Sinaia and the Peles Castle, Brasov Old Town

Before WWII Romania was allied with Germany.  Not wanting to fight with the Germans nor with the Russians, Romania declared itself to be a neutral state.  But Germany then bombed their refineries which left the door open for Russian to eventually invade and occupy Romania from 1950 to 1990.  Earlier in that century many Hungarians and Germans migrated to Romania, especially in the Transylvania region.  So today we saw many homes and towns with Germany names and architecture as well Hungarian names.

Our tour today took us to the town of Sinaia (pronounced Sin-Eye-Uh), named for a monastery that has a stone from Mount Sinai.  In 1866 Prince Carol I (Carl) discovered the area around Sinaia and liked the woodlands, river, and hunting.  He decided to build his summer home here. It took over 40 years to complete the building and by then he was King Carl, the first king of Romania. When his wife could not carry a pregnancy, they adopted his nephew who became the second king, his son the 3rd king and his son the 4th and last king in 1947.  In 1965 the monarchy was abandoned and they became a socialist republic.

Now the fun part.  The Peles (pronounced Pelesh) Castle was mostly completed in 1883 except for the addition of an elevator in 1914.  Every room was elaborately decorated with wood carvings, tapestry, artwork and mirrors.  The armory room is filled with ceremonial weapons, the Turkish room was fabric and tapestry from ceiling to floor, and several rooms were transformed from open courtyards by the addition of glass ceilings.

After we left Sinaia, we stopped in old town of Brasov and had a short tour of the main square surrounding the Council Tower built in 1420.  The Black Church, a catholic turned Protestant  church, was burned in a fire 1689 and has recently been renovated. 

The Germans left Romania following the fall of the Berlin Wall but there are still some in the area.  A few Jews have settled here and they have a lovely synagogue.  And what would an old town be without the narrowest street in the area.

Two Walking Tours

The Marmorosch Bank (now our hotel) was built in 1943 across the street from the 1899 National Bank of Romania. Thus begins our walking tour of Old Town Bucharest.

Bucharest was a medieval walled city from 1400’s but in the late 1800’s the French came in a began building so it became known as “Little Paris”.  In 1948 following WWII the communist took over from the French.  During the war, Romania was aligned with Germany because Russia forced them.  The  eclectic architecture of Bucharest reflects the various occupations from Germany, France and Communist Russia.  Most of the churches are Greek Orthodox with a few catholic and fewer still protestant churches. Only 5% of the population are Muslims or Jews.

The National History Museum used to be a post office, the Czech Bank was the only building built as a bank and still used as a bank, the Hospital of Bucharest was started in the courtyard of a Catholic Church in 1704 and is now grown and was renovated in 1888 but still run as a national hospital today.

We walked past many churches, monasteries, and orthodox churches.  The communist built buildings were easy to spot and we were told that many of the run down homes were once owned by Romanians, but then the communist took them over and now it is disputed as to who owns the building so nothing happens to keep it from falling apart.

Yesterday we had lunch in a lovely German style building and we learned today that it was called a Beer House.  

This afternoon was spent on a Food Tour in the center section of the city.  It started with a tasting of meats, cheeses and vegetables tray (what we would call a charcuterie) covered with sausage, salami, sour cheese, a cheese with walnuts, pepperoni and lard.  On the side we sampled mashed aubergine seasoned with onion, garlic and nuts and a local dish called zacusca which is also egg plant and peppers that are roasted then mashed with onions, garlic, celery, olive oil and other seasonings.  Both very tasty on homemade bread.

We heard more of Romanian history as we walked past a farmer’s market and to our next stop where we tried a street food made with sour cheese wrapped in very flaky crust and baked until the cheese melts.  It was very filling.  Then we sat in a restaurant for the main course of Mici, a meat roll of beef and pork, coriander and thyme. On the side was salted cucumbers, sour cabbage and roasted red peppers.  A polenta dish with soft egg, and cheese.  Very good!  The white wine was from a Romania grape called Tamiosa.  It was kind of like a Chardonnay but tarter.

We selected some delightful eclairs which we took back to our room as we were very full.  But before we walked back we peeked inside the 1888 Atheneum Concert Hall. A lovely theatre dedicated to the composer and musician George Enesco who wrote La Tosca in January 1900.

Exploring Bucharest

Our Ama Waterways Cruise director made some suggestions on what to see in Old Town. The Parliament Building was high on our list.  Alex, the cruise director, tried to reserve a spot on a tour but was unsuccessful but that didn’t stop us.  We walked to the building, bought a ticket and an hour and half later we were on a tour.  While waiting we did walk around the park grounds.

The Parliament Building/Palace started construction 40 years ago and was completer 20 years later. It is 12 stories tall and sits on one of seven hills in Bucharest.  It took 700 architects, directed by a 30-year old lady, and 20,000 workers to create and decorate 11,000 rooms. It was built and financed by the communists who occupied the country at that time and was built to house government offices for all of Romania.  They also built several ministry buildings and a residence apartment.  Our tour covered less than 5% of the rooms in the Parliament.  

Most of what we saw on the tour was for use by government dignitaries and ambassadors from other countries although some ballrooms are used by the public for dances and galas.

The auditoriums will seat 600 people and is used 2-3 time a week.  The chandelier weighs 5 tons with 300 lights. It has an art decor design. The press gallery has 67 chandeliers with 9 meter high ceilings.  Other rooms were French style, German style, Neo renaissance and others.  One ballroom had glass ceilings, a window in one stairwell was 16 meters high and the curtain over it weighed 500 kilograms.  All the rooms we saw were massive with tall ceilings, marble walls and numerous chandeliers. The estimated cost was $4 billion US dollars and it is considered to be the heaviest building in the world. 

A nap was called for before we met some of our fellow travelers.  We then had a cocktail in the hotel’s vault.  This building was once a bank so the Vault has been transformed into a bar.  Speaking of the hotel, it too has very tall ceilings and a luxurious lounge and dining area.  The marble stairs to the second floor are elegant and surrounded by fresco paintings.

Traveling to Romania

A new adventure has us traveling to several countries in Europe which we have never visited. But first we have to get there. We left Kansas City on time and flew to Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. arriving on time with an hour to get to our gate.  No problems. 

It was after we were on the plane and settled into our seats when the pilot announced the plane was delayed because a passenger brought a dog on the plane but its carrier would not fit under the seat.  The family had to deplane and the crew had to find their luggage.  By the time that happened, a weather system the pilot had hoped to avoid had moved in and that delayed us further, along with a lot of other flights. We sat in the plane either at the gate or on the runway until we could get clearance to fly for 2.5 hours, which meant we were going to miss our connection to Bucharest.

The night flew by. Then the Frankfurt airport was overrun with planes and people. The bus took us from the plane to a terminal, a different bus took us to another terminal. Instructions on what to do were confusing but it seemed that they had booked us on another flight that would leave the next day and get us to Bucharest late afternoon. We did not want to spend the night in Frankfurt and then spotted a departure list and our original flight was also delayed. With nothing to lose, we hoofed it (after standing in line for another bus) to the gate and after several phone calls and the work of 3 gate personnel, we were escorted to the bus and onto the plane where we sat another 30 minutes.  We were the last two on and couldn’t have been happier! 

Since our flight had been rescheduled and we were late arriving, there was no one to greet us.  We nabbed a cab and arrived at the Marmorosch Hotel three hours late but we are here!

The End of a Fabulous Trip

Today is Father’s Day and we celebrated all the dads today.  Our last meal at the Royalton Splash was together at 8am since Erin and Bryan all leave on the 9:30 shuttle to the airport.  The rest of us have until 10:30 to catch that bus to the airport.

We were able to meet up with the Perillo’s for one last good bye before they boarded their plane home.

We landed at KCI around 5:40, left the airport, picked up sandwiches and headed home.  All arrived safely but tired.

It was a great week full of fun and laughter, family time and relaxation.  A week we will always remember.

Last Day

We all slept late!  Once we were all seated at breakfast we got the full story of why Liam ‘fell asleep’.  It was a huge, planned ruse. He pretended to sleep for the picture that was sent to the parents.  So when they walked into the room, RJ & Lisa and Erin & Bryan were very quiet and gently aroused Liam but then they could not find the other three kids.  That is until Ella giggled!  Then Vincent laughed and then Nora giggled and Liam was wide awake and laughing.  Fooled You!!

Erin, Lisa and I viewed all 115 pictures taken on Thursday. We eliminated as many as we could then we had to cut some more from 38 shots to less than 30.  We got it down to 22 photos for $330 plus one print and one canvas print.  So many great pictures it was really hard to decide. We have them all downloaded now and  we’ll get to pick the ones we want to frame and keep.

The kids had to have one last go at the water slides, we tried to play pickleball again but the court was too wet.  Ella and Nora spent some time at a kids drop off game room while the rest of us were in or near the pool.  Liam and Vincent got in one last soccer game.

Following our steak dinner at the Hunter restaurant Nora and I watched a musical dance and song production from the movie Aladdin and then the Circus Show.  It was a take off on Circe de Soleil with juggler, acrobats, a lady who flew with a silk rope, a lady on a hanging hoop and a clown doing a balancing act with a ladder.  

All head in after the show since we need to pack and be ready to go home.

Rainy Day and Dancing

During the night I was awakened by a dripping sound in the room.  It was raining hard and I discovered a wet puddle on the floor at the foot of our bed.  Daylight showed us a leak in our ceiling.  The water was coming from a patio deck over our room.  We notified customer relations and their response was to move us to another room for two nights.  We declined since it wasn’t supposed to rain much.

Following a late breakfast we played games at the Kid Zone.  Liam and Vincent played laser tag, Ella and Nora jumped on the trampoline park and all the adults went bowling except for me, I just watched and cheered.  While Ella was jumping she threw her beanie baby up and it went down behind the climbing wall.  The staff spent a long time trying to retrieve it using numerous long armed tools but it was wedged in too tight to move.

I got a therapeutic massage.  The 80 minute session worked wonders on my shoulder.  The masseuse did a great job on the shoulder area and then a full body from scalp to toes.  This is only the second time I have had a massage.  I may have to do it again!  The rest of the day was spent at the pool.

This evenings dinner is for adults only (Luca at 18 is an adult now).  Erin and Bryan got the kids settled in their room, showed them how to order room service, and how to use the hotel phone in the room. It seemed like we had to really work to get a table for seven at the French restaurant, MaMaison.  We were told we could have a private area on the condition of ordering a bottle of wine. Not a problem, we went through three bottles of wine.  In typical French fashion the portions were small but everyone thought their food was very good.  We ate duck, salmon, lamb, and sea bass.  The place was pretty empty as only four other tables were seated.

Tonight’s entertainment was called The White Party where they encouraged everyone to wear white.  When we finished dinner the party was in full swing in the lobby with loud music, white balloons, costumed dancers in lights and glitter, jugglers, and lots of liquor.  Luca moved away from his parents while we danced around.  John really got into the music and entertained us with his moves.

Vincent texted a picture of Liam who had fallen asleep early so the parents went home.  I left John at the party and turned in early.

Another Day in Paradise

A very lazy morning with most of the group sleeping late.  We needed this day to slow down a bit.

We all met at the pickleball court and had several games.  Nora and I attempted hitting a tennis ball back and forth - the operative word is attempted.  Smile!

The pools beckoned.  The big, main pool was closed almost all afternoon because a boy threw up in it and it had to be treated and filtered before anyone could swim.That meant that the smaller side pools were very busy and we couldn’t find seating.  A ‘Baly Bed’ (shaded with a canvas cover) and two loungers would have to do.  I found out later in the day that we had to pay $82 for that bed but it was worth it, sort of!  We spent most of our time in the pool drinking fruity beverages until about 4 pm.  

We had reservations for dinner at 7:30 but first a photo session.  I bought everyone matching red tropical shirts and dresses so we had a fun photo shoot on the shoreline and in the ocean for almost a full hour.  Carlos the photographer was really good and lots of fun.  He had so many ideas on how to arrange the families.  But the fun part was on the beach jumping, running, sitting and laying in the sand and kissing our spouses!  John doesn’t trust me to not buy too many pictures so Erin and Lisa have been tasked with holding me back! Ha! Ha!

Dinner was at Zen, a Japanese hibachi restaurant.  What fun to watch the chef juggle his spatula and knife while preparing our meal.  He had a mound of rice with a head that he “cut off” and served to us by tossing a bite of rice towards our mouths.  Luca and Bryan caught one but the rest hit the floor! Good food and a fun dining experience made for a great evening.

A Latin dance show was on the main stage and then we headed to our rooms.

Pickleball!

The day started for the two families with kids at the lazy river and water slides while John and I lazed around.  I checked out getting a pedicure, found the gym, spa and pickleball court.

Lisa reserved the court for 11 am so it was hot but with clouds and a breeze it wasn’t too bad.  I tried hitting left handed then I got kicked off the court by Lisa, Liam, Vincent and Bryan.  Then Liam & Vincent took on Grandpa and Bryan. Next was RJ & Bryan against Liam & Vincent.  RJ stumbled, falling down on top of the net and pulling it loose and feeling very embarrassed.  Lucky for us, Erin caught it all on her camera!  It was a fun, laughter filled morning.

The remainder of the day was spent at the Diamond pool.  I got a pedicure while the rest were swimming and drinking smoothies.  At one point Nora cut her toe on an exposed nail on an underwater light.  Drama!  RJ refused to sign a medical release which resulted in management offering to get a doctor to look at her toe and to pay for any treatment that might be necessary.  They had a satisfactory ending.  Nora has played this up very well by getting Vincent, Bryan, mom and dad to carry her around.

By hanging on the edge of the pool, parents could watch Liam and Vincent in a game of beach soccer. They played with older men, a few young men, a young lady and these two boys.  It was so much fun to watch.  I laughed a lot!!

We had a wonderful dinner at The Grazie, an Italian restaurant.  Shortly after we sat down the waiter brought several appetizers just for the kids.  We got two bottles of Chianti, orders of pasta, fish soup, eggplant and chicken Parmesan, bread for dipping in olive oil and several adult appetizers which the kids enjoyed as well.  Another night that Nora fell asleep at the table.

After dinner we wondered through a Mexican Festival set up in the courtyard of the resort. Live music set the mood, craft booths, food booths, and a Mexican buffet looked inviting but the exciting part was watching Liam and Vincent attempt bull riding!  Two mechanical bulls were set up at the edge of the festival.  Both boys thought they could stay on for a record time only to fall off after 30 seconds.  Lots of laughter and teasing.  Despite the Lindstrom catastrophes of cuts and falls, which has earned them the nickname “Griswolds”, it was a very good day.

Snorkeling Adventures

We met our guide/driver at 8:30 am for an hour and a half drive to Akumal where we snorkeled in a brackish water area. Brackish meaning an area where fresh water meets salt water.  The two don’t mix but the fish seem to like this area since we saw a lot of them.  Due to winds, the water was a bit choppy and murky but we were still able to see lots of fish.  Ella and Nora did really well, my underwater camera got a few good shots while RJ and Vincent used GoPros to get really nice movies.

From there we went to a cenote or a deep sink hole filled with fresh, cold water.  We were able to jump into the pool from the high platform on the hilltop and use the zip line to slide down to the water.  Ella, John and I declined to jump but Nora and the others did it several times.  The snorkelers found some small fish and a beautiful blue freshwater lobster. We also spotted a green iguana lazing in a bush.

We were served a typical Mexican lunch before going snorkeling in a cave.  It was quite interesting but very, very cold.  One could see where the river ran through it to the underground pools. We mostly enjoyed looking at the boulders with flashlight showing the way. Since the underground river ran through there we did not see many fish.  A couple of bats were sleeping and some birds named Mot Mot call the cave home.  These colorful birds were very important to the Mayan peoples as they could always follow them to shelter and water since they live at the mouth of the cave. We also observed several Iguana.

When we got back to the Royalton Splash we hung out at a rooftop lounge, nibbled on deserts and had fruit smoothies with and without alcohol.  Dinner was at RIO, a Brazilian BBQ where they served the meats on a spit and carved at the table.  We had chicken, two kinds of steak, sausage and bread.  Side dishes were served buffet style.

The show stage featured a magic show and an electronic bingo game until the evening performance of Michael Jackson.  It was a very talented group with the Michael Jackson performer doing an excellent job of imitating him.

Water Slides and a Lazy River

The kids couldn’t wait to attack the water slides. Building 19 overlooks one of the slide parks where there is a lazy river, and four water slides, two dumping buckets and splash pad spraying everywhere.

On the other side of the building is the Big Kids slides with three straight slides, two spiral slides, a toilette bowl, a funnel, and a round slide.  Nora was excited that she is tall enough to ride all the slides.  Some slides are just body slides and some use float tubes for double riders.  Other than John and I, the adults did their share of slides until RJ got cut on one and had to be attended to by the lifeguards.

Late afternoon found us old folks back in our rooms to rest.  The rest of the group headed for the beach to play in the sand or to play beach soccer (Liam and Vincent, of course!).

We all met at the Diamond Club lounge where we could get drinks - both adult and child - as well as snacks.  It’s quieter there than any other place.

Dinner was at “The Cave” for a Mediterranean meal. We were unable to get an early reservation so we didn't sit down until 8 pm and it was much later by the time our food arrived.  Poor Nora fell asleep at the table. She played so hard today.  It was a delightful evening with our children and the grandkids were so good.  They all get along so well! 

Tomorrow is a big day of snorkeling.

A Family Vacation - The beginning

The Adventure began at 5AM when RJ and family picked us up and drove to the airport in Kansas City for a 9:30 am flight to Cancun, Mexico.  Erin and family flew in from Dallas and arrived only about an hour before we arrived at the Royalton Splash Riviera Resort.

Actually it seemed longer than an hour as it took forever for the luggage to be unloaded and then to find the resort shuttle.  Bryan saw us first when we arrived at the resort and then this bleach blond young man walked up to us.  OMG!  It was Vincent!  It seems his soccer team, which is playing in a regional tournament in Florida next week, has agreed to bleach their hair for this trip.  I love it but Grandpa wasn’t so sure!  Then Luca found us and he has a mustache, Bryan’s hair is longer and curly but Erin looks beautiful!

It is very hot, humid and windy so we found our way to the Diamond Club where we waited in A/C to check into our rooms following a bus load of people checking in.  The Diamond club has a full bar, a snack/heavy lunch buffet and places to sit so we had a lunch, cocktails and waited.  John and I have a suite in building #11 while the other two families have rooms in building #19 on the opposite side of the resort.  By the time we were settled into our suite and changed into swimming suits, the rest of the family had already set up by the pool and the kids were chomping at the bit to swim.

We have Diamond Club privileges such as our own pool (there are several in the resort), reserved beach side, special dining room, spa privileges and personal butlers at our beck and call, ready to get us what ever we need or to help us with dinner reservations.

The Alligator 

Until we have all the services figured out, we opted to eat at the Buffett then everyone came up to our “Presidential” suite where we had a champagne toast to start the week.

Rainy Days and Sunday

John made a reservation at the Blue Grouse Winery for a tasting and charcuterie pairing. The address says Duncan but we are in the Cowichen Valley where most of Vancouver Island’s vineyards are located.   The wines were good but very different varietals such as Gamay, Ortega and Bacchus.

We decided to take the back roads to return when we saw a sign for the Kinsol Trestle Bridge. It is one of the worlds tallest, free-standing timber railway trestles at 615 feet high and 144 feet wide.  It is note worthy for its seven degree curve. The Galloping Goose, a gas engine passenger car, ran this line from Victoria to Sooke and then up to Cowichan Lake from 1922-1931 until automobiles became a popular way of travel.

As we walked back to the car from the bridge the sky opened up and rain fell! We were pretty wet by the time we reached the car.  It put a bit of a damper (get it?) on the day.

Galloping Goose Trail

What a beautiful day for a bike ride.  The Galloping Goose Trail is a rails-to-trails bike or walking path that spans the southern end of Vancouver Island for over 55 miles.   It was originally the Canadian National Railway begun in 1911. We drove to a trailhead near the west end that parallels the Sooke River.  It was such a beautiful ride under old growth trees, along and through rocky out cropping and the river next to us.

At one point on the river there are areas with holes or places where the river has carved through the canyon walls and created deep pools called pot holes.  It was a popular place for folks to swim and sun bathe and a good place to picnic.  We also crossed two wood trestle bridges. The Todd Creek Trestle was built in 1918 out of Douglas fir. We only rode about 16 miles out and back but it was so nice.