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.
<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.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/" title="Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Statues in front of the Castle Peles"></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/" title="Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Statue at Castle Peles"></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.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108405793/" title="In a courtyard Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7108405793_e8226332a0_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="In a courtyard Castle Peles"></a>