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Six hours are a few hours too many to spend on a train.

Okay, I’ll admit, maybe it’s better than six hours on a bus because you can move around, go to the bathroom, get a snack from the restaurant car, do a little dance. But honestly, when you get right down to it, six hours on a train is a lot.

This weekend I dedicated 12 hours to riding trains so that I could make it to Hunedoara, a small town west of Brasov, which, I can now wholeheartedly confirm, is not known for its beauty. Before the fall of the Iron Curtain, Hunedoara was home to the largest steel works in Romania, which brought a certain degree of wealth to the town. Now, however, the gray carcasses of the old steel work towers are all that remain of its more prosperous past.

Yet sprinkled with parks and tree lined streets, Hunedoara makes an effort to welcome the few travelers who journey through to see the famous Hunyadi Castle, an architectural feat that happily allows travelers to overlook the large cylinders that otherwise mar Hunedoara’s skyline.

This beautiful castle is definitely worth a visit–its Gothic-Renaissance style and great size are bound to enchant any passerby. Built in the early 14th century by King Charles I of Hungary, its large courtyard, views over Hunedoara, drawbridge entrance, and jail and torture chambers, are only a few of the reasons charter buses filled with tourists stop by Hunedoara for the day. And, as an extra bonus, most of the signs around the castle explaining its history are in Romanian, German, and English.

But what do you do if you don’t have the luxury of a chartered bus that will get you in and out of Hunedoara? Well, friends, you’ll have to dedicated some hours to public transportation and possibly a night in the not-at-all-lively town of Hunedoara. Lucky you. From Brasov, 5-6 hours on an oh-my-gosh-I-could-get-there-faster-if-I-walked train (around 70 lei, although getting there cost less than going back, so I have a secret suspicion they want us to stay and make the town seem lively) to Deva and a subsequent 30 minute bus ride from Deva to Hunedoara (the buses leave every 15 minutes and cost 6 lei, one way).

Because 6 hours is enough time spent on a train for one day, my fellow adventurers and I spent the night in Hundeoara. While most of our guidebooks recommended the three star Hotel Rusca, where a double room costs 179 lei or roughly 40 Euro/50 Dollars, we opted for the slightly less central but also three star Pensiunea Stadion, where the receptionist was friendly and a double room costs 50 lei, or 11 Euro/14 Dollars (at the current exchange rate). From there it was an easy 20-30 minute walk to the castle.

After a day full of adventure (sitting on a train) we were starving and bleary eyed, finding solace at Restaurant Scorpion, an Italian venue that had everything we were craving. Pizza, pasta, wine, beer… and everyone was happy with their food, glad to eat a non-Romanian meal for a change. After a pajama party at the hotel (also known as extreme bonding), a warm shower, and a good night’s sleep, it was off to the castle the following morning and then, you guessed it, back on the train for 6 more hours of fun-filled traveling.

But I’d say that a six hour train ride was worth it. Friends and castles–who could ask for more?

FYI–Castle entrance prices:

Adults: 10 lei, Students (with ID card): 5 lei