Bucharest to Transylvania for Bran Castle & Brasov, Romania

Aug 6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG!

After breakfast we drove into Romania’s dramatic Carpathian Mountains, following a historic route that linked Transylvania to Walachia. On the way we learned that Peles Castle was closed today and we would be visiting Bran Castle today instead. (Seems Viking would have known that in advance?) Anyway, they just swapped visits, and we would see Peles on our last day. No harm no foul.

Transylvania is Latin for “land beyond the forest.” The drive past the rural expanse of hills, mountains and cute villages was quite a treat. For those of us that watch “Wednesday”, we passed where the school is located. (no photos as we were on the wrong side of the bus) Most of Wednesday series one takes place in Nevermore Academy, and its gnarly neo-gothic exterior is actually Cantacuzino Castle, situated in Bușteni, Romania.

driving out of Bucharest

maybe the tops will be "out" on the return drive

Greg did manage to get this shot of "Nevermore Acadamy"

we stopped for lunch and some free time in Bran

minced meat kababs

sausage kababs

we stopped for pasties on the walk back to the market street

large shopping area

break time over we proceeded to Bran Castle

Finally, we could see the red-roofed medieval fortress, perched atop a rocky outcrop. Note that the castle has no link to Bram Stoker’s fictional character, though the 15th-century prince upon whom he was based, Vlad the Impaler, is said to have stayed here for a couple of nights. Stoker had never even visited Romania when he wrote his book but was inspired by the castle and the story of Vlad.

Today, Bran Castle is a repository of period furnishings owned by Queen Marie of Romania, the nation’s last queen consort.

It was a total zoo. The line even with pre-paid tickets was long and our guide said we’ll need lots of patience. Still, many in the group groused every time someone would pass us to join up with their group. They wanted her to confront them. Seriously!

Finally, it was our turn and were guided through it. Awesome!

arrival & walk to the castle

waiting in line

the line behind us just kept getting longer

almost there

knocker on the door where we entered

Queen Marie of Romania's Bedroom

narrow steep passageway

After the visit we continued on to Brasov, a fascinating walled Saxon town. Even though it was much later than we would have arrived we had a walking tour of the Piața Sfatului (Main Square). Notable buildings were the Biserica Neagră (Black Church), named for the fire damage it suffered, Casa Sfatului with its gabled arches and clock tower and the Hirscher Haus which is one of the city’s oldest buildings. It was too late to visit the inside of the church since it was now closed for the day.

walking to town from the hotel

We then walked to our hotel where we had a 2-night stay at the Radisson Blu. Our luggage was already in our room. Not a great space, but it worked.

It was Greg’s birthday, so we were looking for something nice, but every place had a 30-to-45-minute wait. We chose a Cashmere restaurant, and the food wasn’t good. Served cold like out of the fridge and not all that tasty. Ah well. We went for gelato after. All the shops had closed, and I hoped I’d have time on our last day to grab my token magnet. Only 1 bad meal of the whole trip, so pretty good odds.