A Day of Castles and Ruins...

Today was a bit of a whirlwind: Rasnov citadel (partial ruins), Bran castle (aka Dracula's castle, but not really), and Peles castle. Again, Romania has surprised me by being nothing like I expected....

We drove through forests sprinkled with debris from campers and general ramblers, saw gypsie caravans, buildings in all state of disarray (as I've seen all over Romania, thus far)...and then we encounter the amazingly ornate Peles castle. It really doesn't make sense. It's rather like some churches throughout Europe, where all the local wealth went to build something magnificent, while all the locals are struggling to survive...and I do mean survive.

I'm sure I could've done the same kind of trip by myself via bus/train, but it really was nice to sit back and have someone else lead the way for a bit.

I was absolutely stunned by a section of the Carpathian mountains near Sinaia. Breathtaking. Romania is beautiful, and full of contrast. I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. At times, it seems like I could be driving through Oregon or northern New Mexico (e.g. Angel Fire); at other times, it seems a world away.