But with the years my ambitions grew. My imagination was full of romance (I did not grow up all at once) and my childhood dreams still haunted me; so I planned a house in the tree tops! This was built for me in the forest of Sinaia, where for many years Cuibul Principesei (the Princess' nest) was the amusement of everyone; a queer little log hut suspended across several giant firs. It could be reached only by climbing the steep stairs of a wooden belfry, from which a drawbridge was let down; once on the other side, the drawbridge could be pulled up and my house became impregnable. It hung on the very edge of a steep incline, and over the tree tops I could look into the valley below. This tree-dwelling had two rooms, a diminutive kitchen and balconies on both sides. I arranged it with loving care, and many a happy hour we spent in it between earth and sky. The "nest" lasted until after the war, when one night it suddenly collapsed during a violent storm; but I must own that I had forsaken my cuib before that fatal day . . .
—My Dream Houses