In an increasingly ugly and unsafe world, I believe that the chance for psychological resilience is to think about pleasant things. To do what we like, as far as we can. Small things that bring us joy in life. Like travel.
Obviously, travel can be a source of stress and unpleasantness too, but if we can get past that plague, what remains is a salve for the soul and mind. I've tried this therapy myself and it's worked... I don't wake up in the morning thinking about the troubles, I wake up with memories and images of the last trip. On the last trip, I made it to a small mountain town 120 km from my home. It is called Sinaia and is famous because near the town, in a clearing, the first king of Romania, Carol I, built a beautiful castle, Peles Castle, to be the summer residence of the royal house. This happened in 1885. The presence of the royal house in this town meant that all the important people, aristocrats, and rich people of the country spent the summer in Sinaia. It was the reason why the town developed and became well known.
After 137 years since the construction of Peles Castle I arrived, accompanied by two ladies, one of whom is my wife, to travel to Sinaia.
We traveled by train, it only took an hour and a half. Much more convenient than by car. We arrived quite early in the morning and as the accommodation could only be made after 2 p.m. we did some walking around the city and the central park.
As soon as I arrived in town I felt two things. The fresh and cool mountain air and the lack of crowds, of people but especially of cars. This is a pleasant city to live in.
Strange is that a small town surrounded by forests and mountains, so with lots of greenery, has a beautiful park in the center. We decided to explore this park a bit.
The park is particularly beautiful and well-kept. The walkers are mostly older people, like us, who come to this town for the fresh air and peace and quiet. People who prefer to walk and relax in this park. We don't sow here anymore, we come to do many things in a very short time, which will prove very tiring.
Our walk was very short because, fortunately, we quickly saw what we needed most. A cafe!
A very romantic café and confectionery!
The first coffee of the day, taken in such a pleasant setting. The view of the park seen from the café table amplifies the pleasure of the moment.
This park is very old and contains a lot of history. In this park are built two hotels and the famous casino. Even the kiosk that we watch from the cafe has its own history. This is where the greatest and most famous Romanian composer, George Enescu, played on the occasion of the opening of the casino!
George Enescu, even if he was a great composer, violinist, pianist, and teacher, is still an unknown to many people less interested in classical music, that's why I allow myself to put here a video of his most famous composition, Roman Rhapsody. Conducted by another great Romanian artist, the Conductor Sergiu Celibidache!
George Enescu's presence in Sinaia is due both to the fact that he was close to the royal family and to the fact that he had a holiday home here.
The coffee gave us the necessary energy to leave the park and take a tour of the city. Luckily, we saw that there was a kind of train that goes around the city and so we took a ride sitting on the seats.
This was a walk to get acclimatized to the city and an opportunity to take some photos. Here are some pictures from Sinaia...
The mountains that surround the city. These are the Bucegi Mountains, part of the Carpathian Mountains.
Some houses are specific to mountain villages. They are villas built in the last century, probably holiday homes that have been converted into pensions or small hotels.
I learned about a few streets and saw a few places I want to visit more closely. The train tour ended also in the city center, at the roundabout. I noticed that roundabouts have fountains in the middle. This is something specific to this city, I've never seen something similar elsewhere.
How much does the trip to Sinaia cost?
A small recap of the costs for one night in a guesthouse and almost two days in town.
The train from Bucharest to Sinaia costs $20 per person round trip.
A night at the pension cost $40, but it was a promotion. Normally it costs about $60. The pension where we stayed is called Pension Alex and has a very good Hungarian restaurant.
Breakfast was $5 and lunch was $10.
It works out that transportation, food for 2 days, and one night's accommodation cost per person about $100.
This is the end of this short, partial presentation of the trip to Sinaia. A trip that I warmly recommend to all tourists who come to visit the capital Bucharest and who have at least one day free. Because it is possible to make a one-day trip with much lower costs.
#MarketFriday, this challenge imagined by @dswigle can only end with a flower. Now a flower from Sinaia, from Sinaia Casino.
