Last Updated on May 12, 2020 by PowersToTravel
It was at Bran Castle, near the end of our trip, that I fully appreciated the itinerary which Compass Travel had created, and which I had chosen.
Bran Castle was a mob scene. We had previously bee-bopped around the countryside seeing all sorts of beautiful and unique sites. Granted, there were other tourists around, but we felt very much a part of the townscapes and landscapes.
At Bran, on a beautiful September Sunday, we were overwhelmed by the typical European tourist crowd. We stood in line outside the castle for an inordinate amount of time, waiting to be let in. I busied myself with photography. Luck for me, this side, which is not the iconic view of the castle, was well lit by the near mid-day sun.
Once in, we found ourselves in a press of humanity. We could hardly move a step. I feared for my life should a fire break out, or other emergency take place. Mobs of Italians pressed by, in a group, led by the usual guide with the flag.
Placards showed the historic occupants over the years, key among them Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler, the iconic inspiration for Count Dracula.
We received a graphic description of Impalement from one guide speaking loudly to her group. Crucifixion is kind compared to Impalement. The detailed description continues to haunt me. I won’t even attempt to explain it to you here.
We tried to take pictures of the objects in the rooms, and were pressed as we tried to make a square foot of space. This next picture belies the press of the crowd, which surprisingly gave us this empty room due to a traffic jam on the previous stairs!
The castle was full of historic furniture and museum displays,
as well as interior courtyards, and interesting roof angles.
We viewed some historic ruins from one balcony:
Sorry to say, I couldn’t catch what Iulian told us about it!
Finally, after we exited and headed off to lunch, I was able to glimpse the iconic view of the castle. But sadly, the sun was at the wrong angle. This picture was taken at approximately 2pm in September, so either it is not a good picture that time of year, or perhaps is better in the morning:
Oh, how interesting… Just now as I looked at Google maps to answer my previous query, I see that we had lunch on Strada Sextil Puscariu, which is where this picture is taken from. This road is to the north of the castle, so as I supposed, it is never a good picture. HOWEVER, I also see a point of interest marked “Viewpoint Bran Castle” to the west of the castle. Our guide never took us there! Oh, well, you can’t win ’em all. (Perhaps he figured the viewpoint would be as mobbed as the castle?)
Related Links
If you care to know about impalement, you can check this out on Wikipedia. There’s a special section about “Vlad the Impaler.” You won’t feel the same ever again.
The next step in our Romania Itinerary
Day 10 – Brasov – Another Transylvania Treasure
Check out my key Romania article
Romania Travel Blog – Itinerary, Planning & Diabetic Travel Tips
Map
Here’s the Google map showing both the castle and the viewpoint location. I wrote that at one point in 2018, however now when I look at this map in 2020 the “viewpoint” is missing from the Google map. Hmmm, I wonder where it actually was.
