Beyond Bucharest

Today was all to ourselves. We could have booked a very expensive Viking tour, but Get Your Guide once again came to the rescue. We got a full day (like 12 hours, we had to get up so early!) day of travel to Wallachia and Transylvania. Romania has 3 parts: Wallachia in the south, Transylvania that used to be part of Austria-Hungary empire, and Moldova (not part now). Fortunately all three places were Rick Steves-approved, ha ha.

Our first stop was in Sinaia for a royal residence, Peles Castle. The town leading up to it looks like it's a resort in Winter or Summer (not in the cold Spring when we're here); lots of Airbnbs it looks like.

King Carol I who built Peles Castle (pronounced "pelesh") actually came from Germany. It was built in 1874 and meant to rival Schönbrúnn, because when he came to Romania he had to travel like a peasant so it was to get even (so we were told). It was one of the first to have electricity and central heating. Unfortunately it was closed inside but we have seen sooo many castles, we didn't cry too much.

Back on the bus to Brașov (pronounced "broshov," which is the 6th most populous town in Romania with 230,000 people and ringed by the Carpathian mountains. Super cute town and each adorable building looked completely different from the one next to it.

There were 7 fortresses built to protect the border when Hungary took over Transylvania in the 1200s; Brașov was one of the most important. Old town Brașov is where public happenings - fairs, markets, executions - were held. There is a new, large, modern Brașov, which we completely ignored.

The "Black Church" was finished in 1700s and dedicated to St. Mary, but after it burnt, they left the walls the charcoal color. 3 years ago the city cleaned it up and it's no longer black (but still cute). Next to church was a statue of Johannes Honterus, 1498 to 23 January 1549), and was born and died in Brașov. We'd never heard of this renaissance humanist, Protestant reformer, and theologian, as well as his geographic and cartographic publishing activity. There is a school there dedicated to him next to the church.

14 miles away was Castle Bron, commonly called Dracula's Castle. Hmmm.
The REAL story of Dracula, Vlad II, ruler of Wallachia: he had to make a deal with the Ottomans when they were invading because they took his kids to raise them as Turks, so he got reinstated over Wallachia. Transylvania asked him to join the Order of the Dragon to help them to defend the border, so he became Vlad Dracul, Vlad the demon.

After Vlad II died, the Turks placed Vlad III on the throne (the kid they took and tried to indoctrinate) and he also was asked to join the Order of the Dragon, but to distinguish him from his dad, they added some letters so he became Vlad Draculia, from whence Bram Stoker took the name.

Though the Turks hoped they could control him, he hated them and so he waged war on them. He learned they especially hated the torture of impaling (driving a large stake through the body, missing vital organs, and taking 2 days to die). He impaled between 8-10,000 Turkish soldiers, completely demoralizing them and became known as Vlad the Impaler.

The Turks sent Vlad's brother to make an alliance with nobles in Brașov to get his brother off their backs. After some more politics, a story about Vlad's blood-thirstiness, and a pope, he got dethroned and never had the same power as before. 

Bran Castle was built in 1377 by Hungary as a defense, until it passed to the royal family. The Communists confiscated it during their time, but at the end of the 20th century a member of the Hapsburgs proved it was his and now he owns it. There is really no association with Vlad or the Dracula of the book.Read more