I am Marie of Roumania

Today's day trip was to Peles Castle and Pelisor, the summer residence of the Romanian queen immortalized in Dorothy Parker's little verse. The castle was constructed in the last decades of the nineteenth century and has all its original modern amenities, such as central heating and electricity, still functioning. All the works are German, which explains their longevity. So was the royal family, although its tenure over Romania lasted a paltry sixty years or so.

Tomorrow: recovery from a nasty cold I picked up on one of these pestilent trains, tying up loose ends here in Bucharest, and then onward to Sofia.