Today was my favourite's birthday so I conceded extra sleep time. At last for breakfast we got some good hot coffee although bread was still stale.

After breakfast we called a taxi to take us to "Gara" to catch the bus to Bran, but as soon as we had almost arrived I realised that he was not taking us to the bus station so I told the driver "Bus to Bran". He gave me a sour look and called out "Auto Gara nu Gara" which I gathered to mean that I should have said "Auto Gara" for bus station. At this he sped across Brasov's streets ignoring red lights and all traffic rules and we managed to arrive at the bus station just in time for the 09:00 bus.

The bus took 40 minutes to arrive at Bran and with some common sense we located Bran Castle. It is a very imposing beautiful castle which I surely cannot adequately describe here. The photos will help you understand what I mean. In the middle of the castle there is a lovely courtyard and each room contains exhibits such as paintings, furniture, Madonnas, helmeted fireplaces and a huge chalice. One thing which kept me wondering in Bran Castle was how much more authentic would it have been were the walls not white washed with plaster and kept in their original form. This though hit me after we climbed a very narrow staircase with the original wall structure that is too nice to forget.

Bran Castle

Castle Courtyard

Castle View from Courtyard

After the castle experience we brought a kilo of the reddest cherries at the marketplace outside the castle for 50,000lei and nibbled them till the bus arrived at 11:40. There are hourly buses to and from Brasov.

Upon arriving in Brasov we took a taxi to the train station this time to go to Sinaia. This train was an inter-city IC train and it was much better than the personal train to Curtea de Arges. At the only train stop a suspect person came to sit on a different seat at my left. The keen observation of my mate remarked that his only possession was a rolled newspaper in his hand which is the weapon of choice for pickpockets. After a while he asked to sit near the window to my right which coincidently was near our day packs and my wallet. He told us that he was working for the train company and wanted to look out of the right window. It was very evident that his intentions weren't good so I played dumb as if not understanding his request. I then asked him to get a translator if he wanted anything specific and at this he shut up. A few minutes later a train conductor came over and we realised that this guy didn't even have a train ticket.

As soon as we arrived in Sinaia we were greeted by two scruffy men who offered us a room but we ignored them and rushed for a taxi instead. After a long-winded hill we arrived at the special birthday hotel for the holiday, the once palace Hotel Economat. Before we actually made it into the room three small children came to offer us small berries and they were so insisting and cute that I had to give in and brought two small cups of minute sour strawberries. The room was magnificent and lived very well to our expectations. I think the receptionist wasn't lying when she told us that she gave us the best room. A small corridor lead into the bedroom displaying a king sized velvet green covered bed. To my mates enthusiasm we had satellite TV with Animal Planet again and a well ventilated (open window) toilet with heater to dry our laundry. The only minus was that we didn't have a bath only a shower, but that is negligible compared to the beauty of the room.

The main attraction in Sinaia is the Peles Castle which was within walking distance from our hotel. Unfortunately we arrived late and could not enter inside because the last guided tour starts at 4.30 and like all other attractions it is closed on Monday. The Peles is the utmost of castles; it should be made a wonder of the world. I will forgive you for not visiting any other castles in Romania but you must see the Peles. There is no point describing in words just take a look at the pictures.	Peles Castle

To finish the birthday on a culinary note we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant, and it was the only mistake of an otherwise perfect birthday. For once the birthday was actually the best day of the holiday. Everything was magnificent from Bran Castle to the Peles Castle, Hotel Economat and the 1kg of cherries. This will be a very difficult birthday to beat but it was well deserved after 4 consecutive birthday flops.