While we enjoyed our stay in Bucharest, we wanted to more of Romania particularly the Transylvania area. We decided to take the train up to Brosov and spend the night there. The train ride was about three hours following roughly a route along the Prahova River. About two thirds of the way we passed thru the Rodna Mountain with cloud covered peaks. We were pleasantly surprised by the small city of Brasov with its wonderful architecture and lively street life.
We hired a car and driver to take us back to Bucharest as we wanted to make stops at several of the area highlights. We ended up with a terrific driver with great knowledge of the country under both Soviet and independent rule. First stop was Bran castle (home of the fabled story of Dracula). Dating back to the late 1300, the castle was primarily a customs house taking tolls from travelers thru the Bran Gorge. High on a bluff it was a maze of rooms with lots of visitors.
Next stop was Peles Castle in Sinaia. This was the Royal Castle built by King Carol between 1873 and 1914. It was beautiful and had the most impressive woodwork we have ever seen in any building anywhere we have traveled. Make sure you see look at the pictures of this place. Back to a Hilton Inn at the Bucharest Airport for our morning flight to Sofia, Romania.
Sofia is a city atop Roman ruins that appear everywhere. While taking a stroll down the main shopping street, we happen to turn down a side street. ‘Look, there is a tuxedo store and you need a new one’. An hour later Dan had been fitted with a new tux and a couple of shirts to be ready in a couple of days.
We wanted to see a little more of Bulgaria, so we got a car and drive to take us to Plovid. This is a charming town with lots of arts and crafts, historic homes and a wonderfully preserved Roman amphitheater. After an enjoyable lunch it was back to Sophie to pick up the new tux and prepare for our departure.
Click on the photo to see the album of this trip