--- /dev/null
+---
+postid: 08d
+title: Sinaia
+date: April 27, 2019
+author: Lucian Mogoșanu
+tags: in-the-flesh
+---
+
+[Seeing][copenhagen] [as how][heraklion] [the story][kronstadt]
+[never][klausenburg] [ends][hermannstadt], last Saturday, or rather
+sometime late Friday, ye olde spirit of mountaineering woke up in yours
+truly and sent him slightly to the north, in the valley of Prahova, in a
+very small town called Sinaia[^1]. At this point the reader might (or
+might not) wonder why this one and not [the other one][azuga]: leaving
+aside the fact that Sinaia's *not quite* the backwater shithole that
+Azuga is, it's also slightly closer, i.e. just a one hour and a half
+train ride from the shithole that yours truly was running away from. So
+there I am, at 8 [sorta waking up][btcbase-1907055] while still on the
+train, and at 8:30 in the train station, where[^2]:
+
+TODO: 20190406_083410
+
+Ya know! Anyway, moving on:
+
+TODO: 20190406_083506
+
+I insisted on going back to the platform to take a shot of these fucking
+liars who kept on polluting my eyes with their shitty ads, moreso that
+the ads kept on going from the train station all the way to the place in
+question. Now, dear owners of Ramayana Cafe -- if you're reading this,
+then:
+
+*Remember, remember, the 19th of September
+When we went where "non-stop" was exposed;
+For a mug of your amber and perchance a warm ember,
+Yet alas, your bodega was closed.*
+
+Motherfuckers!
+
+TODO: 20190406_084204
+
+Pictured above: a mountain with the sunlight still behind it. Below it,
+the entrance to Hotel Caraiman, facing Sinaia's central park. To the
+left there was a dude who was taking his beagle for a walk, the poor dog
+barking in a very hoarse voice.
+
+TODO: 20190406_090049
+
+TODO: 20190406_094736 -- Peleș
+
+TODO: 20190406_095351 -- mountain shots
+
+TODO: 20190406_095612
+
+Above, a shot of Peleș, followed by photos taken from the terrace of
+Restaurant Regal. We didn't visit the castle -- not this time. It was
+crowded, like the last time we went there, and after previous
+experiences of being literally given a hasty run through the castle
+chambers, we passed. Instead, we went to the Pelișor -- "the little
+Peleș", if you will -- where we got to see and appreciate the stuff of
+kings and queens at our own pace, without pretend-guides reciting their
+little chant. Below, the reader can admire a photo of the house in
+question.
+
+TODO: 20190406_112656
+
+TODO: 20190406_113105
+
+Above, a waterfall and... stuff. What, even horse is artist! Anyway,
+moving on:
+
+TODO: 20190406_114131
+
+This was my first shot of the mountains for the day -- just look at the
+beauty of that snow! I'd wanted to take an earlier shot from a nice spot
+near Pelișor, but a gendarme came to tell me access was forbidden,
+because... I don't know, it's not like his masters are stealing money
+from my bag to pay his welfare or something. Anyway, this was also how
+we found out that access to castle Foișor is forbidden to us
+plebs. Gotta stop bein' a pleb, I guess.
+
+On the way back downtown, we stumbled upon:
+
+TODO: 20190406_120347
+
+For the record, in Romanian, "peleu" is yet another way to say "pulă",
+i.e. cock. Now take a look at this one:
+
+TODO: 20190406_120824
+
+TODO: 20190406_120841
+
+I wonder where they keep the other 89 pieces.
+
+TODO: 20190406_142553
+
+TODO: 20190406_142559
+
+Did you know that Sinaia was the first town in ye olde Romanian kingdom
+to get electric public lighting? Meanwhile, in the park, a pretty lame
+statuette near a tree:
+
+TODO: 20190406_142712
+
+Meanwhile, outside the park, a sign:
+
+TODO: 20190406_150203
+
+which must have some meaning. Meanwhile! very near the train station:
+
+TODO: 20190406_154230
+
+TODO: 20190406_154250
+
+which translates word by word to: maximum *quickness*, 60 km per hour --
+or is it perhaps: maximum hotness, 60k on the Scoville scale? E greu de
+intuit ce a vrut să zică autorul.
+
+We then went to the Știrbey Castle, nowadays known as the Sinaia Museum,
+which, leaving aside the very rude orcs selling tickets at the entrance,
+was actually pretty cool! Although it can still use some work, this one
+has none of the contextless crap I've seen in [Sibiu][altemberger],
+giving one a few basic references to use when they're interested in
+learning about the town's history.
+
+Besides, the rude orcs allowed me to take as many photos as I liked,
+which didn't do much for me, except that "temporary exhibition" they had
+where they filled four walls with documents dating back to the earliest
+XXth century, e.g.:
+
+> Domnule Primar,
+>
+> Luați imediate măsuri ca toate firmele și insignele nemțești să fie
+> date jos sau șterse în caz când au fost sau scrise direct pe case sau
+> magazii. Atrageți atențiunea populațiunei și comercianților asupra
+> dispozițiunilor cum trebuie să fie arnjat triculorul, de oare ce au
+> constat că modul cum sunt așezate culorile la diferite steaguri este
+> neregulat așezate.
+>
+> Culorile vor fi astfel: albastru la lemn, galben la mijloc și roșu în
+> afară fâlfâind.
+>
+> Toată corespondența se va lucra numai pe stil vechi.
+>
+> Orele de cancelarie se ficsează de la 8-12 a.m. și 3-7 p.m. În celele
+> lalte ore cum și în tot timpul nopții va trebui să se găsească în
+> cancelaria plășii și primăriilor sau companiei de jandarmi câte un om
+> de serviciu.
+>
+> Ne veți reporta numele funcționarului care absentează de la serviciu
+> și contra cărora vom lua severe măsuri.
+>
+> Despre executarea dispozițiunilor din prezentul ordin ne veți raporta.
+
+I'm not gonna post the photos here, but if there's anyone interested in
+going through the pain of transcribing the texts -- mind you me, some of
+the photos are out of focus -- then drop me a line!
+
+[^1]: The reference to mount Sinai must be obvious to the trained eye.
+
+[^2]: The same place where also, say, [Duca][duca] was assassinated.
+
+[copenhagen]: /posts/y05/07a-copenhagen.html
+[heraklion]: /posts/y05/07b-heraklion.html
+[kronstadt]: /posts/y05/07c-kronstadt.html
+[klausenburg]: /posts/y05/07d-klausenburg.html
+[hermannstadt]: /posts/y05/07e-hermannstadt-ii.html
+[azuga]: /posts/y04/06b-dining-in-troglodyte-lands.html
+[btcbase-1907055]: http://btcbase.org/log/2019-04-06#1907055
+[duca]: http://trilema.com/2011/trei-exemple-si-o-concluzie/#comment-39254
+[altemberger]: /posts/y05/07d-klausenburg.html#selection-341.0-345.567
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