Bran Castle (3/27/2026)

Friday, March 27, 2026
Headed by motor coach to Bran, Romania.

Piatra Craiului/King's Stone aka Dragon Ridge because
of a legend that the jagged ridge represents the back
of a slain dragon (killed to win the hand of a princess?)

Our guide Oana holds a container of
Brânză de burduf în scoarță de brad/
cheese aged in fir tree bark (KSS)

First view of Castelul Bran/Bran Castle from 
the ubiquitous souvenir stalls; it is believed that
Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula (1897),
perhaps saw a postcard of Bran Castle and
described it in his book about Dracula (KSS)

"The castle is built on the corner of a great rock,
so that on three sides it was quite impregnable,"
on Dietrichstein/Dietrich Rock

The original entrance was at the end of
the corridor under the slanted tile roof,
and was reached by a bridge

Current entrance is up many stairs

Door knocker

The coat of arms of Queen Marie of Romania
(the last queen) above the coat of arms of Romania;
the royal Peleș Castle was located in
Wallachia, and this castle was gifted to
Queen Maria in 1920 after Transylvania united with
Wallachia and Moldavia forming modern Romania

Queen's Room

Dining Room; much of the furnishings were
collected by Queen Maria (KSS)

Robes of a Teutonic Knight, who originally
established the castle (c 1211-1225)

The so-called birth certificate of the castle

Council Room where the fireplace was moved because
it covered a doorway to a secret staircase

Not so secret anymore with a real door,
the entrance to the staircase

Cynthy climbs the secret stairs

Music Room

View down to the courtyard

View south from the castle with
the Turcu River in the lower left corner

Although there is no evidence that Vlad III Drăculea, aka
Dracula, was ever here, the castle seems to acquiesce to
Dracula fans by including implements to ward off vampires

The exhibits do explain the many local folkloric characters
such as the pricolici/werewolf here (not a shapeshifter,
but simply the undead), and strigoi/evil soul of the dead

King Ferdinand's (Queen Maria's husband) Room

Royal Dining Room with ceramic stove/heating system

Dining room furniture (KSS)

Knights' outfits in the Castle Armory

Brașov coat of arms

Perhaps a dress worn by Princess Ileana,
who later lived with her mother at the castle;
however, during the Communist era she
was exiled and eventually moved to
Newton, MA; in 1967 she founded the
Orthodox Monastery of the Transfiguration
in Ellwood City, PA, the first English
language Orthodox monastery in North America

Bran Castle battlement

View of the courtyard from a battlement

A statue of Vlad the Impaler and a couple
of impaled heads was not suitable for
children under the age of 14

Kent emerges from the stone spiral
staircase into the courtyard

A couple are ready to toss coins into the wishing well

Hepatica transsilvanica/Large Blue Hepatica, one of the first
spring wildflowers to emerge in the mountains of Romania

Kent & Tamiko (Thanks, Cynthy!)

Lunch was on our own in the town of Bran;
we went to Casa din Bran with Paul & Cynthy,
and  Margaret & Jerry

Kozel beer

Ciorbǎ de cartofi cu ciolan afumat/Soup of potato
with smoked pork

Ciorbǎ de burtǎ/Tripe soup (should have been
garlicky, but the tripe was flavorless)

The clouds have lifted off Dragon Ridge

Passing a horse-pulled log cart

After a three-hour drive, we were back at the JW Marriott
in Bucharest, and this time our room had a view of the
Catedrala Națională/National Cathedral (2010-2025)
with the Palatul Parlamentului/Palace of the Parliament
(1984-1997) behind it; the cathedral is the largest and
tallest Eastern Orthodox church in the world

The National Cathedral was not open, but
Biserica Sfântul Ioan Gură de Aur/Saint John
Chrysostom Church acts as a chapel

Spring bulb plants

Whoa, supposedly this esplanade can hold 25,000 people

Although also known as the People's
Salvation Cathedral, I do not believe the
people thought money should have
been spent for this record-setting church

Gilded bronze exterior gate

JW Marriott Grand Hotel

Half a chicken schawarma for dinner

We are now finished with the Transylvania extension and begin the Capitals of Eastern Europe cruise that actually starts in a hotel in Bucharest, Romania. 

Next: Bucharest.