Bran, Romania – Mythical Eidolon

A drive of some distance from BuÅŸteni lies the town of Bran. Somewhat nondescript, but having all the trappings of a typical tourist area, it is for sure a more relaxed atmosphere than the Prahova Valley.

Bran Castle – Interior

Its claim to fame is of course Castle Bran, the so called home of Vampires, Count Dracula and other Penny Dreadful, that Bram Stoker made so famous. It neither has the feel nor unearthly aura of a place where so many horrors could have ostensibly been committed by Vlad Tepes, or more noteworthy, Vlad the Impaler, as current folklore would have it. Overall, it was an interesting day trip, warranted by the excellent restaurant we ate at, and to finally put to rest in our own minds exactly what all the vampire fuss is about. Others will probably have similar epiphanies if they visit, just as I did.

Bran – The Town

Bran is an out of the way town which seems to enjoy some tourist traffic, but only because of its namesake. It lies on E574, which is on the west side of the Bucegi Range of the Southern Carpathian Mountains and about an hour’s ride from Buşteni, that is in good weather and when there is no bridge or road construction (something we were unfortunate enough to experience on our return to Buşteni).

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The rivers Poarta and Turcul run through the town, but they are hardly noticed due to their diminutive sizes. There are several places to park, a very large overflow parking area may be found on Strada Doctor Aurel Stoian, when the tourist season is in full gear. We parked in the Castel Parking place off of E574, right next to the restaurant we visited for lunch.

Castle Bran

The castle is perched on the side of a hill of the western Bucegi Range and commands a view of the entire countryside, as well as the valley below through which the river Turcul runs. One can hardly doubt that it is fixed to its position with the help of an outcropping of rock, for which Bram Stoker used against it to steal its reference from an illustrative book. It is of course a misrepresentation and artistic license that allowed him to do this, though some in this area would detail occurrences of Strigoi, evil spirits who wander the night between the hours of midnight and daybreak, in his defense. But one should not think them related to the castle, nor Vlad the Impaler, who, as evidence would suggest, has become a victim of his own success to levy tariffs and taxes on the German merchants who did not want to pay. The idea of money representing blood, blood money, etc., is not without parallel in our own history.

The castle has no doubt cashed in on the mythology of Dracula or Count Dracul, however, they are careful not to inflame any details regarding this myth. There are little to no reference to Count Dracula nor Vlad as an Impaler. However, there is a very good Torture museum on the grounds, which for about 10€ more will gain you entrance.

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The character of Dracula is often confused with Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad Dracul, who was a Walachian Prince who lived in Bran Castle. It is the only castle in all of Transylvania that can possibly fit Bram Stoker’s description of the castle that Dracula in his book lived in; hence, it is now known throughout the world as Dracula’s Castle. His novel described the castle as,

. . . on the very edge of a terrific precipice . . . with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm [of] silver threads where the rivers winds in deep gorges through the forests.

Bram Stoker obviously stole the appellation from an illustrated book that showed Bran Castle and then took it as his fictitious abode for Count Dracula. He used rather straightforward references to imply the he meant none other than Vlad Tepes, who was the Wallachian Rules from 1456 until 1467, and who, for political reasons, was labeled as a blood thirsty tyrant, as has already been previously mentioned.

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Nonetheless, in Bran and the villages nearby, one can still find the belief in the existence of evil spirits called Strigoi. There was and still a belief that there exist certain living people, or Strigoi, who lead an abnormal life at night, when during sleep, their souls leave their bodies and haunt the village tormenting people while they sleep. These evil spirits supposedly haunt their prey from midnight until dawn, when sunlight appears to affect their powers and their potential to do harm fades. The character of Dracula derives no doubt most of its power from these local myths, there is no other explanation for its endurance. Its power has however faded over time, that is, when exposed to the corrosive of the sunlight of education and scientific scrutiny, as most other things preternatural.

In the Fall of 1462, thirty years before Columbus visited the New World, an army of the Hungarian King Matei Corvin captured Vlad Tepes near Rucar. He was taken to Bran Castle and imprisoned there for at least two months. This could quite possibly be his one and only association with the castle. Where others have tried to fabricate, inveigle or obfuscate the narrative of Count Dracula from the Stoker book, history reveals the truth. Sleep well.

Restaurants

There are many restaurants in Bran, the most convenient one that we found was directly next to the parking lot we used. However there are several others that are without a doubt very convenient and good to use as well.

Casa di Bran

This restaurant offered a very cosmopolitan and Romanian based menu, one for which anyone could order something to please them.

Above are my choices for lunch which included wine, coffee and dessert, though all were served à la carte.

Our family had a very good lunch, while it rained for a while outside. Good timing before our visit to the castle.

Sinaia, Romania – Star Of The Prahova Valley

Another small town quaintly tucked under the ever watchful eye of Mount Furnica of the Bucegi Range is Sinaia. Out of sight of N60 and tucked away under this hill is a real star town, replete with many large hotels and even a casino for anyone wishing to try their luck in a Romanian tourist location.

Sinaia – Peleş Castle – At the foot of the Bucegi Range – 19th of September, 2021

On the 19th of September we ventured down to this town which sits just below BuÅŸteni, in order to enjoy lunch, the town and to visit Castle PeleÅŸ.

Sinaia – The Town

This town is much like BuÅŸteni, aside from the fact that it appears to have more money and is well maintained; no doubt due to the large hotels and the casino that are part of it. It lies on the same strip of N60 which runs north to south its neighbor to the north.

The Prahova River runs alongside the town, as well as a line of the Romanian Railroad; but unlike BuÅŸteni, the railroad does not interfere with this town at all. Traffic however can still be problematic at times, just because of the nature of N60 being the only straight road in these parts, especially during rush hour times. The good news though is, once off of N60, traffic in and through the town seems well controlled by a series of traffic circles and other parallel streets. While we were there they were having an outside market, which apparently drew a lot of locals.

Castle Peles

The Castle Peleş is more or less renovated and is a government run venue hosting tours, both self-pacing and private. It is rather large and consists of many separate rooms that are rather elaborate, including an arms room, study, reception, large dining hall, library and a grand hall that has a most unique wooden spiral staircase with an electrically operated roof that opens fully (though no proof or demonstrations were offered nor provided).  

Sinaia – Castle Peleş – Tickets For Two – 19th of September, 2021

The castle was built sometime between 1873 and 1914, based on the architects Wilhelm Doderer and Johannes Schultz, both of which were German. The structure was later modernized by the Czech architect Karel Liman.  And though some on the internet would suggest or assert it has anything to do with Count Dracula (Vlad the Impaler), it does NOT.  That sole claim belongs to Bran Castle to the west.

The first inauguration of the building occurred in 1883 and introduced central heating to Romania, as well as an electric system that operated the large glass roof enclosure. It also had a vacuum cleaner, air ducts for heating and an electric elevator.

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The castle is the former summer residence of King Carole I and Queen Elisabeth. It was used as part of the Romanian National Dynasty and often used for important political and other European cultural decisions at the turn of the century. It incorporates a synthesis of Neo-Renaissance (both German and Italian), Neo-Baroque, Rococo as well as French and Oriental styles.

The Monastery

On the way down from Castle PeleÅŸ is the Sinaia Monastery. It consists of three parts, the monastery proper (a set of buildings that surround the old chapel), the old chapel or church and the great church.

The original monastery was built in the late 1600s by Mihail Cantacuzino. Construction was due in part by a promise he made to the monks of Saint Anne and Nicholas, which lived at the time in nearby hermitages. He subsequently gave it the name, The Dormition of the Holy Virgin Mary, in memory of a pilgrimage he had taken at one time to the Holy Land.

It is quite unique in Romania since it forms a Latin cross, unlike the more traditional Orthodox styles, giving it the origins of the later Walachian and Brancoveanu styles. The churches profiles are very different from other forms in Romania since they replaced the traditional cornices with red brick dents; the facade frames are rectangular and painted with frescos, as well as the absence of the traditional belt.

The old chapel was burned in 1791 during the Russian-Austrian-Turkish war and restored somewhat in 1795 by the same painters who had decorated the chapel. The paintings on the porch are all original and present scenes from the life of Saint Catherine (the protector of the monastery), Saint George (protector of soldiers and Moldavia) and Saint Demetrios (protector of Walachia). Important scenes from both Heaven and Hell frame the entrance to the church.

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The entrance represents Moses and his brother Aaron and are built in carved stone. The nave of the church depicts the Ascension and Transfiguration, related to the secret nature of praying rightly to the divine or also known as hesychasm.

BuÅŸteni, Romania – Ericka & Gabi’s Wedding – Castle Cantacuzino

On the 18th of September our daughter Ericka Rose wed Gabriel at the Castle Cantacuzino in BuÅŸteni, Romania. Guests from the United States, Germany and Romania traveled for the occasion. We had a great time, the castle and other contractors did a wonderful job. Here are some slide shows to celebrate their wedding.

The Preparation

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The Ceremony

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The Cocktail Hour

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The Reception

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Buşteni, Romania – Carpathian Fresh Air

BuÅŸteni, a small town nestled in the virtual center of Romania, sits below the Bucegi Range on the edge of the Carpathian Mountains and therefore enjoys the cool fresh air of the north, unlike the towns and cities south of it.

On the day we arrived in preparation for our daughter’s wedding, it was a bit cloudy and sprinkled a bit. We totally ignored this in the hope that the weather would improve and she would have a nice wedding day, a hope that would turn out to be very prescient.

The above photograph was taken on the 17th of September, the day of our arrival to the castle.

BuÅŸteni is located in Prahova county, Romania; named after the local industry in which tree logs are harvested for the timber industry. Until recently, this was the only industry in this particular town, until several ski resorts were built and some of the local castles were restored. It is now a very active tourist destination, having many points of interests to warrant travel all year round.

The mountain range is on the southern most tip of the Carpathian Range and the tallest peak, Mount Caraiman, is in excess of seven thousand feet.

Buşteni – The Town

There is actually not much to the town itself, aside from a strip of N60 which runs north to south directly through it. This is the same road which takes you south to Bucharest and Otopeni Airport.

The Prahova River runs alongside the town as well as a line of the Romanian Railroad. Since any traffic is restricted to the N60 running north to south, traffic can be problematic at times, especially during rush hour. This can be exacerbated by construction and the occasional train coming through town.

Castle Cantacuzino

The castle is a fully renovated and a privately run venue that hosts weddings and other large occasions. It is able to provide these functions with a villa, a small lodge (known as the Hunter’s Lodge) and a very good restaurant and bistro.

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The villa is integrated into the castle proper and has immediate access to the grounds, castle and restaurant. Ericka and Gabi chose this as their apartment during the wedding, which made all the arrangements and coordination much easier; more on their wedding in the next edition of this blog.

Restaurants

Casa Magica

A Romanian restaurant hidden on the back streets of Buşteni which has good food is Casa Magica. It is frequented by locals and Romanian tourist who obviously seek it out. Gabi and his brother–in–law were able to pick this establishment out while investigating places to eat in this area. It has a good variety of food at very reasonable prices.