Saturday 18 April 2009

Why to Travel to Sinaia (Romania): Peles and Pelisor Castles



This post aims to raise one's interest in visiting the Peles and Pelisor Castles, from Sinaia (Romania). Should you like it, then search for accommodation and transportation and come visit.
(Note: post published by Liviu on Liviu's [Personal] Blog)

For more photos, one can look at my Picassa Album or my post in Romanian on Peles Castle.


Peles National Museum
Peles National Museum: Official site


Peles Castle

Wikipedia: English

Peles Castle was designed to be the summer residence of King Carol I (wikipedia: ro, en). => Therefore, it shall look grand and official. I personally like the power that it shows.

The extended tour consists of ground floor and 1st floor. Owners of student cards or Euro<26 cards pay less. Visitors are organized in small groups, with a guide speaking their mother tongue language. The extended tour is quite interesting and lasts for 1h 30'. There's a story that when the building site has been chosen, Carol I has been told that's too close to the borders (note: in ~1873, the borders with the Austrian-Hungarian Empire was a bit north from Predeal, i.e. 15-20 km north from the castle's site), and Carol I said something like: Well, now we're placed by the borders, which makes it dangerous, but sometime in the future we might be in the centre of the nation. ;) - well, that's what I call consistency and perseverance!


Pelisor Castle

Wikipedia: English

Pelisor Castle feels more intimate, nicer, more personal.

One can visit the ground floor + 1st floor + 2nd floor. Basically, the attic is the only one not open for visiting.


Height 2000m

The landascape at 2000 m is great during any season: spring, summer, autumn, winter. One can get there by cable cars.


Conclusions

It's worth visiting the Peles and Pelisor Castles, and also taking the cabine to Height 2000 m.


Some useful links:

Sinaia: Official Site

Map of Sinaia and some touristic sites worth visiting

Another map of Sinaia

Am vizitat @Sinaia: Castelul Peles & Pelisor, Cota 2000, Telecabina, Telegondola



Acest post prezinta cateva pareri / impresii / opinii / sfaturi in legatura cu o scurta excursie (Februarie-Martie 2009) care cuprinde domeniul Peles (cu castelele Peles si Pelisor), Cota 2000 (zapada, telecabina, telegondola), cazare in Sinaia etc. - un fel de review, asa.

[Precizare: post publicat de Liviu pe Liviu's [Personal] Blog]


Cazare Sinaia: Hotel Cerbul

Foarte frumos daca stai la etajul 1. Initial, tipul de la receptie a incercat sa ne ofere camera la etajul 3 - motivul: ca sa economisim bani... well, economia era de 5 (cinci) RON! Oricum, merita de stiut ca a fost bine intentionat! Camerele la etajul 3 sunt putin mai mici si, fiind mansarda, acoperisul e mult in panta. In schimb, la etajul 1 e frumos, spatiu, plafon inalt - se merita banii.

In baie, suportul pentru prosoape face figuri i.e. cade daca indesi prea multe prosoape intre perete si suport.


Muzeul National Peles
Muzeul National Peles: Site Oficial

Se ajunge direct/usor de la Gara Sinaia; exista indicatoare.

Harta cu: Gara Sinaia, Castelul Peles si Castelul Pelisor:



View Romania and Bucharest, by Liviu in a larger map


Din pacate, prea multi bisnitari pe aleea pana la Castelul Peles, imediat dupa intrarea pe domeniul castelului. Foarte multi sunt legali: ei vand din "casute" special construite de Primaria Sinaia pentru chestia asta => Foarte ciudat ca Primaria a permis/initiat asa ceva.

Evident, exista cativa "clandestini" judecand dupa tarabele la care vand. M-a dezamagit sa vad ca apar destul de aproape de castel, cu taraba cu "mere coapte in glazura" sau cu "bumerange". => Recomandare pentru administratia castelului: ar fi ideal sa se introduca pe domeniul Peles si o patrula/garda activa in timpul orelor de program.


Castelul Peles

Wikipedia: ro, en

Castelul Peles a fost gandit sa fie resedinta de vara a Regelui Carol I (wikipedia: ro, en). => Este gandit sa fie mare, oficial, impunator; astfel, devine un pic rece, dar mie personal mi-a placut pentru atitudinea de putere pe care o insufla.

Am vizitat parter + etajul 1 = turul extins. Pentru studenti sau posesori de card Euro<26 exista reducere. Mi-a placut organizarea: intri, astepti sa se formeze un minigrup de 15-20 persoane si apoi pornesti cu ghidul, care iti explica, raspunde la intrebari etc. Turul extins dureaza 1h 30' - foarte tare. Conform ghidului, pe viitor vor deschide si etajul 2 pentru vizita; acolo e mai complicat, zic ei, deoarece culoarele sunt mai inguste. Well, mi-ar placea sa trec in viitor pe acolo sa vad si ce mai deschid.
From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


Foarte bine ca au pus instructiuni. Mi-a placut asta. Da, consider ca in limba romana este suficient.

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


Mi-a placut ca se renoveaza obiectele din gradina.

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


O scurta poveste pe care eu stiu eu de la Istorie din scoala generala: cand a ales locul sa faca acest castel, lui Carol I i s-a atras atentia ca e foarte aproape de granita (precizare: pe vremea aceea i.e. ~1873, granita cu Imperiul Austro-Ungar era putin mai la nord de Predeal), iar Carol I a zis ceva la genul: Acum e la granita si e periculos, dar poate in viitor va fi in inima tarii ;) - eh, asta se cheama consecventa si perseverenta!

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000



Castelul Pelisor

Wikipedia: ro, en

Castelul Pelisor e mai intim, mai dragut, mai personal.

E tare ca te lasa singur, sa te uiti in ritmul tau, ceea ce e mai bine aici dpdv meu deoarece se adapteaza foarte bine notei intime a castelului.

Se viziteaza parter + etaj 1 + etaj 2. Practic, numai mansarda nu se viziteaza.

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


Bilete (pret redus): Peles 20 RON, Pelisor 3 RON - poza cu ambele tipuri de bilete:

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000



Cota 2000

Foarte tare iarna acolo. Am prins o zi senina, cu soare, si cu super frig. Evident, se schia atat in Valea Dorului, cat si inspre Cota 1400 (precizare: pe portiunea 1400-1500 se vedeau cam multe pietre si pamant).

Am zis ca era super frig? Da.

Am urcat cu telecabina Sinaia - Cota 1400 si Cota 1400 - Cota 2000.
Pretul Sinaia - Cota 2000 pentru 1 adult: 27 RON

Am coborat cu Telescaun Cota 2000 - Cota 1400.

Apoi am coborat cu Telegondola Cota 1400 - Taverna Sarbului (Sinaia).
Pretul cu Telegondola pentru 1 adult: 10 RON.

Intr-adevar, e ceva de mers de la Taverna Sarbului pana in Sinaia in centru, dar pe de alta parte puteti considera o experienta interesanta acel drum: s-au construit foarte multe vile, mini-hoteluri etc.

From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000


From 2009 - Februarie, Martie - Peles, Pelisor, Cota 2000



Pentru viitor

Candva, in viitor voi trece sa vad si Casa memoriala George Enescu.



Concluzie

Merita sa vizitati Castelul Peles, respectiv Pelisor.

Merita sa urcati la Cota 2000 iarna, intr-o zi senina si cu soare. Recomandarea mea ar fi sa folositi cele 2 varinte: telecabina integral si apoi telescaun/telegondola.



Alte link-uri utile:

Sinaia: Site-ul oficial

Harta cu Sinaia si cateva obiective de vizitat

Alta harta cu Sinaia, destul de buna



Am mai vizitat

Tuesday 7 April 2009

Valkyrie / Operation Walküre [Movie review]



This a review of the movie Valkyrie (further details on IMDB, Cinemagia), which I've finally watched last Thursday.
(review published by Liviu on Liviu's [Personal] Blog)

I liked it. I think it's a good movie: the actors play well, the action flows fluently, the environment looks like the 1940s and so on. I do not remember anything about the soundtrack, though.

One can find throughout the movie some good scenes with quite a lot of tension: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg persuades Hitler to sign the revised Valkyrie document; Colonel Stauffenberg and his assistant assemble the bomb, watch it blow up and then leave the meeting place etc.

Overall, however for me as a fan of politics the movie does not provide enough tension. I expected more. For example, once Stauffenberg returns to the headquarters and takes charge of the operation, I expected the action to become much more alert/intense.

The movie is incredibly well balanced and done with respect to history. By Hollywood's style of making history movies, i.e. adding useless drama and turning crucial moments in history into soap opera due to the lack of knowledge/understanding of history by scriptwriters, I was afraid this movie would mourn the organizers of the operation, throw curses on Hitler, tell again the same story of genocide and so on. I must say again it's incredibly well balanced. It's great that it's actually focused on the Valkyrie operation. Yes, it may appear obvious for most of the public, but it's odd for Hollywood. Congratulations to Hollywood: they finally made a well balanced history movie!

Throughout the movie, the organizers of the operation show initiative, determination and ultimately courage when they face their own death; they act in the spirit of true military officers who have tried to best serve their country. The actors play very well this part.


Conclusion
I consider Valkyrie / [Operation ] Walküre to be a very good movie. It is worth watching. I recommend it. However, please be aware that it may be difficult to understand, just like Collateral, War of the Worlds or Lions for Lambs.

Monday 6 April 2009

Review: Restaurant indian Haveli (Bucuresti, Romania)



Restaurant indian Haveli (Bucuresti, Romania)
(review publicat de Liviu pe Liviu's [Personal] Blog)


Cateva link-uri utile despre Haveli:


Acum, parerea mea, dupa cum a fost sambata trecuta.

Locatie
Practic trebuie sa ajungeti la intersectia dintre Bd. Dacia (sau Str. Mihai Eminescu) si Calea Mosilor. Str. Episcopul Radu nr. 3 e la 50-70 m de acea intersectie.
Daca veniti dinspre Bucur Obor pe Str. Episcopul Radu (intrare din Str. Fainari), atunci trebuie sa stiti ca strada este simultan pitoreasca si cam jegoasa; cel putin asa am vazut eu lucrurile intr-o frumoasa si calduroasa dupa-amiaza/seara de sambata.

Personalul (Chelnerii)
Politicosi, amabili, prompti.

Mancarea
Well, mancarea mi se pare ok. Buna, merita incercata.
Lamb vindaloo as fi vrut sa aiba mai multa carne. Sosul e intr-adevar iute, mi-a placut asta, i.e. iute rau, dar bucatelele de carne de miel nu sunt chiar asa multe deoarece sunt si cubulete de cartof taiate la fel printre ele; m-a durut chestia asta.
Singura obiectie majora e inghetata: pui trunchi de con in pahar in forma de cupa doar daca cei de la masa sunt masochisti sau initiati intr-ale treburilor indiene, iar noi nu eram nici una dintre astea.

Alte chestii
Ma asteptam sa fie mai plin.
Am vazut mancand acolo si oameni din zona cu India sau o tara vecina ei, cred, judecand dupa aspect si dupa cum cred eu ca arata cei de acolo. Daca ma iau dupa reviews, cu un bucatar indian si unul pakistanez ar trebui sa acopere gusturile din zona aceea.

Amenajarea / Decorul / Atmosfera
Simplu, intr-adevar, dar placut. Mie mi-a placut.

Preturi
Eh, preturile mi se par un pic mai mari decat ce ofera ei. Iata ce mi s-ar parea corect: cost cu -15% pe zona de fel principal si garnitura, -10% pe zona paine si starters; din ce am vazut, bauturile au pret corect dpdv meu.


Concluzie
Merita sa mergeti. Incercati mancarea.

Wednesday 1 April 2009

Obama administration to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq



Since its start in 2003, The War in Iraq had been widely criticized. Many have thought that weapons of mass destruction were a hoax. Well, it finally happened. Yes, they've been found, they were there!

It's in the news flow: New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, BBC, Fox News, you name it!

The Obama administration found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq! However, this great success brings new challenges to the administration, which will have to explain that Mr. President H. W. Bush was actually right and part of Mr. President Obama's campaign was wrong. It is expected the explanations to be provided in a couple of days, once the joy of this great discovery will fade.

However, this success increases the expectations on the measures taken to stop the financial crisis, most importantly the bailout plan. With GM's unclear situation i.e. most likely bankruptcy, the measures on the economy will likely be less criticized in the near future.

I think I forgot to mention one thing i.e. got you! April Fools' Day, 1st of April!


P.S.: I hope I have the time to publish my review on Obama's "The Audacity of Hope", which I've read a few months ago.