Peles Castle - Sinaia Romania

The morning after my first night in Romania (and what a night!), I visited Peles Castle. One of the most beautiful castles in Europe, it was completed in 1883 by Romania's longest ruling King, Carol I. 

Peles Castle was the first European castle to have electricity, central heating and vacuuming. It took 39 years to build with 400 craftsmen and thousands of laborers. 

King Carol I was a German Prince who became ruler of Romania in 1866. The castle is in a German Renaissance style. 

Here is the entry.

I am loving the staircase in the corner. 

The entire decor is sumptuous and in excellent taste. (Unlike Archduke Franz Ferdinand d'Este's Castle Konopiste in the Czech Republic which was in terrible taste, but I'll write more on that later.) King Carol I was a classy guy.

As was his wife, Elisabeta, who was in charge of most of the interior decorating. She wrote 40 some odd books under a male pen name and entertained some of Europe's finest musicians and artists in her music room and theater. 

Music room

Theater

Her writing study

With stained glass windows featuring Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs and the Evil Witch with the apple.

Sadly, their only child, a daughter, died at the age of three. The throne was passed on to his nephew Ferdinand. 

A Romanian nobleman visited Israel in 1695, came back and founded a monastery just down the road from Peles Castle. Hence the name of the village, Sinaia. 

I found the place to be a little creepy. Inside there were a half dozen old Romanian women wearing black, prostrating themselves in front of status of Jesus and crossing themselves over and over again. People are very religious in Romania. I noticed that everyone crosses themselves three times whenever they walk past a church. Even the young people. 

There was a grave outside the monastery. 

Definitely creepy.

The buildings, the mountains and the old world traditions absolutely create a powerful and mysterious cocktail of an ambiance. 

Oh, and I love the old Communist car parked out back. A Dacia. 

Voila!

Gros bisous et a demain.

Love, Charley