Bram, Barbie, and Bears

Ironically when I wake up in Transylvania, I feel more like the undead than searching for him (maybe that comes with the territory? ⚰️). My plans to go in search of culture and Bram Stoker are quickly switched for capitalism and Barbie the Movie as I shelter from the heat in a nearby shopping centre.

A trip to the movies here seems in good order given the giant Hollywood style sign that looms over Brasov. The town is full of tales almost as tall as the white letters themselves, as local legends claim it was where the pied piper re-emerged, a woman was brought back to life from her grave, Vlad the Impaler’s love life had the most juicy gossip, and the time a bear waddled into the town centre. But then again I wouldn’t expect anything less from a town that’s built their very own Hollywood sign over the site where Vlad impaled 40 men.

Vlad the Impaler might seem fairly grim to us but in Romania he’s often seen as a folk hero- after all he led the Romanian resistance against the Ottomans and fought against the German Saxons who had set up strongholds in Transylvania. It’s worth noting here that almost every where in Romania stakes a claim (no pun intended) to Vlad the Impaler who is thought to have been much of the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It’s a claim that the Romanian tourist office doesn’t seem keen to break and it’s easy to see why given the industry that’s built up around vampire tourism. And clearly it’s working- I’ve been calling Bran castle, ‘Bram’s castle’ for the past few months. Apparently good old Bram never even once set foot in Eastern Europe. Little does he know what he’s missing…Read more