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Dracula - Discover the Truth! |
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Follow in the footsteps of Jonathan Harker to Count Dracula's castle in the "Borgo Pass" ... or, discover that fact can be stranger than fiction on the trail of the real-life Dracula |
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"Then a dog began to howl somewhere in a farmhouse far down the road - a long, agonized wailing as if from fear. The sound was taken up by another dog, then another and another, till, borne on the wind which now sighed softly through the Pass, a wild howling began which seemed to come from all over the country, as far as the imagination could grasp it through the gloom of the night. ... Then, far off in the distance, from the mountains on each side of us began a louder and sharper howling - that of wolves!" [ Bram Stoker "Dracula", 1897 ] ![]() Superstitions, myths and legend are rife in this part of Transylvania - a fear of the unknown in this remote corner of Europe |
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0845 3000 247 +44 (0)1539 531258 |
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DISCOVER MORE ABOUT DRACULA - TAKE ONE OF OUR SPECIAL TOURS Whether you are a serious Dracula enthusiast or you just want to discover the truth about Dracula |
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COUNT DRACULA |
THE DRACULA COLLECTION 2008 |
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The well-known Dracula, a vampire count, subject of hundreds of horror films, was created by an Irishman, Bram Stoker, in 1897. ![]() The book begins with the journey of Jonathan Harker, a naive English lawyer dispatched to Transylvania to finalise the deeds on the sale of a property in London for the Count. He stays at the Golden Krone Hotel in Bistritz before travelling up the "Borgo Pass" to Castle Dracula despite warnings to the contrary. Although Stoker had never been to Transylvania the locations used are real and surprisingly accurate. Stoker describes the orchards of Bistritz then "beyond the green swelling hills of the Mittel Land rose mighty slopes of forest up to the lofty peaks of the Carpathians themselves". In our opinion the remote "Borgo" Pass is one of the most beautiful places on the continent of Europe - the dark forests, the peaks of the Caliman, Suhard and Rodnei mountains and yes, in the autumn and winter the night air is filled with the chilling howls of the wolves! |
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| 1. Professional Escorted Tours ULTIMATE DRACULA 2008 Midsummer 19.06.2008 to 25.06.2008 Halloween 28.10.2008 to 4.11.2008 8 days/ 7 nights This is the ultimate Dracula tour blending fact and fiction as we make our way through the night into the wilderness of northern Romania by overnight sleeper train. There is barely time to pray for forgivemness amidst the treasures of Moldavia - the famous UNESCO listed Painted Monasteries before our train beckons us to venture into that mysterious land called Transylvania, onwards, further and deeper into the remote Carpathians as we seek out Count Dracula in his homeland. Highlights include the horse and cart journey up to the 'Borgo Pass', along cart and forest tracks ever higher, following in the footsteps of Jonathan Harker ever deeper into the wolf-ridden forest. We pause at a woodcutters hut for a picnic before finally reaching the summit as the day draws to a close. Our midsummer tour celebrates the Romanian tradition of 'Sânziene' - the time when, according to superstition the Gates of Heaven remain open, fairies flit through the woods and om Midsummers Night unmarried maidens dream of their destiny. Just because this is the shortest night you should still be afraid! Meanwhile, the Halloween tour reaches its apogee in the extravagant 'Vampires Ball' amidst the fortified citadel of Târgu Mures - we are even expecting a visit from the Count himself. We visit also visit the historic domains of Vlad the Impaler including his birthplace in Sighisoara, the city of Brasov which he raided, and the famous Bran Castle . The Halloween tour returns to Bucharest via the Royal Palace of Peles at Sinaia and visits the Ghencea Cemetery. Tthe Midsummer tour takes you to Vlad the Impalers remote ruined castle, on a crag high above the Arges gorge, from which his wife jumped to her death in the river to escape the conquering Ottoman armies. This trip includes quality accommodation and meals throughout. Bucharest - Club Dracula - Overnight Train - Painted Monasteries of Bucovina - Bargau Mountains - Lunca Ilvei village experience - Jonathan Harker Trail (Horse & Cart) - Borgo Pass - Hotel Castle Dracula - Bistrita - Târgu Mures (Vampire Ball in the Citadel on the Halloween tour) - Biertan (fortress church) - Sighisoara - Brasov - Bran Castle - Peles Palace (Midsummer) or Poienari (Halloween) - Bucharest (including Ghancea Cemetery!). 2008 DATES:
(B). FULLY-ESCORTED SHORT-BREAKS 4. DRACULA: REALM OF VLAD THE IMPALER 3. Alternative Tailor-made itineraries for individuals (only part-guided)
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VLAD DRACULA "THE IMPALER" PRINCE OF WALLACHIA |
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Stoker drew his inspiration from a number of sources but following his discovery of a pamphlet about the 15th century Prince of Wallachia - Vlad Dracula - his vampire count gained an identity. ![]() Vlad was born in Sighisoara in Transylvania in 1431 - the house where he was born still stands today and now contains a restaurant. He lived during a time of great conflict. Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire of the Turks in 1453 and his father joined the Order of Dragon - a union of eastern and central European rulers - to repel further expansion. Years were spent as a hostage of the Turks before Vlad took the throne of Wallachia in Targoviste and attempted to rid his country of subservience to the Turks. Knowledge gained from captivity enabled him to use terror tactics against wayward landlords to gain obedience and against the Turks who attempted to invade Wallachia and capture him. Dracula means "Son of the Devil", and this nickname, in addition to "the Impaler", were soon applied to Vlad. ![]() On one occasion they were repulsed by the sight of a forest of the victims of a previous invasion impaled outside the capital Targoviste. He was later deposed by his brother, who sided with the Turks and he fled from his castle in the gorge of the Arges at Poienari, aided by the villagers of Arefu, across the mountains to Transylvania, where he was sheltered for while in the mountain castle of "Königstein" (Piatra Craiului), now a ruin above the Rucar Pass Vlad returned to the throne of Wallachia only to be murdered a few months later. His decapitated remains were buried at Snagov Monastery near Bucharest, which he had once partly converted into a prison. The capital itself was first recorded during the time of his first reign when he built a citadel there. |
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is a Division of BCD Meetings & Incentives 1 Atkinson Court, Fell Foot, Newby Bridge, Cumbria, United Kingdom LA12 8NW |
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Copyright © 2007 Transylvania Uncovered - the Romania Travel Specialists
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| Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Dracula Tours Trips Holidays Trail Flights Transylvania Uncovered Count Dracula Vlad Tepes The Impaler Jonathan Harker Van Helsing Vampire Ball Halloween Ball Midsummer Ball Bucharest Bistrita BistritzSighisoara Borgo Pass Sibiu Poienari Dracula Castle Targoviste Arefu Brasov Bran Snagov Horse and Carriage Rides Witch Trial weekend breaks Transylvanian Society of Dracula Spooky Castles Haunted Ruins Legends Folklore Superstitions Transylvania Uncovered Dracula 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||