To get from Sofia to Brasov by train I needed to leave on a 8:50am train connecting in Bucharest around 6pm to a 7pm-ish train up to Brasov. Theoretically should get me in around 9pm. So even at best case scenario I was in for a long day on the silver snake. But truthfully, if I could avoid the mishaps of the trains in Bosnia and Serbia and just have a nice quiet train ride- it was exactly what I needed. Just a chill relaxing day where I could listen to some tunes, catch up on reading, and watch the countryside roll by. And by-Jupiter's-member that's exactly what I got!
I ended up with a forward facing window seat in a 6 seater cabin with only one other man- a Bulgarian employee of the train company. He was on the train for the first two or three hours and then for the remainder of my ride to Bucharest I had the place to myself. Even got to lay out for a nap at one point. Lovely. One thing I should note about this guy... well, see if you can pick it up from the picture and the hint that he's Bulgarian.
If you guessed "he's starting his day with a half-liter beer" you are correct! Three actually! And a newspaper, of course. He is a respectable gentleman after all. Still doubting my hard place for hard people moniker? He looked fifty but I bet he was in his late 30's. Not a whole lot to note about the train ride. The landscape does change fairly dramatically. As we started out there were wave after wave of rock formations.
Which then gave way to the flatest plains I've seen in ages. Felt like we were cruising through Ohio or something. At one point we came across a power junction with the most power line poles I've ever seen. It was literally a forest of power.
As we pressed toward Bucharest, there was also this one stretch where off in the distance there appeared to be a slight ridge with a perfectly single-file line of trees straddled just atop. I never did figure out what it was but it went on for several miles.
We blasted into Bucharest, late, just as the sun was setting. I knew it was likely that I had missed my desired connection but I wasn't prepared for what I found. ALL trains to Brasov were severely delayed. But my immediate headache was that for some reason my bank card wouldn't work with any Romanian ATMs so I couldn't buy a ticket to any of them. The other ATM card I carry had no money in the checking account and the ATMs wouldn't recognize savings accounts. So I employed the classic "steal McDonald's internet" play to transfer some funds via my iphone and was then able to make the withdrawl. Sometimes I really do love technology.
I did eventually get a ticket and board my train which departed two hours late. Much to my surprise, the car I was slated to be in was filled with old ladies. Old Romanian grandmas. I just didn't have the heart to boot an old woman out of my seat so I sat in the next compartment, a decision that would spark a series of controversies in Romanian all the way to Brasov. I wish I could tell you what everyone was saying but I don't speak Romanian and was busy pretending they weren't talking about me so that I wouldn't have to move. One good deed doesn't go unpunished, ha. I finally made it to the hostel in Brasov around midnight but there was really no point in trying to walk around the city at that hour so I just called it a night.
The next morning the bus picked me and 6 other intrepid travelers up from the hostel for the reason I had come to Brasov- the Transylvania 3-1 tour put on by the Kimset Dao hostel. Basically, a guide picks you up at the hostel in the morning and drives you around to the sights nearby in Transylvania and deposits you back at the hostel or the train station in the evening.
Since I wanted to see Peles Castle and Pelisor Castle in Sinaia and Bran Castle in Bran, this was a no-brainer. Plus they take you to Rasnov Citadel near Bran. It would be foolish to try and see these things independently unless you have unlimited time as it would take 2-3 days with public transportation. Definitely one of my better decisions, and a relatively cheap one considering what I would have paid for public transit anyway. Our first stop was Peles Castle in Sinaia and the ride in provided an amazing view of the clouds sweeping over the mountains.
Shortly we were at Peles where to buy your ticket you are ushered into the coolest castle courtyard I've seen since Neuschwanstein Castle. In fact, Peles Castle as a whole really reminded me of Neuschwanstein and is by far the most impressive castle I've seen since then.
Getting into the castle itself is a bit tricky. Romanians really need some lessons in crowd logistics planning. As it stands, everyone jams into a big group around one door and waits for them to call the appropriate tour. You have to go with a tour group. The English tour, our tour, wasn't going for another 40 minutes but we were jammed in the middle of the crowd until the end. Also, the exit is the same as the entrance so every 10-15 minutes a tour group has to barrel through the masses trying to get in. It's chaos.
Finally we did get in and the curiosities continued. First, you're required to wear these special little booties on top of your shoes that reminded me of the disposable swiffer mop rags. I was immediately suspicious that we were being utilized to clean the castle. Then, we are informed that no pictures are allowed inside unless you want to pay the equivalent of another 15 euros. Ridiculous! I secretly vowed to snap rogue photos whenever the opportunity arose. Eventually we were off and the result was worth the red tape. The inside is exquisite and is in such a great state it looks like the Royal family abandoned it just that morning. The weapons room is impressive- the king had a collection of over 4,000 weapons of nearly every imaginable age.
The bedroom, dining room, and study (with secret bookcase door leading to a stairwell) were also very impressive but perhaps my favorite room was the Alhambra reception room, made out with an Arabic theme designed to resemble the Alhambra in Granda. My first thought- hey! I've been there!
Eventually they lead you back through the main entryway which was the singularly most impressive room in the castle. It's also the most highly guarded and therefore nearly impossible to get a photo of. I did manage one slightly-off center one from the adjacent hall. You can see some of the woodwork in the entry room but this photo doesn't do it justice. It's frankly exquisite- especially the wood carved statues of the king.
The exterior of the castle is as impressive as the front. Here are two shots- one showing most of the front and one showing most of the right. The left side is hard to get because of the trees and sharply sloping hill that leads up to Pelisor Castle.
As mentioned, Pelisor Castle is just up the hill and was built by King Carol I as a chateau and later residence for his nephew and heir to the throne Ferdinand. Since we were pressed for time we passed on going in (plus only part of it was open that day). Also by that castle you will locate the obligatory photo of yours truly.
The cool thing about the area around Peles Castle is that all of the other buildings, including ancillary support buildings, are designed in that same style. We made a quick break for our bus as it was time to make our way to Bran and the infamous Bran (Dracula's) Castle. Ironically, Transylvania is known for its sweeping pine forests and general grim suffocating aurora, however, the road to Bran leads across a wide open plain that on a sunny day might just as well be located in Kansas.
The town of Bran itself is small and I think largely supported by tourism to the castle. The castle itself is relatively normal as castles go. Certainly not as impressive as Peles or Pelisor, but it has an even more ironically homey cozy charm. For example, here is the living room.
I could see myself unwinding here with a nice book. Hardly seems like the home of a monster doesn't it? And the best irony of Bran Castle is that, it's not nor ever was. Here is the brief summary of the fact versus fiction of the castle.
Fiction: The castle was lived in by a vampire named Count Dracula.
Fact: It's current form was largely built in the 15th century by the Saxons under the rule of the Hungarian Empire for use as a defensive structure in protecting Bran Gorge. It was of great strategic importance in the war against the Ottoman Empire but lost strategic value in the mid-1700's. In the 1800's it became a residence of the royal family of Romania. It was then taken from the royal family during the Communist regime and later refurbished, returned and reopened to the public. The character of Dracula was created by Bram Stoker largely based on a historical Romanian king of Wallachia (not Transylvania) Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler because he was fond of impalement as a form of torture and execution. While an important historic figure in Wallachia (the province with Bucharest as its capital), there is no historical evidence he spent any time in Bran Castle let alone lived there.
So there you have it. I actually thought the castle was rather charming in an alpine-skiing-lodge sort of way. Here's a nice shot of the courtyard as a reward for making it through all that history.
After touring the castle I wanted to get a shot of the outside of it but this proved much more difficult that I had anticipated. Walking straight down and away from the castle the town and surrounding trees block the view. Walking around it, the trees on the hill block the view. Finally, I followed the highway down around a bend, then across a field, and finally climbed a rock to achieve this:
All for you dear reader. Don't say I never do anything for you. Our Bran mission complete, we grabbed a quick lunch and rendezvoused back at the van for the last portion of our Transylvania Mega Tour: the Rasnov Citadel. It's actually quite hysterical- as you approach Rasnov you'll notice they've put up in giant white letters next to the citadel "RASNOV" emulating the HOLLYWOOD sign.
While most of the citadel itself is in ruin, part is still lived in and occupied to some degree. There are some restaurants, gift shops, and museums. From the top of the citadel you can see out over the plain toward Bran. Looking this way you think to yourself: "there is no way I am in Transylvania right now."
Then you turn around and see this and think, "ok, yep. Transylvania."
After walking around the citadel for a while we took the "Transylvania Train" (a tractor with a cart behind it) back down the hill to the van and were on our way. The driver was gracious enough to drop me at the train station in Brasov as I had a pressing need to get to my destination (Bucharest) prior to midnight for the second night in a row. Everything went off without a hitch and I was at my hostel in Bucharest by 8pm. The next day would be my only day in Bucharest and my last day of one month in the Balkans. Thanks for sticking with Wanderlust during this weird, wild, and wonderful excursion. We'll close it out in style!
Bonus Photo: Entrance to the "RASNOV" Citadel from the rebuilt guard tower. I think the stone outline on the ground was once a chapel.
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