected the jumper cable and immediately her bike stalled. Trying to restart Carol’s bike gives us nothing. Her battery is dead and will not hold a charge. I check her battery fluids as best I can and make sure the plates are covered but it is hard to see. I add some water and wait a bit. OK, we tried the jumper one more time, but again, dead battery. This time her bike will not even start with my battery connected.

Life Is A Bumpy, Narrow Road Sometimes

Today is Sunday, no stores are open. This is Romania. Here they do it the Romanian way. What to do now? We need a new battery, it’s a simple thing and it can happen that your battery dies like that. But, because it’s Sunday we cannot buy a new battery anyplace in Romania.

We take a deep breath, look at each other and shrug our shoulders. Did Stefan Knopf not service the batteries like he should have? But that is not fair, we rode for days and all was well. So, no blame to anybody, it’s just one of those things. We keep it simple, we need a new battery!

First things first, does the hotel have a room for one more night? We marched into their office and hello, all smiles, yes, they have one room available, but not the room we had before. They have a new room and the new room is even better. Lucky for us that worked out the way it did. So, now what do we do?

This Was An Old Gypsy Camp

We unpacked our gear, moved into the ‘new’ room and? It was just before lunch, so no reason to do anything but have lunch. Well that was not so easy because we were in a residential area and there was nothing open. It was Sunday.

I walked the streets and find a small cigarette shop open that has also some cookies and such and we pig out on ‘lunch’ like potato chips and Twinkies. Later, for dinner we will just go back to the restaurant we ate at last night. No problem.

So now what? We ask what we could do on a Sunday besides going back to downtown Sibiu. And the nice couple that runs Santa Maria tells us about ASTRA, the biggest historical outdoor museum in Europe. About 30 minutes away by taxi. Great, off we go! We even make arrangement with the taxi driver to pick us up in three hours’ time exactly where he dropped us off. We do plan ahead.

Homestead In ASTRA - Cozy

Homestead With A Sawmill

Old, But So Nice I Could Live In It Today

Wattle Fences, Reed Roofs, Whatever Nature Provides

It is a wonderful, sunny day and the park is huge. When I say park, it is like a forest with parcels cut out where old, ancient, medieval buildings and setups like farm steads, sawmills, barns, gardens, etc. have been collected. The buildings are originals, collected from all over Romania and reestablished, rebuilt in this ASTRA Park. A great idea and it looks outstandingly ‘old’. Narrow walkways connect one plot to the next and it is like walking through a historic piece of Romania.

Grand Location For ASTRA

The Use Of Water For Power Was A Good Invention

The Concert Stage At ASTRA

Looks Like Don Quixote Was Here

Rough Art Made From Tree Stumps

Never Thought Of Using Wooden Slats for Sails

Safety Railing? What Is That?

This Was the Biggest 'Estate'

Our bike trouble has been forgotten. We get absorbed in this wonderful place and Carol’s camera is busy taking loads of pictures. The afternoon passes quickly and yes, the taxi was there where and when we had agreed he should be. On the way in to the hotel, I saw an open shop that had sandwiches which would work instead of going to the restaurant again. After the taxi dropped us off and after we refreshed ourselves with some drinks, I walked to get us sandwiches. That was our dinner. All went great today, except the battery.