Peles Castle

The grounds of Peles Castle

Peles Castle was the summer palace of the royal family, built beginning in 1873 and finished in 1914. Royalty was imported from Germany after Romania gained its independence from the Ottoman empire. Karl (or Charles) the First built this castle in the style of a Bavarian palace with their own money. The palace has 160 rooms, but it also has central heat and a central vacuum. The interior is spectacular, particularly all the wood work on the walls and doors exquisitely carved by skilled craftsmen. The palace feels quite warm and livable compared to most palaces we've visited. Because it is relatively new, it is well preserved. It also had some traditional rooms, like an armory filled with armor, swords, and rifles from the orient to the west. The palace also has the room where Romania's fourth and last king was forced to abdicate at gunpoint to the incoming Communists. One of the most beautiful castles we've visited. Since we couldn't take interior pictures of this castle, visit the website for some interesting videos.



Peles Castle

We went on to the city of Brasov, "the best city in the world" according to our guide, Hugar, who lives there. Founded in 1235, it has always been an industrial center. Our guide and bus driver treated us to wine and cheese on top of the hill overlooking the city. Then we walked the old part of the city from St. Katherine's gate to the Jewish synagogue, on to the Black church and Council Square. The Black church was originally a Gothic Catholic church started in 1559, it became Lutheran after the reformation. It was nicknamed the Black Church after the Hapsburg forces burned the town in 1689 during the Great Turkish War. Inside it is quite plain, though it has quite a few Iranian rugs hanging from the sides as well as a large organ which we got to hear briefly.

St. Katherine's Gate, Brasov

Tonight, we're visiting the Azuga wine cellars for sparkling wine and dinner. These are the oldest cellars in Romania from 1893. We got a quick lecture on how they make sparkling wine: yeast is added to the win generating carbon dioxide up to 6-7 atmospheres of pressure. The bottles are periodically shaken for 9 months. Then they are racked upside down for 2-3 days, turning them twice a day to collect the sediment next to the cork. The cellar walls are 5-6 feet thick with a center filled with air. This provides a constant temperature and the fungus on the walls keeps the humidity constant. After being bottled and corked again, the sparkling wine rests for 2-3 months before being served. We sampled 3 different styles from sweet to very dry, followed by a nice dinner.