Sinaia (România)

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Sinaia is a town and a mountain resort in Romania. The town was named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built; the monastery in turn is named after the Biblical Mount Sinai.

King Carol I of Romania built his summer home, Peleş Castle, near the town.

Sinaia is about 60 km northwest of Ploieşti and 50 km south of Braşov, in a mountainous area on the Prahova River valley, just east of the Bucegi Mountains. The altitude varies between 767 m and 860 m.

The city is a popular destination for hiking and winter sports, especially downhill skiing. Among the tourist landmarks, the most important are Peleş Castle, Pelişor Castle, Sinaia Monastery, Sinaia Casino, Sinaia train station, and the Franz Joseph and Saint Anne Cliffs.

Sinaia was also the summer residence of the Romanian composer George Enescu, who stayed at the Luminiş villa.

Source: Wikipedia

The Sinaia Monastery was founded by Prince Mihai Cantacuzino in 1695 and named after the great Sinai Monastery on Mount Sinai. As of 2005 it is inhabited by 13 Christian Orthodox monks led by hegumen Macarie Bogus. It belongs to the archdiocese of Bucharest.

The belltower.

On the road to the Elevation 1400.

You are in Prahova Valley 🙂

Below you can see the city Sinaia.

Elevation 1400.

Inside of Mioriţa Hut (1960 m).

Buşteni (România)

The city is marked with green line, just between Ploieşti and Braşov (click on the picture for bigger size)

Buşteni is a small mountain town in the north of the county Prahova, in the center of Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi mountains, that have a maximum altitude of 2505 m.

Its name literally means tree-logs in Romanian.

Buşteni’s average altitude is 900 m. It is one of the most popular mountain resorts, offering spectacular views, with lots of year-round tourism opportunities, ranging from skiing to mountain climbing.

The town and the surrounding mountains were the site of military confrontations in 1916, during World War I.

A large commemorative monument (about 25 m high), Heroes’ Cross (Crucea Eroilor) lies atop nearby Caraiman Peak, at nearly 2,260 m. The monument is lighted at night and is visible from virtually everywhere in Buşteni.

The average population is 15,000 inhabitants, although numbers vary greatly because of tourism. The main local industries are wood industry and tourism. Many holiday houses have been recently built in the town.

Also a new Information Tourism Center was set up near the City Hall.

Source: Wikipedia

A board which confirms that Busteni is similar to a french city, Moissy Cramayel

The Town Hall of Busteni

The cultural club from Busteni,the advertisment announces the beginning of the cultural week (10-18 august 2009)

The main road that takes us to Brasov 😛

A "small" artistic moment captured in Nature 🙂

Heroes Cross from Caraiman Peak seen in Busteni

How to protect the Nature (Do not throw the garbage in the forest!). Unfortunately, this message is not respected by all tourists.

A mioritic picture caught in a quite,green angle (specific to this region),captured on the road to gondola lift

On the road which goes to gondola lift.Here you can find a lot of arbors with traditional Romanian souvenirs,bars and restaurants

A view of mountains in front of gondola lift point,near to Silva Hotel

First panoramic view at high! We were ready to get out of the gondola lift,at 2205 m high

Some nice donkeys sitting near the exit from gondola lift.We think they were ready for another road on the mountains 🙂

Such a silent and cold panorama surrounded us during our short excursion.You must take something warm to put on you if you don't want to get frozen 😉

Near to this zone,is an inexplicable positive magnetical field,so you can get immediately fresh,no mater how tired you are!

The pathway that goes to the Sphinx; to the right you see Babele Hut with a large restaurant down and a hotel (the prices are not so high)

Another "high view" at 2205 meters

A millennial natural monumental rock climbed by people...

An ancient altar of our ancestors..

Another extraordinary panoramic view!

A little Viola flower

The Sphinx-an ancient sacred place;even the plate says that climbing on it is forbidden,a lot of people don't pay attention to it.

Circular sanctuary near the Sphinx

The Sphink,picture taken in a perfect angle!

Surrounded by all these beauties,feeling the fresh,cold air and the silent settled around,you just can't stop making panoramic photos!

Another panoramic view...

Babele (meaning Old Women); another mystical rocks; some people believe it's an ancient historical monument, others that it's just the resulf of erosion.

An interesting cute mushroom noticed near rocks.It looks like a golden egg,doesn't it?

The place from where we take the gondola lift to bring us down (it takes 11 minutes to descend)

The "extremity" point of this part of mountains-from here,it starts to descent quickly...

The next attraction captured in gondola lift

The HUGE crowd-all these persons wait the gondola lift to descend,crowd longer than 50 meters (the same treatement expects you down,we waited more than an hour to take gondola lift).The whole ticket costs 54 lei-13 euros

Silva Hotel,a pretty expensive place to spend your vacations..

Appartament houses in Busteni

A sweet,living dummy cat sleeping in a shopwindow which takes the glance of everyone who pass through..

Costila-the new commercial center opened recently in Busteni