Castles?! Right?!

I doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn't associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.
<a title="Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg" alt="Me at Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
Romania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a title="Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg" alt="Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>

Peles was built between 1875 and 1914. It's a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I've never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.<!--more-->
<a title="Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg" alt="Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
<a title="Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg" alt="Tower close up Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
Peles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that's pretty cool.

But I guess that you can do this if your building your castle in 1875. It's not exactly old. Sure it's old enough but not old like many other castles in Europe are old. <a title="Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg" alt="Statues in front of the Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
<a title="Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg" alt="Statue at Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
These days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.
<a title="Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962337530/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/6962337530_a1d163794e_z.jpg" alt="Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
I was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that's the worst.
<a title="Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409749/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7108409749_d03e32d4f1_z.jpg" alt="Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
We spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.
<a title="Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962336014/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/6962336014_6548c231b4_z.jpg" alt="Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>

I loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.
<a title="Stone fruit Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409323/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7108409323_30e26dae30_z.jpg" alt="Stone fruit Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>
It did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don't have any really great castles in Bulgaria.

Then I got over that and got back to taking pictures.
<a title="In a courtyard Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108405793/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7108405793_e8226332a0_z.jpg" alt="In a courtyard Castle Peles" width="640" height="427" /></a>