This boy acting like he didn’t keep me up for 3

hours straight in the middle of the night.

En-route to Peles Castle. Kids in the back singing yet another rendition of “The Rattlin’ Bog”.

First sighting.

Here is where we  discovered how steep the entry was and purchased 2 of the cheapest possible tickets.

Here was where I decided to ask the lady (after a little more research) to swap our tickets for access to an extra floor.

Super glad we did as what followed was pure opulence. Possibly the best castle we have ever visited. Toss up between this and Ludwig’s summer residence in Bavaria. Really it was breathtaking at every turn, but of course the pictures just don’t capture it. It was the residence of Carol 1st, if you’ve been following along, he was the first elected King in Romania after the coup d’ etat.

Next up was Pelisor Castle which we only saw the outside of. It was commissioned by Carol 1st’s heirs.

 

From here we checked into our bnb in beautiful Braşov. After a day in the car of course we were keen on a hike. So we set off to reach the Hollywood-esque lettering we spotted well above the Old Town where our accommodation is conveniently situated. Once again it proved to be quite the adventure. I think perhaps the eastern Europeans are more into hiking than Aussies so what they class as a “gentle climb” is more what Australians would seem to be “moderate to difficult” level.

The journey back down was hurried as I was anxious to reach civilization before dark. The light coming through the trees was so beautiful but of course we struggled to capture it.

Nothing quite adds to the hiking experience as much as the risk of bears and wild cats that’s for sure. Really hoping we encounter one…. Once we have acquired some pepper spray!