When traveling in Romania you have to be able to choose from hundreds of attractive places and sights. It is not an easy job and at this point, I try to come with a little help. I mean with a recommendation...
Peles Castle in Sinaia
Over the decades of moving around, I have also visited Peles Castle in Sinaia several times. This place can't be visited just once; it calls you several times. This is okay for someone like me, living in Romania, but it is more difficult if you come from far away, from foreign countries.
I have the advantage that I live in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, which is a little over a hundred kilometers from Sinaia. Most foreign tourists who come to Bucharest continue with a trip to Sinaia, to see the Peles Castle and another smaller one, called Pelisor (meaning Peles the small one). Means of transportation are train, bus, or car.
Sinaia
Sinaia is a small town near the Bucegi Mountains, part of the great Carpathian mountain range. The city was formed near the monastery of Sinaia, built in the early 1700s, from which it took its name.
In 1880, Sinaia received the status of an urban commune and the royal family of Romania established its summer residence here, with the construction of Peles Castle.
Summer residence of the royal family spurred the development of the town into a mountain resort, with many guesthouses and hotels.
Before arriving at the Castel, travelers are attracted to visit the town where many of the old guesthouses are still in use.
Most of all I like that I can see the mountains looking over the roofs of the houses.
Obviously, in the meantime the city has modernized, it is well cared for and well landscaped.
It is a mountain town with long sloping streets that are hard to climb.
Problem solved in a pleasant way for tourists. Children and the elderly, but not only, can visit the city without too much effort.
These little trains, similar to the ones we see in seaside resorts, are a joy, especially for children, and we see them everywhere in the city streets.
The architecture is inspired by other similar mountain towns in Europe, especially Switzerland and Germany.
After a short or longer tour of the city follows the journey to the biggest tourist attraction in this area and one of the most famous in the country, the Castle.
The few kilometers-long path through the wild forest leads to the castle.
The forest is like a cool filter that cleans us from the dust, heat, and crowded city. I could say now, in advance, that I enjoyed this part of the trip more than visiting the castle.
A bit of dreaming and forgetting, another world than the one at home but, unfortunately, like every road, this one has an end. It's like a small river flowing into a much bigger one. We arrive in the main alley leading to the castle and mingle with the growing number of tourists. Goodbye, silence!
The small, real river, still accompanies us for a while with its coolness and the sound of water cascading in small waterfalls.
The locals who earn a living by selling berries appear in the landscape.
Who could resist the freshly picked raspberries, torn from the noses of bears in the forest... My wife certainly does not!
Unfortunately, it's not all-natural, the little fruit basket is made mostly of plastic.
We reached the most sought-after glade in this forest, a glade trodden in the past by blue-blooded feet, where it was the summer residence of the Romanian royal family.
Peles Castle
Carol I of Romania, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, was the ruler of Romania since 1864. In that year he visited the place for the first time, coming from the monastery of Sinaia. He decided to build a castle there and bought the land.
Peles Castle in Sinaia, the summer residence of the Romanian kings, was built at the wish of King Carol I of Romania, according to the plans of the architects Johannes Schultz, Carol Benesch, and Karel Liman, and was decorated by the famous decorators J. D. Heymann from Hamburg, August Bembé from Mainz and Bernhard Ludwig from Vienna. Source
The Peles Castle is one of the most important historical buildings in Romania, with a unique character, and is, by its historical and artistic value, one of the most important monuments of its kind in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. Source
After the abdication of King Michael I, the fourth and last king of Romania, the castle was taken over by the communist-ruled Romanian state and turned into a museum.
Communism ruled Romania for almost fifty years. After that, in the new democratic Romania (since 1989) the palace was retroceded to the royal family, still represented by King Mihai I. They have not changed the museum status of the Castle.
Peles Castle is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Romania. Starting with the students who come on trips organized by schools, then Romanian tourists and then foreign tourists, there are many and the visit is not exactly pleasant, you don't have time to enjoy all the exhibits and the explanations of the guides.
Access is done in series and there is quite a long wait before you can enter. Remarkably, people wait quietly in front of the castle, children play and those interested find something to see outside.
Because we went through the same procedure, we spent a lot of time outside and took photos with which I will try to introduce you to the atmosphere there and show what this building looks like from the outside and up close.
The castle and its front garden are decorated with many statues, many copies of ancient Greek statues. These are also exhibits, especially displayed outside in the beautifully landscaped garden.
Fountains with sculptures, like in Italy, with or without water.
How nice it is that when it is too much, too much built, too many people, too hot, you can just turn your head and cool off and soothe yourself, watching nature!
Small walls separate the castle garden from the forest eager to cross the fence and conquer all that is really hers.
I mentioned the kings, the first king, Charles I, was considered the most important Romanian of all time, even though he was German.
Nothing so far about the queen.
The King's wife, Queen Elizabeth, also called Carmen Sylva, supported the arts and was a good writer, especially of children's books, and a poet!
The inner courtyard of the castle also brings remarkably beautiful details and arrangements. I liked it here the most, but that's understandable because I am fascinated by the inner courtyards of the buildings, those courtyards hidden from the eyes.
Various details on the castle walls and effigies of the kings of Romania.
Charles I and Ferdinand I, who built the castle.
Charles II and Michael I, son and grandson.
The castle garden, always full of people, is proof of the attraction of this tourist attraction.
On the left side, tourists queue to buy tickets and on the right side they queue to get into the palace, others choose to enjoy their time outside.
A little surprise for me, as I've now discovered that even hell's angels go to museums.
Eventually, we ended up going inside the castle to visit the museum. I took another series of pictures of the surrounding nature. I wanted to see the landscape as it was seen by the kings of Romania and their families.
Through the eyes of old King Carol I!
Visiting the interior of Peles Castle will be featured in another blog soon!
I like to tell about my travels and share them with anyone who can and wants to read. I like that when I write, I remember. When I see the photos, I teleport with my mind and relive the beautiful moments once again.
