Travel Bucket List: Romanian Castles and Monasteries

Probably the first thing that comes to mind for anyone who knows something about Romanian Castles is Dracula, the novel by Bram Stoker about the vampire Count Dracula who lives in a castle somewhere in Romania. Due to the commercial interest that an association with the fictional vampire attracts, many a castles have laid claim to being the original inspiration of the vampire castle, the most successful of which is Bran Castle (probably still the only one that cashes in on this exploit).

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Bran Castle is a beautiful castle with a distinctive flat-facade observation tower which i think sets it apart from any other castle. Whether or not it was the Dracula Castle (which nobody really knows) is beside the point, this Castle should be in your bucket list. Few castles blend together its building blocks as coherently and aesthetically well as this one, both inside and out. It is actually smaller than it looks, and despite being mostly empty inside, it is still a delightful walk through Bran Castle.

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Bran Castle courtyard

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There are so many castles in Western Europe that i suspect few people will think of Romania if they wanted to see an impressive castle. Think again. Peles Castle makes even Versailles pale in comparison. As we toured the castle, we were told that it was built by Romania’s German rulers, who were invited to rule over them (quite interesting right?). They certainly had good taste. The castle is spectacular, and you will regret it if you didn’t purchase the permit for photo taking inside (sold separately from the admission ticket). I really love the vegetation around here – it is as close to fairy tale depiction as i have ever seen.

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Look at all that wood carving!

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Peles Castle Garden – such natural beauty

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The beautiful stream flowing down one side of the road leading to Peles Garden

I found out about Barsana Monastery through Google Images. My wife absolutely loved this place. This is a beautiful complex with a very well tended garden ground. While we were there, we saw a nun working in the garden, the sight of which conveyed a tremendous sense of calm and tranquillity. My underexposed photo doesn’t do justice to this place and i suggest you see more of this beautiful place from a search engine.

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Barsana is located in the Maramures county, one of the most beautiful region i have seen in Europe. The cover photo you see on the top (someone commented that it looks like a scene from The Hobbit) was taken in Maramures. I had the pleasure of staying in a Romanian home while in Maramures, at Sapanta (famous for the Merry Cemetery). If you can, hurry to this place while it is still relatively unspoilt.

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Maramures landscape

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One of the tombs with a very graphic drawing in the Merry Cemetery

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Old ladies chatting (gossiping?) outside a souvenir shop

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The room with decoration done since more than a hundred years ago for hosting special occassions in a Romanian home

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