Day 8 - Bánffy Castle and a Night at the Opera

My travel companion continued to mull over the possibility of catching an opera at the National Theater. We asked the concierge about tickets, and he gave us the location of the ticket office. They weren’t open yet, so the opera fan tried to book the tickets online. A technical glitch interfered with the translation, so we ended up walking to the ticket place anyway. We were the first ones in the queue when the place opened.

The initial plan was to start the day at St. Michael’s Church and the art museum at Bánffy Palace. Then we would drive to an out of town destination. Given that we now had opera tickets in hand, I was concerned about getting back into the city at rush hour. We inverted out schedule and drove out to the village of Bonțida to see Bánffy Castle (not to be confused with Bánffy Palace which was here in the city).

The weather was beautiful when we reached Bonțida, and the light was perfect for photography. The only complication was that a kids from a local high school were on the premises having their senior pictures taken. We did our best to work around them, but they did get into a few of our shots.

Bánffy Castle was once a grand country estate. Unfortunately, the Nazis decided to burn it to the ground during World War 2. A long-term restoration project is underway. The restoration is funded in part by an annual music festival that’s held on the grounds in July.

After our excursion, we headed back to Cluj-Napoca to see St. Michael’s and the art collection at Bánffy Palace, and then we were off to a night at the opera. The National Theater at Cluj-Napoca is somewhat small, but it has a very intimate feel. The upholstery on the orchestra seats was a bit worn, but we sat comfortably through the entire evening.

After the program, which for the record was delightful, we asked for a restaurant recommendation from our hotel. They sent us to a restaurant called Bohemia, which is situated in a grand courtyard. The food was good, but of all of this places where we had dinner through the week, this was the only place that we felt was overpriced. Part of the appeal of Eastern Europe is that it’s inexpensive. Paying too much for a meal, even a tasty meal with good service, reflects negatively versus expectations. All in all, though, it was a memorable evening to cap of a beautiful day.