- The start of our Pan European Sojourn
- And we’re off — first stop Palma de Mallorca!
- Alicante, Spain
- Sète and Aigues Mortes, France
- St. Tropez and Gassin, France
- Portofino and Camogli, Italy
- Paris and Angers, France
- Bucharest, Romania
- Into the Carpathian Mountains — Peles Castle
- Brasov and Sighisoara, Romania
- Bran Castle and the legend of Dracula!
- Vidin, Bulgaria
- Valiko Tarnavo and Arbanasi, Bulgaria
- Rolling down the (Danube) river and Golubac Fortress, Serbia
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Novi Sad, Serbia and Vukovar, Croatia
- Pécs, Hungary
- Budapest, Vienna, and end of trip
While we wished we had more time to explore Bucharest, it was time to head to Transylvania (one of the three provinces that make up Romania) and the Carpathian Mountains. As the three, oftentimes warring, provinces in the region wanted to combine in what would become Romania, they realized they needed an objective leader and decided a monarch would be appropriate. Their first choice didn’t pan out, so they ultimately asked Prince Karl of the Hapsburg dynasty who accepted, and not only united the provinces, but also helped the achieve independence from the Ottoman Empire. He ultimately became King Carol I and, using his own fortune, built the Peles Castle that we visited today. It cost $120M USD in todays money and took 10 years to complete (although additions continued until 1914). Artisans and materials were brought in from all over the world and up to 14 languages were spoken there. Out of the 170 rooms, we got to visit 12, but they were grand indeed! Each room had a completely different style, including Florentine, Turkish, Moorish, and French. In addition to all the art pieces, the King also had an impressive collection of arms and armor. While this was deemed a palace, it was more like living in a museum. After generations of being owned by the royal family, the castle and grounds were donated to the government of Romania with the proviso that they maintain the property and make it available to people who wanted to visit. That evening we made it to Brasov where we ate some Romanian specialties (read: a lot of meat!) and wandered up to a concert that was part of a festival that was going on there. Fun!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
