Transylvania - Myth and Reality

If there is one tourist trap in Romania, it must be Sighisoara, the birthplace of Vlad The Impaler, also known as Dracula. He was a famous in Romania not for his vampire shenanigans, but for defeating the Turks and keeping his kingdom independent. Growing up in Transylvania I had never heard of Bram Stoker's novel until I moved to America. People's eyes would lit up when I would tell them I'm from Transylvania. "You mean Dracula's land?" "How cool!" "Are you a vampire?"

Why Bram Stoker chose Transylvania for the setting of his famous novel, I'll never know. But a centry later, we can credit him for launching Romania's tourist industry as old, medieval towns like Sighisoara have become "must see" tourist attractions. I had a chance to visit Sighisoara this time around (I was there a long time ago during a school field trip so I didn't remember much of it). If you ignore the other tourists, the vendors who try to sell you everything in sight and the beggar children who know they can make a good profit from clueless tourists, you'll enjoy the sights. I was surprised how small the town is. I walked through the narrow streets and up to the 14th century gothic cathedral on the hill.

The tower at the entrance of the fortress looks as imposing as it did centuries ago. One of the smaller towers used for defending attackers still shows the pockmarks from the last assault a few centuries ago.
Of course, you can't miss Dracula's birthplace; it's been converted into a fancy and expensive restaurant. So that Dracula's spirit may suck the blood out of all those hapless and hungry tourists.