Hello from Mid Wales

**sjrapid** · 13th January 08, 02:18 PM

A warm welcome from London, England.

best regards

**TheKiltedWonder** · 13th January 08, 02:49 PM

Sounds like a fun trip, even with out finding too much from the Count! I take it you were looking for traces from the historical figure, or were you on more of a literary journey?

**andyfg** · 13th January 08, 04:34 PM

Welcome from upstate NY. Enjoy! Good to have you aboard.

**Mael Coluim** · 13th January 08, 04:38 PM

Goood evvvening and welcome from Spotsylvania!

**tom_s** · 13th January 08, 05:09 PM

Thanks for all the great welcomes. Somehow I seem to have posted twice.

Is this the way to answer some of the questions?

We went to look for Dracula as a bit of fun by following Harker's travels as described in the C19th book of Count Dracula but on the lookout for the C16th historical figure of Vlad the Impaler. Nevertheless we took some garlic with us just in case. It was interesting to see how the infant tourist industry had confused both and there is no record that either had been anywhere near the main tourist (black)spot at Bran Castle near Brasov. However, there were a lot of bats around Brasov Cathedral at night.

The other book which inspired the trip was 'A Time of Gifts'/'Between the Woods and the Water' by Patrick Leigh Fermor who wrote of his youth and being thrown out of school in 1933, when he was 17, and deciding to complete his education by walking from London to Istanbul. He spent one summer in Transylvania; dallying because he had fallen in love.

There are many connections between that part of Romania and Germany since a sizable colony of Germans was founded in the C14th and existed until about ten years ago. It is said that the Pied Piper of Hamlin led the children out of a cave near Brasov.The remaining fortified farmsteads and churches as well as the decaying medieval walled towns (restoration of which has now started) are very germanic in character although the population was mixed Romanian, Hungarian and German.

We started to take a short cut through the mountains which ring three sides of the area but soon found the warm autumn sunshine of the valley turned to freezing fog and the road had been blocked by snow the previous evening even though it was only early September. Kilties playing snowballs surprised everyone in the area. Sorry but there are no worthwhile photos.

We were made so welcome everywhere we went - in one place receiving free drinks for bringing in the crowds (I exaggerate only a little).

Tom