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Romania, Vampires and Whitby
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Introduction
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see something of Romania, a fascinating and surprising country. As well as seeing the capital Bucharest, I had a free Sunday to visit Transylvania and we all know who came from there !!!. Much more recently, I was in the delightful seaside town of Whitby. If the connection here is unclear then read on....
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see something of Romania, a fascinating and surprising country. As well as seeing the capital Bucharest, I had a free Sunday to visit Transylvania and we all know who came from there !!!. Much more recently, I was in the delightful seaside town of Whitby. If the connection here is unclear then read on....
Romania
Romania, located in South-Eastern Europe has been inhabited in some form or another, for around 10,000 years. A land area of 238,397 sq-km is occupied by only 20 million people so it's population density is quite low.
Romania’s history is complex and the detail is beyond the scope of this posting. Therefore, I will just offer a very short summary on this main page.
(However, if you want to read my full historical notes, you can find here.)
Romanians consider that their culture was set around 1,900 years ago when the Romans occupied the territory and integrated with the local Dacian population.
For more than 50% of the time that has passed since then, Romania has been occupied or heavily influenced by various neighbours
What is evident, from reviewing events, is that Romania has survived through a great sense of pragmatism.
Hostile occupiers have been accommodated and political positions changed conveniently for some gain or another, especially during the two World Wars.
For a long period in the second half of the 20th century, Romania was a monarchy followed by dictatorial rulers.
Within this timeline, Romania was, for a period, under the Soviet so-termed “ sphere of influence” but often acted against Soviet interests and seemed eager to be closer to western powers.
In 1989, the most destructive of their leaders, Nicolas Ceausescu was overthrown and Romania began a long slow drive towards a happier and more stable society
Results have been mixed and that journey is certainly not yet over.
Romania, located in South-Eastern Europe has been inhabited in some form or another, for around 10,000 years. A land area of 238,397 sq-km is occupied by only 20 million people so it's population density is quite low.
Romania’s history is complex and the detail is beyond the scope of this posting. Therefore, I will just offer a very short summary on this main page.
(However, if you want to read my full historical notes, you can find here.)
Romanians consider that their culture was set around 1,900 years ago when the Romans occupied the territory and integrated with the local Dacian population.
For more than 50% of the time that has passed since then, Romania has been occupied or heavily influenced by various neighbours
What is evident, from reviewing events, is that Romania has survived through a great sense of pragmatism.
Hostile occupiers have been accommodated and political positions changed conveniently for some gain or another, especially during the two World Wars.
For a long period in the second half of the 20th century, Romania was a monarchy followed by dictatorial rulers.
Within this timeline, Romania was, for a period, under the Soviet so-termed “ sphere of influence” but often acted against Soviet interests and seemed eager to be closer to western powers.
In 1989, the most destructive of their leaders, Nicolas Ceausescu was overthrown and Romania began a long slow drive towards a happier and more stable society
Results have been mixed and that journey is certainly not yet over.
Bucharest
My requirements in a new city are simple... that I can walk around comfortably and that there will be interesting images. As a bonus, some kind of significant history is always welcome. In this respect, Bucharest, capital of Romania, fits very well.
Historical buildings sit alongside Communist functional edifices and modern office blocks. Throw in some lovely bars and cafes, full of young people and I don't think anyone can see Bucharest as boring !. By the way, if anyone does not know already, the Parliament Building is the largest single structure in Europe on basis of land area occupied.
My requirements in a new city are simple... that I can walk around comfortably and that there will be interesting images. As a bonus, some kind of significant history is always welcome. In this respect, Bucharest, capital of Romania, fits very well.
Historical buildings sit alongside Communist functional edifices and modern office blocks. Throw in some lovely bars and cafes, full of young people and I don't think anyone can see Bucharest as boring !. By the way, if anyone does not know already, the Parliament Building is the largest single structure in Europe on basis of land area occupied.
I did notice that a lot of buildings were up for sale and that the sale signs were in English. I asked my friend about this and he told me that many of the structures were in dangerous condition and that local people cannot afford to renovate. They are hoping to attract international buyers, hence the language of the signs
Another thing which caught my eye were the large numbers of posters advertising the past or future arrival of musical stars. There were some big names. This would seem that Romania, or at least Bucharest, is becoming an international entertainment location.
Another thing which caught my eye were the large numbers of posters advertising the past or future arrival of musical stars. There were some big names. This would seem that Romania, or at least Bucharest, is becoming an international entertainment location.
The Strange Machines in a Bucharest Park
The best thing about visiting a new place is to just walk around until you find something that looks really unusual and not fitting closely to the environment.
In the case of Bucharest, this "highlight" came when I visited Herasrau Park in Bucharest
Apart from the rather "spooky" looking children's rides, I found a very old weighing machine and equally ancient fortune-telling machine
I have tried, and so far failed, to find the origin of these machines. The instructions seem to be in Romanian and English
At one time, I thought they had been imported because I read that some wealthy Romanians tended to bring back strange objects from the West. But, on closer examination, they seem to be locally made.
By the way, the park also contains a permanent "exhibition" of Romanian dwellings through the ages - also well worth an hour of your time
I read on "Trip Advisor" that some visitors a found this park boring. Sorry, but I can't see why. It is a most pleasant and interesting place.
Perhaps the lack of a Starbucks was the problem :-)
Transylvania : Castles and Bratwurst
Transylvania occupies a large part of Central Romania and, without doubt, is one of the most scenic parts of Europe. The geography and the castles, together with it's literary connections make it a "must-see" for any visitor to Romania. It is easy to reach and well-served by tourist companies. I took a day trip by minibus from Bucharest and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I believe that the region was part of the original Romanian territory occupied by the Romans so it is surprising that it was only finally and fully recognised, in its entirety, as an integral and undisputed part of Romania, in 1947.
For most of it's existence it bounced around between the Hungarian, Austrian and Turkish Empires with differing levels of self-government.
Today, it occupies about 1/3rd of the entire country and has a diverse economy from mining to agriculture to IT.
Peles Castle
If anyone really desires to know the background to the building of Peles castle, then here is a link where it is explained far better than I could manage.
Commissioned by the first king of Romania, Carol 1st, it was a favoured Royal Residence. (actually, "Castle" is a misnomer... strictly speaking it is a "palace" - I think it's something to do with the lack of fortifications)
It was certainly a substantial undertaking requiring 10 years and a wide variety of skilled craftsmen from all over Europe. The cost, in today's value, was USD120 million
The point is that this is a place where you don't need to get wrapped up in the historical detail but where you want to just wander around, enjoying the buildings, corridors, rooms, staircases.
The statues, towers, wall murals, gardens - all marvelous... a great way to spend a couple of hours on a nice summer's day
As far as I know, it's the only "castle" in Romania that does not claim a connection with "Dracula"
If anyone really desires to know the background to the building of Peles castle, then here is a link where it is explained far better than I could manage.
Commissioned by the first king of Romania, Carol 1st, it was a favoured Royal Residence. (actually, "Castle" is a misnomer... strictly speaking it is a "palace" - I think it's something to do with the lack of fortifications)
It was certainly a substantial undertaking requiring 10 years and a wide variety of skilled craftsmen from all over Europe. The cost, in today's value, was USD120 million
The point is that this is a place where you don't need to get wrapped up in the historical detail but where you want to just wander around, enjoying the buildings, corridors, rooms, staircases.
The statues, towers, wall murals, gardens - all marvelous... a great way to spend a couple of hours on a nice summer's day
As far as I know, it's the only "castle" in Romania that does not claim a connection with "Dracula"
Bran Castle
On the other hand, Bran Castle actively promotes itself as "Dracula's Castle", without any justification whatsoever. It does not resemble the description in the book and has almost no connection with Vlad the Impaler on which some people (not me!) believe the character of Count Dracula is based (see later notes on this point)
As a location, Bran Castle is very old. There was a fortress on this site just over 800 years ago, although the current buildings date back a mere 600 years or so. For completeness, I should add that some parts of the castle were renovated in 1723.
After passing through various hands, the castle was given to Queen Marie of the Romanian Royal Family in 1920.
Queen Marie was actually a "Brit" and would have been Queen of England had she not refused a proposal of marriage from the future King George 5th.
He became famous for changing the name of the British Royal Family to Windsor from Saxe-Goburg and Gotha when the monarchy decided to hide the fact that they were all German (an early case of political correctness).
What a pity, maybe if we had stayed under a German Royal Family name, we would have won more World Cups and certainly been more successful with penalty deciders.
If you are wondering why I mention this ownership story, it is because it has been the subject of a comparatively recent legal battle.
When the communist-leaning government forced the Royals to abdicate in 1948, they also confiscated their property including Bran Castle. In 2005, the government gave it back to Dominic Von Habsburg, who, as a young child, was brought up in Bran Castle. He is a retired marketing consultant and technically an Austrian but somehow still the legitimate claimant. There was an attempt by a parliamentary committee to re-acquire the property in 2007 but this failed in the courts.
Like Peles, Bran is a place to just stroll around and enjoy but perhaps with a few more "sights" of interest.
I particularly enjoyed the secret and narrow passageways where it was claimed a single soldier could defend against several invaders (presumably only before guns were invented!). I was also fascinated by the scales which were used to test if a woman was a witch or not. Apparently, if she weighed more than the stone and a bible together, she was declared a witch and presumably that did not end well. Hard luck if the day before she had attended a well-stocked buffet.
Brasov
This delightful Transylvanian town is also not to be missed if you are in the area.
Picturesque and open, with sidewalk coffee shops and everyone apparently with all the time in the world to sit and chat.
You will quickly observe the German influence in building style and even the presence of traditional Bratwurst wagons.
My guide mentioned that the Germanic appearance comes from a history of ethnic German foreign workers in the area.
Actually, the story is much more complex and interesting than this simple statement.
In fact, these guest-workers were actually named as " Transylvanian Saxons" and enjoyed a long, colourful and very special relationship with the region.
In outline, they are/were soldiers and craftsmen originally invited to the area in the 12th and 13th Century.
At their peak, 200,000 such guests were in Romania but now only around 20,000 remain.
Over the years there have been occasional problems and disputes about conditions. Such disputes were mainly with occupying rulers rather than Romanians.
If this is interesting to to you, I suggest you check out this web page
Dracula - The Novel
It would be difficult to discuss Romania, particularly Transylvania, without including something about this book. I certainly don't intend to be the first not to do so.
For anyone not familiar with the story, I can offer an excellent summary from the SPARKNOTES web pages. here.
Published in 1897 and written by Bram Stoker, it is most often described as a "Gothic Horror" novel
The concept of humans/animals draining blood from victims to gain some form of enhanced life, is not new and existed in folklore for thousands of years. Nevertheless, it is this book which ultimately introduced the modern world to this genre of story.
I read that there have been approximately 170-200 Dracula movies produced, making it probably the most adapted single story ever.
WARNING : If you want to know the full and correct version of this story, you must read the book. Almost all adaptions bear little resemblance to the original story.
The nearest I have seen is a BBC version in the 1970's but even this omits one key character and has a modified ending.
Coppola's 1992 version follows the basic storyline but adds some "background" to Dracula's motivations which is not part of the original book.
Having said all of this, it is a fact that Bram Stoker,himself, also wrote two different endings for his book. (In the unused version, the Count's castle collapses and becomes uninhabitable upon Dracula's death.)
It should also be recorded that the book was written in an unusual format, known as "epistolary".
This uses multiple narrators, through the medium of diaries, letters and newspaper reports. In my purely personal opinion, this format adds credibility and suspense to the storyline.
When published, "Dracula" was very well received by literary critics but was not regarded as particularly special by the general public.. Thus Bram Stoker did not make much money out of it (In fact he died quite poor and his widow had to sell all his manuscripts and notes on the novel.)
It was all the 20th century movies which made the story famous, much too late for Bram Stoker, himself, to benefit
Although my main research interest started with the book, I became more fascinated with the author, who, like many others, was not fully recognised for his work until after his death.
That's not to say he wasn't famous. Actually, he was and moved in very high society but his fame was not connected to his writing
That's not to say he wasn't famous. Actually, he was and moved in very high society but his fame was not connected to his writing
Bram Stoker : Creator of Dracula
Bram, short for Abraham, (some sources say "Brampton") Stoker was born in 1847 in Dublin, Ireland, one of seven children.
His father, also named Abraham, was a senior civil servant, based in Dublin Castle for 50 years
His mother, Charlotte has been described as a feminist campaigning for women's rights.
It is said that she also pushed her family hard (what we call in Asia, a "Tiger Mum") resulting in all of them becoming prominent in their chosen field.
As a child, Bram Stoker suffered from an unidentified illness and was effectively bedridden until the age of 7.
Later he would praise the value of of his isolation, claiming it gave him "Fruitful Thoughts".
It is also reported that, during his illness, his mother would often read him stories of horror and mystery.
After a complete recovery from his mystery illness he went to private school
Later, at Trinity College, Dublin, all signs of his medical problem had definitely gone as he became an accomplished and renown athlete in several sports.
Records seem to indicate that, after several years, Bram Stoker did obtain a BA degree and later "purchased" an MA.
His own statement that he also graduated with Honours in Mathematics is not supported by any documents and his claim was kindly said by his contemporaries to be a "mistake of memory"
Eventually leaving the academic world, Bram became a theatre critic and slowly gained a reputation for quality writing.His big "break" came when he wrote a highly complementary piece about the most famous actor of his day, Henry Irving, who was destined to become the first actor to be knighted.
Irving, displaying that well-known tendency of all actors to enjoy being told how good they are, started a lifelong friendship with Bram Stoker.
Through Irving, Bram Stoker became the business manager of the renowned Lyceum Theatre in London. It was for this role that he was most famous within his lifetime rather than as the author of several novels. (including "Dracula", of course)
Also through his association with Irving, Bram Stoker met and became friends with many famous people, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (writer), Whistler (painter), Walt Whitman (writer and poet) and many others.
He even visited the White House and met with two Presidents - Mckinley and Roosevelt
Interestingly, he travelled widely throughout the World but never visited Eastern Europe, the main setting of his most famous work. (More on this later....)
Oscar Wilde (playwright and poet) was a longtime friend of Stoker. Their friendship survived the fact that Stoker married Florence Balcombe a beauty of her age, whom Wilde was also said to have strongly pursued.
Rumours were that the marriage was not particularly happy but it did last for 34 years until Stoker's death in 1912.
The couple had only one child, a son who, not surprisingly, was named Irving after Stoker's friend, mentor and social guide.
During the second half of his life, Bram Stoker wrote 12 novels and, having read the plot summaries, I am not surprised that only "Dracula" has survived as a recognisable title.
To be fair, Stoker was, at least, a diverse writer who was capable of producing publishable stories of various genres such as romantic, mystery and historical etc. Only a couple, including Dracula of course, fall into the so-termed Gothic Horror category.
There was a final mystery in Bram Stoker's life.. his death... with various alleged causes including, a series of strokes, overwork and and other more shameful diseases, shall we say, caused by his social life
Irving, displaying that well-known tendency of all actors to enjoy being told how good they are, started a lifelong friendship with Bram Stoker.
Through Irving, Bram Stoker became the business manager of the renowned Lyceum Theatre in London. It was for this role that he was most famous within his lifetime rather than as the author of several novels. (including "Dracula", of course)
Also through his association with Irving, Bram Stoker met and became friends with many famous people, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (writer), Whistler (painter), Walt Whitman (writer and poet) and many others.
He even visited the White House and met with two Presidents - Mckinley and Roosevelt
Interestingly, he travelled widely throughout the World but never visited Eastern Europe, the main setting of his most famous work. (More on this later....)
Oscar Wilde (playwright and poet) was a longtime friend of Stoker. Their friendship survived the fact that Stoker married Florence Balcombe a beauty of her age, whom Wilde was also said to have strongly pursued.
Rumours were that the marriage was not particularly happy but it did last for 34 years until Stoker's death in 1912.
The couple had only one child, a son who, not surprisingly, was named Irving after Stoker's friend, mentor and social guide.
During the second half of his life, Bram Stoker wrote 12 novels and, having read the plot summaries, I am not surprised that only "Dracula" has survived as a recognisable title.
To be fair, Stoker was, at least, a diverse writer who was capable of producing publishable stories of various genres such as romantic, mystery and historical etc. Only a couple, including Dracula of course, fall into the so-termed Gothic Horror category.
There was a final mystery in Bram Stoker's life.. his death... with various alleged causes including, a series of strokes, overwork and and other more shameful diseases, shall we say, caused by his social life
Dracula Locations and Sources
The internet is absolutely overloaded with speculation on possible sources for both Dracula's castle and Dracula himself.
Having spent quite a lot of my "not valuable" retirement time on this subject I think I have reached a personal conclusion on these "sources'..and here it is... They don't exist !
Bram Stoker never visited Transylvania. Indeed to my knowledge, he never visited anywhere near the regional setting of his book.
Further, again, as far as I can determine, he never offered any comment himself on any "background" to his story.
What about "Vlad the Impaler", (the most quoted "inspiration" for Count Dracula) ? ....I hear you say....
Well, like Dracula, Vlad was definitely not someone you should invite to your dinner party, having the habit to mount people on poles (and not in a good way) if they offended him in any way or used the wrong knife and fork for the fish course.
But in all other respects, he is poor candidate never having owned property in Transylvania and with reports that he may have been born in this part of Romania are also subject to debate.
The fact that the supposed link between Vlad and Dracula only emerged in detail in 1972, some 75 years after the book's publication should also raise some doubts.
Vlad supporters will point to the fact that Vlad's father was called Dracul and that, under the convention of the day, young Vlad might have been referred to as 'Dracula..son of Dracul" - surely this proves a connection ?
Well..not really...There were several Prince Dracula's in Transylvanian history of which our friend Vlad was only one of a number who might or might not have taken this title. It is possible, but not proved, that Bram Stoker heard the name Dracula from a friend (Possibly, Arminius Vambery, a Hungarian professor) and liked the sound of it.
As to the castle, it seems there are/were none in Transylvania who fitted the description in the book.
Sometimes, castles associated with Vlad the Impaler (especially Poenari) are named as 'Dracula's Castle" but that's basically one rumour based upon another.
According to Bram Stoker's son, Irving, the plot of Dracula came to his father in a dream or nightmare which his father attributed to having eaten too much crab.
There is also an interesting story that some of Count Dracula's mannerisms are based on Sir Henry Irving although this is only speculation like much of the Dracula origin "stories"
The Whitby Connection
Whitby is a small North Yorkshire town on the East Coast of England.
It is famous as being the home of Captain Cook, the first European to "discover" Australia (So he is the one you have to blame for Kylie Minogue, Rolf Harris and Rupert Murdoch)
For nearly 100 years up to 1837, Whitby was most famous as a whaling town and it has always had a reputation as a "gothic" style place with several dramatic local legends
For more information see this excellent website
For the purpose of this blog posting, we rare mainly concerned with the connection to the Dracula story and hence the connection with Romania
Not unexpectedly, like Romania, Whitby has a thriving Dracula "business" with the walking tours being especially recommended.
To be fair, Whitby can claim a number of connections to the novel.
Firstly, unlike Romania, Bram Stoker actually visited Whitby and stayed for extended periods in the years before publishing his most famous story.
As well as being inspired by the general "spooky" reputation of this fishing village, several Whitby locations are mentioned in the book, including the magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey and nearby graveyard.
A shipwreck which has a very important role in the Dracula story is said to be based on a real event told to Stoker when he was in the town,.
Outside, of the Dracula association, Whitby claims to have the best fish and chips in the UK. The ones I tried were good but, to be honest, I think Harry Ramsdens in Blackpool has the edge!
Whitby is a small North Yorkshire town on the East Coast of England.
It is famous as being the home of Captain Cook, the first European to "discover" Australia (So he is the one you have to blame for Kylie Minogue, Rolf Harris and Rupert Murdoch)
For nearly 100 years up to 1837, Whitby was most famous as a whaling town and it has always had a reputation as a "gothic" style place with several dramatic local legends
For more information see this excellent website
For the purpose of this blog posting, we rare mainly concerned with the connection to the Dracula story and hence the connection with Romania
Not unexpectedly, like Romania, Whitby has a thriving Dracula "business" with the walking tours being especially recommended.
To be fair, Whitby can claim a number of connections to the novel.
Firstly, unlike Romania, Bram Stoker actually visited Whitby and stayed for extended periods in the years before publishing his most famous story.
As well as being inspired by the general "spooky" reputation of this fishing village, several Whitby locations are mentioned in the book, including the magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey and nearby graveyard.
A shipwreck which has a very important role in the Dracula story is said to be based on a real event told to Stoker when he was in the town,.
Outside, of the Dracula association, Whitby claims to have the best fish and chips in the UK. The ones I tried were good but, to be honest, I think Harry Ramsdens in Blackpool has the edge!
Do Real Vampires exist ?
Well.."yes" and "no"......
Evil Vampires converting normal human beings into mindless zombies do not exist. They have been made redundant by iPhones and Reality TV shows, who do a much more effective job.
However, there are people who drink the blood of volunteer donors, believing that they have condition which requires this to sustain acceptable energy levels in day to day life. Some may dress up a little and have even been known to file teeth to a "fang" profile but, in the main, they are harmless individuals
Interesting Fact : the medical term for an obsession with drinking blood is "Renfield's Syndrome" named after a character in the original Dracula novel.
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