Myth Busting

Today we had to be packed and ready to go at 8:00 a.m. For some, this meant a 7:00 a.m. "wake-up call." For others, there had to be two wake-up calls. Sebastian, our guide from Carpathian Travel Center, helped us load up the mini-bus and we were off, albeit, a little late. 

We are off on the first leg of our road trip away from Sibiu. We are headed to Bran, to see the Bran Castle.

The first leg of our journey would take us to Bran, where we would visit the Bran Castle, the legendary home of Dracula. The closest tie that "Vlad the Impaler" or "Vlad Tepes" had to the castle was that his grandfather Mircea the Elder once lived in the castle. By coincidence (or incredible luck) Bram Stoker’s depiction of Dracula’s castle could not have been better described had Bram Stoker actually been to Romania before the writing the novel. That being said, there are two other castles where there is evidence that Vlad Tepes did live.

Yes, you are seeing it with your own eyes, the Detroit "D" in front of Bran Castle - Dracula's alleged castled. 

In any event, this fortress is located between Transylvania and Wallachia, literally. The one side of the castle faces Transylvania while the other side faces Wallachia. There was additional evidence of this in the castle. The walls (as seen from the windows) facing Transylvania were considerably smaller than those facing Wallachia. You don’t need to guard against an attack from your own citizens. There was also a view of an ancient wall which once stood below the castle walls. This was an early version of border control.

This window faces Transylvania. You'll see the difference in the depth of the walls when you look below.

This window faces Wallachia. Notice how thick these walls are? They were fortified to withstand attacks.

In the middle of this picture are the ruins of the outer wall of the Castle. This wall extended around the Castle and served as a border crossing.

Sebastian shared some historical highlights of the castle’s history. Historical Timeline for Bran Castle

It's easier for us to share the link to the history than to recap it all. We learned alot, for sure. Most importantly, we know that the castle has nothing to do with Vlad Tepes (Dracula)! Count Dracula: The Myth

View into the courtyard

The furnishings throughout the house were beautiful. Very comfortable and well-suited for a castle. I bet the interior designer for this job doesn't furnish too many castles on a regular basis.

Madame Jeler 

The original space heater. Just fill with hot coals and move the disc to whatever part of the room you are sitting in!

Yes, just your ordinary family room, with a piano and cozy chairs.

We didn't realize it at the time, but the snow was starting to move in already, mid-morning.

The Myth Busters!

Entering the hall with suits of armor.

A view from another angle.

The park at the base of Bran Castle.