Growing up I had seen numerous black and white movies on TV about vampires, werewolves, etcetera, set in Transylvania. I had read Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula as a teenager in Dallas. When I lived in NYC, I saw an off-off-Broadway version of the play Dracula, as well as the stunning Broadway version with a young Frank Langella playing such a sexy edition of the blood sucker that nearly every woman in the audience was willing to succumb to this charms. In recent years just about every paranormal investigation group on TV has traveled to Transylvania to explore whether vampires or werewolves actually exist or to set their equipment up at Rasnov Fortress (both groups who I saw investigate there had pretty frightening experiences), Poenari Castle, or Bran Castle and see what they could capture. I was very interested in finding out whether or not Transylvania was as foreboding and spooky as its reputation.
Transylvania has seen Dacians, Romans, Carpi, Visigoths, Huns, Gepids, Avars, Slavs, Vlachs, and Magyars from the 1st century BC to the 9th century AD. All of those groups have left their mark – especially the Dacians, Vlachs, and Magyars.
When Mom and I went on the Central Europe tour, we had been told that people in Eastern Europe tended not to smile much and can be very standoffish. With all of the wars, invasions, and such they have experienced throughout the centuries, I can’t say I blame them. I was glad that Transylvania was not the first Eastern European region that I visited or I might have been a trifle unnerved by the rather dour expressions on most people’s faces. But I was used to it and found it no different than any other former Soviet country.
Our first stop in Transylvania was the mountain resort town of Sinaia. Just outside of the monastery we were visiting was a very large, lovely house for sale. Sue, Dot, Barbara and I discussed how we should go in on it together for a vacation home. We also enjoyed the fact that the real estate agency was Remax – there in the Carpathian Mountains.
The Monastery was founded in 1695 and named after the monastery on Mount Sinai in Egypt. The relatively small monastery consists of two courtyards with a church in each and living quarters for the monks in the surrounding buildings. At the time it was built, it was the only structure in the area. A small town grew up next door, which was named after the monastery. Then, in the late 1800s, King Carl I of Romania, built Peleş (pronounced Pelish) Castle as a summer palace.
At Peleş Castle, we were able to purchase a ticket to allow photography and another to allow video. I did both and was glad I did. It is absolutely gorgeous inside (of course I have never met a castle I didn’t like). I have included just a couple of the interior photos I took here. Next door is another smaller castle built about a decade later called Pelişor Castle. It was also built by Carl I to house his nephew (who would be his successor).
After visiting Peleş, we had a lunch break. Sue, Dot, Barbara and I went to a small, family-owned hotel where we sat out on a terrace and had a white bean sour cream with bacon soup and some crusty bread with butter. After leaving Sinaia to head for Brasov, we encountered stormy weather in the Carpathian Mountains. By the time we reached Brasov, it was raining quite heavily.
Evidence of human inhabitation in Brasov exists as far back as 9500 BC. When it became a city, it was largely the Transylvanian Saxons who were involved in settling what is now the 7th largest city in Romania. Zsuzsa’s Hungarian family lives in and around Brasov and has been there for over four hundred years.
Not too long after we arrived, I gave my brother, Dean, a call. It was his birthday. During the call I told him that I was in Transylvania, during a thunderstorm, in a room with a balcony and French doors. He asked if I had a crucifix. I answered that I had a new one from Rila Monastery and planned to have something with garlic for dinner. He thought that was a good idea. He also felt I should make certain that the French doors were securely locked.
We had an included dinner that night at a medieval fortress (up on a mountain) from 1580, replacing an earlier building that burned down. Members of the Brasov Symphony Orchestra played during dinner. It was very nice. Good food. By the time we were returning to our hotel, the storm was over.
They always say, “Write what you know.” Bram Stoker completely ignored that advice. He had never been to Transylvania in his life. He had heard of Vlad Dracula, liked the name, and turned a Prince of Wallachia into a Transylvanian Count. The castle? The location Stoker describes is in the northeastern part of Transylvania, near Moldavia. The description of the castle itself fits best with Bran Castle. Vlad was held prisoner in Bran Castle for a couple of months in 1462, but he never owned it. The castle has been nicknamed “Dracula’s Castle” and is marketed as such for the tourists.
Even so, it is a fascinating castle to see as it is roughly the right period (built just a hundred years before Vlad was held prisoner there) and gives a great idea of a Transylvanian Castle of that era. It is intact, furnished, and privately owned. Because of its mountainous location, there is a steep cobbled road to it. Then, you are up and down and up and down and up and down a myriad of stairs inside to get to the different rooms on different levels. The rooms are mostly pretty small. There is also a hidden staircase in a wall that we went up. Since I was the last one up, I was able to turn around a get a very good photo of it.
We had some free time once we toured the castle and so had plenty of time to look for interesting souvenirs. I did get a dagger with a handle in the shape of a dragon. I also bought an embroidered table runner.
On the way back to Brasov, we went by Rasnov Fortress. Too bad we didn’t get to stop off there. When we got back to Brasov, Zsuzsa gave us a walking tour of her hometown, including the medieval town walls, the Black Church, and the Old Town Square. The walls were built in the 15th century. The gothic Black Church was completed in 1476 was named because of the scorched look of the exterior. Something special was going on in the church at the time we were there, so we didn’t get to go inside.
Also known as the Council Square, the Old Town Square has been in existence since the 14th century. A museum of Brasov exists inside of the Old Council House in the center of the square. We were let loose on the town since there were numerous restaurants in the area to have lunch and we were also in walking distance of our hotel. Sue, Dot, Barbara and I found a very pleasant outdoor café where we had lunch. For some reason (perhaps the combination of a hot day, high altitude, and lots of walking), I was having a bout of dehydration. So, after lunch, the other ladies went to take a cable car up a mountain and I headed back to the hotel, purchasing liquids and some snacks for dinner on my way.
By the next day, I was fine again. We set off for Sighisoara, which is very picturesque, has its medieval walls and clock tower, and is the birthplace of Vlad Dracula. It was settled in the 12th century, mainly by the Saxons. While Vlad’s dad was in exile from Wallachia and living in Transylvania, Vlad was born. The three story house his father owned in Sighisoara is still in existence and had been turned into a restaurant with a small weapons museum upstairs. It is considered to be the oldest stone house in town.
Not far from the house is the Monastery Church. This building dates back to the 13th century, so would have been there when Vlad Junior and his family lived there. Just outside of the church is a bust of Vlad Dracula.
An even shorter distance from Casa Vlad Dracul, is the Clock Tower. It was built at the end of the 13th century and is currently being used as a history museum. The ticket to the museum includes the ability to climb to the top of the tower where there are great views of the entire town, both inside and outside of the medieval citadel.
Within the citadel, the roads are narrow and either cobbled or dirt. The houses are very old and some are painted in bright colors. Around the two main squares (Casa Vlad Dracul is in the second main square) are several small hotels and numerous restaurants. We had our lunch in the main square after wandering the town and climbing up to the top of the clock tower. We had plenty of time for a nice, leisurely lunch. We made that our main meal for the day and had an appetizer, main course and dessert. Afterwards we left for Cluj Napoca, where we spent the night.
Our last stop in Transylvania was for lunch the next day in Oradea. Then we returned to Hungary and Budapest.
