Our first official day as tourists

So, after getting back last night, I think its pretty safe to say the universal feeling was "tired". So, today was a light day, at least for the guys. Joanne and Karen went to help out today at the music camp, so that left Pastor Rich, Jerry and myself free. So, Radu had a friend of his, Flavius, take us around Sibiu and show us the city. I never realized just how much history is in this "little" city. I say little because, while it is physically small, it is also dense, equalling the population of Hayward in about 1/3 the size.

We started the tour with a stop by the Lutheran (Evangelical) church via the Lesser Plaza. Now, once again, I forgot to bring the camera with me, but Jerry was kind and let me borrow theirs. So, as soon as I can get a media card reader that works, I will post the pics from the walk today. Anyways, we took a tour of the church, which was huge inside. It was originally a Roman Catholic church, but was converted just after completion due to the Reformation. Both Jerry and I found it funny that the Lutherans converted some of the artistry to fit their beliefs, like covering up Mary Magdalene on one of the paintings. We got to see just about everything, including the gravestones for the "honored" dead, i.e. the privileged class who made large contributions to the church. We also got a little history while in the church, seeing how the town was intricately constructed to be a fortress with each set of buildings acting as a layer of defense against invaders.

Afterwards, we went over to the school that Flavius used to attend as a child. We got to see the projects on-display from the graduating class (8th grade). We also got to hear a little bit about his childhood as he attended the school.

Now, this next part gets me a little aggravated, so please excuse me if I seem to get a little belligerent. Next, we went to the Orthodox church. We actually went in while a service was starting. I couldn't believe the intricate architecture and artistry in this place. It was amazing to say the least, even if it was spiritually off-kilter. But, why does a church have something this elaborate and expensive when poverty runs rampant?!?! Why does a church, one of who's purposes is supposed to be help the sick and needy, have this much money wrapped up in one building?!?! What happened to being charged to help those in need?!?!

Anyways, coming back down off my soapbox, we moved on to a park up the street. This seemed to be right out of the movies. Congregated in a small area were dozens of people playing chess, bridge and backgammon with trees, statues and a fountain as the backdrop. So, as we continued to walk through the park, we ended up running into a familiar set of faces. As it turns out, Adi and Moni had taken their daughter to the children's hospital for a checkup. It was nice to run into them again after the camp.

Continuing on, we got to see one of the old city walls and a couple of the watchtowers. After so many centuries, these still stand tall as icons of Sibiu's withstanding of the siege from the Turks. Its amazing to see how well they are not only preserved but integrated into the ever-developing city.

We continued on into the Big Plaza. First, we got to see the Roman Catholic church. I had to chuckle a bit when I noticed that the Catholic church is smaller than the Lutheran church. :) It was fairly empty, with only a few people inside who were there to not be tourists, so I didn't feel bad for snapping a couple of pictures. Afterwards, we got see some of City Hall, albeit not a whole lot. However, as most of us were getting hungry, we decided to head back to our room at Betania.

We actually made it just in time, as lunch was just coming in for us as we walked in. They had prepared green bean soup and cabbage/pork rolls for us, which were, again, really good! The only problem is, now I was ready for a nap. And take one I did. I ended up missing the prayer group in the afternoon and woke up shortly before Tony arrived. But, I did need that nap, as I was very sleep-deprived from the past couple weeks.

So, Tony got a chance to settle in just before Radu returned to pick us up for a Bible study that was being held at another church in-town. It was a little interesting at first, as we walked in right in the middle of their worship session. But, once again, their hospitality surprised me and they welcomed us in. One of the gentlemen even gave me his song book so that I could join them as they sang along and flipped to each song as we started a new one. What was really amazing was seeing Tony grab his sax and join in. Afterwards, we spent the evening discussing some of the issues they were each facing within the church and sharing some of our own experiences with these same issues. What was really great, at least from my stomach's perspective, was that we got to end on a very sweet note...with gogosi!!!! :D

So, here I sit at the end of the night (almost midnight) and just about ready to go to bed. Have a great rest of the day everyone and I'll see you all soon.