Leaving the seaside in sunshine our good weather ran out as we made our way towards Transylvania. We had originally planned to visit the Slănic Prahova Salina on the way, an underground salt mine, but it closed earlier than we were expecting and we headed on our way. We got hit by a pretty heavy rainstorm as we were driving, but it weakened as we finally got into the mountains. As we got into the mountains near our first destination, the hills were sprinkled with mist and fog, which gave the atmospheric feeling one might imagine for Transylvania.
The first destination in the Carpathian Mountains was the city of Sinaia. This has the appearance of a classical European alpine city. It is a resort town and the home of the Peleș and Pelişor castles which date from the late 19th century. Peleș Castle was the summer residence of the first king of Romania, and Pelişor Castle was built close by as the residence of his son and successor. Sinaia is quite beautiful, with the town running up the steep hills surrounding the main road passing through town. It was very reminiscent of what I think of as a ski town. The Airbnb was a nicely made ski guides hut; the room, though small, was efficient and cozy. After settling in, we walked down hill to the main business street, and after getting some medical needs at a pharmacy, we got a meal in a fairly mediocre restaurant. The main objective of our stay in Sinaia was to visit the Castelul Peleș. It was a very beautiful and fairly modern castle, surrounded by beautifully laid out grounds with gardens and sculptures, and surrounded by the Carpathian mountains. It is considered one of the most beautiful castles in Europe. The insides were richly appointed with lavish furnishings and art work. I took lots of pictures. The smaller Castelul Pelişor was also nice, but seemed more like an ornate residence. After touring both castles, we had a nice meal with some local style food, and I again got a delicious soup.
After departing Sinaia, we visited the Cantacuzino Castle in Bușteni, which had an even more modern feel than Peleș. It had been built in the 20th century by a Romanian prince and statesman. It was a beautiful location with mountain views, but it was fairly bare inside. Apparently much of the original finishing had been stripped during the communist era. It did have a quite interesting art collection and the tour ended up in a modern art multimedia room. After touring this 3rd castle, we headed to Brașov, the base of operations for most of the remainder of the trip. After a week in this country, I had already seen a lot of variety.