Sphinx Experience & Concert in the Salt Mine


	About The Sphinx
Salt Mine from Slanic The Old Women (Babele) The Sphinx Dracula’s Bran Castle Suzana Monastery Salt Mine from Slanic	The Sphinx on top of the Bucegi Mountains stands majestically in a place protected by the terrestrial energies and watches over the mountains around him. His firm lines, carved in stone during lost forgotten times, were erroded by wind and water. He contemplates the passage of times, protects the ancestral memory and occasionally speaks with his younger brother from the Gizeh Plateau in Egypt. When he does that, horriffic snow avalanches happen in the Bucegi Moutains and black sand storms in Sahara. Then, it is better for you to run away from them and wait for a day of silence. Very rarely he speaks of his roots here and the secrets of the universe. To hear him, you must be there, and ready to listen. There are very few people who can hear a story he tells.
	PROGRAM 2 days - 1 night Bucuresti - Sinaia - Busteni - Babele - Bran – Brasov - Cheia - Slanic Prahova – Bucuresti (465 km)

	Hightlights: Sphinx Experience Route: Bucuresti – Sinaia – Busteni –Babele - Bran (220 km)
	Departure to Sinaia, the residence of the Romanian Royalty. Visit the Peles and Pelisor Castle - Residence of the Romanian Royalty in the last century, monument of architecture built in a German Renaissance style. Peles Castle is one of Romania's most important museums in the country since it was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914. The building of the castle began in 1873 under the direct order of the Viennese architect Wilhem Doderer but was inaugurated only on October 7, 1883. Pelisor Castle was built between 1899 – 1903 by the order of King Carol I as the residence for his Royal family, the future King Ferdinand and Queen Maria, by the the architect Karel Liman in the Art Nouveau style. The furniture and the interior decorations were designed mostly by Bernhard Ludwig with several chambers, working cabinets, a chapel, „the golden room”. Lunch at Taverna Sarbului Restaurant. Departure to Busteni. Ascend to Babele chalet ( 2200 m ) by cable car over the spectacular Jepilor Valley. Here we may admire a group of odd-shaped rocks, imposing stone columns that looks like human figures, named in the folklore The Old Women (Babele) and The Sphinx . Descend in Busteni. Departure to Bran. Dinner and overnight at Bran Villa Complex 3*.

	Hightlights: CONCERT IN THE SALT MINE Route: Bran – Brasov – Cheia - Slanic Prahova – Bucuresti (245 km)
	Visit the Dracula’s Bran Castle. It was built in 1370 as a fortress against the Turks on their way to conquer Transylvania. Perched deep in the Carpathian Mountains in the heart of rural Romania, the fortress, known as Dracula's Castle, attracts Bran Castle as many as 4,000 visitors a day from around the world. Plan to view its displays of feudal art, weapons, statuary, furniture and hunting trophies. Vlad the Impeller, the 15th century prince of Wallachia who was infamous for impaling his enemies on spikes, often stayed at the castle. He also is believed to have been imprisoned there for a short period. The prince's lust for blood and his cruelty inspired fear and enduring legends among the local Saxon settlers, who built the Bran fortress on a rocky hill top surrounded by thick woods and tall mountain gorges. Sightseeing tour of Brasov. The main attraction is the 14th-century Black Church, the oldest and largest Gothic church in the country. It has a 4,000-pipe organ, an extensive Oriental rug collection and interesting pews and sepulchers. Nearby are two fascinating Orthodox churches, Sfanta Trieme and Church of St. Nicholas. The Schei District (the old Romanian section of town, while the rest had been inhabited by German Saxons) and the main plaza have countless intriguing old buildings - be sure to look for the old Council Hall on the plaza; it now houses a history museum. Other attractions include the White and Black Towers (part of the old wall), 16th-century Catherine's Gate and an art museum. Continue the way to Cheia. Lunch in Cheia. Visit Cheia Monastery ( 18^th century ). Departure to Slanic. On our way we make a stop to visit Suzana Monastery ( 19^th century ). Arrival in Slanic. When you say Slanic Prahova, you must feel the salty taste in your mouth. That is because here is the biggest salt mine in Europe, which, for the past 300 years, has produced no less than 2.9 million cubic metres of pure salt! Now, the Unirea Salt Mine is open to the public, and you can go down 200 metres below the ground level and visit 4 of its 15 halls, with a height of ‘only’ 54 metres. Here, the temperature is constant throughout the year - 13 degrees Celsius, a pressure of 730 mm and no mobile phone network. Stepping into the Slanic Prahova salt mine, you will be descending into another world, an underground world where everything is made of nothing but salt: the walls, the floor, the beautiful statues, and the air. It is worth mentioning that the air in the salina has invaluable therapeutic qualities for the respiratory system, due to the constant microclimate and saline aerosols that will do wonders if you can spend here a few hours. You can look around at the impressive salt statues, take wonderful photos, rest on the available beds, have a match on the tennis court, leave your kids in the playground and in the same time get a healthy breath of salty air. Once outside the salt mine you will start to better treasure the sunshine above you and head to the Salt Mountain (actually what used to be the salt mountain, as today it is rather small). Inside it, the water eroded a cave, which is now called the Bride’s Cave, bearing the sad legend of a girl who threw herself here trying to escape marriage with a man whom Visit the Salt Mine from Slanic, the biggest salt mine in Europe. Here we will assist to a Symphonic Concert performed by "Bucharest Symphony". After the concert, departure to Bucharest. End of tour.

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