The place considered ones of the most beautiful destinations from where you can admire both sunrises and sunsets, but a place which doesn't step away from history and the stories from the Jurassic Ages.

We are all used to hear the stories with Dracula and the medieval fortresses from Transylvania which were populated with Dacians a few centuries ago, but what happens when we step away from this part of the country and go closer to the Black Sea and realize that not even that far we get to escape from the historical tales?
That's going to be an interesting experience for sure, especially after my previous posts were we've been roaming through ruins and locations that were populated with dinosaurs and hieroglyphs.
But as we are aware of the fact that a place it looks like it looks after it's been through a lot of phases during its existence and that this won't be possible without the painful history which left lots of scars behind it, it falls into our journey to discover its past entirely and accept it as it is and leave with a backpack fuller in knowledge but with our souls happy for the nice moments we lived there instead of the sad ones that marked its background.
This is how our steps brought us to a very peaceful and quiet place on top of the hills that is surrounded by the huge Razim Lake and Babadag Lake previously known as gulfs, and some interesting formations on the valley, which is called Enisala Fortress.

Enisala also represents the name of the village where the citadel is located and which made us very curious to find out where its name comes from. That's how Enisala appears from Yeni Sale which in Turkish states for The New Annunciation... and what better way to find out more about a place if not through the religious connections?

The ruins of the citadel are positioned just 2 km away from the village with the same name and they are located on a limestone hill which dominates the wonderful lakes Razim and Babadag. Not even in this place which is visible further from the previous discoveries from Dobrogea, we don't step away from the Jurassic Ages when there was a completely different reality from what we are currently living, being left behind only the stories and the interesting formations of the old stones which have been there the whole time.

But what really melts my heart and conquers my soul entirely, is when during our journeys we get to discover in the middle of nowhere one of these loyal friends which make you feel like they've been waiting for your arrival for so long, showing their excitement with no hesitation.
That is one of the moments when I truly feel at peace especially that the little one is one of the very few creatures you are going to discover far away from the population.
During our journeys, we met such little friends on citadels, on the lakes, in the forest, waterfalls, or even on the peak of the mountains.
It's like their home, because no matter when you will return, you will always find them in the same place but most likely accompanying some new tourists and taking care of them to enjoy every single moment and return with great memories.
And I freaking love this kind of moments, they make me feel like I'm living some of the most important and heart touching experiences along with the discoveries we are making.
It's like a complete mission and a bag full of feelings we bring back home.

Even though the place dates since the Jurassic Ages, the objects that have been discovered during the archaeological research don't really focus on that period, but most likely proving the military, political, administrative and economical influences Enisala Fortress have been part of, finding lots of coins from various areas and domains, such as Byzantine, Genoese, Tatar, Moldavian, Wallachian or Turkish ones.

Starring on Enisala Fortress in the 21st century, doesn't really make any sense thinking about its placement especially that we are being used to see this kind of buildings have a proper view over the villages and cities nearby and protect them from different invasions. But find out that its placement is far away from being randomly picked.

Of course, like any other fortress, the one from Enisala also had defensive and surveillance purposes but not for the villages, and actually for the travelled roads on both the water and land on the mouth of the Danube Delta.
That's why the citadel is mostly orientated on the Black Sea so they had full control on the naval traffic, being closely supported by the Byzantine Empire and Republic of Genoa which on that time were the monopoly holder of the navigation on the Black Sea.
Enisala Fortress comes with an irregular polygonal plan which used to present the beautiful building being composed of four corner towers and two buttresses, the walls between them measuring just 5-10 meters height.
Thought, being placed on the edge of the hill and pretty close to the water, during the time it was partially damaged making it impossible to be discovered entirely since some of the towers and walls fell into the lakes which are surrounding it.

A good thing is that you are still allowed to explore the citadel and not just the surroundings of it. Unfortunately, we weren't able to because the sun was already going down and we were still on the road, away from the place were we planned to go and spend the night so the exploration was kind of in a rush, but we promised to the little doggo that we will return someday and let him be our guide.

The fortress is open for visitors every day of the week between 10.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m except on Monday when it's closed, and the access to it is being made by buying a ticket as it follows:

• Adults Ticket: 8 RON/1.64 EUR ;
• Children/Retirees/Students Ticket: 4 RON/0.82 EUR ;
• Professional Photo: 100 RON/20.50 EUR per hour ;
• Professional Video: 500 RON/102.50 EUR per hour.

The fortress that is considered one of the most important touristic attractions of Dobrogea and which makes it the single Medieval Fortress next to the sea, is located on the hill which offers a great perspective over the lakes which are surrounding it, making you not get lost just into the historical events occurred centuries ago, but also in the beauty of nature which is always different due to the reed islets from the Razim Lake which are in a continuous movement making you assist to some real islands, the lake being considered one of the largest ones from our country.

Babadag Lake is not less interesting due to the big population of eels it hides, making it one of the very few places of the country where you can find the fish which looks like a snake.
Though, let's not forget about the real origins of this place which are dominating most of the touristic attractions from Dobrogea we got to discover so far, these being the stories from the Jurassic Age.
There is already not a new thing that millions of years ago, the whole surface was populated with dinosaurs and other creatures rather than humans, but along with the many coins discovered during the archaeological explorations, there have been found mammoth bones which shows the continuity of population since prehistory times.
Of course the things you are going to discover and the feelings that are going to test you are infinite, from the spectacular landscapes to the bones and traces left by a different era, from Dacian tombs to polished stone axes and other tools used on that time, and many more.

But a rumour which strengthens more with each passing day is that Enisala Fortress represents one of the best places of the area where you can enjoy both the sunrises and sunsets, because of its placement and wonderful surroundings.

The citadel is located 2 km away from Enisala, 7 km away from Babadag and 40 km from Tulcea, the most recommended road of access being the one that starts from Tulcea and it crosses Agighiol - Sabangia - Sarichioi - Enisala. We are talking about the county road DJ 222 which is a pretty good one, especially that next to the citadel you will find a parking lot where you can leave the car and then just follow all the way up to the entrance which won't take longer than 2 minutes.

SEE YOU IN THE NEXT TRIP! 🗾

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