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The Dracu a track
Sink your teeth into what’s on offer in Transylvania “Chit/try Frances Anderson
ixcn thc m_\thn|n§_'_\ axxociatcd “tilt 'l‘ranx}l\ania
iii Romania. it'x cax_\ tn undcrxtaud uh} a lot «it
pcnplc think it‘x lictinnal. li\cn tlic namc hax a ’l'nllxicnquuc qualit_\ to it.
‘lranyxhania: tlic lainnux humcland nt~ Dracula. thc gliuulixh \ampirc in Bram Stokch nm cl arid immortalixcd h} llnll}\\tmd. .-\ dark mnuntainnttx placc nt- hauntcd caxtlcx. \ihcrc xtnrmx laxh. \\t)l\L‘x ltrml and lair maidcnx xlinuld nc\cr \cnturc alonc. lo a point. thix ix all prctt} accuratc. 'l‘hc xccttcr} ix dratnatic and lu‘cathtaking. and a xinglc \xcxtcrn \mman trawlling alunc ix xtill a nmclt}.
But tlic Dracula imagc ix juxt nnc clcmcnt Dl thix arca. \xhiclt tach in alpinc mcadtmx and pcakx. ca\cx. tlcttxc littl'L‘\l\ xhcltcring lk‘at‘x tttttl \\lltl lmarx. and ltmland \allc_\x lull til huttaln. 'l'ranx_\l\ania might not xtiund rcal hut it‘x tltc gcnuinc articlc. ax lilcak ax it ix hcattlitttl.
lt comprixcx man} old mcdicxal lll\\ll\. includng Sighixnara. built in thc llth ccntur). and birth placc tit tlic c‘titiittt')'x rcal Dracula. Vlad Dracul. lch licttcr lxlltt\\ll ax Vlad thc lmpalcr. duc to liix thirxt tor impaling cncmicx.
'l‘lic old citadcl ltax a tnrhidding xillioucttc tit
hattlcmcntx and nccdlc xpircx. .‘\nd hoxting txm xpcctacttlar caxtlcx axxnciatcd \\illt Dracttla. thc latidxcapc and mountainnux rcgionx alonc arc cnnugh to captut'c c\cn thc lamcxt ut‘ imaginatinnx.
(‘axtlc Bran. “hich ix thc main Dracula tourixt haunt. ix xituatcd ncar thc popular xki rcxurt oi Braxm. l'nl'urtunatcl}. it ix ttcilhcr intimidating nor xinixtcr. hut actuall} \cr} prctt}.
But l()()l\m xouth «it Sighixuara licx thc ruincd. and t‘arcl} \ixitcd. caxtlc tit~ ('urtca dc .-\r:_'cx \xhcrc thc rcal
1 14 THE LIST
Transylvania might not soundrealbut it’s the genuine article, as bleak as it is beautiful
Dracula did actuall} rcxidc. l-‘rnm tltc ground. it'x an impnxing amt xinixtcr xtructurc. xct atnid dramatic tttnttntainx. .\'nt xnmcnhcrc to go alonc.
'l'ranx}|\ania hax man} nthcr cliarmx. axidc trout tltnxc
tit thc tatttnttx L'Dlllll\. lt hax tttutttttainnttx xccncr). xnmc nl~
thc country'x hcxt. and pcrliapx chcapcxt in liurnpc. hiking and xkiing t‘aciliticx and ix littcrcd \xith rural \illagcx that ha\cn't cltangcd much xincc tltc lh’th ccntur). \xhiclt lx good or had. dcpcnding on \xlicthcr _\ntt likc )Ullt‘ crcaturc L'Ullll-Ul'lN
'l‘hc xummcr monthx ntlcr a \at‘ict} nl' chti\alx. including lhc mcdic\a| artx t'cxtnal in Sigltixnara in latc .lul}. lt in\n|\cx cuxtumcd muxicianx. xtrcct pcrt'nrmcrx and g}pxicx arming h} cart. rcad) tn rcad _\nur tnrtunc and pick )tiur pnckctx it’_\nu‘rc nut carct‘ttl.
Rcmntc arcax can hc c\plnrcd h) hurxchaclx. “ltth tt'attxput't ix xllll cutlttttnttl} h} Itnrxc and cart. 'l‘nnthlcxx tlt'i\Ct‘x cltttttt‘t‘ cttttxtttttll} and ltitttll}. t‘cgardlcxx til \xhctlicr )nu cart undcrxtand thcm. \Vcaring dcxigncr or cxpcnxn c clothcx cart hc trick} “ltL‘ii \cnturing into thc mnrc rcmotc rcginnx. ax _\nu ma_\ hc nhligcd in part \\ ith thcm in cxchangc tor traditional drcxx
it ix t'tldc in t'cl‘ttxc. \U dt‘cxx dim it.
'l‘ranx}l\ania hax thc licxt (it both \mrldx. mndcrn lu\ur_\ \illax and traditional rural \illagcx. hnth til" “lilc‘lt arc amilahlc chcapl}. lt nt't‘crx xtunning countr} xidc. and 13 national parlxx. all xtill at a xnip (it a pricc. lt' )tiu'rc not thc outdoor t_\pc. xpcnd )tiur timc \icxxing thc man} caxtlcx and mcdic\al l0\\ll\ and rcla\ing til _\nu darci in tlic tamnux Dracula llntcl. .luxt hc on _\nur guard. You nc\cr kntm \\ ltn ma} cnmc knucldttg on _\nur door.
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