Peles Castle, Bran Castle, and Brasov day trip

Today we had a very early morning, because we were taking a day trip to look at Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle. We got up at 6:15a.m., got coffee and pastries, and then hit the road with our tour driver and two Bulgarians. It was a group tour, and group tours normally aren’t as great as private tours, but luckily there were only nine spots in the car, so it was just our family, our driver, and the Bulgarians. By the time we got to our first stop I was not feeling too great. The roads were super windy and our driver was kind of a maniac behind the steering wheel. The first stop was called Peles Castle, which was beautiful and very decorative. We saw the King’s weapon collection, chandeliers and mirrors made of the most expensive glass in the world, expensive marble, and a whole lot of German walnut wood. The castle grounds had lot of trees and were also very scenic and pretty. We kept driving until we got to a cute little town called Brasov, where we took some pictures and ate some lunch. We ate at a traditional Romanian restaurant in a very lively square with a whole bunch of people, and then we were on our way to Dracula’s Castle. It was on a hill, so we had to climb a bit to get there, but the line was moving very slowly, so we were only taking a few steps at a time. Every doorframe in the castle was very short, so we always had to duck a bit when we walked to the next room. My favorite part of the castle was the stairs circling the courtyard. It was very quaint and picturesque, and if I was Dracula I would probably spend most of my time there. The drive back was probably one of the worst drives I’ve ever experienced. I was having very sharp stomach pains that came in waves, and on top of that I just felt plain sick from the windy roads. It took a little over three hours to get home, but for the whole time it felt like we were never gonna get there. It felt amazing to step out of the car and smell fresh air. Aside from the six hours in the car it was a fun day!

Below: view from the drive of the Romanian countryside