Peles Castle, Sinaia, Romania

Natural landscape vs progress

We've crossed the Danube from Ruse, Bulgaria into Romania's Transylvania! The land of Dracula!  Traditional houses with shingled roofs, towerlike at the entrance, atop timber walls raised on a stone foundation pass by.

Driving down winding roads along lush greenery, it is easy to understand that 33% of Romania is forest and there's logging. Notably, the country is an important European source for forest products like sawn wood, wood-based panels and furniture, most  of it passing through the Black Sea. It should not be surprising then that there have been issues with illegal logging. 

Sensory introduction to ‘romancing’ Romania

We arrive at the foot of the mountains to an  entrance that  easily distracts with the colourful souvenir stalls and the traditionally dressed women toting large baskets filled with colourful little woven baskets filled with juicy bright red strawberries and the most flawless, freshest cherries I've ever seen. 3 baskets for 10€ seems a steal for parched tongues.

Adding to the celebratory tastes and colours was a wedding group dressed in its traditional finery.

And of course Medieval Castles.

And there appears before us a stunning edifice, Peles Castle, so called because Peles creek flows through its courtyard. Most in our company have bought tickets. They will see the lush furnishings and the lavish decorations on the inside while we admire the outside. The summer retreat, built in 1883, with both Gothic tall vertical elements and thin walls as well as Renaissance decorative classical elements, is inarguably distinctive. A sense of awesomeness is evoked through the kinds of material, viz wood , marble and glass, that are imaginatively incorporated into the architecture.

Interestingly, it was the first European castle to have its own power plant for electricity. Consequently it had hot and cold running water, central heating, telegraph, telephone, a small elevator for the royal family and a central vacuum system. Our friends tell us the stained glass roof of the foyer opens mechanically.

We notice the alpine-like features from the outside while exploring the various landscaped terraces. The marble statues in one of the terraces draw our attention more than any other. Then there is the typical lion guards of the Balkans. The urns seem to  complete the requirements of palace gardens.  Some parts are supported with scaffolding and fountains are under repair. 

The castle is undoubtedly enchanting, but the crumbling parts evoke a sense of the eerie, perhaps because of Bram Stoker.

Yes, we get lost. 

The castle is surrounded by forest with well marked trails. Since we enjoy trails we launched on one with our friends. When we sense it is about time to rejoin our travelling group we hastily look for the way back when we chance upon umpteen souvenir shops with such attractive displays that we get side tracked. We smugly believe we are back at the row of vendors we had seen at the entrance. But we are wrong and it does not take long to realise it. A frantic walk hither and thither till we get our bearings and there we are, the abominable late comers ( but just by a minute, saving our reputation for punctuality).

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