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ROMANIA
In the fall of 1996, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful country of Romania while working on the book Vampire Legends of Rhode Island with folklorist Christopher Rondina. We were going in search of Dracula the Warrior Prince and Count Dracula, Bram Stoker's legendary vampire. While Christopher planed our journey, I dreamed of dark castles, roving bands of Gypsies and quaint Germanic towns nestled in the mountains. Nothing could have been further from the truth...
The view from our room at the Continental Hotel on our first morning in Bucharest. |
We arrived at the crumbling Otopini Airport, located on the edge of Bucharest's urban sprawl, on a dreary late October afternoon in the rain. After collecting our bags and haggling over our tiny Fiat rental car, we set off in search of our hotel. We were greeted by mobs of tired looking people on their way home from a political rally and military troops with assault weapons against the backdrop of Soviet era, cinder block, high rise apartment buildings. By the time we reached our hotel we were exhausted. After having read so much about the unchanged beauty of Romania's landscape and "pre-soviet style" Europian citys, we were somewhat apprehensive about what we would find. However; by morning the rain had stopped and things were looking up!
Curtea Veche |
The first stop on our search for Dracula was Curtea Veche and its adjoining church complex, located in the oldest part of Bucharest . Built by Prince Vlad to be the citadel to his seat of power in the mid-fifteenth century, it was then sacked during his campaign to regain the throne in 1467. Plagued by earthquakes and fire, little remains of the proud Wallachian architecture of the palace. Only a few crumbling walls, shattered columns and dilapidated arches can be seen through the surrounding fence. It was our first exciting glimps of the historical Prince Dracula and his legacy.
The church, however still stands in it's plaza and remains in use. Built between 1546 and 1558 by Mercea the Sheppard, it is the oldest church in the city. On the Sunday morning of our visit it was packed with a large and enthusiastic congregation.
Mercea the Sheppard's Church at Curtea Veche |
Leaving Curtea Veche we made our way to Cismigiu Gardens to enjoy a stroll thru one of the city's most beautiful parks. Here we found the Romania that we had read so much about.
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| Young man selling flowers on the way to Cismigi Gardens |
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Berta A. Daniels and Cheryl A. Miller can be reached at badcam@badcam.com
or (978) 461- 0951
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