Romania: Brasov
Brasov, Romania is on the eastern edge of Transylvania. The entire region of Transylvania is known for its beauty; the mountains and architecture are breathtaking.
The big draw to Brasov is Bran, Dracula's castle. Dracula was a ruthless leader who had his enemies and his people terrified. He impaled 20,000 Turks and displayed them outside the city for potential invaders to see. Impaling is more gruesome than it sounds -- it's when you shove a stick up someone's ass, missing all vital organs, and leave them to bleed to death over the course of a few days. The legends about Dracula being a vampire are just that -- legends. For some reason people found stories about him turning into a blood sucking bat scarier than the truth. Don't ask us why...
We stayed at Hostel Elvis (40.268.478.930 Str. Democratiei #2B near Piazza Unirii) and highly recommend it. It's pricey for Romania (10 euros), but it's in a great part of town and the English-speaking staff can direct you to the hard-to-find sites. Take a taxi from the train station (Don't let them charge you more than L35,000.) and tell them Julian sent you so he can receive a well-deserved commission.
By the way... Not to ruin the fun, but Dracula didn't really live in Bran Castle -- let alone Transylvania. He spent three days in Bran's prison and was born in Transylvania, but other than that it's just a story for tourists.
Brasov Photos
