Bran's Castle, Brasov, and Beyond

Bran’s Castle…the stuff of dreams or nightmares. Bran's castle is employed as the representative castle of Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. His real name was Vlad Teppes and was the son of Dracul. He was called Dracula or the son of Dracul. As a young man Vlad was used as a debt pledge for a debt that his father owed to the Turkish Pasha. As security for this debt he was imprisoned in Turkey. While there he learned the technique of impaling and torture from the Turks. Eventually the debt was paid and Vlad was returned to Romania. He grew to manhood and was responsible for defending his kingdom from the advancing Turks. Using the Turkish techniques he began to impale the invaders in a way that would permit them to remain alive for quite some time. This terror turned the Turks from the land but Vlad was forever scarred and became a tyrant in his own land but because of his turning back of the Turks he is revered as a hero in Transylvania. There are several busts and statues erected in his honor in various towns. As my friend Pat at Oracle Junction Books says “You can get a little crazy from impaling too many people” I would like to thank Pat for all his support with my education and this trip. His assistance is greatly appreciated. Books are so expensive these days and Pat has always found a way to help me along this journey! Thanks Pat!

The castle used by Vlad is located in present day Tringovista which is located about 30 kilometers from Sinaia, our final destination. Actually all that remains is a crumbling foundation and a wall. The arduous journey is over 1500 steps up the mountain, then across a rope and plank bridge to the ruins. This is supposedly the castle where the impaling took place. Interestingly enough, Bram Stoker never visited Transylvania and Vlad never drank blood. The nearest link to the Stoker story is one Princess Elizabeth in Romania that killed virgins to bathe in their blood. Some how Stoker combined these threads and wrote his famous novel. Romanians today have mixed feelings on Dracula depending on whom you speak with. Some capitalize on it, offer tours, while others sell souvenirs. I understand how important this is to the local economy as many people support them through their craftsmanship. Some people feel that it is shameful that others think that the Christian, God loving Romanians could behave in such a manner and cannot understand why people would come to Romania to seek the devil when Romania is a country of God, so strong in its belief, that even communism could not break its faith in God. What ever one thinks Dracula is present in the land of God. Here are some photos of the Bran’s Castle and the surrounding area which is simply lovely.

We also see the city of Brasov and its walled citadel. It was here that I was humbled by an older woman selling apples. She approached me with a bowl of apples that she was selling. I refused the offer but the kindness in her eyes softened my heart and I gave her the equivalent of $5.00 US. She kissed my hand and spoke with Professor Mihaela Dumitriu and told her that she would support her family for a week with what I gave to her. The woman kissed my hand and thanked me in Romanian. A moment I will never forget. Also pictured is the town crier with his drum and other scenes from the walled citadel and images of Brasov.