On my final day in Transylvania, I set out to 'Dracula's Castle' in Bran to separate myth from man: Bram Stoker's Dracula versus Vlad the Impaler. The stakes *hehe* were high - I was cutting it fine if I was to catch my flight back to London from Bucharest - but I was more than determined to sink my teeth *ha* into this last endeavour, the final nail in the coffin *huhu* in my tour of Romania, so to speak. How could I ever look myself in the mirror *chortle* again if I went all the way to Transylvania without visiting Bran Castle aka Dracula's Castle? 

December 09, 2014


In Transylvania, northwest of Sinaia in Prahova County, is a fairytale castle rising from the mist and firs of the Carpathian Mountains.

Peles Castle is a palace one recognises from many different stories, each sum of its parts seemingly emerged from a different dream or storybook, and verily this is true for there isn't one style that defines the architecture. Peles Castle is a romantically inspired blend of  many styles: Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival not unlike Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, with Saxon influences of allegorical hand-painted murals and northern European alpine ornate fachwerk in the interior courtyard facades. The smorgasbord of styles was designed to appeal to the tastes of King Carol I of Romania who wanted a grand palatial alpine villa amidst the magnificent mountains he loved, with a mix of European styles: Italian elegance and German aesthetics along Renaissance lines.

December 08, 2014



Greetings from Transylvania! Enamoured by the myth of Count Dracula, I had a Vampire Weekend in Romania.

Inspiration for this trip came by way of an Uber driver by the name of Norbert. As he ferried me from the fathomless depths of South London to back to Shoreditch, he took me to his homeland of Romania with his tales of: vampire tourism and Vlad the Impaler's fearsome reputation versus the truth (no less bloody than the vampire stories). So enchanted was I by Norbert's spiel that I hardly noticed the hour long journey in rush hour London traffic. Suitably convinced, the moment I got home I booked flights to Romania for a long weekend. 

December 07, 2014

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