Romania (Part 1)

My visit to Romania was in July 2005. I went to visit my Penpal friend Daniella and we travelled quite some long distances there. We stayed In Busteni, which in Wintertime is a popular Skiing resort, though in Summer still very scenic indeed with the mountains and clouds.
There was a cable car that takes you to the summit of Babele mountain. On the top it was very cold Indeed and not much to see, as it was so foggy. Though at times it cleared enough for photos. I have a photo of me (above) next to the "Old Women" rocks, on top of Babele.
On a clear day the view would be superb from up there. The area known as the "Prahova Valley" The Mountains are the "Bucegi Mountains" . At the summit is also a Cross, in memory of the WW l soldiers who lost their lives, in the fights waged here.
We also travelled to Sibiu and Brasov....both busy cities and it was quite hot indeed on our visits to those places. A highlight of the trip around Transylvania, was "Bran Castle", the place associated with Dracula!....though we did'nt meet any vampires on our visit!!
It is indeed a very Impressive place, set in a mountainside and the Castle itself resembles something like a Spanish Villa in the courtyard . Not quite as you'd expect, but still a very Interesting place to visit. Plenty of Souvenir stalls around the Castle too.
The countryside we saw In Romania was spectacular and each area was so different.
The photos above highlight this and we were lucky with the weather when we were travelling in the country. Busteni was very high up in the mountains, so it was a bit wet at times.
Another very Impressive Castle, was "Peles Castle" (Photo above) It was erected by King Carol l as the seasonal residence of the Royal Family In Romania. Very Impressive building Indeed!
The farming methods In Romania are Interesting to see, as it is done by hand, using pitch forks and horses & carts. Many people working in the fields and most rely on this for a living.
No sightings of Tractors or other modern machinery whilst I was there.
At least this meant clearer air and no pollution in the country.
So it was a very Interesting first visit to Romania and later this summer I'll be visiting again, to see maybe a different area there.