There was no blog post yesterday because I spent the entire day and night in bed sleeping. I had been battling a bit of a sore throat leading up until then and decided to let my body have all of yesterday to heal itself. I'm now back to feeling great and somewhere in the middle of Nowhere, Romania.
We're actually in Onești, staying in a quaint motel/restaurant called Hanul Marisano. Their food isn't half bad and there was live music to boot. I can actually hear the drum machine/vocals/lone saxophone from our room. Oh, that reminds me. Dad and I are sharing a room that cost maybe $40 and consists of 1 bathroom, 2 tiny twin beds, and 0 windows. But it's just one night and who needs windows to look out of when they're sleeping?
So, how'd we get here this late at night? We left Bucharest this morning after breakfast and made way for Peleș Castle, located near Sinaia in the Transylvania region of Romania. Yes, this is Dracula land. But rather than go for the "dracula castle" in Bran, we opted for the more ornate and historically accurate option to the South. I could also tell my dad was put off by the idea of any Dracula-tourism, so this seemed like the best bet for an authentic Romania castle experience.
And it was. Although we received a thorough tour of the interior, it was the exterior of the castle that really impressed me. Not only did it have some amazing woodwork to contrast the stone facade, it was also surrounded by rosebushes, statues, and set against the forested Bucegi Mountains.
Another unexpected surprise was the drive from Sinaia to our current destination. We drove through the Bucegi Mountains, then through farmlands, multiple flocks of sheep, and a multitude of small, perhaps nameless villages. As we drove through one, Dad had to weave aside for some cows that decided to take a walk in the middle of the road.