On track through Transilvania

By Joan Scobey Copley News Service, March 17, 2008
 TRANSYLVANIA, Romania - Timbuktu. Samarra. Shangri-La. Place names with magic. Then there is Transylvania; more magic, maybe even dark magic, and definitely a punch line. When the chance came to explore its mysteries, courtesy of Eurail, I grabbed it. The trail started in Bucharest, Romania, and ended in Budapest, Hungary, a Eurail train trip that takes just over 12 hours if you don't stop en route. We began one evening in the Romanian capital promptly at 6:40 p.m. in one of those wonderful iron and glass European train stations that remind you of impressionist paintings with black engines puffing white smoke. Two and a half hours later, after a pleasant dinner onboard, we got off in the town of Brasov, about 100 miles north of Bucharest, to spend a couple of days roaming central Romania.

OK, let's get right to Dracula, the fictional count in the 1897 Gothic horror novel of the same name by Irish writer Bram Stoker. Stoker presumably based his aristocratic vampire on a real-life 15th century national Romanian hero and, briefly, ruler, named Vlad Tepes, who after his death was called Vlad the Impaler for the cruel punishments he dealt his enemies that, yes, included impaling them. Even though Stoker never visited Transylvania, the description of the count's imagined mountain stronghold so closely resembles Bran Castle that it soon became known as Dracula's Castle. In fact, Vlad himself may never have been there, or, at best, spent no more than a few days hiding in the dungeon. Who cares that the connection between fiction and fact is murky? Certainly not the tourist trade, eager to please blood-lusting visitors with a suitably Gothic destination. It is the country's best-known attraction. It was no surprise that curio shops all over sell Dracula T-shirts and mustachioed, aquiline-nosed likenesses.

When you finally get to Bran Castle, with its towers and red tile roof, the surprise is that it looks like a bucolic citadel you might see anywhere. Perched atop a forested hill, it was built in the 14th century as a fortress against the encroaching Ottoman Empire. Over the centuries, it changed hands several times between Hungarian and Romanian Transylvania. In 1920, Romania gave it to the royal family, and Queen Marie, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, transformed it into a modern summer royal residence with a picturesque courtyard, steep, narrow passageways, period furnishings and breathtaking views over the surrounding countryside.(Real estate note: Bran Castle's present owner, Queen Marie's grandson, who happens to live in Westchester County, N.Y., hopes the Romanian government will buy the 22-acre property for his reported asking price around $80 million.)
Not far from Bran is Peles Castle, a royal fantasy built in the late 19th century by Romania's first king, Carol I, as a summer mountain retreat. Outside are formal gardens with fountains, neoclassical statues, stone lions, turrets and extravagantly painted exterior walls; inside, opulent, foreign-themed rooms with mirrored galleries, stained glass, leather-clad ceilings and hand-woven carpets. Only a few of the 160 or more rooms are open to the public (request the English-speaking tour). Transylvania, a largely agricultural plateau in central and western Romania that borders Hungary, is virtually surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains. Controlled throughout its long history by, among others, Hungary, Romania and even Ottoman Turkey, its most appealing sights are ancient Saxon towns. Sibiu, Sighisoara and Brasov are three of seven walled citadels built in the 12th century when the king of Hungary invited German-speaking colonists from Saxony to colonize Transylvania. Brasov, its historic heart, is an excellent base for exploring it.

It's easy to imagine that Sibiu, historically the largest and wealthiest of them, looks pretty much as it has for centuries, with spacious squares, pastel buildings, arcaded houses and square towers, not to mention odd, eye-shaped windows in the pitched roofs. A stunningly preserved medieval town, it is also spiffed up for its current role as the 2007 European Culture Capital (with Luxembourg). The centerpiece of Sibiu is three interlocking squares in the Upper Town. The Great Square, once a grain market, is dominated by the Roman Catholic church and the Brukenthal Palace, an 18th century mansion that houses the Brukenthal Museum, with one of the country's important art collections. The square white clock tower across the square is the Council Tower, a city icon. A passage under the Council Tower leads to the Little Square, the most delightful of the three. Here master craftsmen lived in the arcaded houses, now filled with cafes and shops. In the center a fanciful sculpture of an outsize yellow jellyfish on its tentacles by Romanian artist Romelo Pervolovici entices passersby to stand within its legs. Take the iron Bridge of Lies over a roadway to Huet Square and the steep 13th century Passage of Steps, twin staircases hugging early city fortifications that connect the Upper and Lower Towns. Several other equally picturesque arcaded alleys lead down to the lower part of Sibiu.

About 50 miles away, in Sighisoara, we caught up again with Vlad Tepes, who was born here, right next to the Clock Tower. But his birthplace isn't why you come to this extraordinarily preserved town of pastel blue and ochre houses, cobbled streets and alleys, steep staircases and squares. Defense walls virtually encircle the city center, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nine square towers of the original 14 dot the fortified perimeter, each built and defended by a different craft guild. From central Citadel Square, colorful houses line a cobbled street leading up to a long, covered stairway and the Church on the Hill. On the Clock Tower's top floor (yes, it's a climb) is the history museum and, at the bottom, the torture room, where prisoners were subjected to finger crushers, nooses and other vile instruments on display. As if reminding us of the dark side of Transylvania, the first rain of the trip was soaking the market stalls of Citadel Square and dripping off the roof of the Impaler's house.
It was time to head through the Clock Tower arch to the railway station and resume our night train to Budapest. But that's another story.

IF YOU GO
Cultural Romtour is one of several tour operators who can plan a trip to Transylvania and Bucharest; contact Razvan Balint of Cultural Romtour, 011-40-21-320-0435, balint@culturalromtour.ro, www.culturalromtour.com.
Eurail offers a variety of passes, depending on how much territory you want to cover, from a one-country National Pass for any of 15 countries, to a Global Pass good for practically unlimited travel in 18 countries. A Regional Pass allows you to travel first class within one of the 20 country combinations for up to 10 days within two months; my Hungary-Romania Pass was valid for five, six, eight or 10 days at prices ranging from $259 to $385. For daytime travel, it is advisable to book a reserved seat, and for overnight travel, definitely reserve a sleeping compartment or a couchette. For all necessary information, visit www.eurail.com.
Delta Air Lines is the only carrier flying nonstop between New York and Bucharest, one of its growing number of nonstop routes to European cities among its 32 trans-Atlantic destinations. Following a new trend in airline amenities, Delta features a gourmet menu in BusinessElite by well-known chef Michelle Bernstein, food for purchase by Todd English in coach, and a plane-wide wine program in 2008 with Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson. The enhanced BusinessElite has all-leather sleeper seats, in-seat, U.S-style power outlets and on-demand digital entertainment. Call 800-241-4141 or visit www.delta.com.
Where to stay in Brasov: Two centrally located hotels are Aro Palace - Str. Muresenilor 12, phone 011-40-268-477-664, fax 011-40-268-475-250, www.aro-palace.ro - a modern hotel with doubles from about $185; and Bella Musica - Piata Sfatului 19, phone 011-40-268-477-956, www.bellamuzica.ro - a 22-room boutique hotel with a well-reviewed restaurant and doubles from about $135.
For more information, contact the Romanian National Tourist Office, 355 Lexington Ave., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10017, phone 212-545-8484, e-mail info@romaniatourism.com; Web site www.romaniatourism.com.
Joan Scobey is a freelance travel writer.
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