Dracula’s (Bran) Castle and Râșnov Citadel

Bran Castle is a short trip from Brașov. We were in the process of taking an Uber to the bus station when our driver offered to be our guide for the day. So we headed off with a new itinerary and, once again, stressed to the kids that later in life they should not accept rides into the countryside with strangers.

Per the official website for the castle, “Because Bran Castle is the only castle in all of Transylvania that actually fits Bram Stoker’s description of Dracula’s Castle, it is known throughout the world as Dracula’s Castle.” I think “throughout the world” may be an exaggeration but is does have plenty of Dracula memorabilia.

Its labyrinth of rooms and neat features, like the claustrophobic staircase below, make it an apt site for a Halloween party which, of course, it hosts yearly.

Below is the view from the castle.

In the village surrounding the castle.

Because the Uber driver ended up as our tour guide, we went to see a bear santuary that he highly recommended. Oddly, we have already seen a number of bear santuaries this year, but can you really visit too many?

Our last stop was at Râșnov Citadel.

Below are the houses inside the Citadel.

View from Râșnov Citadel.

As an aside… it is part of our social studies curriculum to learn about the lives of strangers in other countries. Our Uber driver said he makes 400 Euro a month working as an Engineer; therefore, he drives Uber on weekends. He was upset about how Europeans view Romanians, confusing them with Roma (to which he felt they were superior). But he was quite happy to disparage every other immigrant group in both the USA (where he has spent some time) and Europe.

From our observations, he is correct that many Europeans dislike Roma. We have been warned to look out for “them” many times this year. Our favorite was in Rome when we were told that we wouldn’t ever see them pickpocket our valuables, but somehow, once we noticed we had been robbed, we could be sure that it was a Roma who was responsible.