Day 3- A Monastery, a Palace, and a Castle

13 March 2012

We left Bucharest early in the morning to embark on our first of many bus rides from city to city. On the way to Sibiu we made a couple of stops in some very interesting locations. Our first stop was at the Snagov Monastery located on a small island that could be reached by a simple bridge. However, we quickly learned that the bridge we were walking across had in fact been built in only one day. Although this was a bit disconcerting we all managed to survive our trek to the other side.  

We were told that the Snagov Monastery was built on an island to create a sense of seclusion, peace and separation from the rest of the world to allow for deep meditation and contemplation. I could see from the serenity of the place how it would be a good location to achieve such goals.

We made our way back to the bus and sat through more driving and a few presentations before we arrived at our next destination. In Sinaia we faced our next obstacle: treacherous ice. As we hobbled down the icy hills to our destination we soaked in the beauty of our surroundings. In this little ski resort town up in the mountains, the snow created a picturesque covering over the cute little German style cottages. We later learned that the German style architecture was due to the influence of King Carol who created Peles Palace in this area and who was himself of German origin. 

We Arrived at our destination: Peles Palace. The palace was built by King Carol I who wanted to build it as a summer home. It was built by a German architect due to King Carol's preference for German design.

We enjoyed our break off the bus by exploring the area by the palace and taking pictures of each other by the breath taking scenery. Eventually it was time to return to the bus and we carefully walked up the icy hill.

On the bus, the spectacular views continued as we made our way through the Carpathian Mountains. With snow still lingering on the ground, everything appeared so tranquil and calm.

Our next stop was at Bran Castle. Although many associate this castle with the Dracula legend, the truth is that it really has no relation. It was neither Vlad Tepes's real castle nor the castle Bram Stoker referred to in his novel. The closest relation it has to the legend is that Hollywood modeled the castle in their Dracula movie after this castle.

That night we arrived at our final destination, Sibiu, which we would have the pleasure to explore the next day.