Romania - Eastern Europe - page 514

entertain; Nixon, Gaddafi, Ford, and Arafat were some of his notable guests here.
While they no doubt got to experience the palace in a completely different light (you
may for instance have to wait for the next available English tour), you will almost cer-
tainly be delighted by the guided hour-long tour, the best in the country.
Str. Pele@ului 2. & 0244/31-0918. www.peles.ro. Adults L12 ($4.30/£2.30); seniors and students L5 ($1.80/£1). Pur-
chase a ticket and then ring the bell at the visitor's entrance. Tues 11am-5pm; Wed-Sun 9am-5pm; last ticket sold
at 4pm.
Peli@or Palace The name literally means “Little Pele @ ,” and a visit here really
does pale in comparison to the sensory overload at Pele @ . It's said that Ferdinand
(1865-1927), Carol's nephew and adopted son, commissioned this castle because he
found Pele @ too overwhelming; another, more likely story is that it was built for Marie,
who didn't see eye to eye with the king. Built in German faux-medieval style in 1892,
it's 200m (656 ft.) from Pele @ , and its 70 rooms are filled with evidence of Marie's
then-personal taste; a pastel-infused mixture of Celtic and Byzantine elements with an
Art Nouveau sensibility and plenty of turn-of-the-20th-century Viennese furniture
and Tiffany glassware thrown into the mix.
Str. Pele@ului. & 0244/31-2184. www.peles.ro. Adults L9 ($3.25/£1.75), seniors and students L3 ($1/60p). Tues
11am-5pm; Wed-Sun 9am-5pm; last ticket sold at 4pm.
CURTEA DE ARGE!, POIENARI CITADEL & BEYOND
Although not all that easy to get to, Curtea de Arge @ is worth the effort for its mag-
nificent monastery as well as being home to Wallachia's oldest surviving church, built
by the princes who ruled Wallachia from the adjacent palace during the 14th century.
From Curtea de Arge @ , heading north through the Arge @ Valley, you'll come to the
Citadel of Poienari, where you'll be able to say that you've finally caught up with the
actual castle of “Count Dracula,” or at least, what's left of it. From here, self-driving
brave hearts can tackle the extraordinary Tranf â g â ra @ an Highway, a magnificent and
challenging mountain pass (supposedly Europe's highest, reaching 2,034m/6,672 ft.)
that wends its way over the F â g â r â@ Mountains and into Transylvania; due to extreme
weather conditions the route is only open for 3 months of the year.
If you have the time and your own transport, it's worthwhile heading farther west
to see the UNESCO-listed Horezu Monastery, particularly if you're here during the
first week of September when the nearby village of Coste @ ti livens up for its annual
Roma Festival. Attended by the self-proclaimed “emperor” of all the Roma people,
it's a time of fierce celebration and deal-making that draws Gypsies from across the
country.
Some 200km (124 miles) west of Curtea de Arge @ is Târgu Jiu, an unspectacular
place were it not home to some of the great outdoor sculpture of the great modernist,
Constantin Brancu @ i, who was born in a nearby village in 1876. The collection
includes Brancu @ i's most significant work, the Endless Column, considered one of the
world's most important sculptures.
ESSENTIALS
There are daily fast InterCity trains from Bucharest to Pite @ ti; from there, change for
one of six connections to Curtea de Arge @ . State buses and maxitaxis connect
Bucharest and Curtea de Arge @ more directly, if you're up for a bumpy ride. The town
has been generously signposted, so it's easy to get to the sights. Posada Tourism