Transylvania - Sinaia

The “Land Beyond the Forest” lends an air of mystery and adventure. Such is the English translation of the Latin word Transylvania, a magnificent mountainous region in Romania that in modern times has been closely associated with the fictional character Dracula and the legendary warlord Vlad Dracula otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler.

Occupying nearly 42% of Romania’s total surface, the region is hugged by the Carpathian Mountains (“the Carpathians”) to the east and south and the Apuseni Mountains to the west. At the centre is the Transylvanian Plateau made up of a network of valleys, canyons, and small mountain ranges.

Occupied by Dacians, Romans, Huns, Slavs and Bulgars, until just after the end of the first millennium AD Transylvania became part of the Kingdom of Hungary and then the subsequent Austro-Hungarian Empire for the next 900 years. Following the end of WW1 and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Transylvania was transferred to Romania.

The region is populated by a mix of Romanians, Hungarians, and German Saxons. This cultural diversity beautifully shows up in the well-preserved Gothic architecture, the Saxon fortified towns, traditional folk costumes, and its finger-licking good food.

I am currently in Sinaia, a mountain resort town that is located in the historic region of Wallachia, south of Transylvania. Wallachia, referred to as Muntenia by Romanians, was a region that was often at war either with the Ottomans to the south or Hungarians to the north. It continued this way until the late-19th century when Wallachia together with Moldavia, a vassal principality in the northeast, joined to become the Kingdom of Romania with King Carol I, a member of a German royal dynasty, as the first monarch to rule.

King Carol commissioned the construction of Peleş Castle, a summer residence in the north of Sinaia on an extant medieval route linking Wallachia with Transylvania. Built at the end of the 19th century the castle has a Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival architecture. Completed with more than 170 rooms, it is a beautiful structure of spires, wood panelling, a clock tower and highly detailed frescoes. The grounds are filled with terraced gardens, niches filled with statues, fountains, grand lion statues standing guard and more.

Whilst outside is just stunning, the inside is an absolute visual feast. Spectacular carvings, walnut panelling, themed rooms, gilding on walls and doors, sumptuous velvet seating and curios abound all around. The central atrium was covered with a large stained-glass ceiling allowing natural light to filter through. Medieval weapons adorned the walls where I recognised the curved scimitar swords of the Ottomans, 16th century muskets, battle-axes and various daggers and swords. Everywhere I turned there was something to study or admire.

Filled with all the wonderful art and architecture, I stepped outside and took in the crisp, clean air of the Bucegi Mountains. As the castle proudly sat on a hill surrounded by dense forestry, I imagined this was a quiet getaway for the family from their royal duties.

Taking a stroll, I visited the nearby Pelişor castle the King built at the turn of the 20th century for his nephew, Ferdinand I, heir to the throne, and his wife, Maria. Much smaller in size, the Art Nouveau castle is famous for the Golden Room that is decorated floor to ceiling in golden leaves.

Passing by King Carol’s towering statue at the main entrance, I head out of the estate and towards the city of Braşov.


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Estrada Real - Petropolis

Located in the foothills of the Serra dos Orgaos National Park, Petropolis served as the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors during the 19th century. The town’s name, the "city of Peter" was in honour of Pedro II the last Emperor of Brazil. Reigning for 58 years, the emperor brought economic stability, prosperity and international standing to the country. He championed civil rights and freedom of speech, was a supporter of the arts and sciences and pushed for the abolition of slavery, which was decreed in 1888, ending the practice after 350 years. His reign came to an end when after a sudden coup d’état, the monarchy was abolished, giving rise to the First Brazilian Republic (aka the Old Republic).

In 1894, Petropolis became the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro and held that position for eight years when it was replaced by the city of Rio.

Nicknamed the Imperial City, there are a great number of significant buildings belonging to the imperial period, such as the Imperial Museum, previously the Petropolis Imperial Palace, the summer residence of Pedro II. Constructed between 1845-1862, the Palace is a Neoclassical building surrounded by gardens containing more than 100 species of trees and flowers from all around the world. The entire construction was paid for by the emperor’s personal funds. He greatly believed that state funds should not be used for personal property. The Palace was converted into a museum, housing artefacts belonging to the monarchy, including the Imperial Crown of Brazil. An enormous library preserves a collection of 50,000 volumes and more than 250,000 original documents dating back to the 13th century. Pedro II was a prolific reader, and a great number of rare books held by the library belonged to the Imperial family.

Another historically significant, as well as beautiful, building is the Quitandinha Palace. Built in 1944 as a luxury casino hotel, when it opened it was the largest casino hotel in Latin America. It was also the site of the 1947 Rio Treaty, an “agreement binding the republics of the Western Hemisphere together in a mutual defense system”.

The façade has a white Norman-French style with a Brazilian Baroque and Art Deco interior. The nearby artificial lake was built to provide a source of water in case of fire. When gambling was outlawed in 1946, the casino had to be closed. The hotel entertained notable figures such as Eva Peron, Henry Ford, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, Brazil President Getulio Vargas and King Carol II of Romania. The hotel closed in 1962 and its 440 rooms were sold as private residences.

Having worked up an appetite I went looking for a good feed. Being close to the coast where seafood is popular, I settled on a stew called Moqueca made with shrimp, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime and coriander powering me up enough to get me to Magé.



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