Cluj was once a jewel in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Hike atop the hillside for a great view of the red-roofed skyline.

Read more about this city in the region of Transylvania at romaniatourism.com.

I’m awoken by a barking dog by the side of the train tracks at a stop 15 minutes later. A man wearing a blue sweater with Boy Scout-like patches enters my train cabin. Much to my surprise, I’m being asked again for my passport. This must be an example of the infamous Hungarian-Romanian animosity and mistrust I’ve heard so much about. Why stop twice within 15 minutes on each side of the border? Why not have just one check-point?

He pivots his feet and opens the train door to leave my cabin, passport in hand. I stand and question “Wait?” “I will come back with your passport,” he cheerfully says. I look again at those Boy Scout-like patches on his sweater. How official are they? He senses my apprehension, but seeks to reassure me with his beaming smile as he points to the station building through the train’s window. “This is the Romanian entry-point. I will just check your passport there,” he says in near-perfect English, with near-perfect teeth, and a near-perfect smile. The town of Episcopia Bihor surely hired the most charming man around for this job. It’s no easy feat to separate tourists from their passports. “10 minutes,” he says, “and I’ll be back.” And sure enough, 10 minutes later, I see him emerge from the station building, darting onto the train, as though not to be a moment late.

Train Tip: There were not many other travelers with me on the train this day. In fact, I saw this border agent quickly walk to the station to verify my passport after receiving it. But I thought, in hindsight, had this station agent been collecting a fistful of passports, I very well should walked off the train and stayed with him, and my passport, to ensure no mix-up. I’m not sure how well that would have been received, but it’s an idea worth pursuing if you feel at all uncomfortable with the circumstances of passport collection. I will test this in the future.

More about Cluj at romaniatourism.com.