Romania: One last day in the Bucegi

Get a reasonably early start and head up out of Sinaia. Past the monastery, somehow totally missing the crazy palace, we eventually end up on the blue striped former royal walking path which leads us in serpentines up the hill. At the shoulder near Cab. Poiana Stanii the signage gets a bit dodgy and we miss the path turnoff. A couple km down the road we have our mistake (which we suspect) confirmed when we run into the red stripe path, which we definitely shouldn't see. Turn back and retrace our steps to the shoulder, find the turnoff, and 20 past it, the path marker. Up hill again on a really nice woods path. At a clearing with a picnic table (!) stop for an early food break. Great views (though a bit hazy) from here.
After a bit we are joined by a stray dog who, very well behaved, sits a couple meters off and watches us eat. As we finish a group of Romanians comes up and says the dog is a "community dog" that followed them up the hill. We head on our way are and joined about 100m later by the dog. She herds us the rest of the way up the very nice path to the top of the massif. She knows the way very well.

Onwards along the top towards Cab. Pietra Arsa, where we plan to stop for a tea. As soon as we catch sight of the monstrosity, however, we turn around and head towards the lift station near Cab. Miorita. We manage to ditch the dog with a Romanian family and go on unaccompanied. After some more walking we take another food break at a nice viewpoint. Here we're rejoined by the dog; she's really good at finding us while we're eating! Our small herd proceeds to the lift station where the four-legged member is left behind and we head down to the Sinaia.

After a post-hike beer in the park, it's a nap and then packing for the trip back home. One last meal at an "Irish"/Romanian restaurant that is pretty uninspired (though plenty loud) and then that's it for the day.