Castle time!

Last week, my friend/colleague Amit and I took the day off mid-week to visit some of the castles in Prahova Valley, south of Brasov. We first visited Peles Castle, a beautiful 19th-c. mansion, decorating on the interior and the exterior with only the finest materials and craftsmanship. It was built by King Carol I, the first king of Romania (the three united kingdoms of Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldova) and took nearly 40 years to finish. It became the summer residence of the king and his wife until their deaths in the early 20th c. The palace remained the property of the exiled King Michael during communism, and post-1989, the Royal Family gave the castle, and it's neighboring palace, Pelisor (meaning, "little Peles") to the Romanian people and it has been cared for and restored by the Ministry of Culture ever since.

The other castle that Amit and I had a chance to visit was Bran Castle, the legendary home of Dracula, and I do mean legendary. Vlad Tepes, the person who Bram Stoker based his character of Dracula on, probably never set foot in Bran, though some sources say he stayed here for a time. It all depends on what you want to believe. Bran Castle is the second-most visited castle in Romania (after Peles) and is from the 13th-14th-c. It is situated high on a hill, overlooking mountain passes on both sides. It's rather touristic these days, though sparsely furnished. You really need to have a guided tour to learn anything about the castle -- Amit and I didn't have time for a tour, as we had to catch our bus back to Brasov, so we kind of just ran around and looked at things. Word is that Bran Castle has been returned to its rightful owners (bloody communists usurped all the cultural patrimony) and will be turning it into a high-end hotel. I'm not sure the tourism industry will be too happy with that, but man, would I love to stay there!