Today we packed our bags and took a taxi back to the airport in order to rent a car for the rest of our week in Romania.
 We then headed north through the Ploieşti oil fields (Arge will know all about this area) and into the Carpathian mountains.

Our first stop was to visit Peleş and Pelişor castles.  The main castle was undergoing significant exterior renovations and so looked like this:

Not terribly picturesque.  It would have normally looked like this:

It was built for King Carol I of Romania from 1873 to 1914 and served as his summer retreat. It has 170 rooms and covers about 35000 sq.ft.

The interiors were stunning; all fittings and furniture were retained.  The castle is known for it’s intricate woodwork and carvings.

The second castle, Pelişor, was several hundred yards away and was the retreat for King Carol’s nephew and heir, the future King Ferdinand (son of Carol’s brother Leopold von Hohenzollern) and Ferdinand’s consort Queen Marie.

After both tours, we found a restaurant close by for lunch – I had a dish of wild boar while Brenda ordered venison and potatoes.

Continuing our drive, we finished up in Braşov, back down out of the mountains and the first stop in Transylvania.

The building in the foreground is where we are staying.. that little window (diamond shaped) is our room.

Town square as the sun sets.  There is evidence that this town has been inhabited continuously more than 6000 years ago.  Some of the architecture yet existing is from the 1500-1600s.

It’s still below freezing, but that doesn’t prevent folks from sitting out in the sun and having beer and hot wine.