Bran Castle, The Dracula Legend

Vlad Dracula

 It was a very early morning considering we were still trying to adjust to new hours. Our tour was set to start at seven and we were asked to be there a half hour early. There was no way that was going to happen since our breakfast buffet did not open until 6:30 and we had googled the route up and down and not found any place open to get a coffee and roll. 

Up and dressed by 6:15, we decided to go down and wait for the doors to breakfast to open. We figured we could grab a piece of fruit, a croissant and a cup of coffee in five minutes and only be about ten minutes late to our meeting point. When we got downstairs we saw the door open and an attendant almost finished setting up. We asked if we could grab some coffee and rolls to go and she was extremely accommodating giving us a take out box and a bag to put it in. We hurrid and were still about five minutes late but, as we figured, we weren't the last to arrive.

We ate our takeout breakfast sitting on a wall across from where the bus was to arrive and watched the tour director gather all the bodies together in one place so we could board quickly when it did. There was unexpected construction going on so traffic was a bit of a challenge. Still we managed to leave only three minutes late. Our tour guide was quite a drill sergeant we would discover as the day went on.

There was a hiccup in the plans we were told and the original itinerary was going to have to be reversed. The Peles Castle we were to visit was all sold out in the morning and it was our first stop for the day. Instead he decided we would start with Bran Castle and then visit the town of Brasov for lunch and on to the Peles. He suggested anyone who wanted to go inside Peles should purchase their tickets right now online (entry tickets to the castles were not included in our excursion) to be sure they got them. He feared they would sell out. We knew we weren't going inside so it was no problem for us. Those who needed tickets pulled out their phones and tapped away.

While others were getting their tickets, we were enjoying the views of the city again and soon, of the countryside. The Bran Castle, otherwise known as Dracula's Castle, sits up in the mountains of Transylvania, a region of Romania. The Bran castle was the inspiration for the castle in the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker and is affectionately dubbed Dracula's Castle. We were told that Stoker who was Irish, never visited the castle but took his information from books he read in the library about it. The character of Dracula was another story.

Vlad III or Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula was a ruler in Romania three times during the mid to late 1400s. HIs favorite way of getting rid of his enemies or those who needed punishment was to impale them, thus the nickname, the Impaler. With all of his history of fighting with the Ottoman Empire and his passage through the area, there is little evidence that he actually ever resided there, overnighted maybe. Thanks to Stoker he is heavily associated with the castle.

Why was Vlad known as Dracula? He inherited the name from his father, Vlad II Dracul. His father was admitted to the Order of the Dragon an order dedicated to fighting the Ottoman Turks. Dracul means dragon in Romanian. Vlad III adopted the name Dracula which referred to being the son of Dracul. He wore the medallion of the order (see the picture above) which many thought had an association with the devil since they were unfamiliar with dragons and their legends.

The Bran Castle was actually built aroudn 1377 and was a stronghold against Ottoman invasions. Later it would become the residence of Queen Marie of Romania in the early 20th century. It is decorated to that period and her influence. It became a museum in 1956.

It took us most of the morning to reach the castle that sits on a cliff high in the mountains of Transylvania. The mountains are beautiful with cliffs of white rising above the green treeline. Clouds spread like a soft comforter over the tops and misted away only to reform again.

While the filming of Dracula never took place at the castle, there are some artifacts, a necklace and costume, on display in an area that plays into the legend and mystery of the character we know as Dracula from the story. Videos also show some of the myths and legends that tend to abound to this day in Romania--prominent among them are the nighttime spirits. I can see where my aunt who was raised with an Eastern European cultural influence got some of her superstitions.

There were a couple of rooms of medieval torture instruments but we decided not to pay the extra to see them. There was more than enough to explore as the tour path led though a maze of corridors and winding staircases. If there hadn't been arrows in the form of signs with a finger pointing directions, you would probably get lost.

We opted to buy the ticket to take the "time tunnel" down to exit. It was an elevator tucked away in a back nook. It is dubbed the only tunnel that takes you from the past to the future. Well, the inside shows a few video pictures as you descend of night nymphs and some eerie Dracula-type images. A short tunnel also gives more history and images ending with a chance to include your image with characters from the past--a clever photo op like a picture they take on an amusement park ride.

The time tunnel elevator saved us a long walk down the hill we had climbed to get from the entrance to the castle doors. We had a few minutes to find restrooms and get a coffee to go at the cafe then stroll past the souvenir stalls. It always amuses me that the souvenirs are mostly the same, probably purchased at the same supplier. My kids were spared a Dracula themed Christmas gift as I couldn't fine anything suitable. 

Next we were on to Brasov, what I thought was supposed to be a quaint quiet little town. Well, you'll see what we found in the next post.