A King Named Carol

 A hunting we will go, Let's go find a Castle in Romania

North from Bucharest is Sinaia and Peles Castle

 Today we head toward Peles Castle via traffic and more traffic. Peles Castle, located 84 miles from Bucharest in Sinaia, Romania and nestled in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains (1873-1914.) Home of King Carol I and his wife Queen Elisabeth (1866-1914). Due to the electrical plant in the Peles Valley, Peles Castle was the first European castle entirely lit by electrical current; the castle also boasted built in vacuum cleaners and central heating.  During the 1990s a new floor was attached, and the main tower was also raised. The castle covers an area of 3200 sqm, has 160 rooms and 30 bathrooms. 

The castle shelters one of the most valuable painting collections in Europe, and a 1400-1700 century weapon collection of 4000 pieces. The castle is a true wonder, due to the sculpted wood and the stained glass windows. The whole castle was planned by King Carol I and resembled an Austrian/German hunting lodge.

Our buffet lunch of Romanian food was hosted in in The Montana Hotel in Sinaia right in the middle of this cute ski town. After lunch we took a Gondola ride to the top the Carpathian Mountains at the Sinaia Ski Resort. The views out over the forests were breath-taking. We even saw a deer as we traveled up over the forest on the Gondola.

We also stopped at a Shopping Mall and visited a grocery store that made Metropolitan Market, Whole Foods, and Larry's Market look like beginners in the upscale food markets. This store was outstanding.... 

 




We had such a fun day....we can hardly wait for tomorrow when we start our next adventure.