Dedicated to our favorite (and only) hair stylist, we took your advice and visited a castle (or two!)...

We thought arriving at Bran Castle before 10 a.m. meant beating the eager tourists – were we ever surprised! Poised 60 meters atop a peak in the small town of Bran (Torzburg in German) is the so-called Dracula's Castle. Tourists' first and only taste of "rural" Romania is sparkling Bran with its freshly painted villas, manicured pensuines, and a good selection of restaurants and well stocked supermarket. Tour buses from Hungary, Germany, and Italy add to the congestion alongside backpackers and families.



Bran Castle was built in 1382 by the Saxons to defend the trade route, Bran Pass from the Turks. It was not built according to the legend, by the infamous 15 th century Wallachian prince, Vlad Tepes. His only possible connection is he might have spent a night or two at Bran fleeing the Turks or was imprisoned here, depending on your historical sources.



From 1920, Queen Maria of Romania (Queen Victoria's granddaughter and wife of Prince Ferdinand 1893) lived at the castle. It remained a royal summer residence until 1947 with the dethroning of King Michael. Today, the castle is in the process of being returned to its private owner (a surviving heir of the Queen) by the Romanian government. Its future visitor status remains unknown.



Included in Bran admission is the open-air ethnographic museum at the base of the castle. It showcases the peasant village structures and describes through exhibits the traditions of the Transylvanian region. In the town, the defensive wall remains can be seen which divided the regions of Wallachia and Transylvania. Also, Queen Maria's heart lies in a memorial tomb which has been carved into the mountains.



It is a magical visit wandering the castle's spiral stairways, exploring secret nooks and chambers, and peering from its balconies into the courtyard. But don't forget those required woolen slippers! Much of the furniture is original and was imported from Western Europe by Queen Marie. Our favorites were the carved four-poster bed, the fountain in the courtyard hiding secret underground passages, and the many stairs and passages connecting the castle's wings.




At USD 4 for the price of admission, enjoy a few hours dreaming of life in a castle! – HSR & BGR